Let me take a moment to brag about Book Expo 2017

Ok, so I won't do any hardcore bragging (not a lot, anyway), but there was a TON of fangirling about all the amazing authors and people we met at Book Expo.

On June 1, Ashley and I went to Book Expo America (BEA) in NYC. It's a huge annual event where librarians, educators, and book bloggers meet up with publishers and authors and basically giggle and flail all day (that might just be the librarians, but whatevs.)

On the bus to NYC at 6:30am. We were excited, but SUPER sleep deprived.

Not only is it cool to talk to the authors and get advanced copies of their books, but we librarians also can talk to reps from publishers, get a sneak peek at their upcoming titles, and get lists and catalogs of highly anticipated upcoming releases. It basically helps us know what books you'll be looking for in the next few months. And we get tons of swag (which usually ends up in the freebie baskets at the library. We do this stuff for you, after all.)

Oh, yea. And we also had Bingo cards, just in case we got bored while waiting in the lines.

We got to cross of "Someone is asleep" right away, because I totally passed out on the way to NYC.

Our first stop was Emmy Laybourne, author of the Monument 14 trilogy and Sweet. In a very exciting moment, we randomly bumped into her before the signing began. There was a lot of "OMG YOU'RE OMG EMMY OMG LAYBOURNE OMG!!!" coming from me. (I definitely do not remain cool and collected when meeting my author heroes.) Ashley I didn't know what was more exciting: meeting her or getting advanced copies of her upcoming book Berserker (which is scheduled for released on October 10).

This is OMG EMMY OMG LAYBOURNE.

Next was the booth giving away copies of Maggie Stiefvater's All the Crooked Saints (also due to be released on October 10). We didn't get to meet Maggie or bask in the presence of her awesomeness, but we got in a massively long line for an Advanced Reader Copy giveaway and Ashley and I each scored a copy.

I stopped by the booth for Image Comics (you may or may not be aware of my undying love for Image) and freaked out over all the free issues they were giving away. (BTW, those issues will eventually be available for free at the library... after I've read them, of course.)

We had lunch, tallied up our Bingo cards (Ashley wiped the floor with me like, 3 times over), counted our tote bags (we each had about 10 for the morning), and examined our haul for the first half of the day.

Ashley's Bingo sheet. Two Bingo's before noon.

Katie's Bingo sheet. No Bingo's until 4:30. 

Not a bad haul for the first part of the day.

The highlight of my day was seeing ADAM SILVERA, author of More Happy Than Not and History is All You Left Me. I was determined to gush at him and get an advanced copy of They Both Die at the End (scheduled release date September 5). I got in line at noon for a 1:00 signing and the line was already at least 20 people deep.

Waiting in line at #BookExpo to see @AdamSilvera!!!! pic.twitter.com/E2svfH9VEC

— EAPL Teens (@EAPLTeens) June 1, 2017

By the time the signing started, the line had easily over 100 people. IT. WAS. BANANAS. Fortunately, not only did I get my advanced copy, I ALSO GOT A PICTURE WITH ADAM!!!

He was adorable and oh-so-sweet and I adore him and his books more than words can say.

From there, we got in line to see E. FREAKING LOCKHART, author of the critically acclaimed We Were Liars and a hero among book heroes. Speaking of crazy lines, we had to get in line just to get a ticket to get in line. Seriously. There were DOZENS of people waiting to see her and get her upcoming book, Genuine Fraud. We got our copies (and gushed at E. Lockhart, obvs.) so we walked away SUPER happy.

The wonderfully amazing E. Lockhart

Ashley getting her copy of Genuine Fraud signed (and fangirling)

We grabbed a few other books we were excited about too...
The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton
The Devils You Know by M.C. Atwood
Paper Butterflies by Lisa Heathfield
A Short History of the Girl Next Door by Jared Reck
Warcross by Marie Lu
The Language of Thorns by Leigh Bardugo (a sampler, not the full book. But still!)

Going to BEA is so much fun, but it's great because it also lets us reach out to authors, find out more about hot book releases for the next few months, and make connections with authors, publicists, and other librarians. Plus, we brought home tons of books... some will be added to the library's collections, some will go right to YOU guys.

If you're interested reading any of these ARCs before they're released, join us at our Teen Chat & Chew events. Participants usually get first dibs at borrowing our BEA goodies :)