Krystal Pence
Crowded room of people with books in the foreground.
Book lovers browsing The Sylvee at another sold-out Grown-Up Book Fair.
Hundreds of people are lined up outside The Sylvee, shivering as they queue up tickets on their phones. Above their heads, the marquee reads Sold Out! But these aren’t music lovers in line for a concert. They’re book lovers in line for the third annual Wisconsin Grown-Up Book Fair on Jan. 20, a fundraiser for the Madison Public Library Foundation.
At the event, inspired by the Scholastic Book Fairs many adults remember from elementary school, six local book sellers come together to offer nostalgia-fueled fun. While people browse books, they can sip ’90s-themed cocktails, snack on leveled-up Lunchables, and listen to ’90s hits like Hanson’s “MMMBop.”
“It’s so cool to see people coming out and celebrating books like it’s a rock concert,” says Molly Fish, owner of Lake City Books.It’s the newest bookstore at the event, joining A Room of One’s Own, Leopold’s, Kismet Books, Mystery to Me and The Book Deal.
“We’ve already restocked twice,” Fish says just after 4 p.m. The event has five sessions, three on Saturday and two on Sunday this year, after tickets for the 2023 Saturday-only event sold out quickly. “It’s definitely helping with our January, which is historically a low sales month,” Fish says.
There are activities, too, like a ’90s “yearbook” photo booth, drag queen-led spelling bees, and crafts. Those looking for a cozier experience can retreat to the “chill zone” to read, color, play board games, or enjoy their ’90s themed treats.
One of the featured cocktails is the “Ecto Cooler,” named after the iconic orange-tangerine Hi-C juice box of the ’90s, itself inspired by the Ghostbusters film franchise. And “Adult Lunchables Cups” offer an upgraded version of the lunchtime staple with ingredients like Potter’s Crackers and merlot cheddar.
Snacks and drinks in hand, Krystal Ellis and Nieshell Grant retreat to an activity area to color bookmarks. Ellis and Grant met at work and bonded over reading — specifically, the Sarah J. Maas series A Court of Thorns and Roses.
For Ellis and Grant, reading itself takes them back to childhood. “I was a huge reader in elementary school and high school,” says Ellis. “I was that kid always going to the library. But when I graduated, I got too busy to read. But I started reading again just last year.”
Grant adds, “Whenever I read, that alone is nostalgic because it brings me back to when I was a kid. Hours go by, and you don’t even know what happened. Having that as an adult again is kind of cool.”
Krystal Pence
Lots of post-its on a recommendation board.
Need a book that you cannot put down? Check out the wall of recs.
At the Room of One’s Own booth, bookseller Jay Lowe theorizes on why reading is so linked with nostalgia. “As the world becomes more complicated and there’s all this global conflict and ecological crisis, there’s a sense that a lot of people gave up reading or started to read less and less as they became adults,” Lowe says. “And coming back to reading is a sort of calm. It’s not buzzing with notifications and telling you about everything. Reading is a way to focus.”
Guests at the event can help inspire a love of reading in Madison’s current generation of kids by stopping by the Madison Reading Project booth. “We’re here spreading awareness of our mission, which is to give free books to kids,” says Ann Christianson, development coordinator of Madison Reading Project. In 2023, the organization gave out 123,897 books in Dane County. Today, their donation bin is full of books that guests have donated to young Madison readers.
Conor Moran, now director of the Madison Public Library Foundation, helped bring the Book Fair to life three years ago as director of the Wisconsin Book Festival. Today, he stands at the Foundation’s booth, where people can sign up for library cards, learn how to support the Foundation for the price of a paperback book, and pick out free stickers. “One of the things that connects books with nostalgia is that when you’re young, you have so much more time to read,” Moran says. “Many adults make that time, but you just have it when you’re a kid.”
By the numbers:
Attendees over two days: 2,350
Theme cocktails sold: 528
Photos taken in the photo booth: 444
Spelling bee participants: 35
Some bee words: pterodactyl, disingenuous, Shania Twain
Books sold: More than 5,800
