It’s almost BookCon! 5 authors to watch out for there
It’s officially May! Flowers, beautiful weather, the end of the school year. The weather is finally nice enough for sundresses but not so hot that you’re sweating all over them. But all through May, I’ll be wishing for it to end. Not because I don’t like May, but because the end of May is BookCon.
What is BookCon you ask? Think ComicCon, but for books. On May 30 and 31st in New York City, book lovers from all over the country will be gathering to celebrate the best pastime ever: reading. Last year was the very first BookCon, and it was a massive hit (I can testify to that!). As the official BookCon site explains, it’s “the event where storytelling and pop culture collide…BookCon is the ultimate celebration of books, where your favorite stories come to life.”
Whether you’re an avid writer, reader, or are just curious, BookCon is not an event to be missed. Authors, publishers, and celebs that we all know and love will be there, and there will be Q&As to your heart’s content. Plus, free books!
Oh, and have we mentioned the rad people that will be there? Our very own Sophia Rossi will be there promoting her fabulous book, A Tale Of Two Besties: A HelloGiggles Novel. With her will be Tavi Gevinson, John Green, Aziz Ansari, Mindy Kaling, BJ Novak, Nick Offerman, Rainbow Rowell, Felicia Day, Gayle Forman and more. And that’s on just Saturday! Eek!
Obviously, you can’t read ALL of the books before May 30 (unless you’ve got some sort of super power, in which case, go for it!), but here are some of our personal fave authors that you’ve totally got to check out.
John Green
I’m a massive fan of John Green, and my personal faves of his are Looking for Alaska and The Fault in our Stars. And if you’ll be going to BookCon, and you’ve never read any of Green’s fabulous stuff, you’ll definitely want to start with Paper Towns. It’s a super sweet YA novel that involves a boy, Quentin Jacobsen, who loves the bold, exciting Margo Roth Spiegelman from afar…and she leads him onto quite the adventure.
Why start with this one, you may ask? Because Green will be at the event talking about Paper Towns, since the movie adaptation (starring the totally lovely Cara Delevingne!) will be released this summer on July 24. CANNOT be missed.
Mindy Kaling
I’m generally not the biggest memoir person (I’m such a sucker for fiction!), but Mindy Kaling’s novel, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns, was hysterical, poignant, and adorable. She opens up about her childhood, being bullied in school (can you imagine anyone bullying MINDY KALING?), and struggling to “make it” in NYC.
Oh, and she dishes about what it’s like to write and act in The Office, so it was super interesting to read the behind-the-scene stuff about the beloved Steve Carell and company. I totally loved it, and it made me want to be Mindy’s best friend, TBH. And it also meant that I can’t wait for her forthcoming book, Why Not Me?, which she’ll be talking about at BookCon. (She just revealed the new cover, too!)
Rainbow Rowell
So many people are totally in love with Rainbow Rowell’s style of writing, and for good reason. I am totally head over heels for Rainbow and her characters. In her book Eleanor & Park, she captures the essence of young love—the butterflies, the heart racing, the adoration—without trivializing it. A YA tale at its finest.
Eleanor & Park is about two high school-aged kids (guess what their names are?) who come from totally different backgrounds, but fall in love. It has a star-crossed lover sort of feel to it, but in a totally original, refreshing way. Another awesome gem from Rainbow? Fangirl, a beautiful tale about social anxiety and fangirling. Rainbow captures the tumultuous feeling of being young absolutely perfectly. She has a new one, Carry On, coming out in October. We can’t wait!
Jenny Han
Unfortunately, I haven’t had the pleasure of reading much Jenny Han (though you can bet I will devour her books before May 30th), but she’s has been totally regaled by book lovers for her raw and relatable writing. I’ve heard so many wonderful things about To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before—a tale about a girl who writes love letters to the five boys she once loved, for her eyes only—until the letters get mailed, and she has to deal with the fallout. (Hello, worst nightmare.)
Sophia Rossi
We can’t possibly mention BookCon without highlighting our very own Sophia and her upcoming book, A Tale Of Two Besties! The YA novel, out May 12, follows the friendship of two besties as they navigate the treacherous land of high school. Plus, it has a forward by Sophia’s real-life bestie, Zooey Deschanel! Sophia will join Tavi Gevinson for a BookCon panel on Saturday, May 30. For more on Sophia’s book tour, check out the deets here!
This is only a small snippet of the guests that will be there (Judy Blume? Julianne Moore? Jodi Picoult? WE’RE GETTING HEART PALPITATIONS), so check out the full list here. And it’s not too late to buy a ticket, BTW! Hope to see you there, rockin’ your book lovin’ ways!
