Brooklyn Book Festival 2013

Last Sunday, Kevin and I went to the Brooklyn Book Festival. Our first stop is was the Black Balloon Publishing booth, which is Kevin's publisher for his short story collection! For those of you that we haven't told yet, his short story collection is coming out on May 15, 2014. I will be updating you guys with more information as it becomes available.

So many people at the Brooklyn Book Festival this year!

Black Balloon Publishing Booth was hopping!

We talked with the Managing Director, Publicists, and another author Paul Kwiatkowski. Afterwards, we walked around checking out all the different booths for publishers and organizations. Kevin spotted a bunch of authors I don't know walking around. 

Random House- Penguin ("Random Penguin") had a food truck filled with books

Nick and Emily met up with us, and after a little more walking around we went to a bar to grab some drinks and snacks before a reading that we were checking out. Jon, Becky, and Ben stopped by to say hello as well, but they couldn't stay.

Kevin and me

Emily and Nick

Then we waited on a long long line to attend "The Fantastic and The Strange" reading by Karen Russell and A.M. Homes. I didn't previously know anything about A.M. Homes, but she's funny and kind of badass. Now I want to read all her books.

"The Fantastic and The Strange": (l-r) faciliatator, Karen Russell, and A.M. Homes

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this book a few times as a kid, but I think the first time I was 11. I remember the garden and the children and the magical quality of the book, but I also remember feeling like something was missing.

My sixth grade journal says I rated it 9+/10 so maybe that's 5 stars?

I reread it recently as an adult, and I think that because I read more quickly now, the pacing is better for me now and I appreciate it even more. And because I have more sympathy for Mr. Craven as an adult, the book seems even more beautiful now.

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Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't know what to say about this. It was really well-written and I had all the feelings.

It reminds me of Pride and Prejudice and Pygmalion.

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Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George

Julie of the Wolves by Jean Craighead George
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

What a wonderful book! Julie is a young teen escaping a forced marriage, and she just joins up with a wolf pack. The wolves all have names and different personalities. This book deserved all the awards it got.

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The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks

The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm not sure how much I liked this when I read it as a kid because I don't remember it that well, but it stands the test of time! What a fun children's fantasy book! I want to bring all the toys to life!

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Our Man in Iraq by Robert Perišić

Our Man in Iraq by Robert Perišić
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The novel takes place in Zagreb, Croatia, and one thing that really stands out about this novel is how Croatia seems both completely foreign and very familiar at the same time. Parts of it could definitely take place in Brooklyn instead of Zagreb. The economic and career fear in particular is very familiar and relevant in America right now. The translation appears seamless and I mostly forgot it was in translation even in the scenes where the characters speak English. The beginning of the novel is a little crazed, but it settles in to an interesting and fairly straightforward narrative. Definitely worth reading.

Full disclosure: My husband signed a contract with Black Balloon Publishing.

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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (#6) by J.K. Rowling

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It's hard to believe that Harry is so clever about so many things, and he is not at all clever about the title of this book. Sigh.

Why does Dumbledore not have his own Marauder’s Map? Why does Harry tell adults everything he sees but not mention the disappearances?

This one is also more upsetting to read after having experienced the illness of a loved one than it was the first time I read it. In general, it's not a super fun one to re-read.

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