GOSSIP FROM THE GIRLFRIEND GATHERINGS

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On The Road – The Texas Book Festival 2015 in Austin, Texas

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This past weekend I jumped on the highway to head west to my state’s capitol for the Texas Book Festival.    This was the 20th anniversary for this event at the Capitol Building and on the grounds surrounding it.   It was beautiful weather and lots of squirrels running around as we traipsed through grounds attending author speaker sessions and book signings.

I attended sessions of some famous people that are also authors, Attica Locke (Executive Producer of Empire), Wendell Pierce (Actor), Taye Diggs (Actor) and Leonard Pitts (Pulitzer Prize Columnist).   I also discovered some impressive authors for the first time, who are listed below:

Harry Hunsicker

Wendy S. Walters

Jason Sokol

James Hannaham

Saeed Jones

Margo Jefferson

Laila Lalami

Jeffery Renard Allen

Now, I am in the process of purchasing some new books from these authors that should keep me reading for the next year.   One of the most memorable terms I heard in one of the sessions was “historical erasure” which emphasized how the history we have been taught is in the one-sided perspective of the victor.

Also, while in Austin, I had the opportunity to have breakfast at Cisco’s Restaurant in the east end of Austin.   It is one of those historical places prevalent in Austin with an autographed picture of President Lyndon B. Johnson on the wall.    I had migas, sausuage, ranchero beans, picante sauce, tortillas, biscuits with butter/honey, and coffee.   It was a good traditional Tex-Mex breakfast and I loved it.

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Overall, I had a great time in Austin.  It is worth the 6-hours roundtrip to hang out there for the weekend – especially for the book festival.    I will definitely return next year.

QUESTION(s):

How is your reading life?

Do you attend book festivals?

If so, what do you like best about them?

Girlfriends on the Road – In the City that Keeps it “Weird”

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If you are a book lover, then you should have joined me to attend the 17th Annual Texas Book Festival in Austin, Texas.   I am a native Houstonian but I have fallen in love with Austin!  I have found that it is rich in cultural surprises and my visit to the Texas Book Festival has proven to be one of the most engaging events.

The 2012 festival sessions were held in tent locations on Congress Avenue and in various locations inside of the beautiful Texas State Capitol building – even inside of the House and Senate chambers.   The weather was beautiful on both days with just enough chill to warrant a quick stop at Starbuck’s in between sessions.

It was my first book festival and I had a great time discovering authors and books that I never would have encountered had I not attended the festival.   Some notable mentions are

Tony Danza – “I’d Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had: My Year as a Rookie Teacher at Northeast High”

Damien Echols – “Life after Death: A Conversation with Death Row Survivor Damien Echols”

Naomi Wolf – “Vagina – A New Biography”

Henry Wiencek – “Master of His Mountain: Thomas Jefferson and His Slaves”

Ron Rozelle – “The Forgotten Texas Catastrophe: The School Explosion that Killed 300 Children”

Jodi Egerton – “Secret Sex Lives: A Year Spent on the Fringes of American Sexuality”

Jenna Hays McEachern and Edith Royal – “DKR-The Royal Scrapbook”

As you can see from the list above, the subject matter was very diverse and attractive to all types of readers.   There were also sessions for children books and Jewel was there to talk about her new book for kids.   So, the festival is a wonderful venue for family entertainment.

This was such a wonderful event for me and well worth the 3 hour drive from Houston to Austin.  I plan to make this an annual event and hope that all of you will consider it in your future plans.

QUESTION:

Are you a book lover?

If so, what types of books do you read?

Are you willing to expand your interests from your normal subject matter?

Would you consider attending the Texas Book Festival?