The Trajectory of Today’s Topics

• Hot off the press, BookCon is back baby

• Stephen King’s Fantasy World

• Would you read Woody Allen’s new book?

• Getting ready for the editor!

Hot Off The Press

BookCon Is Back, and It’s Bigger, Bolder, and Bookish as Ever

Big news for fellow book nerds: BookCon is officially returning in 2026! After a five-year hiatus, ReedPop (the folks behind New York Comic Con) just announced that BookCon will be back in NYC at the Javits Center on April 18–19, and it sounds like they’re pulling out all the stops.

All the bookish things are happening! Expect book signings, panel discussions, book club meetups, sprayed edges workshops, book swaps, a fantasy ball, and tons more. The show is being organized by Jenny Martin, who ran the original events, and she’s clear that this isn’t some stuffy industry trade show—it’s a celebration for fans, by fans. 

Looks like physical books are on the rise again, and I’m excited for it! ReedPop says they’ve been quietly growing their bookish programming at other pop culture events, and with the rise of BookTok and Instagram book influencers, they felt the time was right to bring BookCon back in a big way. They’re especially focusing on Gen Z and Millennial readers, but anyone with a love for books is welcome.

Bibliophiles and introverts unite! If you’ve ever dreamed of being in a room full of fellow book lovers, chatting with your favorite authors, and coming home with way too many signed books, this is your moment. If this isn’t what the afterlife is like, I don’t want to go! So, mark your calendars, and if anyone is going, be sure to invite your local author and newsletter writer… AKA me!! 😁 Road trip anyone??  

The TBR Files

A Good Read, Just Missing The Nail-Biting Suspense

It’s a slow build-up, but that’s King’s form. Fairy Tale is about Charlie, a regular high school kid whose life took a tragic turn when he was young. His mom was killed in an accident, and then he lost his father to alcohol. Charlie had to grow up quickly. Then he meets an odd recluse who hides a massive secret, one that he passes on to Charlie after he dies. 

Then the fantasy comes into play. In Mr. Bowditch’s shed is a portal to another world, one that is teetering on the brink of destruction. Charlie has to enter this portal to save a life, but in doing so, he may lose his own, and witness the destruction of this wonderful “fairy tale” land, or he can attempt to save it all.

Fantasy books in the 80s and 90s were difficult to find. Fairy Tale wasn’t even on my radar to read until someone told me that it was like a sequel to The Eyes of the Dragon. That book holds a very special place in my heart because it was the first Stephen King book I ever read. I was eleven years old, desperate for more fantasy books—back then, they weren’t as prevalent as they are now—and just seeing the cover and reading Dragon, I didn’t hesitate. I read that book in three days, which is a feat because I was not a fast reader back then. 

I was fed the wrong information, but I’m not mad about it. I did not see the similarities aside from them both being fantasy books. That being said, I did enjoy Fairy Tale. You feel for Charlie, and you want him to succeed in his quest (which is to save a beloved dog when you come down to it, but it ends up encompassing so much more). The characters, both good and evil, were very well done; it’s one of the things King is known for: believable characters. The fantasy world was serviceable, and there were a lot of tense moments in the book, but it was missing something. 

Good, but not great. I’m giving this one a solid ☕☕☕. It’s a fun story, and I love Charlie and how he feels the need to save Radar, the old man’s dog, but the fantasy world did seem a bit cookie-cutter. It was only missing some dragons or unicorns. It wasn’t a place full of King’s messed up, distorted nightmare creatures, and that affected me. Fairy Tale didn’t have too many big surprises, and I never truly felt afraid for Charlie’s life. In his other works, his characters are all fair game for getting thrown into the meat grinder. Not this one though; the edge was missing, but still a good read, and one for those who aren’t into graphic horror. 

…And Then This Happened

When Art And Allegations Collide

Woody Allen has a new novel coming out soon. Honestly, I didn’t even know he was still around. In the 80s, he was a household name because of several critically acclaimed movies. Then came the abuse allegations. His behavior toward his adopted daughter, Dylan Farrow, as well as his controversial relationship with Soon-Yi Previn, has followed him for decades. While legal outcomes have varied and opinions remain fiercely divided, the discomfort many feel (including myself) around his name has never truly disappeared.

Will it become a bestseller? So when I saw news of his upcoming novel, my first thought was, would people actually read it? During his court trials, his memoir was dropped from the publisher because of backlash, but has he been forgiven? Will people take up his new work? 

It’s very unsettling. This led me to another name that’s been weighing heavily on me: Neil Gaiman. For years, Gaiman was one of the authors I adored, who shaped how I understood storytelling, who inspired me. His books were strange, lyrical, powerful, and they helped to ignite my passion for writing and really delving into my imagination. But more recently, very serious allegations of sexual harassment and even trafficking have surfaced against him. While they haven’t been widely publicized or confirmed through legal proceedings, the accusations still leave a deep, unsettled feeling.

When icons become monsters. It’s a real sense of grief when someone whose work you admired, someone who was such an inspiration, turns out to be the monster under the bed. Even if he ends up being found not guilty (which I doubt he will be) I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to support him, or read his books again.

This isn't a cancellation call or a moral high ground. It's just me sitting with these questions, and maybe inviting you to sit with them too: Would you read Woody Allen's new book? What do you do when the creators you once trusted let you down?

I don’t have clear answers, but I do think the questions are worth asking and exploring.