Category: Book Expo America-2012

This is my all time favorite video/song about New York. I am currently on my way to NYC. Not exactly sure I will be when this appears on my blog.

I am hoping to get more sight seeing in on this trip then I did the last one.

Hope to meet alot of awesome bloggers this time. Leave a comment if you would like to meet up.

Since I am just about ready to head to NYC for some sight seeing and BEA, I thought I would share some of my favorite videos/songs about New York. Check back all this week to see what videos I picked to share with you.

This is the first time I heard of this artist and song. I like it, what do you think?

I’m not sure if its just me, but for some reason this time around there doesn’t seem to be alot of BEA related posts compared to other years. I have also noticed that several bloggers are saying the same thing.

So, what I thought about was making this post and if any bloggers have any BEA posts for this year or past years that you would like to share I would invite you to leave your link.

Thanks for leaving a link if you do and please leave me a comment if you think that this is helpful.

See you at BEA

Its hard to believe its that time of the year again for Book Expo America. Its happening again in New York City at the Jacob Javitis Center. Running from June 5 to 7th. I am not quite sure yet how many days I will be attending BEA although looking at the schedule with author signings I could be there all three days.

Are you going to BEA this year? Please leave me a comment so I know if you are going or not.

Is this your first time or have you been before? For me this will be my second time going. I went in 2010 and it was a blast. Although I wish I had known then what I know now because it would have been so helpful.

If your a first time goer I thought I would share some info with you and by no means am I an expert its just stuff that I have seen or has happened to me. Please share any tips you have or may want to know.

1) Comfortable shoes. This is going to be repeated over and over but trust me you will do a lot of walking around NYC and Javitis. I had shoes that I thought were comfy but my first day in NYC I ended up getting blisters which meant I had to rush out and buy sneakers. Funny enough it seemed like I could not get my size anywhere.

2) Pack lightly. This is something I did right I packed enough for the week only and one or two extra tops just in case I went out. I admit I have a bad habit of over packing because really you never know what is going to happen, right?

3) Business cards. You will be handing out cards to all kinds of publishers and reps plus a few bloggers perhaps. This year I got new cards made up because of the new look I got last year.

4) Shuttle buses. Every year shuttle bus are provided to BEA attendees. Take advantage of them if you can. Just check where the nearest one is from your hotel. I took them in the morning and they were pretty quick but leaving at the end of the day is another story because you will be in rush hour. Also you should know that there is no shuttle buses running during the day so basically its the morning and afternoon.

5) Getting into BEA. I heard this has been a problem the first year I went. You don’t have to push, shove or cut to get in the show floor. Be patient and wait. Some people have been there way before you. I didn’t see anything because I was attending an author breakfast when the doors opened but I did hear alot of people complaining about this.

6) Snacks and water. Just a heads up eating at Javitis is expensive. You honestly could buy three water bottles for the price you will pay inside plus lunch was super expensive inside as well. I bought a bottle with me and just refilled it and I made sure I had some snacks to tie me over. If your hotel provides breakfast you can grab an apple or banana. I am guilty of doing that. Plan ahead. I heard that there was a food cart outside selling hotdogs so that could be a cheaper alternative to eating inside.

7) Another alternative to shipping. Suitcases aren’t allowed on the floor but you can check it in for a small daily fee (under $5 a day). The section is downstairs. (As you walk in from getting off the shuttle buses) There is always someone there to watch over the suitcases. I didn’t have a problem with leaving my books in the suitcase. It helped when my arms were getting sore. The only thing that confused me at first was because I shared a suitcase with my roommate and was confused by the books at first and wondering if I had the right suitcase.

8) Shipping. There is shipping on site to ship your books home (which I think I will be doing this time but it all depends on my budget) or you can walk to the nearest post office and use them. The only thing with shipping is I heard that some people take it upon themselves to raid other peoples boxes. I know this for a fact because it happened to a blog I follow. So anything that is of value keep it with you. I just think for people to do that is just wrong. Its basically stealing in my eyes. So if you want your books to be save and sound I suggest the suitcase on wheels. Just remember there is no suitcases etc on the show room floor.

9) Be polite and professional. I know this is easier said then done but really what you do will reflect on you and all book bloggers. It takes just two seconds to say “Excuse Me” “Sorry” Thank You” you will be surprised at how far those words can go and mean to someone. Just remember your actions are going to be reflected on us as bloggers. Always say thank you to some who hands you a book or swag.

10) Common sense and courtesy. If you are standing in line please don’t be saving spots for ten of your friends, other people behind you have been waiting just as long as you or cutting into the line for that same reason. Personally I don’t mind one or two but when you text or call them to say the line is moving and the next thing you know 10 additional people are ahead of you. (This has happened to me quite a few times my first year there.) Also if you see one person talking to another (in a line) and one person moves to talk don’t get all in there face and yell them out for line jumping that isn’t cool especially when they say they have no interest in the book. (I witnessed that and sadly I know the blogger that did that) and once I got home I ended up unfollowing that blog.

11) The displays, booths or other peoples boxes in shipping. This one might get me into trouble but just because your at BEA that doesn’t entitle you to just take something from a display or box (either a fellow attendees or in a booth or conference room)without permission. Always ask someone before you take something from a booth. Those boxes are sealed for a reason. As for the shipping area I really think that is wrong for you to go into someone’s box and take what ever you want. Its not your box, that person you are stealing from probably went through alot of trouble to get those books. How would it feel if someone did that to you? Pretty crumby right?

12)Keep the flow of traffic going. Don’t stop in the middle of the isle to chit chat with friends and start pulling out your books to show what you got. Move to the side if you want to do that. I don’t know how many people I bumped into because of that. The isle’s aren’t that big and you have to remember that there is alot of people walking around with bags full of books.

13) Getting around NYC. The best way to see the city is really to walk but if you can’t I have to suggest the subway. Its not as scary as it sounds although I wish the people who worked inside the booths were a little more friendlier and approachable. The subway system can be a little complicated so you should know where you are going. This was the most I ever walked around a city and I enjoyed it. Except when I got lost and no one seemed to know where anything was.

14) Sight seeing. Don’t go to NYC just for BEA get out and do some sight seeing. There is so much to see and do. This year I am hoping to get more sight seeing down and as its looking I know Monday and Friday will be those days for me possibly more.

So if your going have fun and remember going to BEA is a privilege, not a right. Don’t walk in there with entitlement thinking that you deserve to do whatever you want just because you are a book blogger.

We are literally two weeks away from BEA. I honestly feel as though this will be the longest two weeks ever.

This past weekend I heard about the BEA Buzz Books and I was curious so I went to NetGalley to check it out. I signed in and downloaded it.

This is apparently the first time that such a book has been compiled and thanks to Publisher’s Lunch for coming up with this idea and I really hope you will continue to do this yearly.

The book has excerpts from over 30 of the top Fall titles. Granted there are merely a chapter only but still it gives you the feel of the book and what it could be like.

First thing I noticed when I opened the book was how well it was laid out and what the book contained. The books contained are not only adult but a mix of everything. Also included after the brief snippet was info on the book (publisher, about the author, pub date, contact info etc) which comes in handy.

So for me I thought I would share some of the titles that have interested me and I am hoping to get while I am at BEA.

Publication Date: August 21, 2012
This stunning debut novel—drawn from the author’s own life experience—tells the moving story of a family of eleven in the American Midwest, bound together and torn apart by their faith

The Rovaniemis and their nine children belong to a deeply traditional church (no drinking, no dancing, no TV) in modern-day Michigan. A normal family in many ways, the Rovaniemis struggle with sibling rivalry, parental expectations, and forming their own unique identities in such a large family. But when two of the children venture from the faith, the family fragments and a haunting question emerges: Do we believe for ourselves, or for each other? Each chapter is told from the distinctive point of view of a different Rovaniemi, drawing a nuanced, kaleidoscopic portrait of this unconventional family. The children who reject the church learn that freedom comes at the almost unbearable price of their close family ties, and those who stay struggle daily with the challenges of resisting the temptations of modern culture. With precision and potent detail, We Sinners follows each character on their journey of doubt, self-knowledge, acceptance, and, ultimately, survival.

After serving out a year of hard labor in the salt mines of Endovier for her crimes, 18-year-old assassin Celaena Sardothien is dragged before the Crown Prince. Prince Dorian offers her her freedom on one condition: she must act as his champion in a competition to find a new royal assassin.

Her opponents are men—thieves and assassins and warriors from across the empire, each sponsored by a member of the king’s council. If she beats her opponents in a series of eliminations, she’ll serve the kingdom for three years and then be granted her freedom.

Celaena finds her training sessions with the captain of the guard, Westfall, challenging and exhilirating. But she’s bored stiff by court life. Things get a little more interesting when the prince starts to show interest in her… but it’s the gruff Captain Westfall who seems to understand her best.

Then one of the other contestants turns up dead… quickly followed by another. Can Celaena figure out who the killer is before she becomes a victim? As the young assassin investigates, her search leads her to discover a greater destiny than she could possibly have imagined.

Publication Date: August 28, 2012
Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.
Every morning, A wakes in a different person’s body, a different person’s life. There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.
It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

With his new novel, David Levithan has pushed himself to new creative heights. He has written a captivating story that will fascinate readers as they begin to comprehend the complexities of life and love in A’s world, as A and Rhiannon seek to discover if you can truly love someone who is destined to change every day.

Publication Date: September 4, 2012

“ORIGIN is a startling mystery played out in the vivid and lush Amazon jungle. In this deadly clash of science and nature, a heroine emerges. Pia clawed her way through the pages and left her mark on the landscape of my imagination as the almost tangible danger left me breathless.”–Colleen Houck, New York Times bestselling author of Tiger’s Curse

“I loved Origin’s action, romance, and mystery–and I couldn’t stop thinking about the questions it raised.” –Beth Revis, New York Times bestselling author of Across the Universe
An electrifying action-romance that’s as thoughtful as it is tragic

Pia has grown up in a secret laboratory hidden deep in the Amazon rain forest. She was raised by a team of scientists who have created her to be the start of a new immortal race. But on the night of her seventeenth birthday, Pia discovers a hole in the electric fence that surrounds her sterile home–and sneaks outside the compound for the first time in her life.

Free in the jungle, Pia meets Eio, a boy from a nearby village. Together, they embark on a race against time to discover the truth about Pia’s origin–a truth with deadly consequences that will change their lives forever.

Origin is a beautifully told, shocking new way to look at an age-old desire: to live forever, no matter the cost.

Publication Date: September 11, 2012

Seventeen-year-old Tony Antioch lives in Pleasant Meadows, a trailer park where questions aren’t asked since everyone already knows the answers from their own experience. He dreams of rescuing his mother from her constant stream of abusive boyfriends but in reality can barely duck the punches that are aimed at himself.

When Tony is coerced into joining his friend Rob’s Mixed Martial Arts class, he is surprised to find that he has a talent that he actually wants to develop. But with a meth-dealing biker gang that is hungry for recruits and a vicious cycle of poverty and violence that precedes him, Tony is going to need a lot more than blood and guts to find a way out.

Gritty, powerful, and unapologetic, Tap Out explores what it takes to stay true to oneself and the consequences of the choices made along the way in order to do so.

Publication Date: September 18, 2012
Payback is paradise in this start to a trilogy from New York Times bestselling author Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian.

Postcard-perfect Jar Island is home to charming tourist shops, pristine beaches, amazing oceanfront homes—and three girls secretly plotting revenge.

KAT is sick and tired of being bullied by her former best friend.

LILLIA has always looked out for her little sister, so when she discovers that one of her guy friends has been secretly hooking up with her, she’s going to put a stop to it.

MARY is perpetually haunted by a traumatic event from years past, and the boy who’s responsible has yet to get what’s coming to him.

None of the girls can act on their revenge fantasies alone without being suspected. But together…anything is possible.

With an unlikely alliance in place, there will be no more “I wish I’d said…” or “If I could go back and do things differently…” These girls will show Jar Island that revenge is a dish best enjoyed together.

Publication Date: September 18, 2012 | Series: The Diviners
Evie O’Neill has been exiled from her boring old hometown and shipped off to the bustling streets of New York City–and she is pos-i-toot-ly thrilled. New York is the city of speakeasies, shopping, and movie palaces! Soon enough, Evie is running with glamorous Ziegfield girls and rakish pickpockets. The only catch is Evie has to live with her Uncle Will, curator of The Museum of American Folklore, Superstition, and the Occult–also known as “The Museum of the Creepy Crawlies.”

When a rash of occult-based murders comes to light, Evie and her uncle are right in the thick of the investigation. And through it all, Evie has a secret: a mysterious power that could help catch the killer–if he doesn’t catch her first.

Publication Date: October 1, 2012
Samantha didn’t mean to hurt anyone. She just wanted to make Zee a little jealous after he completely ditched her for another girl at the party. So she ate a salty party snack and she kissed Trey. And then he died—right in her arms. Was she really the only person in the entire school who didn’t know about his peanut allergy? Overnight Sammy turns into the school pariah and a media sensation explodes. Consumed with guilt, abandoned by her friends, and in jeopardy of losing her swimming scholarship, she’ll have to find a way to forgive herself before anyone else will.

The above books sound really interesting. What are your most anticipated books this fall?

Are you attending the Book Blogger Convention (aka Bea Bloggers) and/or Book Expo America in New York City in June? If not, will you participate in the online event Armchair BEA called ?

This is probably my first time taking part in the Book Blogger Hop and that was mainly because of the question asked this week.

The host for Book Blogger Hop is Jen from Crazy For Books. I have been to Jen’s site before (at least I think I have because her header looks vaguely familiar to me. If you haven’t checked out her site you really should. I know I will be going back.

The person who introduced me to this meme was actually one of my BEA roommates Kimberly from On The Wings of Books.  So in answer to this question, I won’t be going to the BBC ( Book Blogger Convention ) but I will be attending BEA.

I am super excited because we are roughly a month away from BEA. I will be taking the train down to NYC on the Sunday so my whole day will be spent aboard a train. I will hopefully get some reading down and perhaps some rest.

This will be my second time attending as I went in 2010 and had so much fun. I met some awesome bloggers and I am looking forward to meeting many new bloggers this time around. If you are going and want to say hi please let me know in the comments below.

I have gotten a look at the authors who will be signing and wow I am so excited. I know I won’t get to see everyone that I want to but hopefully since I have the must sees list that I will at least get to see those ones.

As of right now I will be attending the Children’s author breakfast and the Teen Author Carnival. I know I have been invited to one event that I am super excited about since it will be my first one.

This time around I will be sharing a room with some awesome bloggers (who I am excited to finally meet) On The Wings of Books , Midnight Book Girl and Rea Write . If you haven’t checked out their blogs you really should.