BEA 2017 Wrap Up!

Another year, another great BEA in the books. Unlike last year, BEA 17 was held at The Jacob Javits Center in NYC. I am so thankful for this because I honestly don't think I would have been able to go if BEA was in Chicago again. This year BEA was a little difficult for me as far as carrying books and staying on my feet all day as I am a few months pregnant. Also, I was representing the school district I now work for as an intern for the School Psychology department, which was amazing! BEA was still so much fun and I met a few great friends that I hope to catch up with at forthcoming book expos!

Not only that, but I was able to see a few of my favorite authors again and meet new authors! This year, I was so excited to see Holly Black (again) and meet James Patterson! I initially met Holly in 2015 at an independent bookstore for her release of The Darkest Part of the Forest, a stand-alone faerie novel that I absolutely loved! Seeing her again was so amazing and adding to it that I snagged a copy of The Cruel Prince, the first in a new trilogy being published in January 2018 (Yes, I am almost finished with this novel and I can't WAIT to tell you how much I love it). I also had the opportunity to meet James Patterson. His line was a little insane, but I'm still so happy I was able to meet him as I'm a huge fan of his novel Cradle and All and can't wait to start his new book The Store, being published this August!

I also was able to get a bunch of novels that I can't wait to read!! I am actually almost finished with The Cruel Prince by Holly Black, and so far I'm obsessed with it. You can expect a review of this forthcoming novel shortly!! Another novel that I'm super excited about is There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins. I know a lot of people are prior Stephanie Perkins fans, however I've never read anything by her. I'm starting to love the horror genre more and more so that's the main reason this one is so high on my to-read list! Another one I can't wait for is Gunslinger Girl by Lyndsay Ely, a genre-blending dystopian/western. A lot of these, I have talked about on my Waiting on Wednesday feature, but check out the picture of my favorite and most anticipated BEA 17 snags.

I saw my friend Heather over at the Harper Collins who had a slew of cute little charms representing upcoming HC novels! She gave me this adorable dragon charm that represents Before She Ignites by Jodi Meadows, being published this September! Follow Heather on Twitter at @heatherdoss to see the cutest pictures of her cats and talk about books you are excited about! She's the best!

Another thing about BEA I'm so happy about is the number of graphic novels being published! I am a recent fan of the genre, and there are so many great graphic novels currently being published. Here a picture of the graphic novels I received this year at BEA, plus Pashmina (not pictured). One reason I'm so in love with graphic novels is that they are great for struggling and apprehensive readers. When working with these students, I love to recommend graphic novels because they are often much more enjoyable for them to read!

My co-blogger, Cassie, was unable to attend BEA this year due to work constraints. BUT I was able to get a few books for her! Of the books I got for her, I'm excited to hear her opinion on Invictus by Ryan Graudin, Unearthed by Meagan Spooner and Amie Kaufman, and Fireblood by Elly Blake, the follow-up to Frostblood! Stay tuned for her reviews of these anticipated releases plus more!!

Did you go to BEA this year? What was your favorite part? I am hoping to make it again next year, but next May I will be a momma to a 6 month old baby! So, we'll see if I'll be able to make it!


- Jocelyn