The last few days I have been putting up posts about last weeks BEA experience.  If you have missed these posts they were:

Book Expo Recap #1

Book Expo Recap #2

I have been trying to give highlights but there are so many these posts…. uh…. are a bit longer than I had anticipated.  I am hoping to wrap it up with this one, but we will see once I get going here.  😛

Tuesday June 4, was the actual first day of the Book Expo.  This is the day that the doors open to Bookish types – Librarians, media, Book Sellers, Press, and yes, Book Bloggers. To my understanding, Book Bloggers have been included the past 4 years.  I started attending three years ago.

How to explain what the book expo is like….

Ok… picture Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory.  We (Book Bloggers) have a golden ticket.  Except once we enter the Chocolate Factory…. errrr….. Javits Center, it is filled with books instead of candy – books beyond our wildest dreams.

Some of us just stand in awe of all the bookish things:

and some of us….. get a little carried away:

I fall somewhere in between…..  *sheepish grin*

The Javits is a huge conference center and all the publishing companies you can imagine, books and audio books alike have a space there.  Once the doors open…. you explore the booths, connect with the companies you work and the ones you hope to (for me that was Brilliance Audio) and throughout the day(s) many of them offer up ARC (advanced reader copies) of books coming out this summer, fall, and winter.  The books, are free to us – preferably we only take what we plan to read and review, and we have to ship them home (I highly recommend the Post office! Less cost and faster than UPS believe it or not) or put them in suit cases.

It is a bookextravaganza.

Ok… so hopefully that paints a picture.

Now for a quick back story.  The first year I went to BEA I waited in the LONG line that forms before the doors open and then was pushed with the mob into the expo.  Not cool… and a little frightening.  2nd year, Reagan (Miss Remmers Reviews) and I decided we would hang out and go in after the rush of people.  I spotted seats behind an unattended info booth – tall cushioned chairs, perfect for people watching and sipping out coffee.  Reagan was all “NO way – we could get in trouble.”  I was all “What are they going to say?  Please do not sit here?  Then we will move.”  We sat there and the funny thing is people came and asked us tons of questions that for the most part were east to answer:

When does the Expo open?

Where do I get my badge?

Where is Starbucks?

Where is the author breakfast?

Are tickets still available to the author breakfast?

Do I need my badge before I go to the breakfast?

Do you have a map of the expo layout?  (We didnt, but I got us some)

It was actually a lot of, passed the time and to this day Reagan and I say it was one of best memory moments of BEA.  This year, Reagan was unable to attend, but I went up to our booth day one…. spoke to the attendant, told her about last year – and she hooked me up for this year:

I sent this pic to Reagan via text and she was all “Shut Up!  You did not!  I am sooooo photo shopping myself in!”   LOL

The expo – over the the three days was a lot of fun.  I walked the booths, connected with the publishers I work with – and picked up a few coveted books and a few I did not know I coveted until I heard about them.  Here are a few highlights:

This is a fun story.  I went to Minnesota Press (HELLLLOOOOO!  I am from Minnesota!) and was talking with the author of Frozen, Mary Casanova.  This story is about a prostitute found frozen in a Minnesota lake int he early 1900’s.  This part of her story is factual.  From there she built a fictional story around this fact about a daughter who witnesses what happens and does not talk since.

I tell Mary I am from Brainerd Minnesota and she is all, “Really?  My brother lives in Brainerd Minnesota, do you know Paul Gazelka?”  I actually know Paul pretty well and his wife, so that was just a fun coincidence.

I have reviewed a few Ted Dekker books here over the years.  I have a couple of friends who are HUGE fans so when I seen Ted at the expo I could not pass up a chance to hop in the autograph line and get a pic as well while he signed a book to my friend.

Oh yeah… if I left with only one book at BEA it was going to hopefully be The Twelve.  I loved The Passage.

And…. I got the book!  😛

This was a drive by shooting (with my camera!) I did not wait in the LONG line for a signed book, but still…. picture worthy.

After a fun event at Penguin (Wednesday Night Penguin Bird Bash) I made a commitment to be sure and get my pic taken in the Reached book cover bubble at the expo.  Thursday morning I fulfilled that commitment which was actually a lot of fun!

Meeting the people you share bookish chats with on line is a lot of fun and a big part of the BEA experience.  I did not do a good job of catching pics this time of all my great blogger friends.  A few I have posted int he previous BEA posts, but this one was of me and Cindy from Cindy’s love of books who I kept running into all week.  She was so much fun to talk to!

Beyond the expo – on Tuesday afternoon a few of us went to Harper Collins and learned how E Books are made.  This was really fascinating and I had no idea how much work went into an e-book.  Later Tuesday, Alison from Alisons Book Marks and I went out to an incredible dinner.  On Wednesday we had a power readers breakfast at Random House (no pics… forgot!).  Later Wednesday I went to an authors reception for Laura Moriarty, and after that the Penguin Bird Bash.  There were two more invites for later that night but I was tired and chose to call it a night.

Thursday evening after the final day at the expo I went to dinner with Gail (roomy) two other new bloggers to me, and John from Brilliance Audio.  John is the guy who decides what books are made into audio books.  He gave me some great ideas for audio listening. 

Friday morning I flew back to Minnesota… thus ending BEA 12, but I am already looking forward to BEA 13.