The Black Butterfly

The Black Butterfly by Shirley Reva Vernick (review copy provided by Edelweiss)

When Penny’s mother decides that spending Christmas chasing after ghosts is more important than spending the holiday at home in Boston with her daughter, Penny isn’t just upset, she’s downright livid.

Penny is sick and tired of always taking a backseat to her mother’s (crazy) dreams. Maybe spending some time apart would do them both some good.

Even though Penny is being sent to a small, snow-y island off the coast of Maine, to stay with a person she doesn’t know and one that her mother claims is a friend even though she hasn’t talked to her for almost seventeen years. Begrudingly, she goes, fully intending to work on her creative writing paper and reading as many murder mysteries as possible.

But when she arrives at the Black Butterfly Inn she finds more than she bargains for. Behind it’s closed doors, Penny discovers a family she could call her own. She discovers that she isn’t as unlovable as she thought she was. She discovers Blue and Starla, two ghosts who have been lingering around the Inn for quite some time.

Upon meeting Blue is instantly taken with Penny. Always reveling in the fact that Penny can, not just see, but also talk to Blue, he fills her in on the Inn’s history and shows her how to dream travel. And then there’s Starla, a young girl who doesn’t look much older than Penny herself. Even though she barely knows her, Starla seems hellbent on getting rid of Penny any way she can.

Will Penny survive? Or is she fated to be stuck at the Black Butterfly In for the rest of her (after)life?

The Black Butterfly, written by author Shirley Reva Vernick, is a contemporary read that offers readers a (very) slight paranormal twist … but not much else.

Vernick’s writing was simple but engaging. Even though there were aspects that I didn’t necessarily like or enjoy, The Black Butterfly, kept me – not only engaged but also intrigued – from start to finish. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen during the course of the book. And it’s because of Vernick’s writing style.

In terms of what I enjoyed and didn’t enjoy, I feel like I have a love/hate relationship with The Black Butterfly. I really enjoyed the pacing as a whole. Pacing is a very important to me as a reader – so much so that if isn’t spot on, the whole book is ruined for me.  Vernick’s pacing was spot on.Besides the pacing, I really enjoyed the setting. As a small, secluded island off the coast of Maine the setting felt like a character itself, often lending an air of mystery.

Speaking of characters – I didn’t love them. I wanted to, but they fell flat for me. One dimensional, I found all the characters that graced the pages of The Black Butterfly, were not relatable. There wasn’t one that I rooted for. There wasn’t one I connected to, personally. And because of this, it just brought the book down for me as a whole.

Penny was whiney, often complaining about one thing or another. George, though I liked him, I felt his presence was thrown in to be used as a romantic ploy.

Even though The Black Butterfly wasn’t billed as a romance I found the romantic aspect of this book to be contrived and rush. It was as if Penny and George were in love upon meeting – which I just want to point out was okay for Penny but not for her mother.

But all these things I could have overlooked at one point or another. What I couldn’t overlook was the paranormal twist – or lack thereof. Going into The Black Butterfly I thought this book would be a bit more haunting, a bit more bone chilling, a bit more scary. What I found though were mediocre ghosts who did very little scaring. Again, I felt as if their presence was just a plot ploy.

Again, I definitely didn’t love this book.  But there was something about it – something I can’t quite put my finger on – that kept me reading. I wanted more as a reader. I wanted what I expected of it. Even though I didn’t love it, doesn’t mean you won’t like it. Read it, dear readers, and let’s discuss.

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Authors I Own the Most Books From

Hello Readers!

It’s really no secret that I am a book collector. Some may argue (my parents) that I am a book hoarder, but I have to disagree with them. I’m a lover of books therefor I’m a collector. So because of this I’ve ended up with a number of books – some of which I’ve read and loved,  others which are still waiting to be devoured.

Of all the books I own, I openly admit that there are books I purchase solely because I’m a fan of the author and their work. Those are the authors  I own the most books from.

In no particular order:

Susane Colasanti – A few years ago I saw Susane at a book event talking about her then current book So Much Closer. After listening to hear read a bit from the book, and after hearing her talk I realized that Susane is kinda who I want to be when I grow up – a Jersey girl who’s always dreamed of writing a book and living in a big city. So after the event I ran out and bought So Much Closer. After that I proceeded to buy every other single book she has written. Yes, it’s true I own all of Susane Colasanti’s books! And I’m proud!

Rainbow Rowell – Let’s be surprised here people! I’m a HUGE Rainbow Rowell fangirl! What can I say. Yes, I own all of her books. It started out as sheer curiosity. I wanted to see what all the buzz over Eleanor & Park was about. I purchased the book, read it, and loved it. Loving it so much prompted me to purchase Attachments – which honestly I just haven’t gotten around to reading just yet. At BEA13, I waited on line for over an hour to, not only meet Rainbow (I did and we were wearing the same exact cardigan – no lie!) but get a signed ARC of Fangirl. Being the second person in line I got a Fangirl ARC. This year at BEA14 I was one of the few lucky ones who scored a copy of Landline (funny story, I actually won a Goodreads Giveaway and scored another copy of Landline). After finding out from Andi over at Andi’s ABCs that there was a collectors edition of Fangirl available from the Book Depository, I made it my business to purchase a copy. So that means I have one copy of E&P, two copies of Fangirl, two copies of Landline (though I’ll let you in on a secret I will be giving a copy away), and one copy of Attachments. And as if that isn’t enough, I recently found out that B&N has a special edition of E&P that I may have to have.That’s a lot, isn’t it?

Lewis Carroll – When I was little I told my grandpa that when I grew up I wanted to be Alice, as in Alice in Wonderland. I spent many a day scouring for the rabbit hole (I’m still searching ha ha). Because of my fascination with the 1985 made for TV version I became obsessed with the book. I read it very young and have a collection of all different versions/editions of the book.

Lemony Snicket – I own EVERY SINGLE book is the Series of Unfortunate Events.

Holly Black – I have several of Holly’s books and for just reason – I love her books. To date, these are the books that I own: first 2 books in the Spiderwick Chronicles series, Tithe, Valiant, and Ironside, The Good Neighbors – Kin, Kith, and Kind, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown, White Cat, The Poison Eaters, Geektastic and Zombies vs. Unicorns, The Darkest Part of the Forest , and The Iron Trial (both ARCs picked up at BEA14).

Stephanie Perkins – Okay she only has two books out with her third on its way. But I have both Anna and the French Kiss, Lola and the Boy Next Door, and have pre-ordered my copy of Isla and the Happily Ever After. Again, it’s only three books but Stephanie Perkins is one of my most fave authors, so I know I’ll (one day) have every single book she has ever written!

E. Lockhart – Again, HUGE fan. I first read E. Lockhart’s book The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks for a YA class I took in Grad school. From the moment I closed the back cover of my borrowed library copy of Frankie Landau Banks I was completely hooked.  I went out, shortly after reading it and bought my own copy. I also have Real Life Boyfriends (the last book in the Ruby Oliver Series), How To Be Bad, and We Were Liars. There are plans in the works for acquiring the first three books in the Ruby Oliver series (I’ve read them all).

Elizabeth Eulberg– To date, I own all of her books: The Lonely Hearts Club, Prom & Prejudice, Take a Bow, Revenge of the Girl With the Great Personality, and Better Off Friends. All of these books are singed, which makes me an even happier girl!

R.L. Stine – I somehow managed to collect a good majority of the Goosebumps books. Granted they aren’t all in the best condition since I acquired them from the donation shelf of a library. I also have several used copies of Fear Street books lying around – one of which is signed to me.

Tara Altebrando – Some time ago, fellow blogger and in real life bff Emma (Miss Print) told me about this book that she felt I needed.  That book was Dreamland Social Club. I bought the book (as did she) and we went to a signing where the author – Tara Altebrando – was. I had my book signed, and after a few weeks I picked up and read Dreamland Social Club. WHOA! This was my kind of book! Loved it would be an understatement. After reading it, I went out and purchased The Pursuit of Happiness and What Happens Here. After that I’ve proceeded to buy every single one of her books! And I’m so glad I did, they are awesome!

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Characters I’d Love To Have With Me on a Deserted Island

Hello Readers!

And welcome to today’s Top Ten Tuesday post. Today is all about my favorite character – specifically – the characters that I would want to have with me if I were stranded on a deserted island.

1. Chubs from The Darkest Minds/Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken – Anyone who knows me knows my love of Chubs. Yes, it’s true he holds a special place in my bookish heart. Beyond my love of Chubs, I always found him to be one of the smartest characters out there. Those smarts could come in handy on a deserted island.

2. Katniss from The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins – finding myself stranded on a deserted island is not a situation I want to find myself in. I have absolutely no survival skills. I am just not the kind of girl who enjoys sleeping out-of-doors, living off the land, etc.. But Katniss is all about survival – emotionally and physically. I feel like having her there by my side, I may actually survive.

3. Lola from Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins –  In all honesty, I can see Lola and I just being really great friends. And if I found myself on a deserted island I’d want a best friend with me. Besides that, she could design us some fancy island wear.

4. Tana from The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black – Tana is really tough, and she does well in high pressure situations. Whereas, sometimes I simply do not. I felling like she would keep me from freaking out about things I couldn’t control while on this deserted island.

5. Dee from Open Road Summer by Emery Lord – I love music, and I think she would provide an awesome soundtrack!

6. Jordan Wilder from Famous in Love by Rebecca Serle –  Eye candy … enough said!

 

(A Long Overdue) BEA Recap Part III

Hello Readers!

To be honest with you, I didn’t think Emma (Miss Print) and I would survive the epic twelve plus hour day we had the day before.  But we survived. I can’t speak for Emma, but I can say this for myself – I was downright exhausted! Friday kicked my butt, but that didn’t mean that I wasn’t excited for the last day of BEA — I totally was.

Even though the last day always proves to be the calmest of the three days, Emma and I get to the Javits (admittedly) a bit earlier than we really need to be. This year was no different. As was the past two days we found ourselves there just before 9 a.m. . And I’m glad we were there early. Why? Because we didn’t realize that BookCon – the day that the conference is open to the general public – would be total chaos. Seriously!

Before I move forward with this post, let me just get this off my chest!

A word on BookCon:

I think BookCon is a great idea in theory, but I feel, especially after experiencing it, that it just wasn’t executed as well as it could have been. For one thing BookCon brought with it, not only shorter author signings but also thousands of more people. Secondly, the entire Exhibit Hall was not open to those BookCon attendees.  BookCon attendees were only allowed in the autographing area, while we BEA attendees were allowed in all areas of the Exhibit Hall. This, I think, created a lot of animosity between the two attending parties.

Besides this, there just weren’t enough volunteers on hand to manage the massive crowds. And they were massive!

 

Moving right along …

BEA started with Emma and I high-tailing it to Harper’s booth, where we patiently waited for one of their last book drops of BEA14.  It felt like Emma and I were being thwarted at every chance we had to get these books.  But we wouldn’t be thwarted this time – we simply wouldn’t allow it!

We milled about the (empty exhibit hall floor) enjoying the space, the air, and the calmness of the morning. It was almost like the calm before the storm because we both knew in minutes time we’d find ourselves braving the autographing area. There weren’t a whole lot of top priority authors signing Saturday, but there were enough to force us over to the other side.

Of all the amazing authors signing on Saturday Emma and I only made it to four of those authors.

Author Daisy Whitney was the first up on our author signing agenda. She was signing her upcoming YA The Fire Starter. Prior to BEA14 I didn’t know much about this title. But after, I’m interest. I can wait to read the pages behind this beautiful cover!

maneuvering the autographing area was a real task, especially during the time when author extraordinaire Libba Bray was signing. Instead of a line there was simply a clump of people who simply were not moving.

Somehow, Emma and I squeezed our way through the masses and found ourselves on-line to meet author Corey Haydu.

 

She was signing hardcover copies of her book Life By Committee, a book I’ve heard nothing but great things about. Corey Haydu was super sweet, and a real pleasure to meet and talk to.

After Corey Haydu’s line – which was long but manageable – we hopped quickly over to Skylar Dorset’s line in anticipation of not only meeting her but getting a signed copy of her debut The Girl That Never Was.  This book sounds so cool, so I’m glad that both Emma and I had a chance to meet Skylar and get a copy of her book.

 

After Skylar Emma and I headed over to Claire Pernice’s line. Claire wrote a picture book called Circus Girl. You know me and my love of the circus so you know I just had this book. Luckily the line wasn’t very long, and we each had our chance to get a copy of the book and meet this great author!

(Picture taken by Emma)

 

There were a few other authors that I was looking forward to seeing, but to be completely honest the lines were just way too long and I was way too tired. It was time to say goodbye to Book Expo America for another year.

BEA14 was a success. Not only did I get to meet some really great authors, and pick up some really great books, but I had the chance to meet some of my fellow bloggers.

This year, I had the pleasure of meeting Andi from Andi’s ABCs , Kate from Midnight Book Girl  , Rebecca from Book Bite Reviews, Karen from For What It’s Worth, and Kate from Kate’s Tales of Books and Bands.  It was great to meet all of you!

Until next year …

Top Ten Tuesday: Fave Movies/Television Shows

(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke & The Bookish. The above photo was taken and altered by me. Please don’t take or “borrow” it.)

Hello Readers!

It’s no secret I’m not much of a television watcher. I never really was I guess. But movies … those I love. I’ve always loved going to the movies. Seriously, every time I go I think about that scene in the movie Annie where Daddy Warbucks takes little orphan Annie to Radio City Music hall and she’s running down the isle, and the showgirl’s are belting out “Let’s Go To The Movies”.

So for today’s TTT post – because it focuses on both television and movies – I’ll be discussing my top five television shows (of all time – yes some of them are no longer on air) and my top five movies of all time.

Television:

5. Catfish: The TV Show – I just started watching this show, and I just find it really interesting. I like trying to figure out how people’s minds work and why we as humans do the things we do. I feel like this show explores that.

4. Modern Family – I recently started watching this show. And even there are moments I don’t love there are other moments that I do. I started watching Modern Family on rerun episodes on the USA network. After a night full watching I quickly ILL-ed the first few seasons of the show. What I like about it, as a new viewer, is that I don’t have to watch the show in order. Besides that, I think Sophia Vergara is awesome!

3. American Pickers – I started watching this show accidentally. I found my father watching this show several times, most of those times I paid no mind to it. But I then asked him what it was about. After a simple explanation I watched and episode or two. I was hooked. I love how the show really shows it’s viewers two things: one person’s junk is another person’s treasure AND every item has a story all of it’s own. Plus I think Danielle is pretty cool!

2. The Gilmore Girls – This was a television show that I simply adored! I watched from the first episode to the very last. I simply loved how charming the show was. Star Hollow – this little fictional town – was where I wanted to live. Luke’s Diner was where I wanted to eat. And of course I wanted to be bff’s with Rory and Lane. I loved the quick banter, all the pop culture references, and I obviously loved all the books that Rory read.

339 Book Referenced in The Gilmore Girls

1. The Big Bang Theory – I didn’t always love the Big Bang Theory. In fact the first time I saw it, I thought it was rather stupid. But my mother watched the show – and being that we share a television I had no other choice to watch. I don’t remember what episode it was, or what season, but as we were watching it, I found myself chuckling along. After I realized some key components of the show, I got it, and not only found it to be (hilariously) funny, but also super smart. I’ve been hooked ever since.

Movies:

5. You’ve Got Mail – Like A League of Their Own this is a movie that I watch every single time it’s on TV. I love that this movie it about books. And that it’s set in one of my favorite cities – New York. I don’t know what it is about this movie, but I always felt there was something magical about it.

4.  Spirited Away – simply put it’s just a beautiful movie.

3. A League of Their Own – This is one of those movies that every single time it’s on TV, no matter from what point in the movie it’s at, I have to watch it. It’s one of those movies that I randomly quote. I just love it.

2. Forrest Gump – I loved this movie from the first time I saw it. Why do I love it so much? I love it because this one movie touches on almost every single major points in history – the Vietnam War, the shooting of JFK, the Watergate scandal, and so much more.

1. Alice in Wonderland – I love all versions of Alice in Wonderland. But my most favorite versions is the 1985 made for TV version. I love it so much because I honestly think it was the first version of Alice I saw.  I love it for many reasons – but mainly I loved it because this television version was just Alice in Wonderland – it also included Through the Looking Glass. Besides that there were so many top notch celebs in this TV version: Sammy Davis Jr., Telly Savalas, Ringo Starr, Red Buttons, and even Scott Baio. And still, I believe that this was the first version of Alice in Wonderland I have ever seen.  After seeing it I was obsessed, and have been looking for the rabbit hole to Wonderland ever since.

(A Long Overdue) BEA Recap Part II

Hello Readers!

I’d like to say that Day 2 (Friday) of BEA14 started off with a bang, but I’d be lying. Instead it started with a small dose of dread. Why, you ask? Well, Miss Print and I were in for a long – no, wait – a VERY long day. Besides taking part in all the BEA14 festivities, fools that we are Miss Print and I decided that after the conference we’d go to a book signing!?!

Friday brought with it, not only a twelve plus hour day (where Miss Print and I found ourselves on our feet for the most part of the day), but more author signings, more books (especially since we fools actually brought books with us), and more BEA14 craziness.

Once again, Miss Print and I – very briefly – found ourselves separated at the start of the morning. As soon as the exhibit hall floor opened we rushed in, me heading towards the MacMillan booth in the hopes of scooping up, quite possibly the cutest tote I’ve ever seen – the Little Elliot tote bag. After getting one of these totes I made my way over to the Abrams booth where I would be, not only meeting back up with Emma, but also waiting on line to meet A.G. Howard.

I am a huge fan of A.G. Howard’s. Not only did she retell my most favorite book (Alice in Wonderland) but she put her own spin on it. Splintered was one of the most unique books I’ve read to date. So obviously I was super amped up to get a signed copy of Unhinged (book two of the trilogy). A.G. Howard (as I expected) was super cool and super sweet. She’s definitely on that list of best authors I’ve met!

After the super cool A.G. Howard Emma and I had some free time so we wandered about the exhibit hall. We tried to hit a few drops but unfortunately our timing was off and we missed.  One of those drops was a Harper drop for Falling Into Place by Amy Zhang, Tape by Steven Camden, The Swap by Megan Shull – for the life of us every single time we tried to catch this drop we would miss it for one reason or another. Seriously, it was becoming a point of pride at some point. But we stopped by Harper’s booth to see what was what, and the strangest thing happened.

Emma and I are standing there chit chatting and a girl walks up and asks if there were tickets left for the Kiera Cass signing taking place later that afternoon. There were – tons of tickets left! Here’s why I find that so strange – Kiera  Cass and her Selection trilogy is super popular (I cannot wait to settle in and read them now that I have all three!) I (wrongly) assumed those tickets would have been long gone by this point. Afterall it was easily an hour after the exhibit hall opened.

With this tidbit of info Emma and I figured why not!? So we asked and we both had our very own Kiera Cass tickets! We felt very accomplished!

After this chance score, Emma and I headed back into the autographing area for Mike Curato whose picture book Little Elliot in the Big City is quite possibly the cutest book I’ve ever laid eyes on. Seriously, I’m not joking. Emma was over the moon excited about this book. Her enthusiasm and excitement was infectious! Mike Curato was super cool to meet! I’m glad that I had the chance to, not only get a signed copy of his picture book, but to meet him. And I have Emma to thank for that! Thanks, Emma!

Now readers, this is the part of the post where I get real with you: I judge books by their covers. And when I saw the cover for The Jewel by Amy Ewing I knew I had to have this book. It’s stunningly gorgeous! So knowing that I had to have this book Emma and I found ourselves waiting on Amy Ewing’s overflow line. The cool part about waiting on an overflow line: I got to hold a sign for a short period in time.

(Photo taken by Emma)

After my sign holding responsibilities (which I took very seriously by the way) I finally made it to the front of the line where I got to meet Amy Ewing and where I gushed over her beautiful book.

(Photo taken by Emma)

After Amy Ewings line Emma and I had planned to hit a few more autographing sessions, but all the lines were just too long. So we decided then and there that lunch was needed, especially for the afternoon and evening we had coming up.

While on our lunch break (after the eating and the sitting) we made a quick pit stop at one of the restrooms. It was on that line that I had a lovely conversation with a lovely woman about her lovely shoes. I didn’t think much of this conversation. Nothing more than bathroom line chit-chat.

Not thinking much of this conversation, Emma and I made our way back to the exhibit hall and back to the autographing area where we patiently waited to meet author Chelsey Philpot. We waited, and waited and waited. Emma even had the chance to be the sign holder this time!

After waiting it was finally my turn to meet Chelsey. Upon seeing each other we realized that just moments before we were chatting … on the bathroom line! How crazy is that! Chelsey was super nice, and we’re totally friends now (ha ha ha).

After Chelsey’s signing I made it my business to hightail it to the line that I knew was forming for Holly Black. This year, Holly was a top priority. I didn’t care if I missed everything and anything that day, so long as I got to meet her. So Emma and I made our way over to her table – two hours early – and found ourselves not on the first line but the second overflow line.

Yes, we waited for two hours. My feet hated me, but I was still super excited. As you can tell by this picture that Miss Print snapped of me while I was on my second round of sign holding duty:

(Photo taken by Emma)

The wait was totally worth it! I was in fangirl heaven meeting Holly. As always (yes, I’ve met her a time or two before this) she was so awesome cool! And she had the hair to prove it!

After meeting Holly Emma and I rushed over to Harper’s booth to meet Kiera Cass and get a signed copy of The One. I’ll admit I haven’t read the first two books in the trilogy – yet – but I was still excited. I have to say – Harper was where it was at this year! They were so pleasant, they were so helpful, they were so organized! Harper, you guys rock! Seriously!

I got to meet Kiera, I got a signed copy of The One, and if all that wasn’t great enough I got to take a picture with her!

Don’t you just love the mint flower in her hair?!?!

Besides all that wonderful-ness Harper was even giving out these beautiful cookies (beautiful and yummy!)

(Emma received the dress, I received the cookie in that dashing tux!)

After this, Emma and I found ourselves parting ways. She was meeting up with Cecelia and Ginny to tackle the Scott Westerfeld line, which I was going to Molly Idle’s line.

As you all know I’m a picture book fan. What you may not know was that since reading Flora & The Flamingo author/illustrator Molly Idle has quickly become a favorite of mine. Her books are breathtaking. So knowing that she was going to be a BEA14 I had to meet her… I just had to.

And I did. We chatted for a short bit, she signed a copy of Camp Rex for me, and we even took a picture together.

Even though BEA14 day two was coming to a close, our day was far from over. After BEA14 had closed it’s doors for the day Emma and I cabbed it from the Javits Center to Books of Wonder where we had the chance to see some really great authors – Maggie Stiefvater, Gretchen McNeil, A.G. Howard, Garth Nix, Alethea Kontis, etc..

I’m not going to go into too many details because this post isn’t about the signing, it’s about BEA14. But I will say this: it was a great signing, and I got to talk to Gretchen McNeil about exorcisms — it was awesome!

After a long day and what seemed to be a longer night we made our way back to Emma’s house where her and her mother so graciously opened their house to me for the night. I think it was safe to say that the minute our heads touched our pillows we were fast asleep.

Summer Box Swap: Sign Ups and Info

Hello Readers!

A few months back Miss Print and I hosted our very own Box Swap and it was a smashing success! So much so that we decided that we wanted to host another swap.

This time we’re calling it our Summer Box Swap and it is open to everyone – not just book bloggers. This time it is open to everyone and anyone who likes giving and who likes receiving.

Even though it’s not a book blogger we want all box swap participants to feel free to give and ask for books. But know that it isn’t required.

Before getting to the information portion of this post, you’re wondering what a swap is? A swap is basically an exchange of gifts from one person to another. It like Secret Santa only in July instead of December.

Any person located within the United States is free to sign up (use the sign up form below). Sign ups are open for two whole weeks,  from July 5th (when this post goes live) and will run until 11:59 p.m. on July 19th. Please provide as much information as you possibly can. Please make sure to fill out all required fields (any confidential information will of course remain confidential).

Emma (Miss Print) and I will be busy matching participants the week after sign ups close. You should receive your match during that week, via e-mail,  no later than July 27th.

Participants who are signing up, please be aware that there are some hard and fast guidelines. There is a fifteen dollar ($15.00) spending limit. However,  if you want to give a little more, and spend a little extra, that is completely up to you as the buyer. Also, all packages MUST BE MAILED by August 9th! That is a firm deadline.  Details on how to provide tracing information/confirm mailing will be provided to you in your match e-mail.

For more information please check out our Twitter! Speaking of Twitter, Miss Print and I have a hashtag for this swap, please use it #SummerBoxSwap (it’s awesome right?!)And if you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to e-mail both Emma and I at: GivingThanksBoxSwap@yahoo.com

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to e-mail both Emma and I at: GivingThanksBoxSwap@yahoo.com

So, what are you waiting for readers! Hurry, sign up!

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Yes No Surprise Me!

If yes, would you mind receiving ARCs (advanced reader copies) or gently used books?

Yes. Don't send used books/ARCs No. I'm fine receiving either.

Tell us about yourself. What kind of music do you like, favorite movie, etc.

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(A Long Overdue) BEA Recap: Part I

Hello Readers!

It’s been over a month since Book Expo America – also known as BEA14, and you know what that means, right? It means the real life bff Miss Print and I spent countless hours planning our BEA experience.  Since this was not our first rodeo, Miss Print and I decided that we were going to take a step back and take BEA14 as it comes. And you know what, not only did we get to experience everything we wanted to (and more) but it also proved to be a much mellower event than the past several years.

Thursday started out with a bang – I was refreshed, energized, and over the moon excited about day one of BEA14. Since I was meeting Miss Print at her house  I was up and out of my house fairly early. After enjoying a lovely breakfast of bagels Miss Print and I hopped in a cab and headed to the Javits Center.

As per usual with us, we were there with plenty of time to spare. We checked our bags, paid a fast visit to the ladies room, and hit the press office to pick up our badges, checked out schedules, and found our place on the massive live. And that’s all with time to spare!

Before we knew it, it was 9 a.m. and the doors were open. We made our first sweep around the exhibit floor, picking up drop schedules and highly anticipated books.  (Miss Print was over the moon happy to discover that the lovely people at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt had ARCS of Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers).

 

After a brief sweep of the floor we made our way to the autographing area where we found ourselves splitting up. I found myself waiting on Caragh O’Brien’s line waiting patiently to, not only get my hands on Vault of Dreamers, but also meet Caragh while Miss Print waiting diligently for over and hour on Garth Nix’s line (I felt really bad about not being able to keep her company but luckily fellow blogger and BEA buddy Cecelia and her lovely sister Ginny were with her, so she was in good hands!)

After getting my hands on Vault of Dreamers and meeting the super sweet Caragh O’Brien I made my way over to Miss Print to check it, to say hi to Cecelia and her sister, and obviously to get yelled at by one of the volunteers to line cutting — which for the record I was not! I was seriously just checking in with them.

And this is the point of the morning Miss Print and I kinda lost track of each other. While she was waiting for Garth Nix (and then Caragh O’Brien) I hit up an in-booth signing of Zodiac by Romina Russell and then headed over  MacMillan in the hopes of being one of the lucky 100 to receive a ticket to get a signed copy of Landline by Rainbow Rowell. Knowing how (deservedly) popular Rainbow is, I knew my shots were slim.  But being the super fan that I am (Rainbow and I even have the same cardigans, for reals) I had to try. And not only did I try, but I also scored a ticket by waiting on the “non-line”.

Long story short about that: someone complained that the Rainbow line was blocking a booth so they told everyone waiting that if they were on a line they wouldn’t get a ticket. So the non-line was a group of BEA attendees clustering awkwardly. I got the ticket, and I got to meet the super awesome Rainbow Rowell!

Funny side story: while waiting on the non-line a woman stopped and asked me what the crowd was gathering for. I explained to her that we were all (impatiently) waiting for tickets to the Rainbow Rowell signing that would take place a while later. Her response was, and I kid you not. “What’s a Rainbow Rowell?”

After the non-line and the epic-ness that is Rainbow Rowell, Miss Print and I (finally) reconnected and found ourselves back on another line in the autographing area where we met author Steve Brezenoff, author of Guy in Real Life. Steve was awesome and he had the Iron Maiden shirt to prove it. So there’s no doubt in my mind that Guy in Real Life is going to rock!

Lunch time was upon us, a time that I was looking forward to. Why? Because lunch means getting to eat (which I love) and it also means getting to sit for a bit (which, when I’m standing for hours on end I also love). But before lunch, Miss Print and I had to make one quick stop at Scholastic. At noon they would be dropping the highly anticipated Sinner by Maggie Stiefvater. Even though the line was overwhelmingly long, it moved quickly and we were one of the lucky ones who actually scored a copy of it.

And finally it was lunch time. We made it through half of the day alive.

After lunch we found ourselves meeting one of my most favorite authors Tara Altebrando, where I was lucky to not only get a signed copy of her first middle grade, The Battle of Darcy Lane, but I also got to snap a pic with her. Tara is truly awesome you guys – she’s a super talented author, and super sweet! (Check her out, if you haven’t already).

Monday afternoon proved to be mild in comparison to our morning that started with a bang. We wondered the floor a while where we met many publishers and we picked up Little Elliot totes (which Miss Print was totally and completely obsessed with – and rightfully so!).

Before we knew it we found ourselves back in the autographing area for the last few sessions we were looking forward to. Aaron Becker’s (author of Journey and Quest) line was crazy short. Both Miss Print and I had (wrongly) assumed that his line would have been untouchable, but since it wasn’t we jumped on the line before it got any longer and were very fortunate to meet this author and get a signed copy of his beautiful book.

And thanks to Twitter, Miss Print had discovered that author Sarah Beth Durst would be signing in booth for her first adult novel the Lost. Again, this was one of those signings that could go either way – it could be either majorly modded or manageably short. Turns out, since we got there so super early we were the third and fourth people on her line.

After meeting Sarah, I was super excited because I knew what time it was. It was time to get on-line for Rebecca Serle where she would be signing ARCs of her upcoming YA Famous in Love. I only met Rebecca Serle once before this, and she was fantastically awesome. Due to an arm injury Rebecca wasn’t able to technically “sign” the ARC, but she did stamp it.  And look at that scarf, it’s beautiful!

Our first day was almost over. But a BEA day wouldn’t be the same without meeting Philip C. and Erin Stead– the husband and wife team who together create some awesome picture books like A Sick Day for Amos McGee. This time around they signed Amos McGee and Philip also signed his upcoming picture book Sebastian and the Balloon.

Our first day was over.  It was long, fun, and ultimately exhausting. But totally worth it. Day One (Thursday) brought the chance to meet some great authors, the chance to pick up some great reads that could be our next favorite books, and the chance to meet fellow readers and bloggers.

It was a great day all in all. And after it was said and done, I was ready for Friday, the twelve-hour day that lay ahead of Miss Print and I.

Stay tuned for Part II of my BEA Recap.