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Decatur Book Fest: Who do you love?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Decatur Book Festival, sponsored by the AJC, starts Friday night, and I am psyched. If you didn’t go last year, and you care about books, you need to block out some serious chunks of time over the weekend and prepare to immerse yourself.
Last year was a blast, with more than 50,000 people wandering from venue to venue, soaking up that Decatur vibe, listening to best-selling authors, children’s story-telling, musical performances and cooking demonstrations. There’s almost too much good stuff this year, like the heyday of Music Midtown, when you had two and sometimes three great acts on all at the same time. You can get over to their website and check out the schedule yourself, but here’s a smattering:
Charles Frazier. This year’s biggest “get” is the acclaimed author of “Cold Mountain” and “Thirteen Moons.” I haven’t made it to “Moons” yet, but “Mountain” was wonderful. He’s giving the keynote address at 8 p.m. Saturday in Presser Hall at Agnes Scott, and as a bonus, former AJC book editor (and a close personal friend of this blog) Teresa Weaver will conduct a Q & A with Frazier.
Diana Gabaldon. The author of the “Outlander” series of novels (romance, time travel, lots of ideas) has an intense fan base. Last year when she was here, the audience was like tween girls awaiting the cast of “High School Musical.” 4:15 p.m. Saturday and 3:45 p.m. Sunday. I get to introduce her on Saturday. Just had to throw that in.
Terry Brooks. Dear Mr. Fantasy/ play us a tune/ You are the one/ who can make us all glad. 12:30 p.m. Saturday.
Kinky Friedman. The Kinkster. Former leader of the Texas Jewboys rock band, now author of a successful string of comic mystery novels best described as delightfully shambling. Known for a salty sense of humor and a penchant for cee-gars. This is a keynote speaker? I’m there. 8 p.m. Friday at Presser.
Other close personal friends of this blog: Jack Wilkinson, 10 a.m. Saturday; Kathy Hogan Trochek, appearing as her altar ego Mary Kay Andrews, 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
Also of note: The AJC’s Hank Klibanoff, Pulitzer-winning author of “The Race Beat,” 10 a.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday; the AJC’s Julia Wallace , 3 p.m. Saturday; Emory’s Pulitzer-winning poet Natasha Trethewey, 3 p.m. Saturday.
Melissa Fay Greene. So awesome, she gets her own blog entry tomorrow.
The Big Parade. They’re calling it Krewe for the 2007 DBF, and it’s set for 6 p.m. Sunday in the Decatur square. Book clubs, bookstores, libraries, or ragtag author fan clubs are encouraged to form krewes, as in Mardi Gras, and march around paying tribute to whatever they want to pay tribute to. Sounds like a big goofy mob-up to end it all.
Did you go to DBF last year? What did you think? Who are you looking forward to this year?
Permalink | Comments (25) | Post your comment | Categories: Atlanta Events
Phil Kloer has been reviewing books at the AJC for 22 years while doing various other jobs. He's currently an editor at ajc.com. E-mail Phil
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Comments
By brenda
August 30, 2007 8:43 AM | Link to this
Great event. Don’t miss Wesley Stace. He is doing a reading Saturday at Eddie’s Attic. Have fun.
By KA
August 30, 2007 9:02 AM | Link to this
I didn’t go last year as I was out of town, but plan to go this year.
Cold Mountain, What an awesome work of history, nature, culture and love. The movie was awful. The book is sublime.
OMG, Diana Gabaldon’s writing is like a vortex in a swift river; it sucks you in and doesn’t let you go until you go under and then over the rapids to the last page. Before a friend recommended her books to me, I had never read any romance novels, and hers are more like historical novels with heart pounding steamy you know what.
Kathy Hogan Trochek, read all of hers, and I feel like she’s a neighbor down the street, love her books.
By Maria
August 30, 2007 9:23 AM | Link to this
I went last year — only for one day instead of two, which I still regret. I saw Melissa Fay Greene, a Georgia authors panel, and the YA authors / writing for teens panel (the only one that was poorly handled, IMO. Pretty much everyone there was an adult interested in the writing craft. However, there was no chance for the audience to ask questions. All of the questions had been submitted several days prior by kids in a book club at Little Shop of Stories. Lots of “where do you get your ideas?”-type questions).
This year I’m planning on seeing Charles Frazier, Natasha Tretheway, Holly Black, Rick Riordan, the Atlanta Writers Club panel, Joshilyn Jackson, and probably Melissa Fay Greene again.
By Phil Kloer
August 30, 2007 9:35 AM | Link to this
KA: My Well-Read Wife would agree with you on the vortex of Gabaldon. She has read and re-read the Outlander series.
By Jeff
August 30, 2007 9:35 AM | Link to this
Ah the perils of living in wide-open country in South West GA!
Y’all have fun.
As for me and my house, it is FOOTBALL OPENING WEEKEND!!! HS home game Fri night, UGA vs OK State Saturday!
As little bro put on his facebook page: “The South gets a whole lot LOUDER in just under 48 hours!”
By Beth
August 30, 2007 9:41 AM | Link to this
I attended this event last year and it is more than worth your time. If you enjoy getting high on authors and books this is the place to go! Get a literary high. It is very helpful to print out a schedule so that you are able to hit your favorite authors. READ, READ, READ!
By KA
August 30, 2007 9:45 AM | Link to this
Gabaldon is better for a marriage than counseling : ) !
By Sheila
August 30, 2007 12:11 PM | Link to this
I cannot wait to see Diana Gabaldon and Terry Brooks! The Outlander series was amazing. I loved each one of them. As for Terry Brooks, I never read the Shannara series, but I did read the Landover series and absolutely loved them. Being new to Atlanta, this will be my first time at the Decatur Book Festival. I’m looking forward to it. Have fun watching football, Jeff!
By Kat
August 30, 2007 12:19 PM | Link to this
I didn’t go last year…and I can’t figure this out by looking at the schedule…but do the authors have autographing seeions? If so, do they follow the speaking sessions? or are they scheduled separately? thanks!
By Seressia
August 30, 2007 1:49 PM | Link to this
Looks like I really won’t get to stalk Terry Brooks after all. I’m manning the Georgia Romance Writers Booth at opening, then doing a reading from my book at the same time he’s on across the way. Darn it!
By biblionut
August 30, 2007 2:04 PM | Link to this
I’m looking forward to the Rare Book Sale in the Conference Center. It was awsome last year. You’ll even see authors roaming around, checking out prices on their own books.
By Lily Toad
August 30, 2007 2:08 PM | Link to this
Hi, Kat,
Yes, the authors sign their books after the talks.
By Phil Kloer
August 30, 2007 2:29 PM | Link to this
Kat: Some of the authors will sign spontaneously after a session, and some have organized signings following their session. The Decatur Presbyterian Church is gonna be the hot spot for other author signings. They’ll have authors signing throughout. The schedule is on the DBF website (see link in my original post) but you have to be observant to navigate to the section of signings. Does that help?
By Kate
August 30, 2007 3:30 PM | Link to this
I miss this event every year due to other obligations. I may be able to make it to the parade, though. Phil, will you (or the AJC) have a krewe? Will you throw beads???? If I show you my, um, library card, will you throw me a bookmark or something? :)
By Kate
August 30, 2007 3:39 PM | Link to this
Gosh, I think I need a new moniker…there’s a Kat, KA, Katie. It even confuses me! Wait, I don’t remember writing about steamy you know whats
By Used Books
August 30, 2007 4:50 PM | Link to this
Online book operation could save you money
Online shopping site of the week: Abellabooks.com (www.abellabooks.com). With textbook costs soaring, Abellabooks.com is a serious money-saver. The site, established in 1998, is a small family-run book operation out of Salt Lake City. They offer a wide array of books for students in preschool through medical school, in addition to novels and reference material. Books are listed with a condition (most often: “No interior writing or highlighting. May have slight shelfwear.”), as well as a description of the book. No photos here, but how often do you buy a textbook based on the cover art? You can browse by category — a two-page list includes groupings like Insurance Textbooks, Child Development Textbooks and Reference Guides — or search by title or author. If you can’t find what you want online, you can submit a form for an offline search and Abellabooks will locate what you want. In addition to filling any textbook needs, we think it’s a great place for book-club books and college test prep guides (with study prep for AP tests, ACTs and SATs).
By kat
August 30, 2007 4:56 PM | Link to this
Yep, that helps! Thanks everybody.
By tarheel fan
August 31, 2007 1:45 AM | Link to this
I wish Kathy Hogan Trocheck would write another book in the Callahan Garrity series—. They were so well written and the dialogue was crisp and funny. I first heard about her books in ATLANTA magazine—which has gone to the dogs in the last few years—especially with all the old columnists giving up on it, bring back Lee Walburn or at least some natives! Terry Kay is also missed in the magazine and I can’t wait to read his new book.
By LAWoman
August 31, 2007 10:29 AM | Link to this
Kathy also writes great books under the name of Mary Kay Andrews — Savannah Blues, Hissy Fit are just a couple. She’s wonderful & the books are really fun to read. Colorful Southern women characters, young & old, spunky & sweet. Check them out!
By Bobbie Carlton
August 31, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
Geez — Diana Gabaldon — you lucky soul. I’m reading this from Boston and wondering how much a flight to Atlanta would cost me and if my husband will agree to me dumping the kids with him for the whole weekend while I go. The other part of me says, “HEY, Diana, no signings and book events until I get my next Outlander book!! Lord John’s nice and all but give me Jamie and Claire — please…pretty please…”
By Phil Kloer
August 31, 2007 12:50 PM | Link to this
Hey Bobbie in Boston, welcome to the blog! I have to be honest that I have not read Gabaldon. My Well Read Wife just finished the latest Lord John novel, and she shares your opinion, that it’s better than no Gabaldon at all, but she prefers Jamie and Claire.
By Skooch
August 31, 2007 4:15 PM | Link to this
That should be “Dear Mr. Fantasy, play us a tune, something to make us all happy”..not glad. Just wanted to make sure you knew your Traffic well.
By Robin
September 1, 2007 6:32 AM | Link to this
I’m really looking forward to Natasha Trethewey, who SO deserves the Pulitzer. I’ve been in love with her exceptional poetry for years and years, and she deserves it. Also looking forward to seeing Chris Rose and Michael Tisserand, fellow New Orleanians, in between all the wonderful Atlanta poets at JM. Go poets!
By April
September 2, 2007 12:21 AM | Link to this
The Decatur Book Festival was oh, so great!! I met Phil and his Well Read Wife. I met Diana Gabaldon. Diane Mott Davidson commented on my teeange daughter’s “kilt.” Walter Reeves liked my daughter’s Tshirt. Alan Weisman was fascinating!I met so many lovely people and I will be back tomorrow! Long live the Decatur Book Festival!
By Allison
September 2, 2007 11:10 PM | Link to this
DBF was wonderful. However, I send my heartfelt apologies to George Singleton for the unforgivable treatment he received. Lois should be ashamed! We love you George.