alexiscartwheel | Update with Books (Reply)

Yesterday I went to the National Book Festival, which was a lot of fun. Last year, you may recall, I spent most of the day waiting in line for Neil Gaiman's signature. This year I skipped the autograph lines and got to see many more authors.

First I wandered a little, then settled in at the back of a tent to listen to Jeannette Walls, whose book The Glass Castle has been on my "oh I should read that" radar for awhile. I picked up some free stuff (a shopping bag from Target and some posters for my office!) then met my aunt at the Metro station. Next we listened to poet Jane Hirschfield read (I had never heard of her, but she was good) and checked out some cool digital exhibits at the Library of Congress tent.

Then we met up with sagacious_c, at which point it started raining. Luckily, we were able to get a spot inside the tent (barely!) to see Sharon Creech, who is a favorite of mine. If you haven't read Walk Two Moons, what are you waiting for? We ended the afternoon by checking out the bookstore tent and seeing Marilynne Robinson read. There were other authors I would've like to see, including Rick Riordan and Judy Blume, but luckily LOC records all the talks and will be posting the videos online!

Once again, the festival coincided with the beginning of Banned Books Week. As usual you can check out the ALA website for details on frequently challenged books, which last year included The Kite Runner and the Gossip Girl series.

I had a big time "I'm turning into my mother" moment today. I look a lot like her anyway, but today it struck me at one point that my outfit (jeans, white t-shirt, black cardigan) could have been pulled straight from her closet. My sister and I often tease her for owning few clothes that are not white, black, or beige.

I'm still having trouble focusing on school. Instead I've read several novels and watched way more TV than I have time for. I'm sure some things will be sacrificed soon, but for now I'm enjoying premiere season. Glee is by far my favorite new show, and the first episode of Flash Forward seems promising. Bones, How I Met Your Mother, Dollhouse, and Fringe are back I pretty much enjoy them in that order. New Merlin has also started, and though there are so many problems with that show I enjoy it anyway.