Hello!
Today I thought I would share some of my 2019 bookish highlights with you all. The year started off badly and there have still been a few hurdles, this was still harder than you might think as there have been so many highlights despite the bad periods.
Happy reading!
Stripes Equali -Tea blogger brunch:
This was so much fun to attend, the lovely people at Stripes talked about upcoming titles such as Proud, Music and Malice in Hurricane Town, Patron Saints of Nothing and My So-Called Bollywood Life. Some of the authors came along to talk about their books too!
Cassie Clare and Holly Black VIP event:
I was so excited to get a ticket for this, I love all of their books! This event was a competition run by Waterstones when you pre ordered Queen of Air and Darkness. It was hosted in Waterstones Piccadilly and Holly Black also chaired the event. We had the chance to get our books signed and have a photo with Cassie. We were all given goody bags on our way out too!
Christopher Paolini event:
I have been a fan of Christopher Paolini for years and finally got to hear him talk about his books and meet him. It was an amazing event, I could have listened to him talk for hours. The event was chaired by one of my faves, the one and only Katie Webber! This is definitely one of the highlights of the year.
MCM Blogger Brunch:
I was invited to my very first blogger event at a convention, it was amazing and I had the best time! I finally got the opportunity to meet Susan Dennard, find new (to me) authors, hang out with blogger pals and explore MCM Comic Con afterwards.
CHCCYA Fest:
This is one of my favourite events of the year, this is the second year CHCCYA Fest has been going and I really hope it will return next year. There’s author panels, signings, food, a treasure hunt and quiz. I had the best time! This year’s festival had a brilliant line-up of debut authors!
Out-Of-This-Galaxy YA with Sasha Alsberg, Taran Matharu and Alexandra Christo:
I love going to Waterstones events and this one one no exception, the talk was interesting, they’re all lovely to talk to and yes I did buy Contender: The Chosen because Taran Matharu mentioned dinosaurs. I definitely recommend going to events with any of them if you get the chance.
Summer of YA Love:
Simon James Green, Beth Garrod and Laura Wood, what’s not to love? I had so much fun and never laughed so much in my life, there were goody bags for people who bought a book. The talk was brilliant and we had the chance to get our books signed and chat to them after.
Kendare Blake event:
I was so excited when this was announced and immediately bought a ticket! I love the Three Dark Crowns books and been hoping Macmillan would bring Kendare over for an event, this is probably still one of my favourite events of the year. The event was also chaired by Alwyn Hamilton.
YALC 2019:
I had so much fun at YALC, this was my third year going and while it wasn’t without it’s problems it was still a great weekend. I picked up some cool books and swag, met some awesome authors and got to hang out with some amazing bookish people!
UKYABA:
I won an award for my blog back in July, It’s now December and I’m still stunned. This is the highlight of the year for me, I can’t thank all the wonderful bookish people who nominated and voted for me enough, it really means the world to me!
Into The Dark Crystal Exhibition:
I went to the exhibition three times, that’s how much I loved it! There were behind the scenes clips and info, sets and puppets. Visitors had the chance to have photos with some of the sets and props, we were also given an activity sheet with a quiz and find the hidden word. If you got the word right you won a free poster.
A Throne of Swans Blogger Brunch:
I love going to Hot Key Books events and this one was probably one of my favourites! I adore this book and loved listening to Katherine and Elizabeth answer questions and talk about it. My full write-up can be found here if you fancy a read. I can’t recommend the book enough!
Waterstones Piccadilly Christmas evening:
This is always a highlight of my year and this one was no different. I was lucky enough to meet Emma Thompson, Greg Wise, Warwick Davis and Katie and Kevin Tsang and get books signed. I had the best time and will definitely go again next year!
Simon and Schuster Blogger Brunch:
S&S blogger brunches are some of my favourite to attend, I get to see bloggers I don’t see very often, hear about upcoming books, make Christmas baubles. There were goody bags at everyone’s places, a table of food and drink and one with proofs of four of their upcoming titles and Infinity Son mugs for bloggers who wanted.
That’s some of my highlights summed up, it’s been a blast. Here’s to an epic 2020! What are your highlights from this year? Let me know in the comments!
Fantastic Book Dragon 