THE BOOK CLUB HOTEL by Sarah Morgan:

Best enjoyed in a cabin that neighbours your friend’s. See our grouped cabins here to plan your next book club getaway!

Make this holiday season the start of a whole new chapter with your friends by your side and a good book in hand. Perfect for fans of Jennifer Weiner and Susan Wiggs, The Book Club Hotel is a heartfelt exploration of change set in the coziest winter destination during the most enchanting time of the year.

MY EFFIN’ LIFE by Geddy Lee

Ideally suited to a tiny cabin where you can really pump the tunes and dance in the kitchen.

Crank the volume and get ready to rock with the highly anticipated memoir from the iconic Rock and Roll Hall of Famer and Rush bassist, Geddy Lee. With never-before-seen photos, behind-the-scenes insights, and Geddy’s signature humour, this book is perfect afternoon reading for any music lover.

A HOLLY JOLLY EVER AFTER by Julie Murphy and Sierra Simone

Perfectly matched with a small-town outing giving those Christmas Hallmark feelings. Our Lanark County Cabins are situated nextdoor to postcard perfect Perth, ON for your own holiday meet-cute.

Do you ever wish that the holiday movies on the Hallmark channel would spice things up a bit? Enter: A Holly Jolly Ever After, a steamy rom-com about an actress and a perpetually single former boy-band member reunited as costars on a steamy holiday film. 

What are some of your favourite eco-conscious wedding trends?

Renting, thrifting, or borrowing decor instead of buying it. I try to encourage couples to use items that they can incorporate back into their homes as keepsakes after the wedding. Another would be to source out a local flower farm and only use florals that are in season. Ditching floral foam and replacing it with other reusable options like chicken wire is also a great way to help the environment. Another trend we are seeing a lot of is up-cycled wedding rings. This might be a family ring that has been resized or a thrifted ring. 

What are some unique ways couples are personalizing their elopement ceremonies in 2024?

They are heading to locations that speak to them as a couple. Whether it’s a cabin in the woods, the top of a mountain, or their favourite restaurant, couples are going all out to find elopement locations with a bit of a wow factor.  While city hall weddings “get it done” they are rather bland and boring. Couples want to be able to tell their friends and family and maybe even their kids and grandkids about their love story. It’s a special day and it really does deserve special attention. 

What is the thing that most couples forget on their special day?

Hopefully nothing if they’ve hired a planner. It’s the planner’s responsibility to make sure that it all comes together seamlessly, however, they cannot be everywhere at once. Sometimes when florals are dropped off to a getting ready location they inadvertently get forgotten in all the excitement and someone has to go back and get them. Couples may also forget to take a few moments away from all of the festivities to reflect on their day. You spend weeks, months and sometimes years to plan one day of your life and it all goes by so quickly. Take all the time you need to slow down and enjoy it.

Perth Museum (the Old Matheson House)  11 Gore St. E., Perth, Ontario

Perth has a rich history, with beautiful limestone homes dating back over 200 years. The site of the current Museum was originally owned by Senator Roderick Matheson and his seven beautiful daughters. Local reporting states that the girls were allegedly very attached to the gardens and some have claimed there have been unexplainable sounds, shadows, and spooky feelings around this old landmark.

Screaming Heads 981 Midlothian Rd, Burk’s Falls

While it may not be haunted or have any spooky history, there’s a site in Burks Falls, north of Muskoka, which contains monsters. Screaming Heads is a 310 acre art exhibit by Peter Camani which features massive eerie sculptures emerging from the ground. It’s a bit of a drive (1.75 hrs from Kawartha Cabins or 2hrs from Haliburton) but worth the trek! It is a private property, so if the gate is closed, please just admire from the road.

Buck Hill Road, Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards

Legend goes that during the depression, a man and his daughter lived at the bottom of the hill. One night when the man went out to grab firewood, their dog ran off and his young daughter chased after it. The man searched endlessly for his daughter to no avail, and it is said his spirit searches for her still. The site is an hour away from our Cabins but apparently popular with local ghost hunters who often call out “Daddy Daddy Daddy” at the start of their spooky explorations.

THE LEFTOVER WOMAN by Jean Kwok

If you’re looking for a book that is equal parts evocative family drama and riveting mystery, Jean Kwok’s forthcoming novel should be at the top of your reading list.

There are so many layers in this story, from the vast disparities between the privileged and the disadvantaged living in New York to the complicated relationships between mothers and their children. At its core, this is the story of two women in strikingly different circumstances set on a collision course, pulled together by the question of what it means to be a loving mother to your child.

Pack your tissues if you’re bringing The Leftover Woman on vacation as it’s guaranteed to be an emotional ride from start to finish.

THE HURRICANE WARS by Thea Guanzon

Fantasy romance lovers, this is set to be the spicy Star Wars-inspired book of your dreams. Set in a Southeast Asia-inspired world that is ravaged by storms, Thea Guanzon’s debut novel features all the tropes we can’t get enough of, including: slow burn romance, enemies-to-lovers, forced proximity, and marriage of convenience, or what I like to call “marriage first, feelings later”.

If you’ve been scrolling through TikTok wondering what to read after finishing books from Sarah J. Maas, R. F. Kuang, and Ali Hazelwood, add The Hurricane Wars to your suitcase, stat!

WAVEWALKER by Suzanne Heywood

We’re rounding out this list with a book that reminds us of Educated by Tara Westover, but with its own inspiring and terrifying story. This heartbreaking and hopeful memoir chronicles Suzanne Heywood’s life from the age of seven, when she set sail with her parents and brother on what was supposed to be a three-year voyage around the world – that turned into a decade-long nightmare. No one else knew where they were most of the time and no state showed any interest in what was happening to the children.

This is ultimately a survival story of a child deprived of safety, friendships, schooling, and occasionally drinking water. It’s one that you won’t be able to put down while reading it and you won’t be able to stop thinking about it long after you’ve closed the pages. Grab a copy HERE.