This weekend, bibliophiles are trading pages for panels.

On Saturday at the University of Southern California, the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books kicked off its 30th year of delighting all types of readers, with this year’s schedule catering to everyone from nonfiction aficionados to BookTok enthusiasts. Though bookworms who made it to the festival by the 9:55 a.m. start time were greeted by an April drizzle, it was blue skies by the afternoon, and crowds quickly grew, filled with families, students and other members of the LA community eager to expand their bookshelves. In addition to panels with renowned authors, celebrities and public figures, attendees were treated to bookstore pop-ups, live music performances and book signings.

Read on for the Daily Bruin’s coverage of day one of the LA Times Festival of Books.

Amor Towles, author of “Table for Two,” in conversation with Donna Wares

In Bovard Auditorium, Amor Towles discussed his short story collection “Table for Two,” what led to him pursuing a career as an author and his writing process with LA Times editor Donna Wares.

Known for his bestselling novels “Rules of Civility” and “A Gentleman in Moscow,” the author spoke to the audience about his newest publication, which features six short stories and a novella that revisits a character from “Rules of Civility.” Towles also discussed how he decides which stories to spotlight in his writing, emphasizing that a key part of his process is choosing the right character’s perspective, often favoring unexpected narrators over conventional ones.

“When you shift the perspective from one of those people to another person, the tone of the whole story has to change,” Towles said. “The language changes. The semantics of it changes. … All that has been changed by who tells that story, and because of that, the themes and, to some degree, the events may evolve differently than it would if you had chosen the other person.”

After being prompted by Wares, Towles also spoke about his relationship with his late father, to whom he dedicated “Table for Two.” Though he said his father loved literature, Towles added that he was apprehensive about his son pursuing a career in writing. However, after Towles had spent 20 years working in investment banking and his first novel went to auction, he said his father quickly came around, joking that he did so when hearing the word “auction.”

When the hourlong conversation ran overtime and only two audience members were able to ask questions, Towles urged the audience to send him their questions through his website and promised to respond to each. He ended his talk by saying that although readers tend to classify his novels as historical fiction, he views them otherwise, noting that he often prioritizes storytelling above strict factual accuracy. He left audiences with the idea that the humanity of the characters is the most crucial part of any story, drawing a comparison to the role of characters over history in Shakespeare’s literature.

“Through the manner in which they exchange their ideas and sentiments, and through the poetry of the language itself, we get some glimpse of the human condition in a manner that is timeless and universal,” Towles said.

Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo, authors of “How to Giggle,” in conversation with Alyssa Bereznak

Straight off their hit podcast “Giggly Squad,” television personalities Hannah Berner and Paige DeSorbo now have a novel that gives readers advice on how to take life less seriously.

The comedic duo took the main stage at 12:50 p.m. with LA Times editor Alyssa Bereznak, discussing their roots meeting on the reality television show “Summer House,” their decision to start a podcast together and their new novel. Throughout the panel, Berner and DeSorbo had the audience giggling as they spoke about topics from “decentering” men from their lives to dealing with panic attacks before shows.

Berner and DeSorbo also talked about why they decided to switch from reality television to comedy, citing how their relationship formed after they were able to consistently make each other laugh. Berner, whose stand-up comedy special was released on Netflix last year, said she also found comedy to be a more empowering and authentic way to express herself.

“Reality TV also really motivated me. … They want to put you as a character, especially as a woman,” Berner said. “You’re either the drunk one or the annoying one or the fun, easy one. Women are so much more multifaceted, and that’s why, after reality TV, I was like, ‘Wait, I can go on stage and show a woman that is human and has multiple sides to her.’ It really motivated me to want to take up more space.”

The duo added that, while comedy gave them new opportunities, it was not just about finding a more successful career path. For Berner and DeSorbo, they said their podcast and new novel are more about continuing to explore new creative avenues.

“I do want to say success does not equal happiness, but I think it’s fun to keep challenging ourselves, and we want to just keep creating things,” Berner said. “We never thought we’d write a book.”

Krysten Ritter, author of “Retreat,” in conversation with Karah Preiss

On the main stage at 2 p.m., actress and author Krysten Ritter discussed her thriller novel “Retreat” with film producer Karah Preiss.

Ritter, known for her roles in “Jessica Jones” and “Breaking Bad,” has published two novels and said she turned to writing when her pitches for on-screen projects failed to be picked up. When she tried to sell the story that ultimately became her first novel “Bonfire” as a television show, she said studios turned her down because of the industry’s current trend of prioritizing content that is based on existing intellectual property.

“I had this scrappy, ridiculous, psychotic idea of, ‘What if it was existing IP?’” Ritter said. “I launched into the process of writing ‘Bonfire’ (and) loved it.”

With “Retreat,” Ritter said she wanted to write a novel that revolved around an anti-heroine with corrupt morals, leading to her creating a narrative involving a con artist who forces herself into a socialite’s life. She added that she has always been drawn to complicated characters who blur the line between villain and hero, especially when they challenge traditional expectations for women in fiction.

“With a show like ‘Dexter’ or ‘Breaking Bad,’ those guys are doing bad stuff,” Ritter said. “But is it a result of spending time with them that you love them and you get to know them? There isn’t really a direct reference for a female-led, exact version. … So that’s what I have been very interested in digging into.”

Ritter added that her past experiences playing characters like Jessica Jones, women who are flawed and often considered “unlikeable,” helped inspire her approach to “Retreat.” She said as an author, she is drawn to those stories about complicated women and hopes her writing can carve out more space for those kinds of characters, especially in Hollywood.