Do I need more books? Of course not, but I got them!!

Whenever I hear about a book event, I automatically want to go. But realistically, that doesn't always happen. Some school events I don't get to take part in because I have other commitments. But this last Saturday I had some free time to attend "Hachette Reading Group Day" at the Mid-Manhattan Library.

See that yellow and read cover toward the bottom? Honestly, that book, The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg, was truly the only book I wanted. But want to take a guess how many books I came home with?!?!? Well here it is.....

Yes eight books. They were so hard to resist. Half of the books were in the gift bag and I purchased the other four (at 50% off!!!) from the book store sponsoring the event.

Books:
The Obamas by Jodi Kantor --  (bought) I bought it before finding out it was in the gift bag!! But that's Ok. She signed my copy and I gave the extra one to my mom.
American Dervish by Ayad Akhtar -- (gift bag) He came off as very high brow!! I hope his book isn't like that.
Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff -- (gift bag) Wow. She gave the closing speech, and she was awesome. I was astounded at the amount of time and research she puts into her books. I have to read her books.
The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan -- (bought) Survivors of a sunken ship must band together. But the boat is overcrowded and not everyone will make it. I had to buy it.
Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis -- (gift bag) Her books seem similar to Kristan Higgins and Susan Mallery.
Invisible Boy by Cornelia Read -- (bought/gift bag) I bought it before the gift bags were given out. I'll give the extra one away.
The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg -- (gift bag) A mother is eating herself into an early grave, her husband leaves her and now it's up to her daughter to make dad pay!!
And I Shall Have Some Peace There -- (bought) She gave up her corporate career for life in a small house in upstate New York. She was very engaging, I had to buy her book.

It was a great day. I met several people, including Elizabeth of  Silver's Reviews. It's a small world. When I saw her business card, the blog name seemed so familiar. I knew I had been to her blog before.

Not the greatest photos. I think I have better shots of the lady in front, than of Candace Bushnell behind the podium. I'm a fan of the Sex and the City TV show, but for some reason I've never read that or any of her books for that matter. I bought Lipstick Jungle (on sale for $3!!) two years ago, and it's currently buried in one of my storage bins. Candace was the keynote speaker. She spoke about a lot about her writing process. She doesn't use outlines because she doesn't like to know the ending before writing the book. In her mind, what's the point of writing the book if you already know what happens? If it works for her, great!!

Jami Attenberg, Ayad Akhtar, and Charlotte Rogan headlined the literary panel. Jami and Ayad used a lot of their own personal experiences in their books.

Larissa Ione and Jill Shalvis worked well together on the romance panel. Larissa writes a lot about vampires and werewolves. Jill's books are contemporary romance stories. Larissa's books aren't my cup of tea, but she seems like a cool person to have a conversation with.

I took lots of notes, but as you can see I was a writing machine during the Narrative Non-Fiction and Mystery Genre Panels.

That lone gentleman there is an editor at Little, Brown. In the middle is Jodi Kantor and Margaret Roach during the Narrative Non-Fiction panel. They both spoke so well about their books, I had to buy them before they sold out.

Another editor on the end there, followed by Megan Abbott and Cornelia Read on the Mystery Genre panel. Megan is drawn to mysteries because she knows there is gift waiting at the end -- albeit a dark gift. Cornelia likes discovering why people are cruel and how can they or the situation be made better. I bought Cornelia's book before I knew how much she swears in her books, which is AWESOME!!! I'm not afraid of colorful language or the authors who use it.

Biographer Stacy Schiff closed out the day on a high note. She noted how her own book club has morphed from an actual discussion about books into more of a social gathering to talk about their kids and husbands. She really immerses herself in research, I have to read her books. Happy reading!!