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Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Where’s Waldo… (Or My BEA Adventures)

Book Expo America 2013


Hi guys! Did you have a good weekend? Cause I had a fabulous weekend. My husband and I headed off to NYC late Friday night for our first ever Book Expo America and it was pretty awesome, a bit intimidating, and at times overwhelming, but otherwise, just wonderful! OK, I’m going to stop sounding like a complete dork and will just tell you that it was lots of fun, and I definitely need to plan better next time. I mean, I did plan this time but clearly next time, if there is a next time, I mean where do I sign up for next time? Oops, excuse the babbling... I did plan, things like hotel, parking, timing, tickets, and I had a few things I wanted to see and do at the Expo itself, but it was not enough. Next time, I am sitting down and researching, scheduling, and outlining my stops before I get there, because clearly attending BEA without a plan, one can easily find oneself like a kid in a candy store. 




Overall, I thought both organizers and staff done an amazing job. Welcoming and helpful, they handed out brochures, daily news and schedules, were happy to assist in pointing you in the right direction, and most importantly they all seemed to be genuinely happy and smiled a lot. It was refreshing. I thought the same of the crowd as well – people impressed me by simply being polite and mindful of others. Nice crowd!

I feel like I’ve managed to cover most of the floor in a fairly short amount of time. I’ve completed my NetGalley Wellness Challenge by visiting with Tarah, who was very sweet and helpful. I stopped by to pick up a few books here and there, and had a few signed by authors. In total, I think we’ve hauled 24 books, six of which were autographed by authors. Not bad for the first time. Admittedly, I was afraid we’ve picked up more books, but after the count it was less than what I expected. (I clearly have forgotten the amount of space paper books take up, being primarily a Kindle reader myself). Anyhow, it was a hot day in NYC, and Javits Center was a cool oasis of book, authors, publishers, and those who make this circle complete. And I can’t wait till next year. BEA 2014 - I am coming!


What I missed, didn’t get, didn’t see…
As I mentioned earlier, my biggest take away from this whole experience is planning. It is important. Because, even though I had a great time, I did miss certain things. For example, I didn’t sign up for the Adult Book & Author Breakfast, the panel of which included Helen Fielding and Diana Gabaldon, whose books I love. Then, I’ve managed to miss Ms. Gabaldon the second time. She was scheduled to sign books for about an hour and by the time I arrived, the line extended in infinite loops, as many of her fans lined up for a chance to get her autograph. I did not stay. I also heard through the grapevine that Gail Carriger’s Curtsies & Conspiracies ARC was available at BEA, but I didn’t see it. How could that happen? I am a bit disappointed, but, nonetheless I still picked up a few great reads (check my BEA13 bookshelf here). 

The weekend continued…
Amazingly, after attending BEA we still managed a short trip through Times Square, with a stopover at Madame Tussauds, the world famous wax figures museum. Then, we bid farewell to NYC and headed back to Boston. We finished the weekend with a viewing of Fast & Furious 6, which I enjoyed, although it was a bit cheesy at times; the cars were awesome, the boys – furious, but still quite lovable – a perfect combo. So, a pretty jam-packed weekend. Now, I shall go recuperate with my books…


Victoria, xoxo

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