A Celebration of Books,
Writers & LIterary Excellence

Save the Date


Gaithersburg
Book Festival

May 17, 2025

10am – 6pm

Bohrer Park


Author Archives: Jennie Cottrell

One (Knowledgeable) Author’s Opinion on the Sequels to “Gone with the Wind”

John Wiley, Jr. is the co-author of “Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind,” a history of how GWTW became an international phenomenon that has sustained the public’s interest for 75 years. Wiley is one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Mitchell and her novel. He… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Thomas Young

Thomas Young is the author of the suspense novel “Silent Enemy” (Putnam Adult), which follows the characters of his previous novel, “The Mullah’s Storm.” In addition to being the author of three books, Young is a veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. He serves as… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author John Wiley

John Wiley, Jr. is the co-author of “Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind” (Taylor Trade Publishing), a history of how GWTW became an international phenomenon that has sustained the public’s interest for 75 years. Wiley is one of the world’s foremost authorities on Mitchell and her… Continue Reading

Recommended Political Reads

As the political season heats up, Gaithersburg Book Festival committee members recommend some of their favorite political reads and tell you why they enjoyed them so much. (Books are listed in alphabetical order by author’s last name.)   “President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime” by Lou Cannon A great… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author David O. Stewart

David O. Stewart is a historian whose third book, “American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America” (Simon & Schuster), tells the story of America’s third Vice President as a daring, and perhaps deluded, figure who shook the nation’s foundations in its earliest, most vulnerable decades. The book follows his well-received… Continue Reading

Q&A with 2012 Featured Author Adam Hochschild

Adam Hochschild has written for The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Atlantic, The New York Review of Books, and many other magazines, and is the author of seven books. “King Leopold’s Ghost: a Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa” was a finalist for the 1998 National Book Critics Circle Award and… Continue Reading

Coming Soon: Short Q&As with 2012 Featured Authors

Yes! That’s right! Starting next Monday one of our most popular features from last year will be returning: Short Q&As with our 2012 featured authors.   First up will be a Q&A with Adam Hochschild , author of three books including “To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918,” “King Leopold’s Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror and Heroism in Colonial Africa” (finalist… Continue Reading

Wendy Shang: Recommended Reads of 2011

Thought we were done with our recommended reads columns? Think again!   Today’s recommended reads come courtesy of Wendy Wan-Long Shang , author of “The Great Wall of Lucy Wu,” which Publishers Weekly called “a realistic and amusing portrait of family dynamics, heritage, and the challenge of feeling like… Continue Reading

Do You Judge Books by their Covers?

They say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover… but apparently book publishers aren’t taking that sentiment to heart.   Last month, The New York Times published an article about publishers giving print books a “makeover” as they seek to compete with e-books . According to the article, publishers have decided that “print books need to be about physical beauty and the… Continue Reading

Some Recommended Reads for Our Elected Officials

Tomorrow is the first day of the legislative session in Annapolis, Maryland. In honor of our political leaders return to the statehouse, we thought we’d provide some recommendations on books our electeds may want to read as the session gets… Continue Reading