A Bibliophile’s Nostalgia: Book Launch Parties
I’m back again with my blog post series to revisit some bookish things that give me all the nostalgia feels. Today, I’ll be talking about book launch parties.
Picture this. You’re a young child, tween, or teen and your accompanied by an adult or with your hoard of friends to the bookstore. This evening will be a magical one, different from your regular trips to the bookstore. Your favorite series is releasing a new book at midnight! And while you count the hours down till its launch, the store has games and activities centered around that book for you to enjoy while meeting like minded fans.
When I was a teen I relished in the days of midnight launch parties. They were hype, I would meet new bookish friends, you could win prizes, and hang out in the bookstore. What more could a bibliophile teen ask for?
Back in the day I was a die-hard Twilight fan. I had the books, the merch, and watched all the movies over and over again. I look back sometimes and cringe at those days, but it was fun being able to geek out about the series with close friends.
I don’t really see these types of events as much anymore, but they always hold a bit of nostalgia for me. It takes back to the days of when I shopped at Borders and read manga in their comfy seats. Or waiting in line to get my hardback copy of Breaking Dawn and then taking it home to devour within hours of receiving it. These events were so special to me and I felt that deep sense of fandom camaraderie being able to connect with other readers who read the series or swap book recommendations. I get the same sort of feelings when I go to anime conventions today.
With Covid I don’t know if we’ll ever go back to events like that but, I miss them greatly. Being part of the bookish community I’m glad I can still connect with people on the same level. Whether it’s meeting up with my local book club, going to the bookstore for new releases with friends, or fangirling over a series online it always makes me happy to connect with other readers.
Did you ever go to midnight book launch/release parties? Did it leave an impact on you? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.
Fun! I went to a couple of the Harry Potter midnight launches. Not because I was a Potter-head but because I lived in a small city and had never heard of a midnight-launch for ANYthing and just wanted to be part of the bookishness. It was fun to take part in the conversations about the books with other people who were really waaay more into the stories than I was, and it made me wish that other books and stories could get that kind of attention and excitement too.
I did go to at least one Harry Potter midnight launch. I really do miss the camaraderie of fans being excited over various books. I hope that we can channel that same kind of energy about series again in the future. It also helped me to bond with the staff at those local bookstores too.
I don’t think I ever went to a midnight book launch. I live in the middle of nowhere and only recently got my license, so it wasn’t convenient to get someone to drive me.
Totally understandable. It’s a lot harder when bookstores aren’t close to drive out to midnight book launches. I feel like most events are virtual over the past couple of years anyway.