Recap: Boston Book Festival 2013

As I mentioned before, this weekend was the 5th annual Boston Book Festival, run by the Boston Public Library and hosted in various places around Copley Square.  This was my first year at the BBF, so I scheduled a whole day of events and exploring.  My review for the program?  It was absolutely fantastic, and I would encourage everyone to go next year.

Most of the events were held on Saturday (10/19), but there were some ticketed events on the Thursday and Friday before.  I didn't end up going to those because 1) they costed money (not a lot, but more than I had available to spend) and 2) because they were sold out a long time ago.  So, unfortunately, I don't have much to say about the Salman Rushdie or Writing Terror talks.  My only advice would be to get your tickets early if you want to go to the ticketed events next year.  Anyway, without further ado, here is a review of the three talks I attended and the exhibitor booths that I visited.

Brave New World: If John the Savage Were Alive Today, He Would Be Wearing a Fedora

While waiting for the events of the Boston Book Fest to commence, I thought I'd write a little something about the book I just finished: Brave New World.  I never read it in high school, and I was sick of it being one of the few "classics" I had not read on the Most Banned/Challenged lists.  So, in a belated attempted to celebrate Banned Books Week, I gave it a shot.

I’m sure reams of paper have been used to discuss and analyze the “civilization” in Brave New World, and I doubt that you’ll find many proponents of dousing fetuses in alcohol, so I’m going to skip that part and cut to the chase: I freaking hated John. So much effort is spent looking at the obvious dystopian future of “civilization” that people assume that the opposite (John and his ilk) must be the “right” future. I disagree. There is no “right” future in this world. Also, John sucks.

Boston Book Festival 2013

It's a testament to how unconnected I am with the world: there is a yearly Boston Book Festival, and I had no idea.  It's put on by my favorite place ever (the Boston Public Library) and takes place primarily in the Copley Square area.  I know I'm a little late on the uptake, but the Festival starts on October 17 (tomorrow) and goes until the 19th (Saturday).  The Festival is full of panels, talks, and exhibits and would be the perfect event for anyone with any sort of interest in books (whether reading or writing them, whether fiction or non).

Boston Public Library Museum Passes

After my harangue about getting out and doing stuff, I have to admit that today was more of a preparatory day.  As mentioned before, money is still a little tight, and I am still perfecting my methods of finding cheap/free things to do in Boston.  BUT, I wanted to let everyone know about the museum pass program at the Boston Public Library, which is possibly one of the best things ever.

Come, Learn How to Boston with Me

Hello all,

This is my fourth year in Boston but only my first since I graduated.  This means a variety of things.  First of all, I have much more time on my hands than I used to.  While I still work full time, now my nights and weekends are free, which hasn't been a thing in seven years.  It also means that I had to move from student housing and am no longer walking distance from where I need to be.  So, I now invest in monthly link passes, which means that I am able a travel a lot more (especially since I don't drive).  Oh, also, I'm now getting paid to work, which is a new and frightening change from my university days.