By midmorning Sunday, Allison Schow already had filled a backpack and stacked high a wheeled cart she'd rigged specially to haul books -- enough material to keep the Salt Lake City flight attendant occupied for months.
"I'm a book-aholic," said Schow, who made the trip here to attend the 10th annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, "and I love to feel the wonderful energy on this campus with all the people who are reading and love books."
Schow, who attended with her mother for the second year in a row, was among thousands on the UCLA campus for the event. Under sunny skies, attendees browsed at hundreds of booths, stood in long lines to get books signed by their favorite authors and listened to speakers talk on subjects that varied widely. Examples: "Are We Making the World Safe for Democracy?" and "The Life and Legacy of Julia Child."
Book festival -- An article in Monday's California section about the L.A. Times Festival of Books said former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright was the first woman to serve as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. In fact, Jeane J. Kirkpatrick held the office from 1981 to 1985.
"It's always a delight to be among so many people who like to read, since I have four children who don't," said Shriver, who was a television news correspondent until her husband, Arnold Schwarzenegger, was elected governor.
Shriver emphasized that the book was "little," but she also reminded the crowd that it's "cheap," at $13.95, and small enough to slip into a purse. The slim volume, she said, urged young women to spend less time looking at themselves in the mirror and instead to get involved in helping people less fortunate.
Another popular draw Sunday was former Secretary of State Madeleine K. Albright, who spoke to a crowd in a packed campus ballroom -- once she finally found the place. Albright, author of the recent memoir "Madame Secretary," arrived late after some trouble negotiating Los Angeles' sprawling roadways.
"Secretary Albright has a lot of power and clout in this country, but not enough power and clout in this country to find a driver who knew where UCLA was," explained Samantha Power, a Harvard lecturer and human rights activist who interviewed Albright in front of the audience.
"I've been to Torrance," Albright said to gales of laughter.
"She's not kidding," Power added, before launching an hourlong discussion.
