Book Expo America: BEA 2013

You have probably seen many posts like this one already, but here goes the account of my travels to BEA.  This year I planned the trip a lot better and my friend Jachy and I left Wednesday from Maryland and drove to New York City, getting there around 9:00.  I apologize right now for the quality of my pictures as I'm horrible at it (or so my boys tell me!)  Oh, and I also apologize for how long this post is!

Upon arrival we decided to go to Javits and register, so exciting!

On our first day we did a bit of sightseeing and walked a lot :)   This is what we saw:

We then went to Madam Tussauds in Time Square.  I really enjoyed the experience.  This is the most amazing statue (?) that I saw in the whole place:

So realistic, right?

Stacking the Shelves #47

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which we feature all the book goodness that we received, borrowed or purchased during the previous week. All links are to Goodreads.

Hi there gorgeous people! I had a wonderful time at BEA last week and I promise that that post is coming soon, unfortunately upon coming back I had a minor surgical procedure and I can't seat at my PC.  That's the reason I haven't been able to blog (right now I'm typing this post leaning on my side, and using hubby's laptop).  Anyway, this post has my BEA books so bear with me!

Purchased (Physical Books)

 Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo - I cannot wait for this one!

Purchased for Kindle

Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi - I finished the first book before leaving for BEA and LOVED IT!  I can't wait to read what happens next!

For Review

Where the Stars Still Shine by Trish Shine - This book sounds very serious, but so good.

A Really Awesome Mess by Trish Cook and Bendan Halpin - Thanks to Egmont for the opportunity!

From BEA 2013 

("A"=autographed)

The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson (A)

Dare You To by Katie McGarry (A)

The Eternity Cure by Julie Kagawa (A)

Reboot by Amy Tintera (A)

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen - We were in like waiting for tickets since 5:45 AM for this one! (A)

Indelible by Dawn Metcalf (A)

Heartbeat by Elizabeth Scott (A)

The Beginning of Everything by Robyn Schneider

How to Love by Katie Cotugno

Hero by Alethea Kontis

Wait for You by J. Lynn (A)

Just Like Fate by Cat Patrick and Suzanne Young (A)

False Sight by Dan Krokos (A)

Aquifer by Jonathan Friesen

Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles

Silent Harmony by Michele Scott

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon

The Returned by Jason Mott

Covet by Tracey Garvis Graves

Havisham by Ronald Frame

Curtsies and Conspiracies by Gail Carriger 

The 100 by Kass Morgan

Ink by Amanda Sun (A)

Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan(A)

Swept Up by the Sea by Tracy and Laura Hickman

Relic by Heather Terrell

A Wounded Name by Dot Hutchinson

These Broken Stars by Amie Kaufman

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black

If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric L. Gansworth

Pretenders by Lisi Harrison

Unbreakable by Kami Garcia (A)

Awaken by Meg Cabot

Seeing Red by Kathryn Erskine

This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales (A)

All the Truth That's in Me by Julie Berry

Antigoddess by Kendare Blake (A)

A Shimmer of Angels by Lisa M. Basso

Tandem by Anna Jarzab

Frozen by Melissa De La Cruz and Michael Johnston (A)

Tumble & Fall by Alexandra Coutts

The Testing by Joelle Charbeonneau (A)

Independent Study by Joelle Charbeonneau (A)

3:59 by Gretchen McNeil (A)

Doon by Carey Corp and Lorie Langdon

The Infinite Moment of Us by Lauren Myracle

This is W.A.R. by Lisa Roecker 

The Eye of Minds by James Dashner

I also got some MG and children's books, but the kids took them before I could take pictures!  

What's Stacking your Shelves this week?

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My First BEA (AKA, What I Did Right at BEA)

Last year I went to Book Expo America for the first time. It was an amazing experience, and as with anything new I made several mistakes (see my previous post here).  Now, let me tell you about what I at least in my opinion, did right.

 

Research – I’m a planner by nature (or an obsessive perfectionist and overachiever according to hubby!), thus I read as much as I possibly could about BEA.  I found some amazing advice that I wisely took.  Some of it is (obviously) the reason that I did some things right at my first visit to BEA. I also joined the Goodreads’ BookExpo America group

Schedule – I got this idea from the always wonderful Lexie from Poisoned Rationality and I spend hours going over the schedule at the BEA website, plus the known books that were going to be distributed and made a spreadsheet in Excel that I kept with me at all times.  Please be aware that some of the signings take place at the same time, so unless you can clone yourself or have help, you cannot be in two places at the same time.  This is what it looked like:  (btw, I’m already working on the one for this year)

Note that there is a tab for the Autograph Area and another one for In-booth Signings , this year I'm liking the titles to Goodreads

Wear Comfortable Shoes - Have you been to an amusement park?  Remember the long lines to get into Space Mountain at Disney?  BEA is sort of like that in a sense.  There are LONG lines and you spend most of your day on your feet.  This is not the time to try a new pair of shoes people!  Not only did I wear comfortable shoes, but I brought a different pair in my suitcase, which came very handy.

Check-in a Suitcase – I cannot stress this one enough.  Unless you plan to go and pick up, say, 10 books bring a suitcase and check it in.  The ladies in charge are wonderful and have the patient of saints.  Oh, and don’t bring any totes or bags with you as they are plenty of them to have, just remember to make frequent trips to your suitcase (your back will thank you later).  Also, you can pack things in your suitcase, like your umbrella or water bottles so you don’t have to carry everything with you.  Another tip is that packed my clothes in a smaller back and then put it inside my bigger rolling back (the one I checked in).

Bring Snacks – Those of us with kids know how they get around excitement and new people; they don’t eat and they forget to go potty (hopefully you master this by now! :) Well, it’s hard to stop and take an hour or two to hunt down a viable food source.  Bring snacks with you and you will be much happier!

Do you have some tips for me?  Did you follow any of these?  Is this your first BEA?

What I Wish I’d Done Differently at BEA (AKA: My BEA Mistakes)

Last year I went to Book Expo America for the first time; (you can find my post-BEA post here). My trip was very rushed and I was there for only two days.   it is an overwhelming, yet amazing experience. As any rookie would do I researched as much as I could, but still managed to make several mistakes.  I hope my insight helps you this year!

I carried too much with me – Do you remember that nerd in high school that always carried a stapler, tape, a ruler, etc.? You name it, he or she had it!  Well, I’m that kind of nerd.  So of course, I packed a big tote with everything I thought might need (if you were to ask who had 5 lip glosses, a compact, lotion, or deodorant, I did of course!)  Needless to say, I didn’t use half of the stuff I carried and it made my day all the more difficult, the added weight was so not worth it.  This year I got a cute Vera Bradley backpack were I will stuff my essentials.

I left my Kindle at home – BEA lines are LONG.  I knew I had to stand in line, but I failed to understand that these are going-to-Disney-hour+-long-lines.  I mean it!  If you really want a signed book from a popular author, be ready to stand there for a while.  I could have used my trusty Kindle to help me pass the time; it is lighter and so much easier to carry around.

I didn’t distribute as many business cards as I should have – Not much to

explain here, but I carried a whole box of card with me the whole time, but manage to only share a couple dozen.

I didn’t see any of the presentations – I was so concentrated on getting books, running from one line to the next, going back to my suitcase to empty my bags that I didn’t sit down to look at the presentations / panels at all.  I plan to peruse the program this year and make sure that I attend at least one of them.

I failed to talk to more people – I’m shy.  If you talk to me, I’ll talk back and (I like to think) that I’m friendly after that, but I’m not the outgoing type.  I’m determined to do better this year, so watch out people!

I should have taken more pictures – I met a lot of people and got books signed by many amazing authors.  Why am I always so unprepared to take pictures?  It’s like my poor camera falls into the black hole that is my purse (read #1 above) and I can’t find it. Or if I do find it, something always goes wrong… I’m using my iPad or my phone for pictures this year and by golly I WILL be ready!

I wish I could have seen more of the city – Other than Times Square, I saw absolutely nothing!  To be honest I’m afraid of the busy city and I was pressed for time.  This year I’m arriving a day before the convention, I plan to register then, and I hope to do some sightseeing before meeting a group of amazing bloggers for dinner. 

Lastly, let me give you this piece of advice: Don’t stress and enjoy!

I plan to do another pre-BEA post later to tell you all about my plans and maybe another post to share with you the things that I did do right :)

Did you experienced any of these during BEA? Do you have other advice to share?  What is the place that I MUST see while I’m there? 

Top Ten Best Bookish Memories

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish

1.  Reading Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I read this book and the whole Little Women and Little Men series early in my life (translated to Spanish) and I always remember them fondly.  I think they opened my appetite  for reading. 

2.  Reading to my children - As 'C' is only seven, we still read a book at bedtime.  I treasure these moments as he is my youngest and I won't get to do it much longer.

3.  Waiting for Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling - Although I didn't wait in line for this book, I did reserve my copy and I read the book twice, back to back!  

4.  Having my own blog - Blogging has been a lot of work, but also a lot of fun.  It is very fulfilling and I love it!

5.  My first book signing - Shortly after I started blogging I went to my first book signing and I got to meet author Sarah Dessen which I absolutely adore.   

6.  Getting to tweet, email, likes, and comments from authors  (and get some back!) - Authors are wonderful people, that's how they can come up with such amazing work.  I'm amazed by how approachable they are.

7.  Going to BEA - I went to BEA last year and I cannot describe how awesome this experience was.  Not only did I get to meet authors and publishers, but I also met other bloggers, I saw New York city and, of course, get many books. I plan to go again this year and I can't wait to plan it better.

8.  Being recognized as a blogger - I have a small book blog, so imagine my delight when I was in line at BEA to get Immortal Rules and Julie Kagawa (btw, one of my favorite authors) looked at me and said "I know your blog". Made.My.Day. (and believe it or not, it has happened more than once:)

9.  Going to the National Book Festival in DC - I attended for the first time last year and although I elected to sit down for the presentations instead of staying in line to get signatures I very much enjoyed being there and seeing so many icons of the YA world, such as John Green, David Levithan, Maggie Stiefvater, Ellen Hopkins, Jenny Han and many more. 

10.  Getting my first ARC - the first ARC I received as a blogger was Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins and I was so excited to read it as I didn't requested it. It's still a trill to me to get these fun packages in the mail :)  

That's all I can think of!  What's in your Top Ten this week?

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Review: False Memory by Dan Krokos (False Memory #1)

Title: False Memory by Dan Krokos

Published: August 14^th, 2012 by Hyperion

Source: ARC from BEA

Format: Paperback

Challenge(s): Debut Author 2012

Grade rate: B

Miranda wakes up alone on a park bench with no memory. In her panic, she releases a mysterious energy that incites pure terror in everyone around her. Except Peter, a boy who isn’t at all surprised by Miranda’s shocking ability.

Left with no choice but to trust this stranger, Miranda discovers she was trained to be a weapon and is part of an elite force of genetically-altered teens who possess flawless combat skills and powers strong enough to destroy a city. But adjusting to her old life isn’t easy—especially with Noah, the boyfriend she can’t remember loving.

Then Miranda uncovers a dark truth that sets her team on the run. Suddenly her past doesn’t seem to matter... when there may not be a future.

Dan Krokos’ debut is a tour-de-force of non-stop action that will leave readers begging for the next book in this bold and powerful new series.

My Review

I picked up this book from BEA earlier this year and I was a bit hesitant about it, because it sounded to me like another ‘amnesia book’ (that’s what I call it when someone looses their memory).  I was pleasantly surprised with False Memory.

Miranda is a weird character, not only because she can’t remember anything, but because she seems to be a little ‘robotic’.  She obviously has trouble assimilating all the information thrown her way, but anyone in her place would be too.  Now, if something like that happened to me, I think I would be in a state of panic and I would become a crying mess (but that’s just me :)  Overall, she is a good, loyal friend, a good fighter, and is as stubborn as a mule. 

I liked Peter from the beginning; he seems to genuinely care for his ‘team’ and most especially for Miranda.  I still don’t understand why Noah did what he did to Miranda; it seems to me that not remembering why you have to be on the run is dangerous and would make her more vulnerable. I really like the interaction of the group of friends.  Rhys is a welcomed addition as he sheds some like on what is going on, even if there are still mysteries to uncover.

The real star of False Memories are not the characters, but the plot.  Mr. Krokos has a big imagination, thus the story is full of unexpected twists and turns.  Half the time I felt as confused as Miranda, constantly on the run, learning new (and often weird) things in every page.  I don’t want to give the story away, but suffice to say that it involves, kick-ass, navy seal teenagers with a special (and very scary) paranormal power that are being trained for the greater evil.  The writing was straightforward, and the book was a breeze to read.

False Sight, the next book in the series, is due to come out in August of next year, and I will definitely read it.

About the cover:  The cover makes me think about a thriller: the couple running and the blue mist seem intense and a bit creepy.  I like it!

Have you read False Memories? Do you think you would give it a try?  Did you like Miranda?  What do you think is going on?

I Went to BEA 2012!

I know I promised to have a post about Book Expo America earlier in the week, but I had some family matters to take care of and I was waiting for my friend to send me more pictures since hubby sent the camera with the boys to Puerto Rico without giving me a chance to download the pictures first :(

I have a few words to describe my first BEA experience: overwhelming, fascinating, crazy, crowded, and amazing.  As you know, I only attended on Tuesday and Wednesday (see my pre-BEA post here) and my friend and I drove there.  We left Maryland at 3:00 AM (yes you read it right!) and we got to the hotel in NYC a little after 7:00, after checking the baggage and the car, we took the shuttle to the Javits Center. 

I had done a lot of research beforehand and armed with an empty suitcase and our autographing schedules we register for the event and proceeded to wait in line for the exhibit hall to be open.  The place is HUGE and there is so much to see and to do that it’s quite overwhelming.  Even though I had a schedule done, the sad reality is that I could only be in one place at a time; therefore I missed many of the books that I wanted to get.  The craziest lines were for YA books (everyone commented on it) which didn’t made things easier.  The longest line I made was to get The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, which took about 1 ½ hours in the autographing area.  There is also plenty of ‘in booths’ autographing going on and that is part of the crowded factor; some publishers were better at controlling the lines than others. 

On Thursday morning we went to the Random House Power Reader Event, were Nate Berkus spoke as well as Charles Duhigg.  There other authors mingling about and many bloggers as well.  The breakfast was quite amazing and at the end they gave us a great goodie bag.

I was a little awed by all the bloggers (I saw Allison from Allison Can Read, Grace Fonseca from Books of Love , Hanna from The Irish Banana Review, and many more *waves hi!*)  We also say many authors and it was amazing to meet Julie Kagawa (she recognized Reading with ABC! *swoon*), Rachel Vincent (she’s gorgeous), Jonathan Maberry, and many more.

Next year I hope to take a week off from work and make this a vacation.  As I had limited time I couldn’t do any of the touristy stuff.  Now, I’ll leave you with some pictures.

The amazing Kady Cross

One of the walls at Random House

Jennifer Armentrout

The hotel room

The view from the window

Right across the street from the hotel

The goodies!

Stacking the Shelves #5

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews in which we feature all the book goodness that we received, borrowed or purchased during the previous week. All links are to Goodreads.

Hi there gorgeous people!  I am so excited that I was able to go to Book Expo America (BEA) this year!  Granted, I only attended Tuesday and Wednesday, but we packed a lot in that short amount of time.  I have a great list of books for you that I’ve got this week and I’ll write a separate post (hopefully tomorrow) about my BEA experience.

Won

Crazy Dangerous by Andrew Klavan – I won this book from Free Book Friday and I have to say that it sounds pretty awesome!  AND is autographed too :)

Books from BEA

Princes Academy: Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale - ARC from Bloomsbury

False Memory by Dan Krokos – ARC from Hyperion

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas – ARC from Bloomsbury

Jeep, Who Denied the Stars by Katherine Marsh – ARC from Hyperion

Butter by Erin Jade Lange – ARC from Bloomsbury

Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone - ARC from Hyperion

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken – ARC from Hyperion

Home by Morning by Alexis Harrington – Special BEA edition from Montlake Romance (the cover I have is much prettier than the one in Goodreads).

Partials by Dan Wells – Finished autographed copy from Balzer + Gray (HarperCollins)

Soul Screamers, Vol. 1 by Rachel Vincent – Omnibus of books 1-3 in the series from Harlequin Teen (I’ve read all the books already, but this is an autographed copy!)

Inside by Maria V. Snyder – Both books in the Insider series, finished copy from Harlequin Teen (I read book one already).

Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz – Finished copy from Harlequin Teen (Spellbound #2)

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater  - ARC from Scholastic Press (waited in line about 1 ½ hours for this one!)

Black City by Elizabeth Richards – ARC from Putnam

Beta by Rachel Cohn – ARC from Hyperion

The Ruins of Lace by Iris Anthony – ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark

Beautiful Lies by Jessica Warman – ARC from Walker & Company

Techo-Mancer by B.V. Larson – ARC from 47North       

Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes – ARC from Razorbill (Penguin)

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry –  Finished autographed paperback from Simon & Schuster (mystery author’s table). I already read the first two books in this series, but now I had the chance to meet the amazing Mr. Maberry!

Crewel by Gennifer Albin – ARC from Farrar, Straus & Giroux

Goddess Interrupted by Aimée Carter – Finished autographed paperback from Harlequin Teen (already read it as well!)

The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa – Finished autographed hardback from Harlequin Teen

Secrets of the Lost Summer by Carla Neggers – Finished autographed paperback from Harlequin / Mira

The Ugly Duchess by Eloisa James – ARC from Avon

The Baron of Coyote River by L. Ron Hubbard – audiobook of a classic western

Masters of the Veil by Daniel A. Cohen – Finished autographed paperback from Spencer Hill Press.  I finally had a chance to meet Mr. Cohen and he did a lovely dedication on my copy, I’m almost done with this one :)

One Breath Away by Heather Gundenkauf  – Finished autographed paperback from Harlequin / Mira

Skinny by Donna Cooner – Autographed ARC from Point (Scholastic)

Gods Warriors by Michelle Paver – ARC from Dial     

    

Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry - Autographed ARC from Harlequin Teen

Journey to the Fringe by Kelly Swofford Nielsen – ARC from Shadow Mountain

A Placed Called Armageddon by C.C. Humphreys – ARC from Sourcebooks Landmark

Elemental by Emily White - Finished autographed paperback from Spencer Hill

Speechless by Hannah Harrington – ARC from Harlequin Teen

Frozen by Mary Casanova – Autographed ARC from U of Minnesota Press

Love Slave by Jennifer Spiegel – ARC from Unbridled Books

Mermaids & Martinis by Hilary Pereira - Finished autographed copy from Dunham Books  (a book about party planning)

These are from the Random House Power Reader Breakfast:

The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper with Greg Critser

The Tools by Phil Stutz and Barry Michels

The Homecoming of Samuel Lake by Jenny Wingfield

Deadly, Departed by Lia Habel

The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg

Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon

Also got a lot of swag!

 What is stacking your shelves this week?

Please remember to enter Reading with ABC two open giveaways:

City of Lost Souls here (international)

FF 100th Post Giveaway here 

Are You Going To BEA? I Am!

This year I’m going to Book Expo America (BEA) for the first time.  I am beyond exicted, even if I just get to go for two days.  Let me tell you a little bit about the ‘trip’…

At first I thought that I wouldn’t be able to take the time away from work and the kids, but I was able to squeeze just two days off (June 5 and 6).  Once I decided to go, there was a lot of debating on how to get there, where to stay, ect.  So here is a recap:

How do get there:  I live in Maryland and my first thought was to take the train to New York, the problem is that the train wouldn't get me there until around 11 and I didn’t wanted to waste the precious time I have that way.  Second, I looked into booking a flight, but the same thing happened.  Conclusion – I’m driving to N.Y., which by the way, I’m dreading (have you seen how the drive in movies?).  On the other hand I can take all the books I want since I don’t have to worry about mailing them :)

Who is coming with me: Well, as you might know I’m not a teenager. Still I don’t feel comfortable going to such a busy place by myself and neither does hubby.  He is not coming, first – because he is allergic to books, and second – because someone has to stay with the kids.  Who is coming with me?  My friend’s daughter, she is in college and her major is creative writing, her birthday is on June 5^th and she is as excited as I am.

Where to stay: I booked a hotel using BEA’s website and it wasn’t that bad (it would have been cheaper if I booked it earlier).

What I plan to do:  Since I have to drive to N.Y. on Tuesday morning I plan to go straight to the convention and then check in to the hotel and go out to dinner and back to the hotel.  On Wednesday I’m going to the Random House Power Reader Breakfast and then to the convention.  I have to drive back on Wednesday… I know if will be a couple of very busy days, but I hope it’s worth it!

Planning: 

Since this is my first time, and I'm a bit of a control freak I’ll share with you some links to useful information that I’ve found:

Goodreads BEA Group - You have to request admission to the group, but I found this forum to be of great help in my planning.

Poisoned Rationality - Lexie has a whole page with links to other blogs, posts or information.  This is a great way to learn more :)

BEA - If you are going, you definitely need to know when the autographing sessions are, so visit it often!

I promise that next year I’ll plan the trip better and make a vacation out of it so I can at least go to one show in Broadway and I can go to the Bloggers Conference. 

Finally, this is me, so if you see me there, please come say hi!

Have you been to BEA?  Do you have any advice for me?