bookexpo america 2012!

Where do I begin?  BEA was an overwhelming but amazing experience! You are literally surrounded by hundreds of publishers, authors, books and fellow book lovers.  Michelle and I thought we were so organized with our spreadsheet of books we wanted and author signings we wanted to attend.  But as soon as stepped onto the floor, we completely froze.  Then we saw people grabbing books and approaching publishers.  We eventually got the hang of things (with a bit of help from our new friend Natalia of Dazzling Reads!).  

l-r, top-bottom: Julie Kagawa (!!), Becca Fitzpatrick, Marie Lu, Veronica Roth

We met so many more authors than we expected and got more than half our books signed.  We met Julie Kagawa (twice!) and got signed copies of both The Iron King and The Immortal Rules.  We didn't get to chat long but she did ask if I was Team Ash or Team Puck (Team Ash obvs!).  We also met: Veronica Roth, Becca Fitzpatrick, Marie Lu, Bethany Griffin, Aprilynne Pike, Cara Lynn Shultz, Katherine Applegate/Michael Grant, Katie McGarry, Kady Cross, Cayla Kluver, Elizabeth Norris, Deborah Blumenthal, Jennifer L. Armentrout, and R. L. Stine (we walked past him twice!).  

I just can't say enough about how much fun I had.  And for future BEA-goers, listen to all the tips you read on blogs! Bring a backpack, rolling suitcase, dress comfortably, bring snacks/water, be prepared and talk to the people you stand on line with.  We held spots for people and vice-versa so we could quickly run over to other booths for giveaways.  Lots of events overlap, so it's definitely good to bring a friend and meet some new ones! 

And finally.. my entire haul totaling 34 books! 

The Masque of Red Death by Bethany Griffin (Amazon | GoodReads)

Destined (Wings) by Aprilynne Pike (Amazon | Goodreads) 

Origin by Jessica Khoury (Amazon | Goodreads)

Insurgent by Veronica Roth (Amazon | Goodreads)
Torn by Stephanie Guerra (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (Amazon | Goodreads)
Time Between Us by Tamara Ireland Stone (Amazon | Goodreads)
Passion Blue by Victoria Strauss (Amazon | Goodreads)
Deviants (Dust Chronicles #1) by Maureen McGowan (Goodreads)
Angelfall (Penryn & the End of Days #1) by Susan Ee (Amazon | Goodreads | My Review)
Kiss the Morning Star by Elissa Janine Hoole (Amazon | Goodreads)
Spellcaster by Cara Lynn Shultz (Amazon | Goodreads)
Allegiance by Cayla Kluver (Amazon | Goodreads)
Jepp, Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Lifeguard by Deborah Blumenthal (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Immortal Rules by Julie Kagawa (Amazon | Goodreads | My Review)
Schroder: A Novel by Amity Gaige (Amazon | Goodreads)
Eve & Adam by Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant (Amazon | Goodreads)
Cursed by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Amazon | Goodreads)
Unraveling by Elizabeth Norris  (Amazon | Goodreads)
Croak by Gina Damico  (Amazon | Goodreads)
Prodigy by Marie Lu  (Amazon | Goodreads)
Office Girl by Joe Meno  (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Iron King by Julie Kagawa  (Amazon | Goodreads | My Review)
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick  (Amazon | Goodreads | My Review)
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry  (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Girl in the Clockwork Collar by Kady Cross  (Amazon | Goodreads)
Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas  (Amazon | Goodreads)
Entice by Jessica Shirvington  (Amazon | Goodreads)
Crewel by Gennifer Albin  (Amazon | Goodreads)
False Memory by Dan Krokos  (Amazon | Goodreads)
Beta by Rachel Cohn  (Amazon | Goodreads)
The Farm by Emily McKay  (Amazon | Goodreads)

Wow, I am still amazed by that list.  Needless to say, I won't be buying books for a while!


FYI: BEA was held at the Javits Center in NYC.  For more information, click here.