Book Review: #16 Things I Thought Were True by Janet Gurtler

Well, I finally finished a book. It only took me 3 months to read 283 pages, so….here you go.

Book Description (From Amazon):
Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire (March 4, 2014)
Heart attacks happen to other people #thingsIthoughtweretrue
When Morgan's mom gets sick, it's hard not to panic. Without her mother, she would have no one—until she finds out the dad who walked out on her as a baby isn't as far away as she thought...

Adam is a stuck-up, uptight jerk #thingsIthoughtweretrue
Now that they have a summer job together, Morgan's getting to know the real Adam, and he's actually pretty sweet...in a nerdy-hot kind of way. He even offers to go with her to find her dad. Road trip, anyone?

5000 Twitter followers are all the friends I need #thingsIthoughtweretrue
With Adam in the back seat, a hyper chatterbox named Amy behind the wheel, and plenty of Cheetos to fuel their trip, Morgan feels ready for anything. She's not expecting a flat tire, a missed ferry, a fake girlfriend...and that these two people she barely knew before the summer started will become the people she can't imagine living without.

My Thoughts:
I would love to say that I found this book to be very relate-able, but sadly, it was not. I have to admit I liked the idea of the book more than I liked the execution of the book. And I really wanted to feel some empathy for the characters, but I found that all the main characters were lying about something. That made it very hard for me to really care over much about any of them.

Simple enough story. Morgan is our perspective character. Her mother, who smokes and drinks too much, lands in the hospital with a heart attack. She thinks she’s going to die, so she tells Morgan where to find the name of the man who is her biological father. She decides she wants to confront him, so Road Trip!

The characters are flawed to the point of being broken and are heavy laden with secrets they don’t want to share. Each character starts off as an isolated individual, but even though the characters become closer as events unfold, I find that I really didn't care.

Morgan danced around the house in boy’s underwear while her best friend filmed it. That would have been alright but she posted it on line and the video went viral. Morgan has become grist for the rumor mill, she is no longer friends with Lexi, the girl who posted the video and she’s become a loner. She keeps her distance from everyone thinking it is better that way. With Morgan, I found that she was often acting like a real b***h. She lives her life on twitter with her summer goal of reaching 5,000 followers, phone glued to her hand. She prefers living a virtual life with virtual friends than living in the “real world” and she pretty much shuns everyone around her.

Her father abandoned her and her mother. She never even knew his name. Then she finds out he is living not too far from her home and her mother never told her. She has been steeping in anger her entire life over the father that didn't want her and now she is angry at her mother for keeping her father’s identity and whereabouts a secret. Not able to forgive her mother at the moment, she decides to face down that man that cast her aside.

Adam is her boss at the amusement park. He pretty much acts like a jerk all the time. When he catches Amy, one of the employees, eating popcorn out of the bags to be sold in the concession stand, he goes ballistic. She runs into Morgan in the restroom and tells her what happened with Adam. Morgan gets a song and dance and offers to talk to Adam on Amy’s behalf. Morgan is talking to Adam about the incident when she gets the call about her mom and Adam offers to take her to the hospital. With this unexpected offer, Morgan begins to wonder if there is more to Adam than she sees and if he is really the jerk he appears to be.

Amy is one bottle of bubbly just waiting to explode. She seems to have very few filters and says just about anything that pops into her head. She’s a ball of energy, adding a ditsy personality, and a non-stop talker. She annoys everyone around her. Giving Morgan a real song and dance about eating the popcorn, Morgan feels compelled to be her champion, but there is perhaps more to Amy than she at first lets on.

One moment, one situation brings the three of them together in such a way that none of their lives will ever be the same.

Stacking the Shelves - June 2014 Edition

I tried. I really did try, but every week when I sat down to do the STS post, I would start to yawn like a maniac and have to go to bed. And while I am tired as all get out, I just can't keep letting the list grow, so I have committed myself to post this before the month ran out.

So, here it is. These are the books I've managed to pick up this month.

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.

Books Purchased:
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgewick

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson

Name of the Star (Shades of London) by Maureen Johnson

The Eternal Kiss: 13 Vampire Tales of Blood and Desire edited by Trisha Telep - Used Book

The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Fifteenth Annual Collection (Year's Best Fantasy & Horror) edited by Terri Windling - Used Book

Ruby Slippers, Golden Tears by Ellen Datlow - Used Book

Girl at Sea by Maureen Johnson - Used Book

Toxic Heart: A Mystic City Novel (Mystic City Trilogy) by Theo Lawrence - Used Book

Drive Me Crazy (The Romantic Comedies) by Downing, Erin - Used Book

The Very Best of Charles de Lint by Charles de Lint - Used Book

'Til The World Ends: Dawn of Eden\Thistle & Thorne\Sun Storm (Luna Books) by Julie Kagawa - Used Book

A Radiant Sky by Jocelyn Davies - Used Book

All That Glows by Ryan Graudin

The Art of Wishing by Lindsay Ribar

If I Should Die by Amy Plum

Impossible by Nancy Werlin - Used Book

Steampunk: An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Kelly Link - Used Book

Black Heart, Ivory Bones edited by Ellen Datlow & Terri Windling - Used Book

Devilish by Maureen Johnson - Used Book

Peanuts: The Beagle Has Landed, Charlie Brown!

Siege and Storm by Leigh Bardugo

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon

The Boy in the Smoke (A Shades of London Book) by Maureen Johnson – For World Book Day - Used Book

Vacations From Hell by Libba Bray / Cassandra Clare / Claudia Gray / Maureen Johnson and Sarah Mylnowski - Used Book

Ballad: A Gathering of Faeries by Maggie Stiefvater


BEA Addendum Digital Books:
The Dark King: Fae Book 2 by C.J. Abedi – I left this one off the list 2 weeks ago.

Kindle Books Purchased:
Fae by C.J. Abedi

Steampunk II: Steampunk Reloaded by Ann VanderMeer and Jeff VanderMeer – Kindle Daily Deal

Crash into You (Pushing the Limits) by Katie McGarry – Kindle Daily Deal

Shadow and Bone (The Grisha Trilogy) Leigh Bardugo – Kindle Monthly Deal

Fateful (Book #1 in the Fateful Series) by Cheri Schmidt – Free eBook

Love and Leftovers by Sarah Tregay

Best Kind of Broken (Finding Fate) by Chelsea Fine

The Probability of Violet and Luke by Jessica Sorensen

Paris Cravings: A Paris & Pastry Novel by Kimberley Montpetit

Tristan: Finding Hope by Jessica Sorensen

Love, Me: Anthology of Short Stories by Shana Norris, Sarah Tregay, T.K. Richardson, Ela Lond, Amy Kinzer, Emily Ann Ward

The Distance Between Us by Kasie West - Kindle Daily Deal

Hidden Wings (Hidden Wings Series Book One) by Cameo Renae - Kindle Daily Deal

Manga Purchased:
Goong Vol 15

Alice in the Country of Joker: Circus & Liar’s Game 5

Blu Ray Purchased:
Ranma ½ Blu Ray Season 2


TTFN!

Welcome to YAA - Young Adult Anonymous

Hello. My name is Tammy and I’m a reader of YA. Since 2001 I’ve had an addiction to Young Adult Fiction.

I am at a loss and truly do not know where to start, so I guess that is about as good a place as any.

It started with an article written by Ruth Graham for slate.com. In the article, she basically demeans any and everyone who is over the age of 18 that does not read “serious adult literature”. Her target in particular is young adult fiction, but her editorial encompasses all genre fiction. In her opinion, we adults who read YA should be ashamed of ourselves and she tells us we’re better than that.

I am not going to recount the full article, but I admit I take issue with her opinion. Now, I am of the mind that everyone is entitled to my, I mean, their opinion. I will not belittle, demean, insult, humiliate, or any other verb you want to add, anyone for stating their opinion. I will also not belittle, demean, insult, humiliate, etc., anyone for what they read. People have a right to their opinion and they have a right to read what they want to read. Ms. Graham and others’ of her opinion don’t need to look over our shoulders and read what we are reading. If it bothers her that much, she can go to a university library and watch people reading there.

I have a lot of opinions about reading YA, and genre fiction as well as general adult fiction.

To start, what is YA? It is a label. It is a demographic. It is a marketing strategy. But that doesn’t mean that other people not in that demographic would not be interested in it. I don’t live in Wyoming, but that doesn’t mean I can’t listen to country music. The protagonists in the books are teenagers, but that doesn’t mean that adults would not enjoy the story. Ms. Graham discounts the belief that YA books are more sophisticated now. Needless to say, I do not share her opinion in any way and it is not because I read YA.

Part of the argument is that the stories are too simplistic; A + B + C = Happy Ending. I have read a lot of YA and there is a lot of YA I tried to read, but found that I could not. A good writer is a good writer. Just because a book might be tagged as YA does not mean that it is not complex, but not all YA is as well written as other books. If a book is well written, it should be worthy of being read no matter who the target audience. In the words of Ms. Graham, “these books consistently indulge in the kind of endings that teenagers want to see, but which adult readers ought to reject as far too simple.” She goes on to say, “These endings are emblematic of the fact that the emotional and moral ambiguity of adult fiction—of the real world—is nowhere in evidence in YA fiction.”

Perhaps part of the reason we read YA is due to nostalgia, perhaps part of it is being taken back to a simpler time in our lives. Perhaps we like the happy ending because there is so much tragedy and so much wrong in our world. Is it wrong to want to be in a place where we experience joy in our reading, even if only for a little while? Who mandated that the only worthy literary material to read for an adult should be true to life, serious works of fiction? There is a lot wrong with this world and I do not want to spend the short blissful hours I have reading about death, destruction, poverty, murder, corruption, infidelity, suicide, drug addition, terminal illness, misery, pain, suffering, etc. That stands for both YA books and adult books. Reading should be fun. I don’t want it to be a chore. I don’t particularly enjoy tear jerkers about cancer patients, which takes nothing away from The Fault in Our Stars by the way. For me, it is just not what I like to read about. That doesn’t mean that if someone does enjoy tear jerkers geared towards younger readers that they should not be able to read them simply because they are over the age of 18.

Ms. Graham also states, “But mature readers also find satisfaction of a more intricate kind in stories that confound and discomfit, and in reading about people with whom they can’t empathize at all.” With this I take issue. I do not enjoy any of these things and I don’t like being told that I do. I don’t want to be discomfited and while I do like intrigue and plot twists, they can be found in stories for all ages. Adult fiction doesn’t corner the market. I take solace in my reading. It’s a happy place, not a miserable place. I am offended that this article presumes to speak for me. To tell me what I should and should not like, what I should and should not read.

If we were to take a stroll through the literary fiction section, what would we find? Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass, Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, Dracula, Frankenstein, Aesop’s Fables, works by Lord Dunsany, Shakespeare, William Butler Yeats, Hans Christian Andersen, Poe and many others. These are all books that can be considered literature, but they are full of magic and some, whimsy. They appeal to all ages. My hubby was reading Poe and other literary fiction when he was 8 years of age. Should he not have been allowed to read any of it because he was too young to understand? He may not have understood all the complexities of the works he read, but he understood plenty. Many of the books on high school summer reading lists are adult titles. Should they be removed from the summer reading program because they are beyond the comprehension of the younger reader? It should work both ways then. They don’t read our books and we don’t read theirs. That, however, would be a disservice to the younger reader who is trying to improve his or her reading comprehension. Furthermore, as an adult, I have spent a lifetime reading enough text books, literature and heavier reading that I feel I have earned the right to kick back and relax without being subject to criticism.

It is a ridiculous concept to presume to tell people what they should read, what they should enjoy, what they should understand and, frankly, to act their age. In my opinion, that stodgy attitude causes people to age prematurely. I am not young anymore, but I have a youthful mind. I can also say without bragging, just stating facts, that I have a very high IQ and have a high comprehension level. I don’t read YA because I am too simple. I read much of it because that is where the magic is.

What is wrong with looking at life and seeing the magic? The possibilities? Wanting a better world to live in? If it’s not going to happen in real life, why not on paper? Why try to stifle a person’s sense of wonder and imagination? Why not let them enjoy their escape in whatever type of book appeals to them? One person’s escape may be Dickens while another’s might be Get Fuzzy. What is wrong with that? Our country was founded on the melting pot philosophy. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure. There is a place for all books and it is up to us, we the readers, to decide what we find a worthy book. Who cares if adults are reading YA books and young readers are reading adult books? The point of the matter is that we are reading! Let’s not lose sight of that.

I read YA, but I also read literature, poetry, drama, adult Sci Fi, manga and sometimes romance. Yes, I know it is mostly genre books, which is also part of the “problem” per the article. A lot of the titles have adult situations and adult characters. A good story is a good story and worth reading. A badly written story is badly written regardless of the demographic and is not something I would spend my time on. Our society has been working towards removing labels, so I find it disconcerting that anyone needs to point fingers and call names. But more importantly, what I read is my business and no one else’s.

Ruth Graham article on slate.com

Lauren Davis Rebuttal on i09

More commentary by S.E. Smith at dailydot.com

Any thoughts? I'd love to hear any opinions on this.

Book Decision Tree

Hubby sent this to me.  He understands me so well.  

Image is courtesy of BookBrowse.com

Welcome to Nightvale - All Hail the Glow Cloud

So, Wednesday night, hubby and I traveled into the city to see a live broadcast of Welcome to Night Vale. Welcome to Night Vale is a podcast that airs bi-monthly. It is a faux radio program with news, announcements, advertisements and the weather.

How to describe this show? It's kind of a weird program. It's set in a small desert town somewhere in the Southwest of the US. The announcer of the program is Cecil Baldwin and there are guests that show up as well, so it is not just a one man program.

Night Vale is dark and the people of Night Vale like it that way. There are scientists, a shape in the local park, mysterious lights, a glowing cloud (All Hail!), doors to another dimension, a faceless woman secretly living in your home, a five-headed dragon, strange helicopters over Night Vale, some things mysteriously appear, some things mysteriously disappear. It's basically about every kind of conspiracy theory being true and happening in Night Vale.

I started to listen, but got woefully behind. Still, hubby wanted to go and I just love seeing quirky indie type productions.

In the live broadcast, StrexCorp (the evil enterprise)has hosted a company picnic that is mandatory fun, but the employees can't escape the picnic. There is a rebellion against StrexCorp and the Greater Desert Bluffs Metropolitan area. There is a bright light, strange helicopters, doors to another dimension which some Night Vale residents have passed through, some not-angels named Erica and some giants joining the fight against StrexCorp, an election where the Faceless Woman Secretly Living in Your House is running for mayor against the five-headed dragon.

I was really enjoying the show when a character was introduced as Intern Maureen and I nearly fell out of my chair. Intern Maureen was played by none other than Maureen Johnson, author of 13 Little Blue Envelopes and the Shades of London series!!

It really was the oddest thing. I have seen Maureen Johnson's books on the shelf, but never had any particular interest in picking them up. Then she is the keynote speaker at the Blogger Con breakfast and she was hilarious!!! I resolved right then and there to try out some of her books. Had I not been at Blogger Con, I would have been completely ignorant of who she was. That is synchronicity for you.

By the way, I did pick up 13 Little Blue Envelopes and Name of the Star tonight.

Saturday, BEA Day 3 vs BookCon

Saturday 05/31/14 – Last Day of BEA and BookCon

As difficult as it was to sleep last night, I still managed to wake up by 7am. I had hoped to be out the door by 7:30, but best laid plans and all that. Today, I figured there would not be as much going on. Some of the publishers had no giveaways, some publishers packed up. So, I decided to take the small suitcase I brought with me Wednesday. Also, since I was sweating from the heat and my arms were chaffing from the backpack straps, I decided to simplify everything. To reduce the weight and only take the essentials.

Observation Number One: My feet still hurt a bit after yesterday’s grueling marathon.

By the time I got out of the house, it was already after 7:30. The first ferry is at 8am, but I knew I wouldn't make it. I got there just as the second run of the morning was pulling away and had to wait an additional 20 minutes. I was first in line and had time to ruminate on the forthcoming day. I got on the ferry, took up my position outside just in front of the sliding doors. I like the sun and wind on my face. And it gives me the perfect opportunity to people watch, which is one of my favorite pastimes.

Observation 2: It seemed as if there were some school trips attending the BookCon.

Almost everyone who got on the ferry with me was going to BookCon and there were about 150 people on the ferry. How could I tell? The T-Shirts. Dead giveaway. There were only about a bajillion John Green. They came in flocks. A whole gaggle of blue t-shirts with cloud shapes on them. Then there were Dr Who shirts. Some sported logos in favor of reading or pro-books in general. The majority were probably about 15, maybe 16. There were herds of them with their keepers. And I could already see what the day was going to be like.

All the tweens / teens aside, I made it to the Javits Center for the last time this year. Upon entering the Javits Center, a person in Registration was yelling that the lines on the street level were only for BEA attendees and that BookCon attendees had to go up the red stairs.

Observation 3: Today was going to be interesting.

When I got in line, I was behind a woman with three tweens all with their Team John Green wear. I pointed out to the women that for BookCon, Registration was advising the attendees had to go upstairs. She told me she asked someone and was told they could get in any line because it is all the same thing and they already had their badges. To double check, though, she went up to one of the volunteers and asked and was again told they could be in the line. The group was waiting for one more woman, though, one of the mother’s, so they stepped out from in front of me at the escalator. Just as they did, the badge checker was getting himself worked up into a tizzy about them being on the wrong line.

Observation 4: It was going to be that kind of day.

It seemed that no one working there knew what the hell was going on. I, however, could devote no more time to something that was clearly not my business. Besides, I had an agenda, I had a goal and nothing, and I do mean nothing, was going to get in my way.

I high-footed it over to the Spencer Hill Press booth. I had blinders on. No shiny free books were going to belay me. Ooh! Star Wars Jedi Academy Vol 2! I need that!

Well, it is just one book.

Anyway, over to Spencer Hill Press where they were handing out the tickets for The Return by Jennifer L. Armentrout. I figured after being blanked twice in her line, the universe owed me one. I got a ticket. We were told there were as many books as tickets and do not lose the ticket under any circumstances. I asked if the ticket guaranteed a book and her editor told me that I was guaranteed a book as long as I was in line by 11:00. I could do this!

Before I go any further, I should relate the atmosphere of the show room floor. Going up the escalators on the street level brought us up to the side of the floor that had the University Presses, the foreign presses, the remainders, the obscure Indy presses, the Librarian lounge and such. It was barren, like everyone cleared out of town before the zombie incursion. The main Publishers on that side are Penguin, HarperCollins, MacMillan, Source Books and Scholastic. Houghton Mifflin was also on that side, but they were not advertising with overhead signage, so I kept forgetting about them.

Sourcebooks had no giveaways today except for what was left from the previous days. I had asked later in the morning about their display copies as I had my e ye on one of two Susanna Kearsley books, one of them being her new release in paperback, Season of Storms. I am also missing Splendour Falls which they also had. I was advised to come back about 1:30.

Penguin had no books. MacMillan had a galley out off and on, but they had more BookCon activities on the other side of the floor. There were panels with giveaways after the panels. Scholastic also had some things. For instance, they still had copies of the Iron Trial. HarperCollins was still holding to their galley drop schedule for the day. Other than that, it was sooooo quiet.

When I walked over to Spencer Hill Press, I found out why. The floor was segregated and the entrance points were being manned. BEA attendees could get into BookCon, but BookCon attendees could not get into BEA. I will tell you now though I found out later that there were 8,500 tickets sold for BookCon. We’ll get back to that and its implications.

My second goal of the day was to be at HarperCollins for their 10:00 Adult Galley drop. They were giving away copies of a book called Thorn Jack which is a retelling of the Tam Lin fairy tale. Had. To. Have. But I had a while, so I figured I would check out giveaways on the BookCon side of the floor. I checked Little Brown again for the new James Paterson book they gave away Thursday morning. It was the only book my boss wanted and I really wanted to make her happy. No dice. I tried to cruise by the Disney booth but the line was humongous and they were giving away several books, the new Animal Spirits, Hooks Revenge and some others I couldn't see. I didn't want to stand in line, though because I was on a schedule.

I got to HarperCollins where there was a non-line or “unofficial line” for the galley drop. So I got in line, but soon realized it was for the YA titles. I had nothing better to do anyway, so I stayed in line and got a copy of Jewel. By this time I didn’t have long to wait, so I moved to the other side of the booth where they were giving away the adult titles. And I waited. There was no way I was going to miss the galley as it was the only time it was being given away. I had already missed one of the adult titles on Thursday.

I had a lovely chat with the woman behind me. I was a little jealous because she was going to get in line for Carey Elwes who was only signing a chap of his book, As You Wish, but it was going to conflict with JLA. I knew by the time I got done with JLA, I would not make Carey Elwes. Let me tell you, there were a large number of teens that brought their own copies of the Princess Bride to sign. Later found out he was only signing the chap book and not anything personal people brought.

Finally the galleys were dropped and I got my book. Well, I didn't want to be late for JLA, so I footed it over to the autographing tables. And when I say footed, I mean more like treading water in a lake of molasses. They were so many freaking people in front of the autographing chutes you couldn't move around. But I found a green shirt and asked her where the line was for JLA? She said there wasn't one yet and they would not be lining up until about 15 minutes beforehand. Eeeh! Wrong answer! But I took her at her word. I decided to drop off my books. Yes while roaming from side to side, I did manage to pick up some books and I didn't want to carry them all day. Oh, but this line is really short. It thought it was for Paul Zelinsky which was a young reader picture book, but it was Barbara Mariconda, the Voyage of Lucy P Simmons: Lucy at Sea. Too late to back out. Got it signed, not personalized and headed for the baggage check.

After dropping off my books, I did a time check and found it to be about 10:45, so I headed to the tables. Again I was struck at the sheer volume of people in front of the chutes. There was no room to pass through. No one was moving. It was at the very least annoying as hell and at the most, a very real fire hazard should something happen.

I again found a green shirt and she told me where the line was. It was off to the side, but now instead of being near the front, I was near the end. The Spencer Hill staff was riding the line making sure everyone had a ticket.

My panic moment: I had the ticket in my badge holder. I kept looking at it to assure myself it was there. When I got to the line, I had for some reason though she was at table 6. I pulled out my ticket to confirm the correct table and slid it back in. When I got to the end of the line, I flipped over my badge holder and didn't see the ticket. I freaked, ran up and down the line. Then I pulled out my stuff back there which was my return ferry ticket and my parking ticket. The JLA ticket had slid behind the other two. The signing started at 11:00. By 11:15, we had hardly moved. By 11:30, we hadn't moved much and I was wondering how they were going to get everyone through the line by noon. My feet were killing me. And I don’t mean fatigue, I mean pain, but I knew if I sat on the floor, I’d have an equally difficult time getting back up again. So I kept rocking from foot to foot to relieve the pain. As it was, there was no one at the table after JLA, so she was going to stay until all 250 copies were signed. We were advised, though, that due to the length of the line and the amount of time it was taking, she would also not be signing anything else other than The Return.

As it turned out, Michelle Madow was right behind me in line again. She had a whole zip lock bag full of the bling diamond stickers to promote her book. She was very gracious and handed them out as well as handing out bookmarks and she posed for lots of photo ops. There was another blogger on line who put the sticker right in the middle of her forehead. Pretty funny actually, in a good way. But back to Michelle, I actually struck up a conversation with her at one point. I’m not sure how it started, but she was talking about how she lives in Florida and she was chilly up in NYC. I told her last week was worse. We talked about the beach and Universal Studios and Harry Potter World. She’s was really personable and a lot of fun to talk to.

Finally around 12, they came by and told everyone they could take the book if they didn't want to wait in line for the signing. Quite a few did, but I stood in line for over an hour already with aching feet for her book and I was thwarted the two previous days, there was no way I was taking the easy way out.

The blogger with the diamond sticker on her forehead was a few people in front and as it turns out, Cassandra Clare and Holly Black were signing right next to JLA. Cassandra Clare saw the sticker and wanted one, so the blogger, Sylvia was her name, pulled Michelle up to the front of the JLA line so she could give Cassandra Clare a sticker which was placed right above her chest. Holly Black had to assist with the placement. Now there are two people I would have liked to have met. They seem like quite a hoot. They were dressed exactly alike in black and white outfits and Holly Black was sporting some sort of paper crown. And they laughed a lot. I tried to take their picture, but their line was just ending and by the time I got my camera ready for the photo they had moved from the table.

What was awesome was that Michelle Madow had a squee moment because Cassandra Clare asked for her sticker. I really love knowing that authors can also be such huge fangirls or fanboys. It was awesome!

But back to JLA, I finally got my book around 12:30. I thanked her for sticking around to sign all the books. She told me they had already cleared it with the con management that she would go over to ensure the books were all signed. Over an hour and a half, my longest line of the con, but so worth it.
I have to say, JLA has been really great all throughout the conference. She was promoting three books, had about 5 different signings and was on a panel after her signing of The Return. She was generous and genuinely seemed to care about her fans, being apologetic when her books ran out, but trying to give back as much as she could. She is a really awesome woman.

I had planned on going to a signing again at Spencer Hill which was scheduled for 11:30, but quickly realized that wasn't going to happen. Grumpy Cat was at noon, but I didn't even try. I went into the Chronicle Booth earlier because I saw people with a Grumpy Cat head on a Popsicle stick. So, I went to get one. I asked if she would be in until 2pm, but was advised they were starting with an hour and would see how she was holding up, so it could be extended. I then asked how long she thought the line would be and I was then told that people bee-lined for the booth and lined up first thing. So, I kind of got the impression I would never make it in. Just like with Carey. After the JLA signing, I went to the Chronicle booth just to see her again. We had a moment from ten feet apart last year, but for this signing, the booth was closed off so I couldn't even go in and peek.

So no celebrity sightings this year. No Neil Patrick Harris, no BJ Novak, no Billy Idol, no Amanda Palmer, no Carey Elwes. Amy Poehler and Martin Short were going to be at a panel, but I saw the length of some of the panel room lines and realized that wasn't happening either.

So what to do now? I was planning on trying to get on the Harlequin YA line, but it started at 12:15 and I was on line for JLA. I had already gotten the books, but I was going to try to get a second copy of Talon for my friend Terri. There would have been no way I could near the line. Then I thought I would go on the Danielle Paige line for Dorothy Must Die. This was another book the kids brought their own copies of. I was told where the line was, but it didn't seem well organized. We were told to move up a couple of steps and I found I could not figure out where the start of the line was, that is, until it was pointed out to me that I was on the tail end of a wrap-around line. The line seemed longer than JLAs. For Danielle Paige, there were no tickets so everyone got on line. Finally before the line started moving, they took a count. Subtracting out the number of people who brought their own books, the line was still cut off I’d say at least 50 people in front of me and there were at least 15 – 20 people behind me. I was not too disappointed. I have read mixed reviews on the book and figured if I could pick it up, I’d read it, but I’m kind of glad I didn't have to wait on another hour+ line.

I was going to head over to Source Books for display copies, but fell into a line for HarperCollins. Spin the wheel and get a book. The titles were all YA. Had no idea what the titles were though, but then I found a discarded flier. Melissa Marr Made for You was one of the titles and the only one I was interested in. It was another long line. My feet were aching, but I felt lucky. I was not lucky at Comic Con, but I thought I’d give it a spin. Made it to the wheel and chanted “Come on Melissa! Come on Melissa!” I gave it a good hard spin and I just made it to the last tick before it would go to the next title. I actually jumped for joy. Well, bounced for joy really, but still. Terri, I know you wanted a copy as well, but I could only get one. I am sorry, my friend.

At that point, I decided to head to Source Books, but I figured I would take a sweep on the BookCon side first. So many people. Then a thought occurred to me. It was a moment of clarity.

Observation 5: My feet hurt and I didn't want to fight the crowds. Besides, I had realized I really had gotten enough books already and it was time to go home.

I still filled my smaller blue suitcase.



So let’s talk about BookCon. And Power Reader.

Two years ago, I had just started my blog and did not feel I would get accepted to BEA, so I opted for the Power Reader alternative for the one day. Besides it was short notice and didn't want to abandon my boss at work. Luckily, I had my friend Terri with me who I think has been blogging since the dark ages. I was her Padawan and she took me under her wing and taught me how to be a good Con attendee. The first year, the Power Reader wasn't promoted much and I didn't know where all the Power Reader specials were so I missed out on a bunch of stuff. I was a bit disappointed because there didn't seem to be as many signings or giveaway as Terri had led me to believe, but it seems as with Comic Con, vendors start packing up early. Still, it was an awesome opportunity to peak into that world again.

Last year, I attended as a book blogger, going to the Blogging Con and BEA. Last year, I had noticed that some vendors were definitely packing up early, like Friday early. I spoke with a gentleman while we were waiting on line and the rumor he told me was that some vendors seemed to resent the whole Power Reader program, that they would be loud and it would be crowded, so some vendors left. Again, though, this is just second hand hearsay and not founded in truth. They were promoting the program more, though and actually seemed to advertise. They even created a Power Reader lounge where there were free beverages and popcorn and that one commodity most in demand…sitting space with real chairs. Couldn't get in without the Power Reader badge, though. There were a lot more exclusive giveaways and such.

I would also like to point out in the past, the whole conference floor was open to the Power Readers. This year, they were contained and it was renamed BookCon.

Year number one, they were only offering 1,000 tickets and you had to be invited by someone in the industry, so a local book store could sponsor you, a library. I was sent a Random House newsletter inviting me.

Year two, I don’t know how many tickets they sold, but I would say it was a bit more. There were a lot more people with their green striped badges last year than the prior year.

As I said earlier, the rumor was 8,500 tickets this year sold.

The negatives:

• Fire regulation adherence. There were far too many people clogging up all the aisles, especially at the signing chutes to be safe. Apparently, there were still people waiting to get in around noon, but again that is hearsay. The first year ComicCon was brought to New York, the interest was underestimated and it was the same thing. You would have to wait to go into the dealer room until someone else came out. And if you came out, you might not have gotten back in. It was a mess. I figure this was similar.
• Too many people = too long lines. Danielle Paige is a perfect example. I would say most of the people on that line were BookCon attendees.
• All the autographing tables were on the BookCon side, so the crowds had to be put up with in order to get the signed books.
• Most of the publishers had a second booth set up for the BookCon events. That meant that while the BEA side was nice and quiet, there was also not much going on.
• Only allowing half the conference floor for BookCon attendees means that there was nowhere to get away from the lines. Everything was a lot more cramped, so there seemed to be more pushing and shoving. Sometimes I had to shove just to be able to get from point A to point B because no one was moving.
• The long lines for everything was causing major blockage and it was impossible to cut across some of those lines. In many instances we had to go the long way around just to get where we were going.

The positives:

• There were so many activities for BookCon. For MacMillan, they were giving away galleys after the panel. The last couple of years, if there was an author panel, they would be signing, but you had to bring or buy your own books. No freebies for the panels in the past.
• There were spin the wheel games and a lot of giveaways. I believe there were still BookCon exclusives as well. I think they got a goodie bag for attending.
• There was star power. Some of the panel participants: John Grisham, Veronica Roth, Jodi Picoult, Stan Lee, Amy Poehler, Martin Short, Holly Black, Cassandra Clare, Maggie Steifvater, JLA, James Patterson, Lemony Snicket, Rick Riordan, Jason Segel, John Green.
• Special Program books were printed just for BookCon with all the events available.
• BookCon has their own app, just like BEA, to help in being organized.
• It makes books more accessible to the general public thereby promoting books and reading.

Recommendations:
Limit ticket sales
- Or –

Open up more of the floor so the crowd could spread out more.

I’m not saying it is a good program or a bad program, but this is one thought I do have.

Book publishers are growing in presence at the New York Comic Con. There is a whole book track you can follow just like at BEA. So let BEA remain a trade show. The public can’t attend ToyFare which is an industry conference, so why have so many people allowed into BEA. And if the public is invited in, then there needs to be some limitations. I don’t think anyone as prepared for what today was going to be like.

One last rumor I heard; that BookCon would be a two day even, so the entire conference would be Thursday through Sunday.

Friday, BEA Day 2

Friday, BEA Day 2

I got a slightly earlier start on Friday. The first thing I had on my schedule was right at 9:00. One thing that does work out well for BEA is the time of the year the conference is scheduled for. Since it is right after Memorial Day, the traffic is not as bad as it would normally be. I wanted to make sure I got in on time.

I got on the ferry and across the river without incident, but after drinking a large ice tea on the way over, had to go to the restroom before heading to Javits. So, I stopped in. I had my suitcase and all and was hoping to use the handicapped stall so I wouldn’t leave my stuff unattended. It was occupied, though. I went into one of the other stalls first and all the sudden I heard someone talking. The voice got a bit louder and I realized it was a man. Then he started talking about how he went to the bathroom to “take a dump.” The problem? He was in the ladies room. In the handicapped stall. At least, I thought it was the ladies room. I came out of my stall, hurriedly washed my hands, but refused to dry, took my suitcase outside and looked real good and hard at the wall. Nope, I was in the ladies room. Some guy came into the ladies room to go number 2! I was confused as the men’s room is right next door, but there you have it.

So it was going to be that kind of day.

And he seemed not embarrassed at all. He never came out while I was in there and had I realized there was a man using the bathroom I would have waited, but I didn’t on all counts.

I realized Thursday at some point that I did not go up the right escalator. If I wanted to be closer to Little Brow, I had to go to the escalator farther down. I got there early and actually had to get in line and wait. The doors opened and as soon as I was up the escalator, I hightailed it to Little Brown looking for the elusive James Patterson book, hoping to please my boss. No dice. So, I ran the galley gamut.

My friend Terri asked for a copy of Amy Zhang’s book, so I got on line for the 9:30 galley drop. I was going to get in line for Unhinged to be signed, but I already own it and the line was ridiculous. Actually, pretty much anything happening at Abram’s was ridiculous with the constant line. But I digress. I had wanted to go to the Romance Write’s booth for their 9:00 signing, but I decided to get Terri her book.

It wasn’t a horrific wait. The show had just opened. I got in line and I was told that it was not an “official” line for the galley drop. I’m so tired of hearing that. Allowing people to form a line prevents the bedlam that occurs when the books are just flung out and everyone has the grab hands. I got her book and three others, one I wanted, one I didn’t and one I didn’t but after reading the summary kind of do. They were all thrust at me. I had no choice but to take them.

I was going to get in line for Becca Fitzpatrick Black Ice, but I got the galley and knew the line would be crazy, so I got in line for my little friend, Tara who is an 8 year old Star Wars freak. She built the Star Wars trench scene out of legos for a school competition and won first place. Anyway, the author was singing a sample of The Adventures of Luke Skywalker and I got it autographed for her.

I had nothing else immediately, so I decided to go find a line for the 11:00 galley drop at HarperCollins for Rooms by Lauren Oliver. It was another book for my friend Terri. I went back to the booth and loitered for a bit until I realized people had set up camp next to the booth. I got in line where I was maybe 15 people back. Of course, I didn’t realize what time it was and how much time I had on my hands, but a HarperCollins employee came by and told us we had to disperse and come back closer to 11:00.

I needed to drop off books anyway, so I went to the baggage check. Since they condensed all the baggage check into the one corner, they were just cramming the suitcases in. I had the unhappy coincidence of my suitcase being all the way against the window. The rows in between were so narrow, I couldn’t get through with my red McGraw bag. Space was so tight, only one person could be in a row at a time and forget about pulling it out, laying the suitcase down flat and lining the books up neatly.

I didn’t want to keep pulling out my ticket and putting it away, so I stuck it inside the plastic cover of my binder and set that with the bags I was carrying on other people’s luggage. I barely got my suitcase opened and kind of just dropped the books inside, closed up the suitcase, picked up my now empty bags and my binder and made to head out of the baggage check. It was then that I looked down and realized my baggage check ticket was not in my binder any longer. I freaked! I looked all over the floor. I mean I was just standing right there when I stuffed in the cover. I turned around and it was gone! I was trying to pick up luggage to see if it fell underneath, but could not find it anywhere.

I finally had to call over an attendant and ask her for a new number. She told me if they gave me a new number they would have to charge me another $3.00. What she did do, though, was take a ticket already turned in, write my ticket number on the plain back and give me the half of the ticket still on my suitcase. It all worked out in the end, but by the time I got it all resolved it was 10:50 and I was a couple aisles back in line now. Then another HarperCollins person came by and said that there are three books available, but due to the number of people in line, we could each only have one. And I knew a lot of people wanted Lauren Oliver’s book. By the time I got to the corner of the booth, I could see they still had copies, but not on the display. There was a guy holding the copies behind the counter while the other two books were on display. There were many copies of the other two and not so many of Lauren Oliver’s book. I did manage to get one, though, so yay!

Everywhere I went, though, I would ask, “What are you in line for?” and the reply would always be this is the “unofficial” line for Blah. Another thing I noticed which I forgot to remark upon when writing about Thursday is that I did not see a lot of paper event schedules for probably about half the day. I saw big displays of the booth and table signings, but not so much about scheduled galley drops. Like we have to keep it on the down low. It also seemed like last year the booths had books out all the time. Now this may just be my perception, but it seemed to me that the booths put out their big guns first thing, but once those books were gone, there would not be any more titles out until the next schedule galley drop. It could be how it always is, but last year I spent more time on autograph lines. This year, I was looking for the galleys in order to free up my time and not have to stand in the long signing lines. Can’t say for sure really.

I had nothing to do. I had planned on getting on Amanda Palmer’s line, but I read a summary of her book. And while I would love to support her in her work, I wasn’t really interested in a book about her kickstarter marketing strategy. I have never been very much interested in gathering autographs. If I get a book signed, it is because I am interested in reading the book, not because I met someone famous.

But anyway. With nothing better to do, I jumped on the Jennifer L Armentrout line at the Romance Writer’s booth. My friend Terri also asked for a copy of Wait For You, so I figured why not. Cora Carmack was signing at the same time and the line didn’t look too bad. The line was wrapped around, a U shape, in the aisle so I was right next to the booth, but about 20-30 people away. I can be very nosy. I’ll admit it. People were asking for copies of the books on the shelves and they were being given to them. They were not necessarily recent books and I’m not sure what the purpose of the books was in the first place. They weren’t there to be signed. It’s a mystery. Sorry wrong booth. Anyway, they had several copies of Jennifer Echols’s the Biggest Flirts in hard copy. The book just came out in paperback and is on my list. I just kept wishing and hoping as I stood on line that I would be able to get a copy.

By the time I got up to the booth again there was only one copy left. The woman who had been giving out the books just left the booth. The other attendant just got into a conversation with another exhibitor that entered the booth. Cora Carmack had just run out of books. She had a handler, but the handler was busy helping her with organizing some stuff. Anyway, I screwed up my courage, interrupted the handler and asked if the display copies were being given away. The handler had to go over and ask the other woman in conversation, but she came back with the last copy of the book for me and the sun was shining in my world. Then I turned around and ran smack dab into the middle of a rain cloud.

JLA had just run out of copies of Wait For You, which apparently to be my theme for the week. JLA will have books to give away and I will not be getting any. She was also signing left over copies of her Lux series, vols 1 and 2 combined, so I got that one signed anyway. It was all worth it though when she asked me if she saw me yesterday on line and I told her yes just after she ran out of that book as well.

The afternoon was going to be a mess. There were too many things conflicting with one another, too many places to be all at once but the first thing wasn’t until 1:45, so I scoped out galleys again. I stopped by Little Brown again looking for the James Patterson book, but this time I asked. To no avail. The book was gone and my boss was not going to be a happy camper. I did, however, get a galley drop schedule and found that they were giving away galleys of The Darkest Part of the Forest at 3:00 with two or three other books. As there was a table signing at 2:00, I decided to skip the table signing and just get the ARCs.

I picked up a signed copy of Compulsion by Martina Boone and headed to Little Brown where I encountered yet another un-line. I had a bit to wait, so this time I sat down. Ever the nosy neighbor, though, one of the girls behind me was saying she just picked up Sway by Kat Spears at the MacMillan booth and they had lots of copies. This one is a Cyreno de Bergerac retelling. Of course I had to have it. I asked the girl in front of me to watch my stuff so I could pick up a copy thinking the booth was only a couple aisles away, but no. It was like 8 or 9. So, I kind of hopped ran to the booth and back. When I got back, the line had moved and I was so happy to see that the people around me had moved my bags up for me. Bloggers really are some of the best kind of people.

After many people in front of me getting irritated with the people they perceived to be trying to cut in line and the books finally being set out, I got my copies and headed back to the autograph tables. I wanted to get Rachel Harris’s book, The Fine Art of Pretending. The line wasn’t too bad, but while I was waiting on line, one of the editors from Spencer Hill came by with tickets to hand out to ensure everyone on line was able to get a book. The girl in front of me asked her about the tickets for the next day, if they were going to be given out in advance. The editor said at 9:01, but to keep it quiet as they did not want a mob scene. After the editor left, I asked what book they were discussing and she told me The Return. A light from heaven shone down on my head!! I was where I need to be! So with that information tucked away in my head, I began to formulate plans for the next day.

Michelle Madow got in line behind me for Rachel’s book. This was another thing as I kept being where she was throughout the conference. I was really happy to find out that she is a fan girl. Plus she was handing out these really cute diamond shaped bling stickers to promote her book.

But enough with the chit chat. I got Rachel’s book and had her personalize it. She seemed really nice. I am kind of embarrassed because I didn’t realize she was the author of My Super Sweet 16th Century or the fact that she is one of the writers for YA Bound. I participate, or at least was, in Swoon Thursday every week. I actually could have introduced myself and tell her that I jump on the meme. I could have handed out a business card for crying out loud! I can be so oblivious at times.

I jumped from there to SourceBooks for Breathe Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally and back to the tables for Starry Night by Isabel Gillies. The end of the day seemed to be timed perfectly. I did a lot of walking though and quite a bit of standing. At 4pm, I had to go back across the conference floor to Bloomsbury for their galley drop of The Fire Artist by Daisy Whitney. After that I was spent.

I went to the Workman booth as there was a scotch tasting and we got to keep the glass. I had a shot and a half and thought that would be a good time to head home. As I walked the floor on my way to the escalator, I saw that some of the vendors were already packing up. I guess they weren’t planning on sticking around for BookCon.

The walk from Javits to the ferry terminal while technically not a long walk seems like it has increased exponentially to the number of books you’re lugging. I got on the ferry, made it across the river and realized I had never locked my car that morning. Upon arriving home, I was greeted with more joy.

On Thursday, I picked up a promotional post card about a book about cats and there was a little bag of catnip attached. I had the postcard up and hidden, but Egg had managed to find it, rip the pouch off the postcard and basically demolish the little sachet. I immediately took a bath and tried to go to bed where my legs throbbed and I finally had to get to sleep by putting myself out with Lord of the Rings.

Stacking the Shelves - BEA Edition

This is going to end up being a lot.  I've listed out the BEA / Blogger's Conference titles by day, but also since I haven't posted a regular STS post for a while, I am also including the purchased books since then.

So without further ado, here are my acquisitions in May.

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.


Stacking the Shelves – Bloggers Con and BEA 2014 Edition

Bloggers Con Wednesday
Advanced Reading Copies:
Stitching Snow by R.C. Lewis
Killer Instinct (A Naturals Novel) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Mary: The Summoning by Hillary Monahan
10:04 by Ben Lerner
Jackaby by William Ritter
This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen
Zodiac by Romina Russell
Stone Cold Touch by Jennifer L. Armentrout
Discretion by Allison Leotta
Can’t Look Away by Donna Cooner
Little Man by Elizabeth Mann
Invisible: The Twixt Book Two by Dawn Metcalf
Fives and Twenty Fives by Michal Pitre
The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond
The Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp

Finished Books:
Speak of the Devil by Allison Leotta (Hard Cover)
The Secret Diamond Sisters by Michelle Madow (Personalized)
Stress Pandemic by Paul Huljich

BEA 2014 Day 1 Thursday
Advanced Reading Copies:
Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Kortya
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon (Sampler)
The Guardian Her: Starfire by Jennifer Lynn Alvarez (Middle School)
Amulet Book 6: Escape from Lucien by Kazu Kibuishi
Night Heron by Adam Brooks
Septimus Heap Pathfinder: TodHunter Moon Book One by Angie Sage (Middle School)
Magic in the Mix by Annie Barrows (Middle School)
Bad Magic by Psuedonymous Bosch (Middle School)
Atlantia by Ally Condie (Three chapter preview)
Breaking Butterfiles by M. Anjelais
Smek for President by Adam Rex
Vampires of Manhattan by Melissa de la Cruz
The Black House by Peter May
How Star Wars Conquered the Universe by Chris Taylor
The Midnight Plan of the Repo Man by W. Bruce Cameron
Always Abigail by Nancy J. Cavanaugh (Middle School)
The Junkyard Bot by C. J. Richards
The Eye of Zoltar : The Chronicles of Kazam Book Three by Jasper Fforde (Middle School)
Trial by Fire by Josephine Angelini (Personalized)
Talon by Julie Kagawa (Personalized)
Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle (Ink Stamped, not signed due to injury)
Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (Personalized)
I Wish by Elizabeth Langston (Personalized)
Ghost House by Alexandra Adornetto (Personalized)
The Black Butterfly by Shirley Reva Vernick (Personalized)
Let’s Get Lost by Adi Alsaid (Personalized)
Invisible by Dawn Metcalf (Personalized)
Jacob T. Marley by R. William Bennett (with audio sample)
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick
Running on Empty by Colette Ballard
Death Date by Victoria Laurie (Disney giveaway from the Blogger Con ad)
Fat & Bones and Other Stories by Larissa Theule
Forest of Whispers by Jennifer Murgia (Personalized)
Dearest by Alethea Kontis
Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater
Thunder: Stone Braide Chronicles by Bonnie S. Calhoun
Diamond Rings are Deadly Things by Rachelle J. Christensen
The Girl Who Never War by Skylar Dorset
The Swap by Megan Shull
War Dogs by Rebecca Frankel (For Hubby – He’s going for his Masters in History)
The Spiritglass Charade: A Stoker and Holmes Novel by Colleen Gleason
Rebel Yell: The Violence, Passion and Redemption of Stonewall Jackson (For Hubby)
Alistair Grim’s Odditorium by Gregory Funaro (Middle School)
The Illusionists by Rosie Thomas
Night Sky by Suzanne and Melanie Brockmann
A Tale of Light and Shadow by Jacob Gowans

Finished Books:
Bailey Boat Cat: Adventures of a Feline Afloat by Louise Kennedy
The Ring & the Crown by Melissa de la Cruz (Personalized)
The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Mass Market)

BEA 2014 Day 2 Friday
Advanced Reading Copies:
Young Houdini: The Magician’s Fire by Simon Nicholson (Middle School)
The 8th Continent by Matt London (Middle School)
One Kick by Chelsea Cain
Gabriel Finley & the Raven’s Riddle by George Hagen
The Young Elites by Marie Lu (Sneak Peak)
Throne of Bones: Frostborn by Lou Anders (Middle School)
The Young World by Chris Weitz
The Lewis Man by Peter May
The Magician’s Lie by Greer Macallister
The Map to Everywhere by Carrie Ryan & John Parke Davis (Middle School)
The Walled City by Ryan Graudin
Anatomy of a Misfit by Andrea Portes
Tape by Steven Camden
A Tale of Light and Shadow by Jacob Gowans (Personalized)
Pennyroyal Academy by M.A. Larsen
Sway by Kat Spears
The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris (Personalized)
Starry Night by Isabel Gillies (Personalized)
Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally (Personalized)
Compulsion: Heirs of Watson Island by Martina Boone (Personalized)
Unmarked by Kami Garcia
Bombay Blues by Tanuja Desai Hidier
Nest by Esther Ehrlich
The Boy Who Drew Monsters by Keith Donohue
Star Wars Jedi Academy: Return of the Padawan by Jeffrey Brown
The Doll People Set Sail (The Fourth Doll People Story) by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin
The Forgotten Girls by Sara Blaedel
Dash by Kirby Larsen (Middle School)
The Forgotten Girl by David Bell
The Diamond Thief by Sharon Gosling
The Whispering Skull: Lockwood & Co by Jonathan Stroud
Salt & Storm by Kendall Kulper
The Iron Trial by Cassandra Clare & Holly Black
Lark Ascending: Book Three in the Skylark Trilogy by Meagan Spooner
The Fire Artist by Daisy Whitney
Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang
In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides
Positive: A Memoir by Paige Rawl
Rooms by Lauren Oliver
Perfidia by James Elroy

Finished Copies:
Digging for Richard the III: The Search for the Lost King by Mike Pitts (For Hubby)
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
Lux: The Beginnings by Jennifer L. Armentrout (Personalized)
The Biggest Flirts (The Superlatives) by Jennifer Echols


BEA 2014 Day 3 Saturday
Advanced Reading Copies:
Made for You by Melissa Marr
Project Superhero by E. Paul Zehr (Middle School)
We Should Hang Out Sometime by Josh Sundquist
Famous Last Words by Katie Alender
One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis
Thorn Jack by Katherine Harbour
The Scent of Death by Andrew Taylor
The Jewel by Amy Ewing
The Return: A Titan Novel by Jenifer L. Armentrout (Personalized)
Legends from China: Three Kingdoms by Wei Dong Chen & Xiao Long Liang (Graphic Novel)
Adventures from China: Monkey King by Wei Dong Chen & Chao Peng (Graphic Novel)
Tales from China: Outlaws of the Marsh by Wei Dong Chen & Xiao Long Liang (Graphic Novel)

Finished Copies:
Star Trek: Fun with Kirk and Spock by Robb Pearlman (Personalized for Hubby)
Flying Shoes by Lisa Howarth
The Thickety: A Path Begins by J.A. White (Signed)
The Luck Uglies by Paul Durham (Signed)
Lucy at Sea: The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons by Barbara Mariconda (Signed)

Digital Books:
Breathe, Annie, Breathe by Miranda Kenneally
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley
Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta
Thorn Jack by Katherine Harbour
The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato
Queen of the Dark Things by C. Robert Cargill


Books Purchased:
Mystic City by Theo Lawrence
The Summer of Firsts and Lasts by Terra Elan McEvoy
Mistwalker by Saundra Mitchell
Thorn Abbey by Nancy Ohlin
The Last Best Kiss by Claire LaZebnik
Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson
Catch a Falling Star by Kim Culbertson
Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson
Jack in the Green by Charles DeLint
Blonde Ops: A Novel by Charlotte Bennardo
In the Shadows by Kiersten White
Royally Lost by Angie Stanton
The Chapel Wars by Lindsey Leavitt
The Missing Manuscript of Jane Austen by Syrie James
Dearly, Beloved: A Zombie Novel by Lia Habel
Blackmore: A Proper Romance by Julianne Donaldson
Unchosen: Book 2 of The Reaper Diaries by Michele Vail
Being Sloane Jacobs by Lauren Morrill
The Very Best of Tad Williams by Tad Williams
A Phantom Enchantment by Eve Marie Mont
The Forever Song (Blood of Eden) by Julie Kagawa
Buzz Kill by Beth Fantaskey
How to Meet Boys by Catherine Clark
Magic City: Recent Spells by Holly Black et al
Broken Hearts,Fences and Other Things to Mend by Katie Finn
Meant to Be by Morrill, Lauren
Of Triton (Syrena Legacy) by Banks, Anna
The Geography of You and Me by Smith, Jennifer E.
The Year of Mistaken Discoveries by Eileen Cook
The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories by Holly Black
The City of Heavenly Fire by Cassandra Clare
Dangerous Creatures by Margaret Stohl and Kami Garcia
The Art of Neil Gaiman

Kindle Books Purchased:
Wedding Hells (Chocoholic Series) by Jennifer Gilby Roberts
Conjured by Sarah Beth Durst – Kindle Big Deal Promotion
The Looking Glass by Jessica Arnold
Going Vintage by Lindsey Leavitt – Kindle Big Deal Promotion
Prom and Prejudice (Snark and Circumstance) by Stephanie Wardrop
Wonders of the Invisible World by Patricia A. McKillip – Kindle Daily Deal
The Dr Pepper Prophecies (Chocoholic Series) by Jennifer Gilby Roberts
My Double Life: a romantic comedy by Janette Rallison
The Immortal Rules (Blood of Eden) by Julie Kagawa – Kindle Daily Deal
Breath of Yesterday (The Curse Series) by Emily Bold – Kindle Daily Deal
My Life After Now by Jessica Verdi – Kindle Big Deal Promotion
Mr. Darcy, Vampyre by Amanda Grange – Kindle MatchBook
My Unfair Godmother by Janette Rallison - Kindle Big Deal Promotion
Emma & Knightley: Perfect Happiness in Highbury: A Sequel to Jane Austen's Emma by Rachel Billington – Kindle MatchBook
Weekend with Mr. Darcy by Victoria Connelly – Kindle MatchBook
Born of Corruption: A Born of Illusion Novella (HarperTeen Impulse) by Teri Brown
Wishes: A Novella in the Legacy Series by Molly Cochran
Dangerous Dream: A Beautiful Creatures Story by Kami Garcia, Margaret Stohl
Cinderella Sidelined by Carly Syms
Beautiful Mess by Jennifer Preston
Suddenly You (The Jane Austen Academy) by Cecilia Gray
Fable (Unfortunate Fairy Tales) by Chanda Hahn, Joy Sillesen, Steve Hahn
Brooke: An Under the Never Sky Story by Veronica Rossi
Roar and Liv by Veronica Rossi
When I'm With You (The Jane Austen Academy) by Cecilia Gray
Only With You (The Jane Austen Academy) by Cecilia Gray
Trust in Me: A Novel (Wait for You) by J. Lynn
The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden) by Julie Kagawa – Kindle Daily Deal
Just Like Fate by Suzanne Young, Cat Patrick – Kindle Daily Deal
Haunting Zoe by Sherry Ficklin – Free eBook
Pushing the Limits by Katie McGarry
Riley's Curse (A Moon's Glow Prequel) by Christina Smith – Free eBook
Maybe One Day by Melissa Kantor – Kindle Daily Deal
Storm Front (The Dresden Files, Book 1) by Jim Butcher – Kindle Daily Deal
Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols – Kndle Daily Deal
The Girl Who Kissed a Lie: An Otherworld novella by Skylar Dorset – Free eBook
Tiger's Promise: A Tiger's Curse Novella (The Tiger's Curse Series) by Colleen Houck
Fool and the Dragonox: A Prequel to A Tale of Light and Shadow by Jacob Gowans – Free eBook
Love 'Em or Leave 'Em by Angie Stanton – Memorial Day Weekend Kindle Deal
The Sweetest Spell by Suzanne Selfors – Kindle Monthly Deal
Vlad All Over by Beth Orsoff – Memorial Day Weekend Kindle Deal
A Longtime (and at one point Illegal) Crush by Janette Rallison, CJ Hill
Romantic Comedy Bargain Box Set #1 by Lynda Renham
Masquerade: a romantic comedy by Janette Rallison, CJ Hill
Deception (Mystic Series #3) (The Mystic Series) by B.C. Burgess
Impassion (Mystic Series #2) (The Mystic Series) by B.C. Burgess
Foolish Games (Book 1) (Foolish Games Series) by Leah Spiegel

Manga Purchased:
Bride of the Water God 15
Strobe Edge 10
Vampire Knight 18
Phantom Thief Jeanne 2
Say I Love You 1
Wallflower 32

Blu Ray Purchased:
Ranma ½ Season 1