Book Nerds Across America: BEA

Showing posts with label BEA. Show all posts

Thursday, May 19, 2016

BookExpo America Day 2

Friday was a FULL day at BEA. The first item on the agenda was to pick up one of the Miss. Peregrine bags they were handing out Thursday morning. I saw a number of people walking around with them in the afternoon, but they were out by the time I arrived. I also grabbed a bag from Penguin and a Twin Peaks bag.

Then I was off to meet Emily Giffin. She is the author of Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I really enjoyed her other novels and was excited to receive a copy of First Comes Love. It is an adult contemporary scheduled to be released June 28th.

The next item on the agenda was to get a copy of Dog Man by Dav Pilkey. This is the ONLY book my 11 year-old son requested that I pick up for him at the convention. Preston loves his Captain Underpants series and was ecstatic to receive a signed copy. I also couldn't pass up the Slytherin stationary/journal/wax stamp set since it was half off and came with the Harry Potter sticker book. Preston is definitely a Slytherin, so this was a must have.

Next I was off to meet Mary Engelbreit. I love all of her cartoon drawings and even took one of my messenger bags my mother-in-law made for me out of her crown fabric. I asked her if she has a Scottish Terrier since they are in so many of her drawings. She said she used to, but now she just draws them because they are cute and fun to draw.

The rest of the day was devoted to waiting in line for signed copies of The Raven King by Maggie Stiefvater, Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake, Stealing Snow by Danielle Page, and The Amateurs by Sara Shepard. As you can see, I did pick up a few additional books along the way.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Thursday at BEA - Fierce Reads Blogger Event

BEA was in Chicago this year, which is a pretty easy drive for me from Columbus, Ohio. I arrived around noon on Thursday with the hopes of meeting Ransom Riggs, David Levithan, and Stacey Kade.

I missed Ransom by an hour or so, but I was thrilled to meet David Levithan. I tried to get his autograph at BEA 2014 when I was in New York, but it didn't work out. It felt like I ran into him everywhere this time around and was surprised by how personable and accessible he was. Even when he wasn't at a signing or a show event, he was hanging out in the booth . I even saw him passing out copies of Maggie Stiefvater's The Raven King during her signing.

Then I was off to see Stacey Kade, who I have been Facebook and Twitter "friends" with since meeting her at RT back in 2012. I loved her Ghost and the Goth and Project Paper Doll series, which are both YA. 738 Days is her first NA novel, which is scheduled to be released June 7th. I will try my best to have my review up prior to the release.

That evening Mary and I attended the Fierce Reads blogger event at the Berghoff, which was definitely one of the highlight of our trip. THANK YOU Fierce Reads for the invitation!!

Below is a picture Fierce Reads shared on their twitter page thanking the bloggers. Mary and part of me made the photo, so I had to share it :)

This is about as crazy as it gets at a book event, so I will caption this one Authors Gone Wild.

From left to right are Kami Garcia, Marissa Meyer, Caleb Roehrig, and Leigh Bardugo.

Here I am with Marissa Meyer, the author of the Lunar Chronicles series. I've read the first two books in the series (Cinder and Scarlet) and LOVE this series. It amazes me how creative and imaginative she is.

I haven't read any of Leigh's books, but her The Grisha and Six of Crows series are both on my TBR list. I think I'm going to start Six of Crows first since Flo gave it a 5 star review.

Caleb was definitely the life of the party. The Book Nerds will be reading his debut novel, Last Seen Leaving, as our June read along. The release date isn't until October, but we can't wait that long. If you have the chance to meet him, keep an eye out for the little purple hat he is wearing.

Kami Garcia was a completely new author to me. I looked her up on Goodreads and she has quite a few books and series currently available. I have obviously been living in the dark. We received a copy of The Lovely Reckless, which is a contemporary YA romance scheduled to be released October 4th.

When we left the party, we each received a bag containing Last Seen Leaving, The Lovely Reckless, Heartless by Marissa Meyer, and George Orwell's 1984 along with some other great swag.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015

The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare

Book Summary
Callum Hunt’s summer break isn’t like other kids’. His closest companion is a Chaos-ridden wolf, Havoc. His father suspects him of being secretly evil. And, of course, most kids aren’t heading back to the magical world of the Magisterium in the fall.

It’s not easy for Call . . . and it gets even harder after he checks out his basement and discovers that his dad might be trying to destroy both him and Havoc.

Call escapes to the Magisterium -- but things only intensify there. The Alkahest -- a copper gauntlet capable of separating certain magicians from their magic -- has been stolen. And in their search to discover the culprit, Call and his friends Aaron and Tamara awaken the attention of some very dangerous foes -- and get closer to an even more dangerous truth.

As the mysteries of the Magisterium deepen and widen, bestselling authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare take readers on an extraordinary journey through one boy’s conflict -- and a whole world’s fate.

Flo's Review
I loved, loved, loved The Iron Trial. Jacque and I got the ARC for that one at BEA last year and the Book Nerds decided to make it a read along when it came out. Once again, I was lucky enough to snag an ARC of the second book in the series, The Copper Gauntlet. And once again, we decided to make it a Book Nerd read along. This second book jumped right back in where the first book left off. As I reading this one, I was reminded just how much happened in the first book. I had to stop and at several points and try to recall who and what certain things were, as they were mentioned again in this book after being introduced in the first. This book starts in the summer after Call's first year at the Magisterium. He is struggling with new information that he learned about himself at the end of his Iron Year, the first year at his magical school. The thing Call is struggling with is huge and serious, but Black and Clare made it fun to read about Call's struggle with how he approaches it. The humor in this book is subtle, but I often found myself chuckling.

This book takes us back to the Magisterium for awhile, and then the young heroes go out on an adventure. It was great to see Tamara, Call, Jasper, and Aaron grow into their magic. Yes, Jasper. He ends up being on the journey with them, adding another line to the commentary that this book brings forth about good versus evil. In other words, are the good characters purely good? Are the evil characters completely evil? The main characters had their disagreements, but at the end of the day they had each other's backs in a heartwarming way.

One small point was integrated into this story and then brought up again at the end of the book, so we have a clear lead into book three. Which I totally cannot wait for. I am loving this series so much! The Copper Gauntlet was one of those books where I'm like, "I'm just gonna read for a few minutes while eating..." and then 45 minutes later I'm done with lunch and still with my nose in the book. I hadn't planned on finishing it today, but I literally couldn't put it down. I cannot wait to continue this story in The Cosmos Blade.

Jacque's Review

I enjoyed the Iron Trial, but I felt like there were a lot of similarities with the Harry Potter series. This book, however, took the series into a direction completely its own. Instead of focusing on Callum's second year at the Magisterium, The Copper Gauntlet follows the characters as they set out on a mission to find a stolen magical object. This object could cause significant harm to two of the characters, but they put their own safety aside for the greater good.

As Flo mentioned, good vs. evil is an important theme. Callum discovered the real reason his father didn't want him to attend the Magistarium at the end of the Iron Trial. He has been processing this information, but he is not willing to share this knowledge with even his closest friends. Instead, he keeps an internal log of all of his good and evil thoughts and actions in the hopes that he can prove his father wrong. His internal dialog is absolutely hilarious and helps to lighten up an otherwise serious situation.

I often struggle with finding books my ten-year-old son will enjoy. He likes the Percy Jackson series, but he was a little overwhelmed by the size of the Harry Potter books once he was further along in the series. This series is fast paced, action packed and should easily capture the attention of young girls and boys alike. It will not intimidate young readers and is a great introduction to fantasy worlds. I will definitely recommend it to him. Hopefully we will be able to read the third book together!!

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini

Book Summary
This world is trying to kill Lily Proctor. Her life-threatening allergies keep her from enjoying experiences that others in her hometown of Salem take for granted, which is why she is determined to enjoy her first high school party with her best friend and longtime crush, Tristan. But after a humiliating incident in front of half her graduating class, Lily wishes she could just disappear.
Suddenly, Lily is in a different Salem—one overrun with horrifying creatures and ruled by powerful women called Crucibles. Strongest and cruelest of them all is Lillian . . . Lily's other self in this alternate universe.
What makes Lily weak at home is what makes her extraordinary in New Salem. In this confusing world, Lily is torn between responsibilities she can't hope to shoulder alone and a love she never expected.

Flo's Review

The Book Nerds love us some Josephine Angelini! She is super adorable and super sweet and we loved the Starcrossed series! So we were very excited to get our hands on Trial By Fire at BEA this year. (Especially Jacque, who had flight issues and literally walked into the hall and straight to this line.) We decided to wait to review it until around its publication date.

It's a very cool concept. Lily Proctor is a teenager in Salem, Massachusetts. She had a Very Bad Day and the next thing you know -- voila! She is in alternate universe. And the crazy thing is, a version of herself exists in this universe! In fact, it is she who pulled Lily here. And not only Lily -- her mother, sister, and best friend also exist in this alternate universe. Craziness!

But for some reason, I had a bit of a hard time getting through it. I think that while this alternate universe is a a really cool concept that I like, it also took a lot of exposition to set it up. I mean, there was action and things happened, but it really was a lot of Rowan just explaining things to Lily. And I understand why, because by the end I really did feel like I had a strong sense of the world -- like I was there. I am looking forward to how this plays out for Lily and Rowan. And even more so -- I am super curious to know more about Lillian. I think that's another thing I was missing. We learn at the beginning (and later as well) that she feels like she did what she had to do -- but why?! I really wanted to get into her head, and I really hope we get to do that in the next book.

Jacque's Review:

I have to agree with Flo that the concept is great. Witches are the rulers of the cities in the new universe. They can convert heat into energy to power the cities, grow food, heal the sick, etc. Josephine did a remarkable job of incorporating the history of the Salem Witch Trials into this very unique story. As much as I wanted to love this book, it was a slow read for me.

A good story, in my opinion, is built around the relationships between the characters. For a large portion of this book there were trust issues, so the relationships were slow to develop. Also, Lily had a lot to learn about witchcraft and how things worked in the new world. This required a lot of detailed explanation which at times was lengthy and confusing.

On a positive note, I did find the ending to be very exciting. If the sequel picks up where this book left off, we should have a continuous progression to the story without all of the history lessons. I also hope there will be more to the romance to help keep the pages turning. If both of those things happen, I think it was well worth persevering through Trial By Fire. This series has a lot of potential and I look forward to seeing what will happen next.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle

Me and author Rebecca Serle at BEA 2014

Book Summary
The romantic story of a girl who gets plucked from obscurity to star in the next major feature film franchise based on a book and the ensuing love triangles she gets entangled in on—-and off screen.
Meet Paige Townsen, Rainer Devon, and Jordan Wilder…When Paige Townsen, a young unknown, gets cast in the movie adaptation of a blockbuster book series, her life changes practically overnight. Within a month, Paige has traded the quiet streets of her hometown for a crowded movie set on the shores of Maui, and is spending quality time with her co-star Rainer Devon, one of People’s Sexiest Men Alive. But when troubled star Jordan Wilder lands the role of the other point in the movie’s famous love triangle, Paige’s crazy new life gets even crazier.In this coming-of-age romance inspired by the kind of celeb hookups that get clever nicknames and a million page views, Paige must figure out who she is – and who she wants – while the whole world watches.

Flo's Review
Question: You're sitting at home on my couch on a rainy Saturday wanting a fun little escape. What do you reach for?
Answer: Famous in Love, of course!
I was lucky enough to pick up this book at BEA earlier this year and meet author Rebecca Serle. She was so sweet and I felt so bad because she was also injured! But since then I've been wanting to read her book. As you (may or may not) know, I am on staff at a Hunger Games fansite -- Down With the Capitol. One of the gals over there recently read and reviewed the book, so that moved it back up in my mind.

This book was adorable and there's so much to enjoy about it. First of all -- I loved both guys!! Both were amazing!! Usually in love triangles I have a clear personal choice, but not with Rainer and Jordan. This made me more sympathetic to Paige's dilemma. Don't ask me how you're going to choose between them, girl! I don't know!! (But, if or when you do choose, can you send the other one my way? I'm just saying. Hook a sister up!!) Rebecca did a great job at writing about the romantic tension between Jordan and Paige. I loved their scenes! But then, how could you not love Rainer?! He was amazing, too! He was fun, and made everyone feel comfortable and was very honest and accommodating with Paige. Swoon! ...really, I could continue to gush over these boys, but I guess I should move on now.

Another thing I really liked about this book was the interweaving of real and celebrity life. Like, one moment we're reading about Paige and her two BFFs hanging out at each other's houses, going to the movies, hanging out in the library, going to protests. It's all very real and normal. Then we're reading about how Paige is reading movie scripts from her agent and her refrigerator in her personal condo in Hawaii is perpetually stocked with her favorite foods. It kind of gave me a feel of celebrities as real people. Paige, who feels like the overlooked youngest child and works at a small knick knack store, is suddenly this movie star. She wasn't born as a cover story. She became. On that note, it was nice to see her struggling with it, too. To admit to herself that this is her dream come true, but also that she is getting screamed at by the director and not sleeping nearly enough.

One question regarding August was left open and I want to know the answer!! I think I'm supposed to infer it maybe from what happens to Paige, but I don't know!!

This book comes out October 21, 2014 and if you are obsessed with YA books turned movies and the actors involved, you will love it! Even if you're not, I think you'll still enjoy reading Paige's "it should be a dream come true but really it's not even though it is" story about becoming a movie star.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Storm Siren by Mary Weber

Book Summary
In a world at war, a slave girl’s lethal curse could become one kingdom’s weapon of salvation. If the curse—and the girl—can be controlled. As a slave in the war-weary kingdom of Faelen, seventeen-year-old Nym isn’t merely devoid of rights, her Elemental kind are only born male and always killed at birth — meaning, she shouldn’t even exist. Standing on the auction block beneath smoke-drenched mountains, Nym faces her fifteenth sell. But when her hood is removed and her storm-summoning killing curse revealed, Nym is snatched up by a court advisor and given a choice: be trained as the weapon Faelen needs to win the war, or be killed. Choosing the former, Nym is unleashed into a world of politics, bizarre parties, and rumors of an evil more sinister than she’s being prepared to fight . . . not to mention the handsome trainer whose dark secrets lie behind a mysterious ability to calm every lightning strike she summons. But what if she doesn’t want to be the weapon they’ve all been waiting for? Set in a beautifully eclectic world of suspicion, super abilities, and monsters, Storm Siren is a story of power. And whoever controls that power will win.

Flo's Review
Storm Siren was one of those books that I'd never heard of until I reached BEA, but then I grabbed on a whim. This is a big thing because I flew to BEA this year and so I was trying as much as possible to minimize the number of books I took. But look at that cover, guys. It's gorgeous! And then it sounded like a fun fantasy read as well.

Fast forward to a few months later when I'm tweeting the author at 2 a.m. whining how she ripped my heart out and left us with a MASSIVE cliffhanger. (She totally did.)

I enjoyed meeting these characters. Nym -- you wanted to feel sorry for her, but she didn't want you to. Adora was the definition of crazy. But unfortunately, in a scary way -- like she's nuts because you don't know what'll she'll do. And I fell in love with Colin the second I met him. Colin was funny and fun, but also was deeply supportive and caring. Team Colin!

The story did seem a little slow around the middle...I think maybe some of the journeying and training and partying could have been condensed or something. Toward the end we get back to the reveals and the action, culminating in the aforementioned cliffhanger. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the situation at the end of the book plays out and how Nym will be in light of everything that happened.

Tuesday, August 12, 2014

Landline by Rainbow Rowell with GIVEAWAY

Book Summary:

Georgie McCool knows her marriage is in trouble. That it’s been in trouble for a long time. She still loves her husband, Neal, and Neal still loves her, deeply — but that almost seems besides the point now. Maybe that was always besides the point. Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her — Neal is always a little upset with Georgie — but she doesn’t expect to him to pack up the kids and go home without her. When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything. That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts .

Is that what she’s supposed to do? Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?

Flo's Review:

Jacque and I were lucky enough to score ARCs of this one at BEA this year. We reviewed Fangirl last year and both really enjoyed it, so we were definitely excited to make Rainbow's new book for adults one of our read alongs. I enjoyed a couple of things about this book: First, the concept is really cool. I have always been fascinated with the idea of time travel so the idea of making a phone call to someone at a time in your past is so cool and so intriguing. Second, I loved Seth and Scotty. Namely Seth. The scenes at the office with those two were by far my favorite in the book and often had me chuckling out loud.

Unfortunately, this book was a DNF (did not finish) for me. There were two reasons that I couldn't really get into it. First was all of Georgie's internal dialogue and the dismal state of her marriage. It was written really well. Too well. I read to escape, and I find it hard to enjoy a book when the main character is miserable the whole time. Frankly, it brings me down. And that's not what I want to be feeling as I read. Anxiety of a struggling marriage? Too real. I don't want to turn to fiction for that. I can call one of my girlfriends and listen to her over-analyze the state of her marriage instead. That's not fun for me to read, and I (mostly) read for fun.

Secondly, the book is largely made of flashbacks. I've ranted before on my feelings about flashbacks. I understand why they can be necessary. But if it gets to the point where the story doesn't seem to be moving forward at all because all the authors keeps doing is flashing back, then I cannot deal. I need a story to have forward motion to hold my interest, and quite simply, you can't keep moving forward if you keep looking back.

I tried to keep reading, but in the end I decided that if I'm going to spend time reading a Rainbow Rowell book, it should be Eleanor and Park, which I've heard from so many people is made of amazingness, but which I haven't read.

Jacque's Review:

This is one of the books that I was really excited to pick up at BEA this year. I loved Fangirl and couldn't wait to read her latest release. When Flo told me she had to pull the plug after about 16 chapters, I was a little nervous.

Georgie is in her mid 30's and is the mother of two young girls. She works long hours as a comedy writer for a television series while her husband, Neal, is a stay-at-home dad. He does an amazing job of taking care of the girls, the house, cooking, and in general holding the family together. Just before Christmas Georgie and her writing partner, Seth, pitch their dream show to an interested network. Now they need to write a few episodes to present at a meeting just after Christmas. The only problem is that Georgie and her family were planning on traveling to Omaha to visit Neal's Mom for the holiday. Georgie decides to stay in L.A. to work while Neal takes the girls as planned.

Georgie and Neal's relationship has been strained for a while and this may be the last straw. Georgie tries to call Neal's cell phone several times after he leaves, but she can't get through. She finally resorts to using her Mom's landline to call Neal's Mom's landline and miraculously she is able to reach Neal. There is one apparent catch. Neal sounds a lot younger than he does now. He sounds like he did when they first started dating and his Dad is apparently still alive. (He died several years ago.) Rather than finding a time machine, Georgie has a phone that takes her back to Neal as he was in 1998. Will she be able to repair their relationship now that she knows how things play out 15 years later? That is exactly what Georgie attempts to do.

The flashbacks allow the reader to see how Georgie and Neal's relationship developed and where things went off track. The concept of a landline taking one back into the past is an ingenious idea in this cellular world. Much like a Walkman or a VCR, children today probably don't even know what a landline is.

The only complaint that I have about this book is the fact that we don't get to know Neal very well. We witness Georgie's struggles, but we don't know how the separation is affecting Neal. Is Georgie reading more into the situation than is necessary? Is she overreacting? We don't know because we have no idea what Neal is thinking.

The separation is a reality check for Georgie. She begins to realize what is most important in her life and I was happy to see her take action. The ending was perfect, but I don't want to give away any spoilers. If you enjoy Sarah Dessen's books, I would highly recommend Landline.

And now for the GIVEAWAY!

While at BEA, we were also lucky enough to pick up a signed audiobook of Landline. We'll give it away to one lucky commenter below who answers this question:

If you had an opportunity like Georgie to talk now to someone in your past, who would it be and what would you say to them?

Don't forget to include an email address with your comment so we have a way to contact you if you win. Good luck!

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Enchanted by Alethea Kontis

It isn't easy being the rather overlooked and unhappy youngest sibling to sisters named for the other six days of the week. Sunday’s only comfort is writing stories, although what she writes has a terrible tendency to come true. When Sunday meets an enchanted frog who asks about her stories, the two become friends. Soon that friendship deepens into something magical. One night Sunday kisses her frog goodbye and leaves, not realizing that her love has transformed him back into Rumbold, the crown prince of Arilland—and a man Sunday’s family despises. The prince returns to his castle, intent on making Sunday fall in love with him as the man he is, not the frog he was. But Sunday is not so easy to woo. How can she feel such a strange, strong attraction for this prince she barely knows? And what twisted secrets lie hidden in his past - and hers? (from Goodreads)

Flo's Review
In the same way I picked up How to Love and All Our Yesterdays, I picked up an ARC of Hero at BEA, having never heard of Enchanted, and not knowing that Hero was the second book in a series. I eventually figured it out and realized I'd need to read Enchanted. How lucky was I when Sync had it as one of the free audiobook downloads for the summer!

This book was interesting. Basically, it's a story of different fairy tales, but all told together as one story -- the story of the Woodcutter family, and more specifically Sunday Woodcutter. (Yes -- the daughters are named for the days of the week.) It made me think that I don't know a lot of fairy tales! I recognized a good bit of the stories that were weaved in, but there were a lot that I didn't. It was a creative concept, but honestly, I found myself getting confused. There was so much going on that I started to forget who the characters were, what their magical abilities were (if any), and their back stories -- which kept being referred to once they were told. Along with there being too much going on, I felt that some of the stories were incomplete? That may be because I don't know the fairy tales.

I did enjoy the love story of Rumbold and Sunday -- even the magical elements. I also enjoyed the Woodcutter family and their interactions with each other.

Here's the trailer:

Thursday, July 11, 2013

All Our Yesterdays by Cristin Terrill

"You have to kill him." Imprisoned in the heart of a secret military base, Em has nothing except the voice of the boy in the cell next door and the list of instructions she finds taped inside the drain. Only Em can complete the final instruction. She’s tried everything to prevent the creation of a time machine that will tear the world apart. She holds the proof: a list she has never seen before, written in her own hand. Each failed attempt in the past has led her to the same terrible present—imprisoned and tortured by a sadistic man called the doctor while war rages outside. Marina has loved her best friend James since the day he moved next door when they were children. A gorgeous, introverted science prodigy from one of America’s most famous families, James finally seems to be seeing Marina in a new way, too. But on one disastrous night, James’s life crumbles apart, and with it, Marina’s hopes for their future. Now someone is trying to kill him. Marina will protect James, no matter what. Even if it means opening her eyes to a truth so terrible that she may not survive it. At least not as the girl she once was. All Our Yesterdays is a wrenching, brilliantly plotted story of fierce love, unthinkable sacrifice, and the infinite implications of our every choice. (from Goodreads)

Flo's Review

I swear, the best books I got at BEA were the ones I picked up on a whim. First there was How to Love. And then there's All Our Yesterdays. There were, I think, only 2 copies left of this book on the Disney table when I walked by. I had seen other people grabbing it, so I grabbed it, too. Later, when I was talking with my friend Jenn, Cristin Terrell (the author) came by and chatted with us for a few minutes. She was super nice! So with that, and with Jenn raving about the book, I was all ready to read it.

Confession: I used to be obsessed with time travel stories. Back to the Future and me, when I was a kid?? "We was like peas and carrots!" I started All Our Yesterdays without really knowing what it was about until I got a little bit into it. Then I remembered that my BEA buddy Melissa was telling me about it while we waited at the post office that Saturday morning to ship our books home. She didn't talk about it by name, I don't think, so I didn't make the connection until I started reading. Okay, but enough random stories.

THIS BOOK WAS FANTASTIC! I was at the edge of my seat for pretty much the whole thing! The struggle that Em is going through -- I could feel it. Really feel it! So intense! At times you wanted to just roll your eyes at Marina because she's so fiercely devoted to James, but you have to feel sorry for her too because of her parents and her "friends."

Finn, I love you.

I don't want to talk too much about this for fear of spoiling it, but this is one that really makes you think. Even when I was younger and obsessed with time travel stories, I always loved thinking about the different paradigms, dynamics, and loopholes that it would create and would need to work around. The doctor and the director gave me chills. Em made me feel pain and longing, a sense of responsibility versus the pull of the heart. Finn made me feel love. This book brought it from the very first page to the very last. Never a lag, never a dull moment. It comes out in September, but just go ahead and pre-order it now. You can thank me later.

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Here It Is! My BEA Wrap Up Post!

I've basically spent all night reading other people's BEA posts. Finally, at close to midnight, I decided to bite the bullet and jump into the mix. Here we go! This was my first year attending BEA and let me tell you -- it was every single bit as awesome as I'd heard about and hoped.

I couldn't make it until Friday, so I flew into New York late Thursday night and managed to get on the right bus to Barnard College, where I was staying in the dorms. (I'd been telling everyone this was going to be like Book Nerd Summer Camp -- books all day, dorms at night...) After a few hours of sleep (literally), I was up bright and early to finally meet Melissa, who I'd been talking with about BEA for many months in advance! We headed up to the Javits to grab our author signing tickets because we were NOT missing Rick Riordan and I certainly couldn't miss Cassandra Clare! We grabbed those without a problem and because I am the luckiest girl in the world, my favorite band just happened to be performing on the TODAY show that morning! And we just happened to have a couple of hours before the BEA floor opened! So we hopped a taxi...to Good Morning America. Yep. Our bad. In our defense, GMA also has a Summer Concert Series.

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