I couldn’t stay long at the Boston Book Festival this year, so I missed most of the panel discussions and events, but I did get to listen in on a public conversation between Meg Wolitzer and Claire Messud — two of my favorite authors — which was a lot of fun. It was a gorgeous fall day again this year — especially nice after a week of rain — so I thought I’d share a few pictures.
I arrived very early, before the official start of the festival, so I took photos from the steps of the library entrance in the morning and the afternoon, when it was much busier.
Massachusetts libraries have a booth every year, but this year I volunteered for an hour there, which was a lot of fun.
People enjoyed putting their libraries on the map:
Other photos I took walking around Copley Square and the Back Bay:
You can click on any of the images to enlarge them.
Of course, I bought a book…but only one! Claire Messud has praised Elena Ferrante before and mentioned her again in conversation with Meg Wolitzer, so when I saw her books at the Europa Editions booth, I picked one up.
My husband and I are planning a trip to Rome next October, so I want to read some novels set in Italy before then. We’ll have to plan our trip around the Boston Book Festival, though!
Claire Messud and Meg Wolitzer are among my favorites,too. Just purchased My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante for my kindle a week ago. Only wish I had a trip to Rome on my schedule, too. Have a great trip!
So jealous! I wanted to attend BBF last year, but we ended up moving from Albany to Rochester in September, which added several hours on to my trip and made it rather impossible for me to go. Still hope to attend one day though. Glad you enjoyed yourself! And as cliche as it sounds, Dan Brown’s Angels and Demons/the Da Vinci Code are great for a trip to Italy. It was rather fun tracking where Robert Langdon was when we went to Italy a few years ago! 🙂
Meg Wolitzer and Claire Messud are two authors that I can’t believe I haven’t read yet!! Maybe I’ll sneak in a little afternoon trip to the bookstore. 😉 Rome sounds fantastic! I visited there with my mom and sisters 14 years ago and had a wonderful time, but I was much younger then. Too young for wine with my yummy Italian food!
I especially loved The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer and The Emperor’s Children by Claire Messud. I’m looking forward to the food and wine in Rome, definitely!
I read The Da Vinci Code way back when, but not Angels and Demons. I’m thinking of Donna Leon, too. I know she’s Italy, but not sure if she’s Rome.
Lovely! Looks like it was a pretty day. I have Elena Ferrante; it was an intense book: The Days of Abandonment. I wasnt’ that impressed with The Emperor’s Children actually and I have yet to read anything by Wolitzer but I have a few of her titles o my tbr.
I liked The Emperor’s Children a lot; The Woman Upstairs was a different kind of book, more intense!