It was the 11th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books. Held these past two days, April 29 and 30, on the beautiful UCLA campus, the festival drew huge and enthusiastic crowds of readers and writers who braved typical Los Angeles traffic to swarm over the publishers, authors, booksellers, libraries, literacy groups, educational concerns, museums and intriguing book-related inventions found at this event. It was an astonishing sight even by L.A. standards with more than 130,000 visitors, 300 exhibitor booths, 370 authors, six outdoor stages (offering a total of 61 events on Saturday and 64 on Sunday) and 97 indoor panels and one-on-one conversations.

Despite an official 10:00 a.m. opening, festival activity was flourishing an hour early. Lines of cars spilled out of the already bustling parking lots, a number of booths were briskly busy and the smell of barbequed, stir-fried and sautéed foods was tempting nostrils and stomachs. Exhibitors were unpacking boxes, answering questions, demonstrating their wares and enticing potential customers sometimes all at once.

This is unquestionably one of the premier book festivals in the world. It’s not just the size—though it’s huge—but the quality of the vendors, authors and events (especially those geared to children). It’s this variety that can sometimes prove frustrating. There is so much to see and do, and I do not want to miss a thing. Of course I did; it could not be otherwise in such a literary cornucopia.

Over the two days I saw Joan Didion, Gay Talese, Sebastian Junger, Erica Jong, Chip Kidd, Frances Mayes and others. Some were fabulous, others less so.

Great panels abounded, and speaker quality was high. Perhaps the best of the ones I attended was the panel entitled “Reading: The Pleasures of the Text.” Moderated by a Times book review editor, the panelists included Dana  Gioia (National Endowment for the Arts), Sara Nelson (editor of Publishers’ Weekly), Gregory Rabassa (translator of, among others, Gabriel García Márquez’s works) and novelist Jane Smiley. The discussion ranged from the book that had been the most influential to the value and purpose of reading, and the declining trend among young people.  

Rabassa noted that when reading (a novel), “the reader is writing his or her own book,” a thought that complemented Smiley’s assertion that a novel is “a how-to manual on how to link what’s happening in a novel with what’s going on in your own life.” Reading “educates the emotions” and “increases the power of imagination [because] unlike television which is someone else’s imagination, in reading you make your own.”

Gioia, whose work means keeping government funding flowing toward the arts noted, “People who are instructed in the arts don’t run for political office. The majority of American men do not read imaginative literature—not in Wall Street, not in the White House, not on Capitol Hill.” As the panel wound down, one young woman asked what could be done to encourage her peers to read more. Not much, said Smiley, since “it is a form of status in high school not to read.”

“There’s got to be a sense that there is pleasure and joy in reading,” added Nelson, “not a sense of obligation.”  

It was a lively, enthralling panel, and even though there were no answers to the larger questions, the audience left satisfied. I know I was, and the talk that flowed around me as we left the room indicated that here were readers of all ages, both genders and several races who cared enough to pursue the answers long after the discussion ended. One of the more popular panels featured a conversation with famous book cover designer Chip Kidd. I am fascinated by book covers, and looked forward to learning the how’s and why’s of them. Though more time was spent discussing comics than covers, Kidd did offer good insights into these specialized marketing tools for books.

Outside of Ray Bradbury (who fell ill and was unable to attend), the conversation between Joan Didion and David Ulin, the editor of the Times Book Review section, generated the most interest. Lines of people waiting for this event circled two large buildings and filled the gigantic Royce Hall. It was incredible to hear her talk about her writing and books in personal terms.  I felt a bit like a welcomed voyeur, viewing the intimate relationship of a literary icon and her work. It was most satisfying, and the audience seemed to feel that way too. 

The festival takes place on the UCLA grounds which possesses wide, grassy areas, old trees, stunning buildings with graceful architecture and, thankfully, plenty of bathrooms. The festival vendors and stages are divided into several areas, though they tend to flow neatly into one another. An entire section devoted to children has two outdoor stages with continuous entertainment. This is one of the most charming parts of the festival, and watching the youngsters interact with their books can renew your delight in reading. I remember one mother, sitting cross-legged on a tree-shaded grassy slope, holding her daughter on her lap. She was holding a new picture book in front of her daughter and they were reading together, the girl pointing to the pictures.

I spent much of my time wandering among the booths, talking to publishers, booksellers, authors and other shoppers while browsing the wares—successfully. What else can a bibliophile do at a book festival? I think I was remarkably restrained, coming home with only 18 books, three audio books and one 1,000-piece puzzle.

Though I love all my purchases which are spread around me as I write this, I am especially taken with four of the books. They are part of a series entitled “The Seven Deadly Sins.” These are small volumes, brightly colored with contrasting jacket and end paper colors (an emerald green jacket with bright red end papers and a lemon yellow jacket with rich purple endpapers). Each one features a prominent writer, scholar or critic’s “meditations on temptation of one of the seven deadly sins." They are not religious in nature, but are one thinker's explorations—and they are brilliantly done. I bought Gluttony, Pride, Envy and Greed.

It makes sense to have those four first. I will admit that this weekend I did experience biblio-gluttony, reader pride and book greed. I don't believe I have any envy, but if I do, it is for the children who are at the beginning of their reading life. They have so much ahead of them, discoveries of books I—and you—already know and love.
 
I commend the Los Angeles Times and UCLA staffs as well as the volunteers, vendors, authors for their hard work, and most of all the attendees for their enthusiasm. Books are important; that legacy is being passed on. I have always had faith and now proof that reading and books shall always be with us.  



Since her childhood days of Mother Goose, Lauren has been giving her opinion on books to almost anyone who will listen. Lauren shares her home with several significant others including three cats and nearly 1,000 books that, whether previously read or not, constitute her to-be-read stack. She can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it