Book Bonanza 2023

This May, Marissa and I had the amazing opportunity to go to Dallas to attend Book Bonanza. Neither of us had ever been to a book convention before, so we had no idea what to expect. And there’s a lot to expect and a lot to know before going to a book convention - pre-orders, wristbands, author meet-ups, and a billion other things. But none of those things were on our mind when we somehow managed to snag tickets last year.

All we knew is that we were excited to be in a place where we would be surrounded by our favorite thing. Marissa and I talk about books all the time - obviously - but our circle of book friends isn’t huge, so often our conversations don’t make it past each other and maybe one or two other friends. 

Hobbies are typically touted as a way to make more friends or to cultivate a group of like-minded people. But it can actually be isolating if you don’t know anyone else with the same hobby as you. You might listen to people talk about something you like through YouTube or TikTok, but if you’re not making content or constantly interacting with someone else’s, all those thoughts about that topic are locked up in your head with no one to share it with. 

Even when I am able to talk to someone about books, it tends to go over their heads if I name drop an author or get into the specificities of the book community. So it was a welcome surprise to talk to any random person at Book Bonanza about my favorite thing and have it be their favorite thing too. 

If you have the opportunity to go to a gathering of some kind focused on the thing you love, I highly recommend that you go. This might not be the most original advice, but there’s seriously nothing better than being surrounded by people who put in just as much time, focus, and love into something as you do. At the very least, it’s nice to not have to explain who or what something is to everyone you meet.

If you’ve never been to a book convention, let me break it down for you. They are typically two day events consisting of multiple panels, parties, and lots and lots of books for sale. The panels at Book Bonanza this year covered topics from Broody Men to Sports Romance. There were panels about Dark Romance and Strong Women - truly a variety of topics. There were two parties - one on Friday night and one on Saturday night. Friday’s party was Mardi Gras themed and Saturday’s was Boots and Bling, obviously.

The main event is the signing. Authors set up booths with their books to sell, freebies to give away, or sometimes just a pen to sign their name. Readers go around with their little carts (yes, we each bought one) and either buy or bring books to be signed and personalized. You get to tell an author how much you loved their book or ask how their upcoming release is going. Or, if you’re like me, you’ll have no idea what to say and just see if they’re having as much fun as you are.

Combined we saw a real dream team of authors: Sierra Simone, Sara Cate, Lucy Score, Colleen Hoover, Monica Murphy, Melanie Harlow, Ruby Dixon, Q.B. Tyler, Elizabeth O’Rouke, Ana Huang, Fiona Cole, Pam Godwin, Sav R. Miller, April White, Sophie Lark, Xio Axelrod, and so much more. If you’re not a reader and don’t know who any of those authors are, trust me when I say that they’re a big deal. And it was a big deal that we managed to see as many as we did all in one place. 

I am amazed at all of the moving parts that the Book Bonanza team was able to put together to make this event happen. Sure, there were parts that could have been improved, such as the wristband system or the number of volunteers, but I think disorganization at an event of this size is inevitable. So I’ll say what I always say when passing road construction or a marathon runner - “I can’t do that, so they’re doing a good job.” 

All we want to do now is go to book conventions. Like who needs a beach vacation when you can stand in line to get a book signed? I know I don’t. After this event, my wallet would probably say that I shouldn’t do either. But what happens at Book Bonanza stays at Book Bonanza. And what books were bought at Book Bonanza may as well have been free. 

See you guys in August at Steamy Lit!

- Angelica

(co-owner of Capulet Books)