Book Expo America 2013 - Top 10 Hits and Misses

So, I wanted to take a few to highlight some of things I was most excited about, but also the things I missed that I really wanted to pick up or see. And while I came away with quite an awesome collection of books from some of favorite authors, I don't think it's possible to get everything unless you've only got one book on your list. I was able to find more on my list than I missed, but that's okay. It will take me a while to read what I have. So without further ado, here in no specific order are the Top 10 books and events at both ends of the spectrum...

BEA Top 10 Hits and Misses

Hits:

1. Neil Gaiman – Why is Fiction Dangerous?: The lecture was awesome, we got two free books and I managed to snag one of the promotional pins.
2. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon: Outlander is one of my Top 10 all time favorite books and I really showed my fan girl side meeting Diana Gabaldon.
3. Teardrop by Lauren Kate: Lauren Kate was another one of the big authors for me. I was very excited to pick up her new book.
4. Hero by Alethea Kontis: I loved, loved, loved her first book and am really looking forward to the sequel, plus Alethea Kontis had the.best.hair.bling in the show.
5. The Boyfriend App by Katie Sise: This was the first signed book I picked up. I had actually read about it before BEA, so was very excited to see the author was doing a signing.
6. Grumpy Cat: Helloooo! Biggest celebrity on the planet??? She is only tres bon and so tiny and cute. I walked near her, but I would liked to have met her.
7. The Hobbit tote bag: Mission accomplished. I was able to snag one of the most sought after totes bags in the whole show. Everyone who was anyone was sporting the tote.
8. William Shakespeare’s Star Wars by Ian Doescher (galley): Shakespeare and Star Wars? These are a few of my favorite things. I just don't know why no one thought of it earlier. I was able to snag a galley as I waited in line for my last signing of the show.
9. Clockwork Scarab: A Stoker and Holmes Novel by Colleen Gleason (galley): This one looked really interesting. It's Steampunk and the best thing about it is that I managed to get the last copy of the galleys.
10. Julie Kagawa – The Eternity Cure: Love Julie. Enough said. This was the first time I met her, so I was pretty excited.

Misses:

1. Across a Star Swept Sea by Diana Peterfreund: My first debacle at the Autographing tables. I stood in line for probably close to 45 minutes before they advised they were out of books. The cut-off was like 5 people at moist in front of me.
2. Invisibility by David Levithan and Andrea Cremer: I had a conflict for this time slot so I guess I'll be buying it.
3. The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black: The line was really long and it was conflicting with Harlequin Teen hour. If I got in line for Holly, I might have missed the Harlequin books. Four books vs one book? Hmmm.
4. Shadowlands by Kate Brian: I really wanted to get this one as I got a galley of book two, but sadly, her signing conflicted with Neil Gaiman's lecture.
5. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone signed print: I didn't even know they were handing out these beautiful signed prints at the Scholastic booth. I thought they were only signing big posters. It most likely would have gotten destroyed anyway. What am I chewing on? That would be sour grapes, my friends.
6. Starry Nights by Daisy Whitney (galley): This, for me, was probably one of the biggest galleys I wanted to get. The booth must have put it out first Thursday morning while I was lost in the labyrinth of booths. When I finally found the booth, they only had one display copy and the event schedule did not indicate any galleys drop for the title, but someone got a copy. Of course, it could have been the one display copy.
7. Star Wars Reads Day Celebration: I actually would have had time to see most of this, but I went to another booth across JJC and completely forgot about it. And I call myself a Star Wars fan??? I also missed the signing for Art2 D2, a book on paper folding.
8. Antigoddess by Kendare Blake: This is another book I was looking forward to, but by the time I got to the autographing tables, they were out of books.
9. Breathe by Abbi Glines: I haven't read a lot by her, but I have liked what I have read. Unfortunately, there was a conflict with this time slot as well.
10. Jim Gaffigan – Dad is Fat: I did get to hear Jim Gaffigan for a few minutes while in line for Diana Gabaldon, but our line moved entirely too quickly. Jim had a question and answer period and then he was signing copies of his book. He is a very funny guy in my opinion and it would have been a hoot to meet him.

So there you have it; my best acquisitions and my biggest disappointments. I've got one or two more posts to wrap everything up, so until next time, keep reading!