bookfestivals – Sincerely Karen Jo

Hello loves! It’s almost BOOKCHELLA time and I’m so incredibly excited to see some of my favorite authors and meet my fellow booklovers!

LA Times Festival of Books 2018 will be held April 21 and April 22 at the USC campus. It is the largest book festival in the country and this year will be my second time going. Two weeks after that, Yallwest will be held Saturday, May 5 at Santa Monica High School with a preview event on May 4.

I’m still waiting for LA Times Festival of Books to post their line-up and schedule, but I’m sure it would be epic! Last year was my first time going and I had so much fun. It’s not as hectic as Yallwest, but you definitely still need some planning. There were so many booths, signings, and panels that my friend and I got lost a few times.

Yallwest is an absolutely fun-filled day of book singing, panels, free ARCs, games, food trucks, and general geeky shenanigans. This year will be my 3rd time going and I CANNOT WAIT! The Author Line-Up was posted a few days ago and IT IS AHHHMAAAZZINNNGGGG!! Marissa Meyer (AHHHH I finally get to meet her!!!), Marie Lu, Tahereh Mafi, Jenny Han and Kasie West are just some of the authors I can’t wait to see. For the full Line-Up, click HERE. There are so many other awesome authors on the list and I’m already hyperventilating thinking about how I can do everything. The first year I went, the festival was two days and you were able to do a lot. Last year, they made it only 1 day and it was just CRAZY!!! I had my crew (mom, boyfriend, brother, and friends) help line up for signings and grab freebies. It was MADNESS… but the BEST KIND! Don’t believe me… just see for yourself Loads of pictures and extreme fangirling about to happen right now! (Excuse my awkward posing and smiles.)

YALLWEST 2016

All the books I got signed!!!!

FREE BOOKS AND GOODIES!!!

LA TIMES BOOK FESTIVAL 2017

YALLWEST 2017

BECAUSE SHE’S SUPER POPULAR, WE WEREN’T ALLOWED TO TAKE PICS SO THAT EVERYONE COULD MEET HER AND GET THEIR BOOKS SIGNED

Ahhh I love Kasie West!

No pics with Bardugo, but my friend was able to get one of her just smiling and she’s so beautiful and such a lovely person!

Our trunk on the way home!

Have you attended any book festival? If so, what do you love most about going?

Hope you enjoyed reading this post. One last thing, if you’re in the Los Angeles area and planning to go to these events, let me know!!! I’d love to meet up with you.

sincerelykarenjo2

Hello Lovelies! Hope you’re all having a wonderful week. Today I would like to rave about one of my favorite book festivals, Pasadena Loves YA.

Pasadena Loves YA is an AMAZING and FREE book event sponsored by Pasadena Public Library and Bridge to Books. This year was my second time attending and I can honestly say that I LOVE this festival with all my heart. With awesome panels, author signings, and free books/swags, I was definitely in heaven.

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HERE ARE ALL THE BOOKS I GOT SIGNED!

2017 Author Line-Up

Ameriie – Because You Love to Hate Me
Audrey Coulthurst – Of Fire and Stars
Jeff Garvin – Symptoms of Being Human
Maurene Goo – I Believe in a Thing Called Love
B.T. Gottfred – The Nerdy & The Dirty
Emily Ziff Griffin – Light Years
Aditi Khorana – The Library of Fates
E. Katherine Kottaras – The Best Possible Answer
Robin LaFevers – Mortal Heart
Stacey Lee – The Secret of a Heart Note
Cindy Pon – Want
Chelsea Sedoti – The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett
Sherri L. Smith – Pasadena
Misa Sugiura – It’s Not Like It’s a Secret
Daniel Sweren-Becker – The Equals
Jessica Taylor – A Map for Wrecked Girls
Mary Weber – The Evaporation of Sofi Snow

I was most excited to see Mary Weber, Jessica Taylor, and Ameriie since I’ve never met them before. I was also really happy to see Maurene Goo and Cindy Pon again. I loved meeting all the other authors and was glad to be able to add their books to my neverending TBR.

(Excuse my big face! I get so nervous that my selfie game was not very great haha!)

With Robin Lavers and Cindy Pon

With Jessica Taylor

With Mary Weber

With Ameriie and Maurene Goo

All the panels were fantastic and so much fun. My mom and I had a blast listening to authors talk about their beginnings, their writing styles, their challenges, and plenty of their silly stories.

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I also really love that Pasadena Loves YA isn’t as hectic or crazy as other book festivals. Don’t get me wrong, I do love Yallwest and look forward to it every year… BUT being able to spend more time talking to my favorite authors is without a doubt THE BEST THING about this event. I don’t feel rushed and I get to fangirl and be awkward a little longer.

This year, Pasadena Loves YA also had their first ever Book Blitz Giveaway. Basically you get to pick one free book and if you want another one, you just line up again. My mom and I lined up maybe 4-5 times and stayed all the way to the end. Good thing we did because they had so many books left that they just told everyone to grab whatever they wanted. So awesome right!?!? I mean you don’t need to tell me twice…

SO MANY AMAZING BOOKS TO CHOOSE FROM!!!

I came home with 4 bags of books and ended up with 42 FREE BOOKS!! My shoulders were super sore the next day, but it was definitely worth it. I can’t wait to read my new pretties! And because I enjoy spreading my love for books, I’m planning on sending some to my cousins in the Philippines in a few months. We just sent 2 boxes home for the holidays, so it’ll be quite while for the next round.

Take a look at my EPIC PASADENA LOVES YA BOOK HAUL! See any of your favorites? Let me know in the comments.