It's Book Fair Season

It's fall. It's officially book fair season! Fall is my favorite season - throw in book fairs, author meetups and lots of books - what's not to love?

When I was young, my mother took me into NYC for New York Is Book Country. Fifth Avenue was shut down to traffic, and it was just book vendors as far as my eyes could see. At most of the booths they gave away “swag.” A young lover of books and reading, I got to see artwork up close, get some new books and meet authors. What a special treat for me. We would take the train home laden with books and free stuff. Some of the New York Is Book Country posters my father had framed, and they were hung in our home. Those were probably sold when they sold the house. Some of them are quite valuable today.

When I moved to NYC to live on my own, I couldn't wait for New York Is Book Country. It was in late September, the air had a crisp chill in the morning, but would warm up by midday – a great day for shorts and a sweater – is there anything better? Apparently, there is, when you add in meeting authors and getting free book swag. I decorated my studio apartment with a lot of that swag. I smile thinking back on it. In 1993 (yes, I have been doing some research), Hilary Knight was the illustrator for the New York Is Book Country poster. He is (yes, he's still alive at 99!) the illustrator of Eloise by Kay Thompson. Eloise was one of my favorite books as a child. Eloise is a little girl who lives at the Plaza Hotel. Her imagination was impressive. I must have read that book hundreds of times. And my mother brought my sister and me to the Plaza so we could see the portrait of Eloise in the main lobby. I bought a copy of Eloise that day and had Hilary Knight sign it. I still have it – actually, my daughter has it. We shall keep it forever.

Another favorite book fair was the Princeton Children's Book Festival. Sadly, the last one was in 2024, and they have since paused it. But for many years, we would plan a visit to Nana's so we could go. We met many new authors there: Michelle Knudsen, author of my daughter's favorite book Library Lion. I can't imagine our life without Library Lion, Ms. Merriweather and Mr. McBee. Another favorite author we met there was Daniel Kirk. When my son was very little, we read My Truck Is Stuck, which Daniel Kirk illustrated, every day, and I mean every single day. He is also the author and illustrator of the beloved Library Mouse series. We had several of them signed for both of my kids. When I was teaching, my students loved Sam, the mouse. The illustrations are wonderful and every book highlights the wonders of the library and librarians. My daughter has all of these books now for her own classroom.

I will be going to the Chappaqua Children's Book Festival on September 26th. I have been several times. Lots of new and old authors. Two years ago, I met Dan Gutman, author of the My Weird School series. I had him sign several books for my daughter who was doing her student teaching in a 2nd grade class. Last year I met Chris Grabenstein, author of Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library. I told him that my son and I had read it aloud several years ago and how much he loved it, especially the puzzles. He told me that he hears from lots of young adults (college age – like my son) who re-read his books because they bring them a sense of comfort and ease in the midst of their college studies. What a wonderful feeling for the author – to know that he is a comfort and that his books bring joy and steadiness to his readers, even years later.

I wonder what authors I will meet on the 26th.

Also on my list is the Morristown Festival of Books, on October 10th in Morristown, NJ. I have never been, but I am looking forward to it.

Last year, my daughter attended a couple of talks for the Boston Book Festival. It wasn't quite the book fair she remembered as a kid (Princeton), but it was still interesting.

I would like to go to the Southern Festival of Books. This year it is October 17th and 18th. I've wanted to go for a few years but, it's a plane ride to Nashville, so it may have to wait. I am an avid follower of Parnassus Books in Nashville. I can't wait for the New Releases videos on Tuesdays and of course, It's New to You videos on Fridays. I love Ann Patchett's books, and I am always pleased with all of Parnassus' recommendations.

I hope you find a book fair near you, enjoy the beautiful fall weather, get some new books, maybe some book swag. They'll keep you busy once the snow comes.

Maybe one of those books will still be with you decades from now.