Book Signing: Sarah J. Maas

   The Sarah J Maas signing was a little bit different than the Maggie Stiefvater Signing was, and the same goes for other signings I had gone to at home. Her signing was just that, a signing. As much as I would have wanted to hear Sarah talk to us about A Court of Mist and Fury, I understood the reason why she didn't. Sarah had gone to BookCon that morning/afternoon, the same thing that we had done. With us being exhausted, I wouldn't find it hard to believe that Sarah would be too, then there's that hour long drive from BookCon to Anderson's Bookshop to factor in as well. 

   Even if I was exhausted, I was still super stoked to meet her again. Even with the odd spotting at BEA, I had actually met Sarah for the first time at YALLfest 2014, although I wasn't a fan of her work quite yet.  It was a little bit after that event that I became obsessed. 

   With having to buy a copy of A Court of Mist and Fury at the event, I also bought a hardcover copy of The Assassin's Blade, ( I was having the darn hardest time finding a hardback at home), and I had also brought my ARC of A Court of Thorns and Roses to have signed.  

   The line process went as followed, when purchasing your copy of A Court of Mist and Fury, you received a ticket with a number on it, that was your place in line. We were numbers 80-something if I recall correctly. The line went up to numbers in the 200's. Luckily though, because we had our numbers predetermined for us, people with large numbers were allowed to leave and come back when it got closer tot their numbers. 

   We ended up staying and just waiting for our turn, so for the most part I ended up chatting the series with a few people standing around me, the rest of the time I started my reread of A Court of Thorns and Roses. The people we were in line with were the sweetest, one of them even blogged on Tumblr with one of my best friends at home. So that connection was really cool to talk about!

   When my turn in line was just around the corner, I was even more excited to read ACOMAF than I was before. Sarah was just as excited to see my ARC and matching ACOTAR bookmark, the only bookmark that one needs to survive. 

   She was just as sweet as before and really excited to talk to you. We discussed my ARC and Bookmark for a bit, as well as YALLFest 2014 before unfortunately it was someone else's turn to have their books signed. 

   In the end the signing was sweet and simple, and now I can gush every time I look at my Court of Thorns and Roses books!

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas

Release Date: May 3rd, 2016

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #2

Format: Hardcover, 624 pages

Description from GoodReads:

   Feyre survived Amarantha’s clutches to return to the Spring Court—but at a steep cost. Though she now has the powers of the High Fae, her heart remains human, and it can’t forget the terrible deeds she performed to save Tamlin’s people.

   Nor has Feyre forgotten her bargain with Rhysand, High Lord of the feared Night Court. As Feyre navigates its dark web of politics, passion, and dazzling power, a greater evil looms—and she might be key to stopping it. But only if she can harness her harrowing gifts, heal her fractured soul, and decide how she wishes to shape her future—and the future of a world cleaved in two.

Check Out Ohana Reads' Review Here

Check out the book that started it all.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas

Release Date: May 5th, 2015

Publisher: Bloomsbury Childrens

Series: A Court of Thorns and Roses, #1

Format: Hardcover, 416 pages

Description from GoodReads:

   When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

   As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

Check Out Ohana Reads' Review Here

 If you haven't seen my other posts from BEA you can see those here:

Maggie Stiefvater Signing

BEA: Day 1

BEA: Day 2

BEA: Day 3

BookCon 2016

   Have you met Sarah before? Were you at the signing? Would you ever want to meet her in person? Tell me your stories! I'd love to hear!

BookCon 2016

   According to all the other bloggers that I've spoken to, BookCon is a horror show. After having gone to BookCon, I can say that they were definitely not wrong. 

   Stephanie and I tried our best to get everything that we needed done while at BEA, just so that we wouldn't have to experience the horror show, but it couldn't be worse than the first Heartless ticket drop right? I was wrong.

   In the end I only had four things left on my list to do at BookCon. Signings for Cassandra Clare, Richelle Mead, the Amie Kaufman/Jay Kristoff signing and visiting the OwlCrate booth. And from the moment I got there I didn't even think I would get even get to two of them.

(Look at the skywalk.)

   The line to just enter the floor was OUTRAGEOUS, it went across two buildings, a skywalk and three floors.  Because we didn't have anything we needed in a dire need, we didn't even rush to get there, (We got there at 6:30am), but by god, if you even wanted more than one ticket to a signing you'd have had to be there super early. To get tickets, you had to go into different chutes and were only allowed one ticket per chute, and even those lines were outrageous. The two I wanted tickets for were in one chute, I knew I had a decision to make. 

   While waiting in line, it seemed like I would at least get one. So I decided that I would go for Cassandra Clare first then Richelle Mead. In the end it didn't matter because Cassandra Clare ran out before I got to the front. So I got a ticket to Richelle, where I was a little disappointed at not having gotten a ticket to Cassandra, I was still super excited at being able to meet Richelle Mead. The two of them are in my top 5 favourite authors, so getting the chance to even met one of them was phenomenal. 

   Having gotten my ticket I was good to go to the floor, unfortunately with some poorly given directions I had left admittance area and had to go to the veeeeerrry back of the line. Well that was a huge nope for me, having missed breakfast that was the first thing I got. I went back when I the line was completely gone.

   One point five hours later, I was finally on the floor exploring. My first stop was the OwlCrate booth! Having met Korrina a few days before, one of the main faces behind OwlCrate, I was super excited to see her again, especially her booth!

Corrina and I!

   They were packed! I was so happy to see them so busy! They were definitely one of the greatest hits of BookCon 2016!

My version of the shot.

   Then wandering took me to the Random House/Penguin booth again where when I was about to leave, ran into both Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff, together. I knew that the afternoon signing wouldn't allow you to pose for photos, so I texted Stephanie. I was to stall them while she ran, and apparently she actually did! With her heart condition she isn't really allowed to do that, her mom told me later that she thought Stephanie ran the fastest she ever did in her entire life. While I waited for her to arrive, I stalled with the two by asking for a photo, when I noticed them going to leave. If you look at the photos that were taken of me and them, then you'd probably laugh because I look so stressed out hoping that my stalling was working so that Steph would make it in time. In the end everything worked out nicely and that photo is probably Steph's favourite from the entire trip.

   From there it was lunch time! So I headed up to the food court with Stephanie and her mom. We spent a good while up there just looking out over all the booths. Compared to BEA, the floor was half the size but filled with 2x as many people as BEA. It was crazy. 

   Then finally at 2:00pm, I had enough of just waiting around and knowing the lines from BEA, I headed to the Richelle Mead signing line. I was apparently so early that I was the tenth person in line. It was pretty great, it also meant that I was guaranteed whatever book I wanted when it came to start time. A majority of the ticketed lines required you to make a book purchase, and so I planned on buying The Glittering Court, which is Richelle's latest release. Along with The Glittering Court, I also brought my ARC of Soundless and one of her adult books, Storm Born to get signed! 

 

Cassandra Clare, (Red/Blue hair)

   As I waited in line, and we slowly made our way up in line, the authors came out to get started. Besides noticing Richelle come out to the signing table, I also got a clear view of Cassandra Clare who was right next to us.  I couldn't help but think that that would be the closest I'd ever get to her. So I took way too many pictures to count.

Richelle Mead

   Then finally it was my turn to meet Richelle. I was just as big of a mess as I was meeting Marissa Meyer, maybe even a bit bigger. She was so kind, you could clearly see that she was tired already but that didn't stop her from interacting with you. The minute she saw my ARC of Soundless, she got excited and asked if I was a blogger, that's when the blabbering mess came out. It stayed out until after pictures were taken and everything. I just couldn't believe that I met Richelle Mead, I still can't.

Kaufman/Kristoff, Jay smiling yet
again at Steph's nickname "Doodle"

   From there I walked star-y eyed towards the Random House/Penguin booth, where the line for the Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff signing had begun. Of course I met Stephanie and her mom there, who had almost two copies of everything for them to sign. Both the hardcover and paperback ARCS of Illuminae, the finished copy and the ARC of Gemina from the day before. Unfortunately I didn't realize that the event would be ticketed as well, this was because they had more ARCs of Gemina to give away. Fortunately because I already had a copy of Gemina they let me get my book signed without a ticket.

   Then the two had one more stop that they wanted to check out before we left, (We had to leave BookCon a bit early so that we could make it in time for the Sarah J. Maas signing at Andersons.) So while they wandered off, I headed towards the Cassandra Clare signing to see if they had finished already, and see if I could by chance sneak in.

   When I got to the signing line I found a girl about my age already waiting outside of the line, I asked her if she was hoping to sneak into the signing line too. She told me that her friend was currently in line "only to buy a Cassandra Clare book", and that the security guard let her. When the girl continued to walk in the line and reach the spot that was right next to us, she looked to the guard, who happened to be right next to us, and said" I've been a good human being and listened to you, may I please sneak into the signing line?" The guard had such a big smirk, and said go ahead! So being right there, I asked if I could sneak in too, being that that was what I was trying to do as well, and he said yes, too! In the end the two friends, myself and one other girl and her mom snuck into the line. The new girl was dressed in complete Isabelle Lightwood attire, so it was really cute to see.

   I was probably just as excited and nervous as I was to meet Richelle Mead and Marissa Meyer, maybe even more so. The closer I got to the the front the more I realized who was taking photos for people, it was Ursula from @Urs_Uriarte. I'm a huge fan of her bookish photography, so meeting her was almost just as exciting as seeing Cassandra!

Cassandra Clare

   Then the moment arrived, and it was time to meet Cassandra Clare. Because all of my Cassandra Clare books are hardcover, and they would weight a ton to fly down, I had originally planned on just bringing my tarot cards to get signed and buying the new edition of Clockwork Princess, but some things changed. Stephanie, as a early, early Christmas Present had gotten me the History of Notable Shadowhunters and Denizens of the Downworld by Cassandra Clare and Cassandra Jean. So I had that on me, as well as my cards, and because I snuck in line I didn't have to buy a copy of anything. Then I also had the cover flap of Clockwork Princess for my friend to have signed.

   The minute I handed Cassandra my copy of HoNSaDotD we started talking about Cassandra Jean, and what a phenomenal illustrator she is. With her being one of my favourite illustrators, we had a bunch to talk about and really besides talking about The Infernal Devices for a bit, that's all we talked about.

   I left that line feeling over the moon, and just staggered to the BookCon entrance looking for Steph feeling at bliss. When I said tearing up on the spot, that was nothing compared to my crying when I found Stephanie.

   Having met Cassandra Clare was the perfect ending to BookCon, and BEA, it was the perfect ending to my trip.

   And that concludes my BEA and BookCon posts, stayed tuned for my Sarah J Maas signing post!

 If you haven't seen my other posts from BEA you can see those here:

Maggie Stiefvater Signing

BEA: Day 1

BEA: Day 2

BEA: Day 3
Sarah J. Maas Signing

Chicago Trip 2016

My Chicago Trip 2016

   Hi friends! As most of you all know, I went to BEA and Book Con 2016 this last week. Along with that I also went to a Maggie Stiefvater and Sarah J. Maas signing. Because there is a lot of pictures and information for each one of those days. I've decided to make a bunch of posts hat you can expect every two days or so. 

   Each post will be about a specific event or day, depending on which event it is. Examples would be a post dedicated to Maggie's signing or to Day 1 of BEA. These will be published in the order for when each event occurred. So Saturday will start with the Maggie Signing! 

   And that's what you should expect for the next while!(With the odd book review here and there) I can't wait to share my memories with you!

Chicago Hiatus

   Hey guys! 

   So I just wanted to let y'all know that from May 10th-15th, I will be in Chicago for BEA, BookCon, and the Maggie Stiefvater & Sarah J. Maas signings! So there will be a slight internet absence until the later evening(unless I can find wifi), but the blog should have posts up!

   I'm not quite sure what my schedule and plans will look like for BEA/BookCon quite yet, but if you see me around, definitely make your way over and say hello! I would love to talk! But I apologize in advance if I don't recognize you right away!  

   I can't wait for the trip, and you should most definitely expect MANY pictures and posts!

   Let me know if you'll be attending! I'd love to be able to meet you all!

 

April Monthly Wrap Up 2016

   Hello everyone! April is over, and it is finally time for May flowers! I couldn't be more excited for

May! A few sort weeks ago I very last minutely signed up to attend BEA 2016 and BookCon, and oh my gosh that's coming up so fast. I guess that's what happens when you plan a trip last minute right?
   Along with attending BEA and BookCon, I will also be at the Maggie Stiefvater signing on the 10th, as well as the Sarah J Maas signing on the 14th! If you see me at all, feel free to come and say hi!I promise that I'm super friendly and would love to meet you! And if you're a blogger then, hopefully I'll be seeing you at the Blogger Dinner?
   When it's come to packing I am honestly so stumped on what to pack book wise! Because I'm flying in I'll have a few restrictions, including a weight one. So bringing books from home to get signed, as well as picking up new books at BEA will be a struggle. So far all I know is that I need my ARC of A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas to be signed.

  here. Next months book club book is The Crowns Game by Evelyn Skye! I'm been dying to read this one for a while now, and I couldn't be happier to finally get the chance!

   Besides planning for BEA, April was a more relaxing month. The only other things that happened was a Be First Book Club meeting and a signing for Colleen Nelson, that you can read about
   That's all for this month! Expect TONS for next month, I'm sure that I'm going to be rambling on about BEA for a long time!
   Now for the stats!

Books Read:

Titans by Victoria Scott

Finding Hope by Colleen Nelson

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Book Haul:

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard (Hardcover)
Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (Hardcover)
The Crown's Game by Evelyn Stye (ARC)
True Born by L.E. Sterling (Hardcover)
The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter (Paperback)

 A huge thank you for McNally Robinson and Raincoast Publishing for two of the lovely pictures posted above! 

Books Reviewed:

Broken Crowns by Lauren DeStefano

Wink Poppy Midnight by April Genevieve Tucholke

Finding Hope by Colleen Nelson

This Is The Story of You by Beth Kephart 

Titans by Victoria Scott

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

May Books That I'm Excited For:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (3rd)
The Crown by Kiera Cass (3rd)
Traitor Angels by Anne Blackman (3rd)
Wild Swans by Jessica Spotswood (3rd)
Ruined by Amy Tintera (3rd)
True Born by L.E. Sterling (3rd)
The Crowns Game by Evelyn Skye (17th)
The Problem with Forever by Jennifer L. Armentrout (17th)
Girl Against the Universe by Paula Stokes ( 17th)
The Hunt by Megan Shepherd (24th)

   That's it for this month! What new books did you pick up this month? What were some great books that you read? Let me know in the comments! I'm always in need of a new book to add to my TBR pile!