Book lovers, listen up! Starting this week, there are a few book-related events coming to town. Whether you want to catch a favorite author’s reading at one of the upcoming book festivals or grab a cheap used book at a library sale early next month, it’s the season for diving into the world of books. Here are the details:
Fall for the Book: Sunday, September 21 to Saturday the 27. It will take place mostly on the George Mason University campus but there are some events going on off campus. Event times vary by day. Hosted by GMU in partnership with the City of Fairfax, this year’s festival features more than 100 author participants and many events for readers and writers, including lectures, workshops, information sessions, discussion groups and readings (often followed by receptions). Of special interests to teens will be: Teen Author Kyndall Brown; Punk Music Historian Mark Anderson (followed by a performance by The Max Levine Ensemble); several young adult authors (Check the listing of participants for details); several poetry slams and paperback swaps, where you can exchange your old books for new ones free of charge. Check the events listing for more details.
National Book Festival: Saturday, September 27th, on the National Mall. Events are ongoing from 10 am to 5:30 pm. This yearly festival, put together by the Library of Congress and First Lady Laura Bush, celebrates the “joy of reading,” and this year features 10 pavilions, 16 book-signing booths, and over 70 authors. Of special interest to teens will be the "Teens & Children" and "Fiction & Mystery" pavilions. Many authors who may be of interest to teens will also be there to sign books, read their works and talk writing. They will include: Neil Gaiman, John Scieszka, Geraldine Brooks, Philippa Gregory, Alexander McCall Smith and many more. Webcasts of the authors’ presentations will be available later online and, of course, the Book Sales Pavilion will sell select books by all the Festivals’ authors.
Arlington Public Library Book Sale: Thursday, October 23rd to Sunday the 26th, at the Central Library. The hours will be 5:30 - 9 pm Thursday; 10 am - 6 pm Friday and Saturday; and noon - 6 pm on Sunday. Only members of Friends of the Arlington Public Library will be allowed in on Thursday, and all items will be half-price on Sunday. Remember: the more books you donate, the greater the selection will be!
