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Last Sunday, in the name of research, I braved the wind and rain to attend BookCon in Midtown Manhattan. For the first time since the pandemic, this fan convention dedicated to bookish joy was back, promising author signings, advanced copies, panels, and plenty of shopping opportunities.

For a few hours, two colleagues and I wandered the booths, soaking in the excitement and chatting with exhibitors we knew. We drank an abundance of LaCroix (I still don’t know what the “Sunshine” flavor is supposed to be), I picked up a very cute pin at the ThriftBooks booth, and—most importantly—we got a sense of which upcoming titles people are most excited about. Overall, I had a lovely time, and it was great to see so many enthusiastic readers!

Now, I would be remiss not to mention that I’ve seen mixed reviews from attendees online. Since I wasn’t there to get ARCs or meet authors, I know my expectations were very different from most people there. I also didn’t have to travel to attend, which is a big deal! Still, I’m hopeful that because this was the first BookCon in years, the organizers are taking all that feedback seriously, and that it’ll only continue to improve from here.

If you missed it, I’m rounding up some of the buzziest, most anticipated titles I spotted on the floor. And if you were there, I’d love to hear your take on it. What stood out to you? Would you go again? Reply to this email to let me know!

Yours,

Genevieve
Senior Books Content Manager @ Pix
Current 📖: I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

From huge posters and advance copy giveaways to author signings and panels, there was no shortage of new books to ogle. Here are just three of the biggest ones that stuck out to me.

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The Location: Savannah, GA

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