For all you “lazy bums” who would prefer curling up on the couch with a good book, instead of tending to your “to do” list, I applaud you!

Recently, I spent a week engrossed in 530 pages of “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. There was no way I was going to vacuum, run errands, write essays or fix dinner. I was hooked and couldn’t get enough of this page-turner.

We bookworms are so fortunate to have Bothell’s Sheryn Hara step up to the plate to organize this year’s Northwest BookFest. The festival, with the appropriate theme “It’s Raining Books,” will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Oct. 1 and 2 in Kirkland.

Rain or shine, the festival will be held throughout Kirkland’s lush, manicured Peter Kirk Park, in the Performance Center, Teen Union Building, Kirkland’s Public Library and Community Center.

Sheryn promises something for everyone.

Children will love an appearance of Caspar Babypants, performing puppets, live music and storytelling in several languages. There will be plenty of books for them to read, as well.

Teens can rock out at the Kirkland Teen Center, and also enjoy a special appearance on Oct. 2 of Smart Chicks, a group of young authors on national tour.

And for the adults… Book Publishers Northwest and the Whidbey Island Writers Conference will hold workshops for writers and publishers.  The event will also feature panel discussions by renowned authors. Workshops on writing, editing, publishing, book distribution and marketing will motivate the novice to the already-published author.

Browse through books, purchase books, talk to local new and seasoned authors and meet Northwest best-selling thriller authors such as Robert Dugoni, Mike Lawson, Boyd Morrison and Kevin O’Brien. Attend a workshop highlighting multi-cultural authors, Flor Fernandez Barrios, Sunnie Empie, Bharti Kirchner, and Donna Miscalta, as they discuss challenges they overcame to see their stories in print. The authors will be more than happy to sign a copy of their book and include a personal note.

A dozen food vendors will serve specialty foods, and BookFest attendees will not go hungry: Stop at the coffee cart, there will be barbecue, a taco bar for Mexican food lovers, Kaleenka Piroshky, blackened salmon, your basic hot dogs, caramel corn, cookies ‘n cupcakes.

Browse through books, attend workshops, talk to authors, leave with signed copies and a renewed enthusiasm for reading and writing. Then, head straight home to the couch, feet up, and dive into that book.

Suzanne G. Beyer is a Bothell resident.