Category: Book Events

Book Events · Book Review

Frenzy Presents

ShaziaLeave a comment

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend HCC Frenzy’s Fall Preview at the HarperCollins office in Toronto. Frenzy Presents is a fun and interactive event that allows book bloggers and bookstagrammers the chance to get a sneak peek at some of the most anticipated fall releases. As usual, I was beyond excited and counting down the days till I get to meet my fellow bookworms and the incredibly kind staff at HarperCollins.

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Even though this was my second time attending Frenzy Presents, I was just as excited as the first time. There is something wonderful about being in an environment where everyone genuinely loves books. There was no judgement as I stroked the spines of the books or as I ran like Usain Bolt to stand in line for an ARC. It was all accepted and encouraged by this lovely community.

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Frenzy Fall Releases:

The staff of HCC did a very thorough and fun presentation of twenty-three upcoming books. I was happy to see quite a few books by diverse authors in the mix. That is one of the things I absolutely love about HarperCollins. 

Each of us received three advanced copies of the books presented and I was really happy with the books I got in my swag bag. Each one of them seems quite different from the books I have been reading lately. Here is a quick look at the three books I received:

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Kingdom of Souls by Rena Barron:

This book is about a girl named Arrah who is born into a family of witch doctors. Arrah yearns for magic of her own and trades years of her life for a bit of magic. But when children start going missing and a demon king begins stirring, Arrah is faced with the price of magic to set things right. Based on this description, this story almost feels like a Grim Brothers fairy-tale. This book is up next on my TBR. RELEASE DATE: Sept. 3, 2019

Treason of Thorns by Laura E. Waymouth:

This book is an alternate historical fantasy set in reimagined 1800’s London where magic is contained in six houses and controlled by an oppressive king. Spending years in exile after her father was killed for treason, Violet returns to save her house and stop the dark magic’s destruction. I love magical realism and this story seems quite different from the other magical books I have read lately. RELEASE DATE: Sept. 10, 2019

Now Entering Addamsville by Francesca Zappia

This book is described as a contemporary mystery with a Stranger Things vibe. When Zora is framed for a crime she did not commit, she sets on a mission to prove her innocence. This proves to be difficult in a small town that is obsessed with ghost stories and getting people to see the truth begins to feel impossible. As a fan of Stranger Things, I was sold on the description and cannot wait to dive into this one. RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2019.

When You Ask Me Where I’m Going by Jasmin Kaur

One of my favorite parts of Frenzy Presents was meeting Author Jasmin Kaur and hearing her read some of the poetry from her new book. I absolutely love it when an author’s work speaks to me and this is exactly what happened when I was listening to Jasmin read. After hearing her first poem, I knew I needed this book in my life.

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This book is a beautiful collection of poems as well as a short story exploring the life of an undocumented single Punjabi mother living in Canada. Jasmin’s words stay with you long after you close the book. I was really excited to get my hands on an advanced copy and I was so taken in that I finished the book in one day. My full review will be shared closer to the release date, which will be October 1st.

The Frenzy Squad

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When I attended my first Frenzy Presents earlier this year I had no idea that I would make friends with such incredibly kind and fun bookworms. The best part about this event is getting the opportunity to meet and hang out with these wonderful friends of mine. Frenzy may be over, but I love how this event allowed us to come together and stay in touch over bookstagram. I’m really grateful for this community.

A big thank you to HCC Frenzy and the amazing staff at HarperCollins for showing us bookworms a great time. Looking forward to the next event.

Happy Reading Bookworms,

Shazia. 

Book Events

Bookcon 2019: A Celebration of Storytelling

ShaziaLeave a comment

Question: How does one go back to regular life after experiencing a weekend of book heaven in New York City? Asking for a friend….ok fine, I am that friend. Help!

Bookcon 2019 was a dream come true. Over the past few years I have always watched videos and looked at pictures of this magical book convention held in New York and wished I was there. I’m not a spontaneous person, but this year I very quickly decided I wanted to experience this festival for myself and before I knew it my tickets for New York were booked. It was the best impulsive decision I have ever made. Spending the whole weekend with people who love books as much as I do made for an unforgettable trip.

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Bookcon is a two-day event held in the Jacob Javits Convention Center in Manhattan. Each year readers, authors, publishers and writers come together to celebrate the love of books. Attendees get to meet authors, have their books signed, snag some book merchandise, attend author panels and get their hands on advanced reader copies of highly anticipated books. There are booths selling books and merchandise and creative writing workshops. Most importantly, attendees get to meet and connect with the amazing people who share the same passion for reading.

The Crowd of Readers:

Walking into the Jacob Javits Convention Center was enough to get me excited. This place was huge and everywhere you turned you either saw a bookworm power walking/running to some location or authors faces on banners hanging from the high ceiling. The crowd was unlike anything I had ever seen in my life. There were so many people that at times it became a bit claustrophobic but you could also feel the collective excitement in the building. The lines were monstrous. I was walking for what felt like forever to find the end of the line that kept snaking and looping around corners. Half the time I could not even tell where the line began and ended. I found it mind blowing that people would chose to wait in line over two hours for a single book. That is dedication, but it also takes away time to see the other incredible things happening at Bookcon.

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As soon as the doors opened, I power walked to the booth that was having one of my favorite authors signing her new book. I got to the booth in literally three minutes and I was told their line was capped. I walked away deflated, but tried to shake it off and power walked to the next author signing which also ended up being closed. I was frustrated but then I reminded myself there was still so much to see and experience and so I roamed around without much plans for the next two hours.

Funny thing about letting go of control and plans: you stumble upon some pretty amazing things. Those two authors I missed out on in the morning? I randomly bumped into them when I was just walking around aimlessly on the showfloor and managed to have a conversation with them. I also ended up in the right place at the right time and managed to get in lines for advanced reader copies (ARCS) and meet a few authors to get my books signed. 

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(Meeting Stephanie Garber author of the Caraval series)

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Panels and Socials!

I think a lot of people get caught up with the possibility of getting new books and free stuff that they forget about the amazing panels that are offered. Watching authors talk about their writing process and what it was like for them to create the characters we fell in love with makes for an incredible session. It is also a nice way to catch your breath after the chaotic scene on the show floor. Sure getting free books and swag is fun, but the panels are so interactive and fascinating. 

I got a chance to see the amazing Leigh Bardugo in a panel as she discussed the release of her new book and answered questions from the audience. There is something great about seeing the author’s personality shine during these panels. Leigh was an absolute delight as she gushed about our favorite characters and her future books.

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A new friend I made informed a couple of us that Penguin Random House would be having an ice cream social event at Bookcon. We were given a warm greeting and offered flower necklaces as we socialized with other bookworms. There were stunning bookstagram displays at each table and cute photo ops. We were offered ice cream and popcorn and given generous swag bags. Again, this was a nice breather from the crowds and lines. For me, this was one of the best parts of the event as I got to meet so many nice people. Not ashamed to admit that I walked around for the rest of the event with my flower necklace on…and during the Uber ride to the hotel…and when I drank tea in the hotel lobby. I love flowers, ok?

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(Spotted: bookworm in her natural habitat. Seriously though, look at how happy I am)

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(All the swag bag up for grabs)

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Book Merchandise:

I was really proud of my taste in comfortable shoes because there were many booths at this event. I’m not the best with navigation so half the time I was spinning in circles and trying to imagine myself in the map I was holding. Needless to say, I was lost 90% of the time. Being lost was actually an advantage because I stumbled on many fun booths that were doing giveaways with games.

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There was so much cute merchandise that I had to remind myself that I would be travelling back to Montreal soon and did not have the space for more items. However, there are some things I could not leave behind. I could not say no to Hogwarts house lanyards, mugs with bookish quotes and journals. I mean how could you turn your back on these items? I stuffed them into my overly packed tote bag and backpack and moved on to the next booth. There are so many companies now that are adding a bookish touch to merchandise. I lost count of how many tote bags, t-shirts and socks that I saw with fun quotes from books printed on them. 

Bookish Friends:

The best part of Bookcon is meeting the incredibly kind people within our book community. I was so grateful to have met such amazing people over the weekend. It felt like I have known them for a while as we talked about our Bookcon experience. A couple of us were in a group chat together before the days leading up to the event. We kept each other posted on what we were doing throughout the day and I eventually met a few of them during panels and shopping at booths. It was great having a group to discuss and plan with but it was even better to meet them in person both at the event and after for dinner. I’m so happy to have met this lovely bunch. Thank you for making my Bookcon experience even better! 

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(Tired bookworms at the end of Day 1 of Bookcon)

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My First Bookcon Experience:

Overall, this past weekend was epic for me. I had only planned to attend day 1 of Bookcon, but I enjoyed myself so much that I returned for day 2. I’m really glad I decided to return because amazing things happened on the second day, but I will save that story for another blog post.

I was definitely in my element and managed to make a fool of myself in front of authors as I fangirled like a child. I have no regrets! Despite the long lines and the very enthusiastic and sometimes tumultuous crowds, I had the time of my life. At the end of the day, our love of books is what makes people become overly excited and eager. In general, everyone was really kind and I loved striking up conversations with people all around me. Bookcon was the highlight of my trip to New York and I’m definitely going back next year to experience it all over again and to be reunited with this incredible community.

Until next time bookworms,

Shazia. 

 

 

Book Events · Book Review

Montreal YA Book Festival 2019

Shazia2 Comments

Montreal: The city of festivals. Our city is known for the jazz, comedy and food festivals that take over the city during our lively summers. There seemed to be something special for everyone to enjoy, except for bookworms. In fact, the city was once a lonely place for people who loved books with a passion. This was the case until the Jewish Public Library hosted Montreal’s very first young adult (YA) book festival last year. This event was a game changer as bookworms came from around the city and beyond to celebrate their love of books. We were lucky enough to have the festival back for it’s second successful year on May 26th 2019.

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There is something truly special about being around people who share the same passion for books. Everywhere I turned I saw people of all ages hauling around their books to be signed, taking notes on advice authors were giving and flailing their hands around theatrically as they described their favorite scenes from books (yes, that was me). A conversation was easy to strike up with practically everyone since we were all awake early on a Sunday morning to talk about books and meet authors. However, what is truly wonderful is how behind the stories we read are the authors that were inspired to create these masterpieces from their experiences, something they were able to share with us. The author panels were the highlight of the festival for me and I feel like I walked out of each panel with more knowledge and insight into the world of storytelling.

Teen Tearjerkers Panel

Kagiso Lesego Molope – This Book Betrays My Brother

Shenaaz Nanji – Ghost Boys

Jeff Zentner – Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee

S.K. Ali – Love From A to Z

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Books that make me cry and really feel my emotions so deeply are the ones that stay with me long after I have closed the book and put it away. So I was very interested in understanding the process behind writing stories that evoke that kind of sadness. What I found interesting was how some of the authors on this panel revealed that they had not set out to write tearjerkers, but how in following and listening to their characters, the story took a life of its own. I loved the idea of how treating these characters like actual people, listening to them and letting them come to life on paper is what lead the story in the direction of becoming a tearjerker.

Coming of Age Panel:

Kagiso Lesego Molope – This Book Betrays My Brother

Natalie Blitt – The Truth About Leaving

Sabina Khan – The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

Jeff Zentner – Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee

S.K. Ali – Love from A to Z

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It is incredible when authors become vulnerable and share their struggles and difficult memories with readers. This is something I truly admire because I know it cannot be easy to revisit painful memories. I felt a pang in my heart as S.K. Ali shared a scary story from her teen years of when she encountered an Islamophobic person in the subway. Sharing this experience from her teen years gave us more insight into the character from her book and how something so terrible could be used as fuel to educate the world on Islamophobia. I also loved hearing Sabina Khan talk about her teen years and the struggles of living with two cultures and Kagiso discussing her school years in a predominantly white school and black neighbourhood. All these different perspectives and experiences made for a very interesting talk.

Path to Publishing Panel:

Kim Turrisi – Carmilla

Monique Polak – I am a Feminist: Claiming the F-Word in Turbulent Times

Jeff Zentner – Rayne & Delilah’s Midnite Matinee

Tim Wynne-Jones – The Starlight Claim

Sabina Khan – The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali

JF Dubeau – A God in the Shed

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I think many people tend to reduce teenagers to self-obsessed social media addicts. However, this stereotype can quickly be diminished when you attend a book festival and see all the teenagers sitting eagerly in the “Path to Publishing” panel as they take notes and ask serious questions about the publishing process. It was so wonderful to see the teens jotting down advice from the authors. Jeff Zentner gave a very helpful rundown on the step-to-step process on how to move forward towards publishing. JF Dubeau hit the mark when he discussed the challenges of giving advice about publishing. He described the world of publishing to be a maze, and you make your way through it but when you try to show someone else the way through the maze you will realize the walls have moved (I’m paraphrasing but it was along those lines). I never really thought about it this way but it did make all of us pause and collectively nod our heads.

Why YA? Panel:

Ben Philippe – The Field Guide to the North American Teenager

JF Dubeau – A God in the Shed

Nicki Pau Preto – Crown of Feathers

Laura Sebastian – Ash Princess

Maurene Goo – Somewhere Only We Know

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There is this stereotype that YA books are meant for teen girls and that the content ranges from high school drama to boy problems. In short, teen girls are not taken so seriously and many believe you have to be a teenager to read these books. We can clearly prove this to be untrue by the amount of adults that were present during this panel. These authors discussed this myth and revealed how much YA books have evolved over the years to explore boundary pushing topics as well as dark content. I absolutely loved how the authors discussed their love for YA books and what made them fall into this genre. It’s always fun to backtrack and see how the authors entered into this world of YA and what made them stick around.

Author Signings:

Meeting Ria Voros:

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“The Center of the Universe” by Ria Voros was a book that I devoured in two days. My love for astronomy and family centered stories made this book so memorable that I was beyond excited to meet Ria and ask what inspired her to incorporate the stars and planets so beautifully in this book. It is always fun to meet someone who shares the same interests as you and discussing the cosmos with Ria was one of my favorite parts of this event.

Meeting S.K. Ali:

61467764_365210244137010_2254960402808963072_n“Love from A to Z” was a book that simply took my breath away. I was excited to meet the author to thank her for writing a book that I wish existed when I was a teen who was trying to make sense of the hate in the world. When I was a teen, there were barely any books with Muslim characters. I never opened a book and saw someone with a name similar to mine during my teenage years. It is thanks to authors like S.K. Ali that teenagers nowadays get to see the perspective of a Muslim character. My heart is full from the conversation I had with this incredible author.

Key Note Speech by Tim Wynne – Jones

“It is truly great to be with so many literary dreamers and doers” – Tim Wynne Jones

Hearing Tim Wynne Jones talk about storytelling was a truly beautiful experience. The way he talked about a story that starts out as a dream and becomes a story that is shared with the world was really inspiring. The room was completely still as he talked about the art of storytelling and the dreamers who create them. I think we all left that keynote speech feeling inspired to continue dreaming about the stories we have within us.

Inuit Throat Singing:

One of the truly great things about the Montreal Ya Fest was how there was a panel dedicated to Indigenous voices. While I sadly missed out on this panel, I got a chance to hear Nina Segalowitz put on a performance of Inuit Throat Singing. I had never heard throat singing before and I was amazed that there was a rich history behind it. How amazing is it to be immersed in cultural tunes and learning something new.

Final Thoughts: 

The Montreal YA Festival was everything we could have hoped for and much more. Being able to interact with the authors and hear them speak over a variety of panels was an incredible experience. The games, food and overall vibe of the environment made for a happy place for all bookworms.

I would like to thank the director of the Children’s Department of the Jewish Public Library and the founder of the Montreal YA Festival Talya Pardo for putting together such an incredible event with her dedicated committee. Montreal bookworms are truly grateful for this new community.

Until next year bookworms!

Shazia.

 

Book Events

HCC Frenzy Presents Spring Preview 2019

ShaziaLeave a comment

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend HCC Frenzy’s Spring Preview at HarperCollins in Toronto. Bloggers, booktubers and bookstagrammers were welcomed to HarperCollins to get a sneak peak of their spring line up of books. Being invited to an event like this felt like a dream. In fact, it took me a while to believe this was actually happening. It was only on the day of the event as I made my way through downtown Toronto on an exceptionally windy day that I realized my dream of seeing the inside of a publishing company was about to come true. If you think I’m being dramatic now just you wait!

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HCC Frenzy Presents Spring Preview:

Let me start off by saying that it is a beautiful thing seeing a whole bunch of bookworms in a room together. The energy was infectious. You could find all the attendees with their phones out, adding each other on bookstagram and chatting about their excitement. I was very nervous about going to this event alone but I was overwhelmed by how kind and approachable everyone was from the moment I stepped into the building. It occurred to me how easy it is to connect with people when you share the same passion. I met so many wonderful people and had such fun conversations. The mingling and games were by far my favorite part of this event.

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It has been a dream of mine to step foot inside a place like this just to see where all the magic happens. What did it feel like? Well, it felt like magic of course! (Told you I would be getting more dramatic). The environment felt so calm and welcoming. The stack of books at the entrance me squeal as it displayed some of my favorite books.

HCC Frenzy Spring Lineup:

The Spring Preview was everything. And by everything I mean I wanted all of the books presented pronto/stat. We were given a short presentation on each book and you could feel the collective excitement within the room. Our TBR lists just got bigger! We were each given three ARCS in our swag bags and I was lucky enough to snag these three books:

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“The Wise and Wicked” by Rebecca Podos:
 This is a Russian inspired fantasy about a family in which the women possess the magical ability to see when they will die. But what happens when one of these women passes away and the death does not match the predicted time? Does this mean the rest of the women can fight against the death date allotted to them? I mean Russian inspired magical realism with a bit of a mystery? Sign me up!

“With the Fire on High” by Elizabeth Acevedo
This is a novel about a Latina girl facing personal struggles all the while dreaming of her passion, which can be found in the kitchen. As a foodie, I appreciate this storyline already. This author is known for her highly successful book “Poet X”. Fun fact: when people gasp when they find out you haven’t read a certain book, that is a pretty good indicator that you need to get on it. I’m definitely going to read Poet X but this ARC is my priority. Until then, gasp away!

“Nocturna” by Maya Moraine
This story revolves around a face shifter and a Prince coming together to vanquish an ancient power that they unleashed into the world. Let’s be real for a second. You had me at face shifter. Maybe it’s all the Game of Thrones I watch (huge Arya Stark Fan) but I have not read another storyline quite like this one. I’m really intrigued and excited to read all the face shifting action.

Besides the three books I got, every other book presented sounded incredible. Don’t believe me? Have a look for yourself:

See? Told you they look amazing! It astonishes me how much the young adult genre has grown and how many of these books push boundaries and tackle important issues. These beauties will be released in the spring but you can preorder them and find out more about these books at HarperCollins Canada.

Each of us also got a sampler of Gena Showalter’s upcoming book “The Evil Queen”, which is a story told from the perspective of the Evil Queen from Snow White. I read the sampler on my flight home and I’m extremely interested in reading the rest. This may be the most unique retelling I’ve read based on the first two chapters in this sampler.

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The Swag Bag:

Apart from all the excitement from the presentation, we were also spoiled with a swag bag that included the ARCS but also some additional items. I took my swag bag to a corner Starbucks to check out all the other contents. I was quite excited and the fellow coffee drinkers around me felt and saw the excitement. Spotted: a small Montrealer losing her mind in a Toronto Starbucks while unloading contents from a super cool tote bag. I took a proper picture when I got back to my hotel and here it is:

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Angie Thomas Book Signing:

While I did not want to leave HarperCollins because I absolutely loved the vibe, it was time to see Angie Thomas at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Yes folks, I met the Queen. We took a walk together to the AGO (check me out with my Torontonian lingo) and talked all things books until we arrived. Angie is such an eloquent speaker and so effortlessly conveys the global issues regarding black lives. It was a true honor to hear her speak. I’ll just gloss over the fact that I babbled utter gibberish as she signed my book. I was that start stuck.

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Final Thoughts About Frenzy Presents:

I cannot adequately convey how much I enjoyed this event and how much the whole experience meant to me. Along with living my bookish dream, I met so many kind and talented book influencers and staff working at HarperCollins. The entire day exceeded my expectations. I’m beyond grateful for this experience and extremely eager to start reading these beautiful Arcs. Thank you to HCC Frenzy and HarperCollins for including me in this fun filled day. 

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Until next time bookworms!

Shazia.