MY BEA 2014 Experience!

This past weekend, I was lucky enough to attend Book Expo America in New York City for my sixth year in a row.  It is an amazing experience for any book nerd.  Truly!  This year, my friend Kim and I booked a fancy schmancy hotel room at the Kitano New York so we got into the city on Thursday night and were able to sleep in (well for an extra hour and a half, at least) and go straight to the Javits via taxi.

...well after some shocked exploration of our hotel bathroom's bidet, that is... I'd never actually seen one in real life and found it quite...terrifying intimidating. I finally gave in and tried it on our second night in the room...and I'm still not sold on the idea.

MOVING ON, LOL.

This year, I FINALLY got to go to BEA for more than one day.  It was phenomenal because it relieved some of the frantic pressure of trying to fit everything (ALL the books, ALL the authors) into one day.   It was, however, also terrifyingly packed on Saturday because of BookCon.  Don't believe me?  Check out these crowds! We actually left early on Saturday because we just couldn't take it any more.  I'm so glad it was day two so I felt like I'd already done and seen enough that I COULD leave early...

So, what did we do and see during those two days?

Well... I met, I mingled, I schmoozed, and I schlepped.  I came out with 53 books, 1 audio book, 3 chapter samplers, 7 tote bags and various swag.  I got my photo taken in the most awesome "Photo Booth" at the Open Road Media booth... because I absolutely believe that BOOKWORMS RULE!! I met some amazing authors, including Scott Westerfeld, Julie Kagawa, Jackie Morse Kessler, Kiera Cass, Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, A.G. Howard, S.S. Taylor, and Elizabeth Kelly Gillihan.  I got a little crazy in the crowds, but I survived to tell the tale!

All in all, it was AMAZING and exhausting, as it is every year and I may or may not have been both manic and half-asleep on the train rides both there and back...

So...that's the quickie version of my experience this year.  I'm planning to start reviewing the picture books that I received this year tomorrow...and I hope to progress to the longer YA and adult books within the next few weeks, so keep your eyes peeled for some reviews of great upcoming books!!

And, just because I want to share some of the other photos I took at BEA...here you go!

Meeting A.G.Howard, author of Splintered!

Meeting Jackie Morse Kessler, another favorite author!

Meeting Kiera Cass, author of The Selection!

Meeting authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke with their upcoming debut, Your Perfect Life. 

Meeting S.S. Taylor and Katherine Roy, the author and illustrator of the fabulous
middlegrade steampunk "Expeditioners" series!

As I said, I'll be posting reviews and recaps of the books that I got in the next few weeks, so keep checking back!  

My Top 5 (All Right, Really it's Six...) Books to Hunt Down at BEA 2014

So....at BEA there are a TON of books every year.  It can be amazing and totally overwhelming.  For the last two years, I finally figured out the system that works the best for me in wading through the sheer number of books readily available... I make a list of books I'm dying to pick up and then I color code that to narrow it down even further to five or maybe ten books MAX that I will desperately hunt for while in the Javitz.  The rest I leave pretty much to chance.

So what are this year's top choices, you ask?

Martyr by A.R. Kahler

 I LOVED A.R. Kahler's Immortal Circus series, so I'm dying to read this new one. 

Talon by Julie Kagawa

 I love Julie Kagawa's writing and storylines, so I'm anxious to see how she tackles dragons! 

The Unfairest of Them All by Shannon Hale

The Ever After High series is TOO cute and come on, Shannon Hale! Love her books.  

Deep Blue by Jennifer Donnelly 

I love Donnelly's other books and I cannot wait to see her tackle a fantasy... I hadn't thought this one was going to be at BEA, but I think it just might be!!  

The Expeditioners and the Secret of King Triton's Lair by S.S. Taylor

I LOVED the first book in this steampunk middle grade adventure series. I can't tell you how excited I was when I saw the sequel coming out! 

...AND of course, I've read this one already, but if I could get a signed, finished copy??? *swoon*

The One by Kiera Cass

Talkin' Bout BEA!

So, I'm sure this time of year you probably see a veritable plethora of BEA tips and tricks posts.  Knowing that I'm going to keep this short and simple.  More just a listing of things I've learned from attending for the last five years.

Here we go:

* BEA (The Book Expo or Book Expo America, as it's officially known) is both AMAZING and utterly EXHAUSTING.  One of my favorite days of the whole year...and one that I need several days to recover from! We'll see if it's any different this year since I'm staying in NYC overnight to go two days... 

* Your feet WILL hurt. It does not matter what shoes you wear. By the end of the day, standing in line, moving to a different line, standing in line again... rinse, repeat, etc....you're feet will be killing you.  Go home, put them up and just think of how it was worth the pain. (Oh, and ditto for your shoulders/back)

* No matter how few books and such you think you'll be limiting to yourself, pack as if you're bringing TWICE that much home.  Meaning... bring a giant roll-y bag to check (it only costs $3.00 for the day) that you can deliver books to throughout the day.  This will help with your feet, back, and shoulder aches PLUS you can just roll home your books if you're not paying to ship them home. 

* Talk to people.  TALK to everyone! I've talked to other bloggers, librarians, people at booths, people in lines...you never know who you'll meet.  I've been AMAZED to find out that the person I've been chatting up standing in line in front of me is actually the author whose signing I'm planning to attend later that day!  Plus, once you get comfortable doing it, you'll be amazed who you feel like you can just approach... I've walked up to John Green, Diana Peterfreund, Shannon Hale, R.L. Stine, and plenty of others just to let them know how much I appreciate their work.  

* MAKE A PLAN...AND THEN THROW MOST OF IT OUT THE WINDOW.  No, seriously.  You should go into BEA with at least an idea of what you'd like to do, see, and walk out with throughout the day...but stuff happens. Lines will be excruciatingly long.  Signings will be happening at the same time across the floor.  You will be about to faint from hunger and if you don't stop to take a break right this second something terrible might happen....and you'll have to let things go.  Don't be afraid to let things go! Stop by a publisher's booth later and ask if they have extra unsigned copies.  Chat up fellow attendees and see if you can do any swapsies.  JUST ENJOY what you DID get to do and see and know what to plan for next year.  

So, that's my basic BEA tips and tricks... hope you have a blast if you're going and if you can't make it this year, maybe there's next year! If you're there this year, I hope to see you!!

Book Expo 2014 is next week!!

So, BEA is upon us once again!

For those of you who don't know, there is a huge book conference called Book Expo America that occurs once a year, and for the last five years I've been lucky enough to attend it in New York City in May.

This year the conference takes place from Thursday, May 29 - Saturday, May 31, 2014 at the Javits Center.  My friend Kim and I are FINALLY going to BEA for more than one day this year.

It's such a huge conference that every year, I desperately try to do ALL the things, and find ALL the books...but one day never seems like enough.  So, this year, we're going on Friday and Saturday.  Hooray!! We're staying in a fancy New York hotel, we'll get to spend two days being ALL ABOUT THE BOOKS...and then we might even get to do some bookish things outside of the Expo on Friday night.

This year will probably be my last year attending BEA for a while.  I've got other things on my plate now and I've found myself re-prioritizing a little... so, I'm going to enjoy every moment and embrace the madness for what it is... I'm going to wear comfy shoes, dress in layers, and bring a big suitcase to carry home my bookish things.  I'm going to drink lots of water and talk to lots of people and NOT stress about the lines and the waits and such... I'm going to remember why I always feel like this is my BOOK CHRISTMAS and I'm going to have FUN.
  

I hope to see as many of my blogger, librarian, and author friends as possible. It's two days to cram in a ton of chatting, gushing, and book swapping, but I can't wait to do it all! In case we haven't met in real life yet, here's a small pic of me.

Hopefully we can bump into each other and say "hi!" See you next week!

A Second 2013 BEA Giveaway!!

First off, CONGRATULATIONS to Ashly from Lost in the Stacks who won the first 2013 BEA giveaway! Now that I've mailed her books off, I decided to host another giveaway to help share the book love. This contest, sadly, will have to be limited to the US so I don't go broke shipping books out.  Sorry!

Here is the entry form:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

...AND... here are the books you can choose from:

Winner gets to choose three of these books: The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, United We Spy by Ally Carter (chapter sampler), (signed) MP3 audio book of Sylvia Day's Entwined with You (adult), The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon, All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry, Skin by Donna Jo Napoli, and (signed) Stalked by Death by Kelly Hashway. 

GOOD LUCK!!! 

My BEA 2013 Experience and a GIVEAWAY!!

This past Friday, May 31st, I went into New York City to attend Book Expo America...my favorite day of the entire year. I seriously love the experience every time I go.

This year, my friend, Kim, and I stayed at a hotel right near the train station in New Haven the night before, so I only had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready (got to sleep for a whole extra hour this year! :D). We took an early train into the city so that we could go to the Children's Author Breakfast (I covered this event for Yalsa's The Hub, so if you want to see a full write up, check it out here).  We got there with enough time to check our roll-y bags, try to get tickets to the Rick Riordan signing later in the day (they were gone by 6:45!!) and to find seats at one of the breakfast tables. This year's awesome speakers included Octavia Spencer, Mary Pope Osborne, Rick Riordan and Veronica Roth.

In addition to hearing them talk about literacy, books, and writing, we each got a Camp Half-Blood t-shirt, a Magic Tree House mug, a paperback copy of Divergent, and a copy of The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit, the first book in the new Randi Rhodes, Ninja Detective series. They also revealed the cover for Rick Riordan's upcoming, The House of Hades, book four in the Heroes of Olympus series while we were there, which was really cool!

After the breakfast began the madness of trying to find the ARCs that I'd really hoped to snag, trying to get books signed by the authors I love and admire, and trying to see my Librarian friends that I knew were there... I literally spent the majority of the day moving from one part of the floor to another like a shark that can't seem to ever stop in one spot for fear of dying... LOL.  In fact, I was moving so much that I never even saw one of my friends, Heather, though I *know* she was there!

Here in brief are some of my experiences during the whirlwind of the day:

*Giraffe stalking - throughout the day I spotted and took pictures of probably about six different instances of adorable giraffes on the floor because...well, I just can't help it. I'm obsessed!

*Getting Alethea Kontis to autograph an ARC of Hero for me. Had to snap her
pic because she was dressed in such a pretty Princess outfit! Sparkles!

*Hanging out with Evie from Bookish! It was so cool to meet her in real life and to hang out at the expo.  We took turns standing in lines together so that we could still sneak off and grab other things...everything was happening at once!...and I wish I'd remembered to snap a picture, but I'm terrible at that. Oh well.

*Getting to talk to both Diana Peterfreund and Shannon Hale (both of whom I adore) informally on the floor!  I literally just stalker bombed them both and started gushing, LOL. Glad they didn't just run from me. I also ended up talking to Suzanne Young, Cat Patrick, David Levithan, Leanna Renee Hieber, and Amy Tintera (So cool! I love getting to speak to authors) out on the floor.  That's not even counting the authors I spoke to while getting books signed!

*Giant lego sculptures.  (This is my friend, Kim, who runs a lego club at her library so we had to take pictures she could show to the kids!)

*Whiskey tasting, champagne and cake at the Abrams booth...need I say more?

*A close encounter with a real scallywag of a pirate! LOL, he was kind of scary,
actually...

*Having a picture book signed and then stamped by the dog that it's about to my little doggie, Noel! So

sweet and Kushka was really adorable in real life.

*Getting to grab eight books that I'm especially looking forward to reading JUST
FOR FUN!!!! (The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, The Shade of the Moon by Susan Beth Pfeffer, How to Love by Katie Cotugno, Teardrop by Lauren Kate, The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle, Across a Star-Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund [which I'm reading right now...], The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black, and Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas)

*Standing in line with other crazy librarians all trying to get Diary of a Wimpy Kid umbrellas for ourselves summer reading prizes...

As I said, those were just some of the highlights of what I did during my crazy day at BEA this year.

Now...on to the super fun (for you!) part... First, here is a quick video showing the booty I brought home from BEA:

This haul actually managed to fit into one LARGE roll-y suitcase and my little library bag that I carried around the floor with me.  Thankfully this year because I stopped back to my big bag about four times throughout the day, I wasn't nearly as sore the next day as I was last year! I was still tired, but my shoulders and neck and feet were all much, much happier.

Aside from my favorite ARCs and some stuff that I picked up for work, I came out with a few ARCs that are either duplicates of books that I got signed or are ones that I probably won't have time to enjoy.  SO...I thought that I would have a couple of giveaways to let YOU all enjoy my bounty. Giveaway Number 1: 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Winner gets to choose three of these books: Rose Under Fire by Elixabeth Wein, The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider, Left Drowning by Jessica Park,  a chapter sampler of United We Spy by Ally Carter, All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry, Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles, Stalked by Death by Kelly Hashway, Skin by Donna Jo Napoli, and an MP3 audio book of Sylvia Day's Entwined with You (adult).  

After the winner of this giveaway has been announced next week, I will have a second giveaway where the winner will get to choose from those titles left after this winner chooses their bounty.

Good luck!!

Counting down to BEA 2013!!!

I'm sure most of you already know, but Book Expo America is in New York City next week (Thurs. May 30 - Sat. June 1)!! I will be attending on Fri. (the only day I could go this year), so right now I'm contemplating what authors to try and meet, what galleys to try and pick up, what shoes to wear... LOL, all very important decisions.

It's so much fun to go to, I can't even stand it! This year, I'm attending and then hopefully blogging (over on YALSA's the HUB) about the Children's Author Breakfast...with Octavia Spencer, Mary Pope Osborne, Rick Riordan (*squee!) and VERONICA ROTH *jumps up and down flailing* I am beyond excited to see two of my favorite authors speak.  There are a bunch of other authors doing great signings when I'll be there and I love to just stop by the different booths to check out what's what. 

This past year or so I've been totally wrapped up in a lot of professional reading and unfortunately, that's left me a little burnt out. So, my goal this year at BEA is just to get happily wrapped up in the swell of reading joy.  To rediscover my love of all things bookish... and to let the stress fade away.  I want to pick up books based solely on my gut reaction, not "needing" to read it because it's the next up and coming thing. I want to be swayed by a cover, an author's enthusiasm, my friends' gushing...everything.

I want to remember my annual "Book Christmas" love. 

I hope to see as many of my blogger, librarian, and author friends as possible.  It's one day to cram in a ton of chatting, gushing, and book swapping, but I can't wait to do it all! In case we haven't met in real life yet, here's a small pic of me.  

Hopefully we can bump into each other and say "hi!" See you next week! 

BEA!!!

I'm sure most of you already know, but Book Expo America is in New York City this week! I will be attending on Wed. (the only day I could go this year), so right now I'm in a flurry trying to figure out what layers to wear, what bags to bring, what signings to try and hit...

It's so much fun to go to, I can't even stand it! This year, I actually have several meetings set up with different publishing people and I'll be attending and then blogging (over on YALSA's the HUB) about the Children's Author Breakfast...so, this is the first year that I'll really be going more as a media professional than as just an author/book fangirl. I can't wait to see how my experience differs!!

I hope to catch up with some of you authors and bloggers that I talk to online so often! It's always great fun to bump into people in line, etc. and this year, as I said, I'm making a real effort to spend more time just networking.  If you see me, say HI!!

The BEA countdown begins!

I just realized...in exactly four weeks from today, I will be posting this year's BEA recap. I am super excited for this year. I'm going to the Children's Author Breakfast for the first time and I've already started planning out all the author signings I want to try to attend.  I've got a list of ARCs I'd love to take home and I just can't wait for that whole over-awed book love *feeling* that a day at BEA brings!!

Countdown: 27 days to BOOK CHRISTMAS!

BEA wrap-up and Giveaway

Hmmm...how to summarize Book Expo?

I got up at 4:40 a.m. to get ready and leave by 5:15 a.m. to drive the hour to the train station. Got Dunkin Donuts breakfast after my ticket and panicked while waiting for my friend and co-worker, Miss Kim, to arrive...just before the train!

Train ride full of "Oh, we have to do this...and oh.my.god. I have to get this book signed, and do you think we could hit this one and this one before the time's up???"

Arrival at NYC Grand Central Station...asking which exit to find taxi stand...worst taxi ride of my life (serious fears of dying, people!!)

Arrival at Javitz Center...WOOT!! BEA. AWESOMESAUCE.

We tag teamed the booths first, then hit some signings...more booths, more signings...and REST. Sort of...Poor Miss Kim went off to buy lunch while I powered through with a PB&J and some yogurt covered raisins in line.

We hit the YA Book Buzz which was great...until they had no one handing out the ARCs at the end. Talk about a mad crush! Some brave souls finally ripped open the tops of the boxes stacked at the edge of the room and a huge crowd gathered to grab...people were nice, though, and were passing back to others. (Psst...I also saw Laini Taylor in the back of the room...ie. She was within 10 feet of me...Oh.My.God!! That made my day, right there...)

Other highlights...
*Popped by Harlequin after their teen signing and talked to Cara Lynn Shultz (who rememebered me from our CLA annual conference panel!)
*Bumped into Violet Haberdasher and snagged a totally unexpected ARC of The Secret Prince
*Managed to snag the one ARC Miss Kim was absolutely desperate for, even though they weren't technically handing them out
*Ran into a ton of my fave Library people!! (Jen, Bailey, Karen, Heather, and Andrea!!)
*Got to meet Michael Scott and get a totally unexpected signed copy of Warlock
*Snagged a signed copy of Trial by Fire from Jennifer Lynn Barnes, who also remembered me from our CLA event!
*I met some awesome bloggers in real life standing in line!
*Five bloggers actually recognized my blog...doesn't sound like a lot, but to me that meant the world!!

There were so many other awesome moments, I can't even get them all down. I really, really love BEA. To help share the BEA love, I'm doing a GIVEAWAY!!

Here's how it will work:
I have six extra ARCs from BEA...


Signed ARC - Spellbound by Cara Lynn Shultz
ARC - Down the Mysterly River by Bill Willingham


ARC - Au Revoir, Crazy European Chick by Joe Schreiber
ARC - The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima

ARC - The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer Smith
ARC - Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment with your name and email address before Friday, June 10th. On Saturday, June 11th, I will randomly choose our FIRST WINNER.

The first winner has to get back to me by Monday, June 13th with their mailing address (US only this time...sorry!) and their choice of TWO of the ARCs below.

Then on Wed., June 15th, I will choose a SECOND WINNER. This person will have their choice of one ARC from the remaining titles. The second winner will have to get back to me by Fri., June 17th with their mailing address and the ARC they want.

So...even if you couldn't make BEA this year...you can still read like you did! Good luck!!

In My Mailbox - May 29, 2011

In My Mailbox is a weekly meme, hosted by Kristi at the Story Siren, inspired by Alea of Pop Culture Junkie. Every week bloggers can share what they received in the mail or at the bookstore or at the library. The goal is that everyone can be exposed to more books this way!

From The Library:

A Gaggle of Goblins by Suzanne Harper
Inside of a Dog by Alexandra Horowitz
Sidekicks by Jack Ferraiolo


Steel by Carrie Vaughn
Divergent by Veronica Roth


For Review:

Everfound by Neal Shusterman


From BEA:
I'm just going to highlight my favorites for the moment...


Signed: Uncommon Criminals by Ally Carter and Trial by Fire by Jennifer Lynn Barnes.


Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor, Legend by Marie Lu, The Bridge to Never Land by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, The Secret Prince by Violet Haberdasher, and Floors by Patrick Carman.