At the Boston Book Festival 2014 #BBF2014 @bostonbookfest

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.

The banner hanging on the corner of the Boston Public Library Central branch is the first sign that you have arrived, after coming up from the Copley T station.
The banner hanging on the corner of the Boston Public Library Central branch is the first sign that you have arrived after coming up from the Copley T station.

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.

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People enjoyed putting their libraries on the map:

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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.

photo of My Brilliant Friend by Elena FerranteMy 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!