You most likely saw all the excitement coming out of BEA via Twitter, and other social media. I am back from New York totally exhausted but filled with bookish love. I saw so many amazing bloggers express excitement for books and the industry. I saw bloggers helping out bloggers while in lines. I saw friendships being formed. Oh, and obviously I got to meet a whole bunch of amazing authors.
This post is going to focus on any pre-BEA stuff I did, and the first day of BEA itself. I arrived into the city after a long overnight bus ride. I had plans to attend two different events that night and am proud of myself that I made it to both, even while exhausted.
Pre-BEA I attended Teen Author Carnival and also joined up with a group of bloggers at a hotel to mix and mingle.
Here is my pre-BEA haul from the events I attended before the big event.
Never Never by Brianna Shrum (goodreads)
Hello? by Liza Wiemer (goodreads)
A Whole New World by Liz Braswell (goodreads)
Tonight The Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales (goodreads)
Charlie, Presumed Dead by Anne Heltzel (goodreads)
This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp (goodreads)
Never Always Sometimes by Adi Alsaid (goodreads)
Finding Audrey by Sophie Kinsella (goodreads)
A Million Miles Away by Lara Avery (goodreads)
First and Then by Emma Mills (goodreads)
Sometimes It Happens by Lauren Barnholdt (goodreads)
Never Never is a Peter Pan re-telling that has been on my radar for awhile and I am BEYOND excited to read it. The Disney fanatic in me is excited to check out A Whole New World which twists the Disney version of the Aladdin tale. Leila Sales' Tonight The Streets Are Ours is one that has me dying to ignore my reading schedule and devour it immediately.
Thanks to the panels I attended at Teen Author Carnival I am very much looking forward to This Is Where It Ends. It sounds like a harrowing, taunt read and I am hoping to sneak it in soon.
The panels I got to experience at Teen Author Carnival were both interesting and fun. The Rebecca Serle moderated panel was my favourite as it was quite insightful. I even managed to stump the authors when I asked them to pair up characters from different books in terms of friendships. I got to talk to Rebecca Serle prior to the event and she's incredibly sweet. All the success with her TV show and everything is so deserved and I cannot wait to see where her career goes from here.
The second panel featured Alexandra Bracken and Susan Dennard. The panel was packed as both ladies had highly anticipated titles being featured at BEA. While the panel was packed, it ended up being a rather organized event and I enjoyed listening to all the authors discuss their current works.
If you've never taken part in Teen Author Carnival before it really is a can't miss event and the sheer number of amazing authors that attend every year is reason enough for a book nerd to want to attend.
The first day of BEA is always exciting. There is an excitement that is never quite as high after that first day. Part of it is the anticipation, and part is the exhaustion that gets a little worse each day. It's all the anticipation about the show floor, and experiencing everything for the first time that makes everything a little more exciting. It's a rush and experiencing it with other book nerds is something I will never forget.
This year the excitement was even higher because everyone wanted to get their hands on Truthwitch by Susan Dennard. There was a palpable buzz in the crowd. I was fortunate to obtain a golden ticket in the morning order to secure my copy later that day.
Here are the books that I was interested in enough to snag a copy of during the first day.
The Copper Gauntlet (Magisterium #2) by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare (goodreads)
The White Rose by Amy Ewing (goodreads)
Me and Earl and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews (goodreads)
Edgewater by Courtney Sheinmel (goodreads)
Truthwitch by Susan Dennard (goodreads)
Walk On Earth A Stranger by Rae Carson (goodreads)
These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly (goodreads)
I loved the twists that were in The Iron Trial, and the sequel (The Copper Gauntlet) was therefore a must read. I am looking forward to see what Holly and Cassandra have in store for this series. Rae Carson's newest sounds AMAZING and there was plenty of excitement on the floor regarding this one. Of course one of the biggest titles at BEA was Truthwitch. It was one of the must talked about, most sought title of the conference. I predict it'll be a big hit for Susan and her publisher.
After the first day I was invited to join Epic Reads (Harper Collins) at a roof top party. We got to mingle with some Harper authors. I got to say hello to Patrick Ness, and fangirl over Heather Demetrios! She's lovely and getting to see her again was a highlight of the trip. They had a photo booth set up at the party which was SO MUCH FUN! They also gifted us with a bag of goodies before leaving and literally the best swag item I have ever received was inside it - a portable charger with the Epic Reads logo!
They had DELICIOUS rice krispies treats too! They were sparkly which sadly the picture couldn't capture.
Whomever included the charger is brilliant, and the treats were a lovely touch. A huge thank you to Harper Collins for an incredible event and a night to remember.
Tomorrow will focus on day two and three of BEA. Thursday will recap one day of Book Con, and other events that I attended before leaving the city (including a fun blogger dinner and a book release party).
If you attended BEA let me know what your favourite part was! If you haven't, what title at BEA are you most looking forward to?
