So, I probably should've posted this about a week ago, but things have been busy in LibrariYAn land, so it just didn't happen. Alas. A week later than planned, here's my recap...
From start to finish, my day at BEA was pretty fantastic. I went in armed with the following plan:
Step 1: Get ARC* of Catching Fire
Step 2: Visit publisher booths and collect as many cool YA ARCs as possible
Step 3: Attend the YA Editor's Buzz to learn about hot upcoming fall titles
Step 4: Depart en route NJ with bags of books
And pretty much, that's exactly how the day went, except that I was able to acquire two ARCs of Catching Fire and once I was there I learned of another hot ARC that I HAD to get my hands on before proceeding to Step 2. What ARC was that, you ask? Why, it was the second book in Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Ask and the Answer. The first book in the trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go, was a big hit, and many people I've talked to thought it was even better than the first book a certain other trilogy whose second book I was quite hungry to get my hands on at BEA. But, they'd given out all the ARCs. Luckily, one of the kind folks at the Candlewick booth took down my info. and had one shipped to me! It arrived yesterday and is patiently waiting on my TBR pile.
But on to Step 2: The collection of cool YA ARCs from the exhibitor booths. It seems every librarian I've talked to collected a completely different set of ARCs than I did. I'm jealous of some of theirs, and proud of mine. Since I'm headed to a middle school come the fall, you'll note my titles span for ages 12-18. Here's what I brought home and will reading this summer:
Bloomsbury
Forest Born by Shannon Hale (fourth book in Books of Bayern/Goose Girl series)
From start to finish, my day at BEA was pretty fantastic. I went in armed with the following plan:
Step 1: Get ARC* of Catching Fire
Step 2: Visit publisher booths and collect as many cool YA ARCs as possible
Step 3: Attend the YA Editor's Buzz to learn about hot upcoming fall titles
Step 4: Depart en route NJ with bags of books
And pretty much, that's exactly how the day went, except that I was able to acquire two ARCs of Catching Fire and once I was there I learned of another hot ARC that I HAD to get my hands on before proceeding to Step 2. What ARC was that, you ask? Why, it was the second book in Patrick Ness' Chaos Walking Trilogy, The Ask and the Answer. The first book in the trilogy, The Knife of Never Letting Go, was a big hit, and many people I've talked to thought it was even better than the first book a certain other trilogy whose second book I was quite hungry to get my hands on at BEA. But, they'd given out all the ARCs. Luckily, one of the kind folks at the Candlewick booth took down my info. and had one shipped to me! It arrived yesterday and is patiently waiting on my TBR pile.
But on to Step 2: The collection of cool YA ARCs from the exhibitor booths. It seems every librarian I've talked to collected a completely different set of ARCs than I did. I'm jealous of some of theirs, and proud of mine. Since I'm headed to a middle school come the fall, you'll note my titles span for ages 12-18. Here's what I brought home and will reading this summer:
Bloomsbury
Forest Born by Shannon Hale (fourth book in Books of Bayern/Goose Girl series)
Girl in the Arena by Lise Hai (a gladiator's daughter steps into the arena - sounds Hunger Games-esque)
Lady Macbeth's Daughter by Lisa Klein (what if MacBeth had a daughter?)
Liar by Justine Larbalestier (unreliable narrator tells her story)
A Whole Nother Story by Dr. Cuthbert Soup (Series of Unfortunate Events-ish)
Walker Books (for Young Readers)
Demon Princess: Reign or Shine by Michelle Rowen (girl learns she's part demon, and is heir to the throne)
Breathless by Jessica Warman (semi-autobiographical tale of talent, boarding school and family secrets)
The Tear Collector by Patrick Jones (vampires that feed on your tears)
Little, Brown
School of Fear by Gitty Daneshvari (scaredy cat kids go to an exclusive school to help overcome their fears and find there's more to afraid of than they thought)
Soulstice: The Devouring Book 2 by Simon Holt (demons inhabit human bodies; trouble ensues)
Amulet
Troy High by Shana Norris (retelling of Homer's Illiad with rival high schools and football)
Charlesbridge
The Importance of Wings by Robin Friedman (fitting in and standing out)
Kids Can Press
Recipe for Disaster by Maureen Fergus (the arrivel a new girl threatens to burn Francie's perfectly baked life)
Recipe for Disaster by Maureen Fergus (the arrivel a new girl threatens to burn Francie's perfectly baked life)
I've about halfway through Liar and plan to finish it today. It's pretty good, and I'm just waiting for that "gotcha" moment when it all comes together - or falls apart. Not sure which I'll read next, but am open to suggestions, if there's one you'd love for me to preview on the blog. Let me know in the comments.
But back to the Expo...After a morning of schlepping around, it was time for some lunch. With tote bags filled to the brim and aching shoulders, my next stop was the Young Adult Editor's Buzz.
Stay tuned for my next installment of the Belated BEA Recap to see what editors are forecasting to be this fall's biggest YA books.
* For those new to the terminology, an ARC - Advance Reader's Copy - is an uncorrected proof. Publishers create these and distribute them to reviewers, librarians and booksellers in advance of the release of a book to generate buzz for a upcoming title. ARCs are generally low-quality, unpolished, unfinalized versions of the books they will become. They are NOT items for sale and are NOT the real book. There's typically additional copyediting, artwork and sometimes entirely rewritten passages before the ARC becomes a published book.
Congratulations on succeeding with your plan. I am so jealous of "The Ask and the Answer". I can't wait to get my hands on a copy! Happy reading :)
ReplyDeleteOoooh, Forest Born. It's the only Shannon Hale I haven't read - SO jealous!!
ReplyDeleteWow, you have one form Shannon Hale? Lucky!
ReplyDelete"Liar" sounds good, I'll have to read it. But "Troy High" sounds kind of like "Avalon High", by Meg Cabot.
Wow, it sounds like a terrific time. I have a copy of Forest Born too, but haven't cracked it yet. Time to get moving!
ReplyDeleteI was the copy editor on Forest Born, Girl in the Arena, and A Whole Nother Story (which I just finished last night). You are in for a treat on all three--those folks at Bloomsbury really know what they're doing! :)
ReplyDelete