Like its name, spring has many positive connotations to it. It is a time of rebirth after the long winter; people tend to their gardens; flowers and plants are in full bloom. It is also a time when my allergies and sinuses kick into gear, which is not such a pleasant experience; but, aside from that, spring is a season that shouts sunshine, hope and life. It is also the season for the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, one of my favorite events of the year.
Unlike previous years, my husband and I were only able to attend one day this year. We'd splurged on tickets to the local Broadway season last summer and it just so happened that one of the show dates fell right on the weekend of the book festival. So, while many of my fellow bloggers were enjoying a Saturday at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Anjin and I were bouncing in our seats to the tunes from Hairspray. It was a fun show, another reminder of why I love attending the theater so much. While I entertained the idea of jumping in the car and meeting the book blogger gang at Jerry's Deli for dinner that evening, it really wasn't a possibility. Oh well.
Sunday, April 25th, couldn't get here soon enough. Anjin and I made the long drive into Los Angeles, arriving too late to attend our first panel by mere minutes. I wasn't too heartbroken, although just a little disappointed. In years past, I had a habit of arranging a very tight schedule for us, panel-wise, and this year I wanted to take a more relaxed approach and spend more time outdoors, browsing the booths. So, when I chose to attend the discussion panel between John Green and David Levithan, it was more because I figured it would be funny--and I was in the mood for funny. Plus, I had just finished reading a book by John Green after having finally succumbed to the peer pressure of fellow book bloggers. It wasn't meant to be, however. Instead, Anjin and I wandered around a few of the booths and were first in line for the John Green and David Levithan book signing, me armed with my copy of Will Greyson, Will Greyson. It's a good thing we were too because the line began growing even before the panel let out. As we were leaving, the end of the line wasn't anywhere in sight.
Anjin and I didn't have much time, but we raced over to our next venue, our other panel for the day. This one was one my husband had been most looking forward to. Writer Ed Brubaker (author of the graphic novels Scene of the Crime, Captain America, Dare Devil, Incognito, and Criminal) along with Oliver Simon (author of the graphic novels The Exterminators and Gen13) and Mike Mignola (author of the graphic novels Hellboy and BPRD) made up the panel. Geoff Boucher was the moderator. It was quite an entertaining panel, both funny and interesting. They discussed the differences in writing for indies versus the major publishers, their take on writing about superheroes, and the influence of Hollywood on comics and vice versa, among other topics. Even though this area is more my husband's than mine, I have read a short story and one graphic novel by Ed Brubaker, which I really liked, and so I was eager to see him as well. After the panel, we had the opportunity to meet Simon Oliver and Ed Brubaker and have them sign a couple of books for us.
The rest of the afternoon was wide open. Or so my husband thought. I actually had highlighted a couple of author signings in the schedule that I wanted to try and get to. Along the way we were able to grab a bite to eat and then visited the booths, sometimes doubling back to see who new might have showed up at the booths featuring author signings. I got to shake Kwei Quartey's hand and tell him how much I loved his book Wife of the Gods, hobnob with authors Juliet Blackwell, author of Secondhand Spirits, and Sophie Littlefield, author of A Bad Day for Sorry. I also introduced myself to crime fiction authors Denise Hamilton and Elizabeth George. One of my must see authors that day was Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians, who was gracious and humble when faced with a crazed book lover.
Overall, it was a terrific day. The weather was sunny and perfect, and I remembered to put on sunscreen. At the end of the day, my feet were sore and my shoulder ached a bit from my bag full of books, but it was well worth it.
Books I Couldn't Resist Buying at the Festival:
Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
This Body of Death by Elizabeth George
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Last Embrace by Denise Hamilton
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
Bahamarama by Bob Morris (The Mysterious Galaxy was giving away one paperback for every hardback sold at their booth--and this was the complimentary book I was given)
Chas: The Knowledge (Hellblazer) by Simon Oliver & Goran Sudžuka
Anjin's Loot (which is also going on my TBR pile to read):
Hexed: The Devil I Know by Michael Alan Nelson, Emma Rios, Cris Peter, & Marshall Dillon
The Unknown by Mark Waid, Minck Oosterveer & Marshall Dillon
Unlike previous years, my husband and I were only able to attend one day this year. We'd splurged on tickets to the local Broadway season last summer and it just so happened that one of the show dates fell right on the weekend of the book festival. So, while many of my fellow bloggers were enjoying a Saturday at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Anjin and I were bouncing in our seats to the tunes from Hairspray. It was a fun show, another reminder of why I love attending the theater so much. While I entertained the idea of jumping in the car and meeting the book blogger gang at Jerry's Deli for dinner that evening, it really wasn't a possibility. Oh well.
Sunday, April 25th, couldn't get here soon enough. Anjin and I made the long drive into Los Angeles, arriving too late to attend our first panel by mere minutes. I wasn't too heartbroken, although just a little disappointed. In years past, I had a habit of arranging a very tight schedule for us, panel-wise, and this year I wanted to take a more relaxed approach and spend more time outdoors, browsing the booths. So, when I chose to attend the discussion panel between John Green and David Levithan, it was more because I figured it would be funny--and I was in the mood for funny. Plus, I had just finished reading a book by John Green after having finally succumbed to the peer pressure of fellow book bloggers. It wasn't meant to be, however. Instead, Anjin and I wandered around a few of the booths and were first in line for the John Green and David Levithan book signing, me armed with my copy of Will Greyson, Will Greyson. It's a good thing we were too because the line began growing even before the panel let out. As we were leaving, the end of the line wasn't anywhere in sight.
Anjin and I didn't have much time, but we raced over to our next venue, our other panel for the day. This one was one my husband had been most looking forward to. Writer Ed Brubaker (author of the graphic novels Scene of the Crime, Captain America, Dare Devil, Incognito, and Criminal) along with Oliver Simon (author of the graphic novels The Exterminators and Gen13) and Mike Mignola (author of the graphic novels Hellboy and BPRD) made up the panel. Geoff Boucher was the moderator. It was quite an entertaining panel, both funny and interesting. They discussed the differences in writing for indies versus the major publishers, their take on writing about superheroes, and the influence of Hollywood on comics and vice versa, among other topics. Even though this area is more my husband's than mine, I have read a short story and one graphic novel by Ed Brubaker, which I really liked, and so I was eager to see him as well. After the panel, we had the opportunity to meet Simon Oliver and Ed Brubaker and have them sign a couple of books for us.
The rest of the afternoon was wide open. Or so my husband thought. I actually had highlighted a couple of author signings in the schedule that I wanted to try and get to. Along the way we were able to grab a bite to eat and then visited the booths, sometimes doubling back to see who new might have showed up at the booths featuring author signings. I got to shake Kwei Quartey's hand and tell him how much I loved his book Wife of the Gods, hobnob with authors Juliet Blackwell, author of Secondhand Spirits, and Sophie Littlefield, author of A Bad Day for Sorry. I also introduced myself to crime fiction authors Denise Hamilton and Elizabeth George. One of my must see authors that day was Lev Grossman, author of The Magicians, who was gracious and humble when faced with a crazed book lover.
Overall, it was a terrific day. The weather was sunny and perfect, and I remembered to put on sunscreen. At the end of the day, my feet were sore and my shoulder ached a bit from my bag full of books, but it was well worth it.
Books I Couldn't Resist Buying at the Festival:
Secondhand Spirits by Juliet Blackwell
This Body of Death by Elizabeth George
The Magicians by Lev Grossman
The Last Embrace by Denise Hamilton
A Bad Day for Sorry by Sophie Littlefield
Bahamarama by Bob Morris (The Mysterious Galaxy was giving away one paperback for every hardback sold at their booth--and this was the complimentary book I was given)
Chas: The Knowledge (Hellblazer) by Simon Oliver & Goran Sudžuka
Anjin's Loot (which is also going on my TBR pile to read):
Hexed: The Devil I Know by Michael Alan Nelson, Emma Rios, Cris Peter, & Marshall Dillon
The Unknown by Mark Waid, Minck Oosterveer & Marshall Dillon
Other book blogger's recaps of the Festival:
Anjin from Bullet Points
Amy from My Friend Amy
Florinda from the 3 R's Blog
Leah from Amused By Books
Mark from Random Ramblings From Sunny Southern CA
Softdrink from Fizzy Thoughts
Thea from the Book Smugglers
Ti from Book Chatter
Trish from Hey Lady! Watcha Readin'?
Did I miss your LATFOB recap? Let me know and I'll add your link!
What new books made it into your home recently?
© 2010, Wendy Runyon of Musings of a Bookish Kitty. All Rights Reserved.If you're reading this on a site other than Musings of a Bookish Kitty or Wendy's feed, be aware that this post has been stolen and is used without permission.
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