This past weekend, I attended the
AJC Decatur Book Festival, and IT WAS AWESOME. I always love these things, but this was my first time going to this one. It was well organized, filled with like-minded book lovers, and had a ton of tents overflowing with books, many of which were collectible and/or rare. Needless to say, I was in heaven! In this post, I’ll share photos and recap a little about the weekend.
On Saturday, my dad and I went to the Superheroes Redefined panel and signing with Gwenda Bond (author of the Lois Lane series and the moderator), Leigh Bardugo (on tour for Wonder Woman: Warbringer), and Jason Reynolds (on tour for Miles Morales: Spider-Man). It was SO COOL. The three of them are such intelligent, fascinating people. Listening to them was an unreal experience. As someone who loves to read, I know that the people who write the books I’m reading are uncommonly smart. Of course they are. They wrote a book. But hearing them speak in person, not just about their own novels, but about how they were striving to interweave important themes, was incredible! Bond, Bardugo, and Reynolds touched specifically on the influence superhero stories can have on today’s youth, especially in a political climate where very few real-life examples of moral good exist anymore. I have never read anything by Bond or Reynolds yet, but after this panel I am definitely going to pick up their work.
As for meeting Leigh Bardugo—AHHHHH. I was obviously really excited. I’m always on cloud nine when I get to meet an author, and this was no different. She is just as cool as she seems. Seriously, I wish I could be her friend. There was a girl who started crying while asking a question during the Q+A portion of the panel. Bardugo brought her up on stage for a hug. It was so sweet! She was also so fun and attentive during the signing. She’s a remarkable person! AND NOW I HAVE WARBRINGER.
My dad has read the Six of Crows duology too, so meeting Bardugo together was special! It means so much to me that we can share a passion for reading.
On Sunday, my sister and I went back to the festival. The area it was in is just gorgeous. Add books, author events, poetry readings, and delicious food to that equation, and we were having a blast! I also found yellow library card socks by Out of Print at the very first tent we stopped in, so I was pumped.
Among my favorite book finds is this edition of The Prince by Machiavelli, published by The Franklin Library. I have never read this and have been wanting to, so to find this GORGEOUS edition right now—I was freaking out!
After making that wonderful discovery, we headed over to the Family Found panel and signing. We ended up being late for this, so we didn’t catch the whole talk, but I did get in line for the signing. I got The Dreadful Tale of Prosper Redding, two days early and signed!! Bracken was the kindest human being! She took the time to have a genuine, individual conversation with every person in line, which was so special, particularly because there were a lot of children there. I told her how I follow her on Instagram, and we talked about her adorable dog. So basically my life was made! It was really great. Cassie Beasley (on tour for Tumble & Blue) and Michael Buckley (on tour for Heart of the Storm) were also on the panel, with Little Shop of Stories bookseller and author Terra McVoy as moderator.
Here’s a shot of my full book haul:
All in all, this weekend was a bibliophile’s dream!
Also, shout-out to my wonderful sister, who took all of the pics I couldn’t! She is the best, and we had such a great time. Check out her site!
A Smaller Goodreads Reading Challenge Number! I’ve decided to set my goal at 50, which is half of my usual number. I don’t usually feel rushed or pressured by my larger goals, because to me it doesn’t matter that much if you adjust them for more or less reading. But, I think setting it lower will create an environment where it’s easy for me to encourage myself to slowly read one book at a time. I do also have a lot of personal goals on my mind for this year, as well as a desire to write more. And, I feel more optimistic and excited about this year than I have in a few years. I turn to reading for escape and comfort more than anything else, so feeling well adjusted as I enter this year makes me think that reading a little less and prioritizing some other things might feel right.
A TBR Jar! I’ve never done one of these before, and since I’m a mood reader, I’ve always been unsure about it. But then, I had an amazing conversation with a Bookstagram friend, 
