Sunday Funday is a weekly(ish) post I’ve started to recap the bookish (and sometimes not-so-bookish) happenings in my life the past week! Feel free to participate, just link back!
June 1-7, 2015
Life
This week has been busy and full of changes, as I just started a new job for the summer and I’m adjusting to the new hours. I’ve been doing my best to schedule blog posts in advance so that I can be sure to keep up with my reading and posting! This weekend didn’t provide much of a reprieve in terms of relaxation, as Saturday was spent running errands and Sunday was spent driving a few hours each way to attend the Bay Area Book Festival!
I could sadly only make it to one day of the festival, but I got to see the two authors I was most interested in: Kim Culbertson (author of Catch a Falling Star) and Morgan Matson (Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, Since You’ve Been Gone). Kim was enthusiastic and spoke about how she absolutely loves teenagers and working with them (she’s a teacher) and strives to show the interplay of small towns vs. opportunities in the wider world in her novels. Morgan Matson was phenomenal, focusing primarily on answering questions from the audience, and I learned a LOT of fun facts about her background and writing process (for instance, the clothes on the models of Since You’ve Been Gone’s cover are her own! She sent them in so the cover designer could emulate Morgan’s vision, and the models ended up wearing them! The heart-shaped sunglasses are hers too!) She also hinted briefly at her new release coming in 2016, though she couldn’t give us specific details yet. It sounds amazing though!

After a couple of hours at the festival (and getting to meet fellow blogger Kaitlin @ Next Page Please!) the boyfriend and I headed to Telegraph Avenue to eat at one of our favorite quick-service restaurants that serves amazing salads and sandwiches, and then headed to Fenton’s to continue our tradition of post book-festival ice cream (after YALLWEST we went to Sprinkle’s ice cream). I’m a HUGE ice cream person and I can’t believe I had never gone to Fenton’s before. We had the special sundae of the month and it was AMAZING. I’ve never had caramel sauce so amazing. It was so sweet that my teeth literally hurt after eating it, but it was totally worth it.

Books
This week I finished up Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen and The Winner’s Crime by Marie Rutkoski. I also started my ARC of Emmy & Oliver by Robin Benway. The boyfriend and I hit up Barnes & Noble since I had some membership coupons and I waked out with two books (feeling slightly guilty since this upcoming weekend I’ll be going to the Scholastic Warehouse Book Sale with my aunt…but one of the books was on clearance!)
I couldn’t resist Daughter of Deep Silence because of the gorgeous cover and the fact that I’ve heard it compared to Revenge (one of my favorite shows!)
I spotted Where’d You Go, Bernadette on the bargain table for less than $5! It’s consistently gotten good reviews and I love a good adult fiction novel occasionally.
Blog
What Happened Here This Week:
Monday: I review Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot and it’s everything I hoped for.
Tuesday: May 2015 monthly recap.
Thursday: I discuss ARC appreciation and why I value all that I receive.
Have you read any of these books? Are there any local book festivals you’ll be attending this summer?
The festival sounded like it was great – Love the tidbits about the cover for Since you’ve been gone. And that ice cream – YUM! Good pickups on the book side – I loved Where’d You Go Bernedette – Enjoy!!
Thank you! It was a fun event (and an unexpectedly warm and gorgeous day!) and it was a lot smaller than other book events I’ve gone too, which was actually nice because it meant more time to engage one on one with the author!
Good luck with the new job! I still adjusting my schedule to mine too. It will get easier over time. The book festival sounds like it was a blast! Also, that ice cream looks delicious.
Less than $5 for Where’d You Go Bernadette! That is a deal! Love that book!
I am just now starting Emmy & Oliver too. I hope it is as good as everyone says it is. 😀
I’m about 75% through Emmy and Oliver and it’s really cute! I love that it takes place in SoCal too- such a fun setting!
Cristina — I wanted to thank you for your wonderful question during the Q&A — thanks for coming out to see us at the festival!
Thank you so much Kim! I’m excited to see more of a regional group of CA YA authors develop, and I loved that this event happened and brought some awareness to the CA YA scene! Also, I can’t wait for your new release that’s taking place in San Diego; I’ve spent a fair amount of time in southern California as well so it’s close to my heart, and I’m excited to see you merge both regions!
It was so great to see you at the fest! And a new job. How exciting, I wish you luck! 🙂 That ice cream looks great by the way, the carmel looks freaking delicious. Thank you for the recap!
~Kaitlin
It was Fentons and it was AMAZING 😀 It was great to see you too! Hopefully there are more bookish events that we can go to!
[…] the author’s writing process, influences, and distinctions. When I met Morgan Matson at the Bay Area Book Festival, I asked her what the main differences were between the books written under “Morgan […]
[…] Morgan Matson at the Bay Area Bookfest (and having her compliment my […]