Looking Back on a Very Bookish 2019

As one year ends and another begins, I find myself reflecting on the concluding year and looking ahead to what I want to accomplish in the coming year. After several years of trying to build a career based on books and reading and not getting very far, I finally managed to make some progress. 

I always have so much fun creating my “Best of” book lists and thought it would be fun to create a “Best Bookish Moments of 2019” list.  So here it is:

“Page Turners” - I have wanted to write a column on all things bookish for several years and am thrilled to be writing these weekly articles for The Buzz Magazines. From author interviews to cookbook collaborations to book recommendations, I have thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to write about my love of books and all things bookish.

Cindy Burnett and Krista Hensel collaborate to host Conversations from a Page Literary Salons, bringing authors and readers together in a casual and inviting setting. They held seven salons this year with a variety of authors. 

Conversations from a Page Literary Salon – This collaboration with Krista Hensel is my pride and joy. We have had so much fun hosting these salons and are happy to see that our concept of bringing authors and readers together in a casual and inviting setting is working. We held seven salons this year with a variety of authors including Fiona Davis, Elin Hilderbrand, Chris Cander, and many others. We are thrilled with our lineup for early 2020 and look forward to hosting some return authors in the new year as well as some new ones too. Read more about Conversations from a Page here.

BookExpo – BookExpo is held every year in New York City at the end of May. Attended by book sellers, book bloggers, publishers, and authors, this conference lasts three days and is one of the highlights of my year. Authors sign newly published titles and galleys, publishers highlight their most anticipated titles for the rest of the year, and publishers host parties. I enjoy attending this conference with a group of my book reviewer friends and look forward to it for months ahead of time. 

Signatures: The John Cooper School Author Series – John Cooper’s annual author series is a fabulous concept. They choose one headlining author to speak at the fundraising luncheon and then invite local authors to talk about their books before and after the main event. This year, they hosted Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette, a book that I really enjoyed. I attended the event as a member of the media (a first for me!) and was able to participate in the media interview with Maria Semple. I loved the event – and the décor was outstanding - and visiting with some of the local authors including Dave Ward and Amy Weinland Daughters. I look forward to seeing who they choose for 2020.

Speaking about books – This year I began to speak to various groups – book clubs, philanthropy groups, and other women’s groups – about books and found that I had so much fun doing so. I enjoy learning about each group and then tailoring my recommendations based on that group and what they generally like to read. I cannot wait to do more of this in 2020.

The Bush Sisters event (sponsored by Blue Willow Bookshop) – I love to attend author events, and the event with the Bush sisters in November was one of the best that I have ever attended. Both Barbara and Jenna told fabulous stories about their famous family, life as the daughters and granddaughters of sitting presidents of the United States, their current careers, and much more. Both women have managed to succeed and stay grounded, and I loved learning a little more about Jenna’s book selections for her book club. 

Cindy Burnett enjoyed interviewing Jane Harper (on left), one of her favorite authors, at Murder by the Book. 

Interviewing Jane Harper at Murder by the Book – Jane Harper is one of my favorite authors, and I thoroughly enjoyed interviewing her when she came to Murder by the Book in February. She regaled the crowd with stories about researching her books and her writing process and spoke about how exciting it was to have her debut novel chosen by Reese Witherspoon’s book club.

While it is hard to believe that 2019 is coming to an end, I am looking forward to seeing what 2020 will bring. Wishing you a Happy New Year!

For more book recommendations and bookish thoughts, see @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram or Cindy’s Reading Recs.