Book Expo of America

Standing in front of the book cover for Julianne Moore's
new children's book. I had my poster signed

Have you ever been to a magical land where everyone is happy to walk around for hours while carrying big heavy bags of books? A land where those people are happy to carry the books because they are free and are practically thrown at you? But not actually thrown, because that would hurt and people would not be as happy, but you get what I'm saying. The books are free, and there are a lot of them. And there is a lot of chocolate, too. Books and chocolate and other free stuff, oh my!

I have been to this magical place. It is called Book Expo of America.


It's been a while since I've posted anything besides book reviews, and since there has been so much going on in life, I figured it's about time. One particularly magical thing I did was go to Book Expo of America (BEA) at the Javitz Center.

BEA was a great time. I only went for one day, but next year I will definitely try to go to all three. There was a huge exhibition floor where there were book galore. I was one of those people carrying around heavy bags filled with books with a big smile on my face, and now have many MANY more books to read and review. Oh yeah, and I was being very selective in which books I took (maybe not very...). I did not take all of the books that were put in front of me. I only had so much bag space. If I had taken everything, well, I would not have space to sleep because the books would have taken over.

Some of my loot. There was so much more.

In addition to snagging a large amount of books, book marks, bags, buttons, cards and other things, there was even MORE fun to be had. I met authors and had books signed and got to hang out in the Library Journal booth and eat chips and hummus. I also had a tarot card reading for the first time. Oh, and I saw Mary Pope Osborne, Rick Riordan and Veronica Roth speak at the author breakfast. No big deal.

Who and I kidding? IT IS A HUGE DEAL!!!! I love Riordan and Roth, and although I have not read "The Magic Treehouse" books (don't kill me), I still enjoyed and was entertained by what Osborne had to say. Octavia Spencer of The Help fame was MC, and I took home a copy of her first book (to be reviewed as soon as I read it. Duh.). It was fantastic to listen to some of my favorite authors and learn a little more about them and the worlds they created. 

Lego! 

In conclusion, I greatly enjoyed my time at BEA. Next year I would like to attend a few of the educational sessions. There were things about social media in libraries, the ins and outs of publishing, how to use e-books and tablets to your advantage, and so much more. I was simply having too much fun filling my bags with books to go this year. Also, a game plan. A list of which booths I 100% want to visit and their locations. 

So in another conclusion, I would recommend attending BEA for anyone who is a big reader. You do not have to be a librarian or a teacher or in the book retail business to enjoy this event. Do bring a suitcase for all of your new books, though!

Just hanging out at a BEA booth.