Recap: ALA Midwinter 2012

Last weekend, I was fortunate to be able to attend ALA Midwinter 2012 in Dallas, TX! Stacy from Girls in the Stacks generously let me stay in her home, along with Katie of Mundie Moms. Really, I can't thank Stacy and her family enough! We had such a fun weekend together.

#ALAMW12 was... awesome, fun, and overwhelming! I mean, with all the BOOKS and publishers, beautiful displays, and everything... Friday evening, opening day, was a sensory overload. After just a couple of hours I somehow managed to leave with an overflowing bag of books. Then we went to the blogger/author dinner at Campisi's which was organized by Jen Bigheart at I Read Banned Books and the TX bloggers. It was crazy fun, 80+ bloggers/authors attended! Below is a picture taken at the dinner by Jen Bigheart.

Katie, Andye & Amy @ReadingTeen, Stacy, Yara @OnceUponaTwilight, Nancy, and me

Saturday was a full day visiting all the exhibits and hanging out with fellow book bloggers! We couldn't resist posing for a photo with the Muppets :). Unfortunately, even though we had the guy take something like 5+ pictures... all of them turned out blurry!

Stacy & Nancy @GirlsintheStacks, Me, Katie @MundieMoms, and Ginger @GReadsBooks

Another highlight from Saturday was chatting with THE Katherine Tegen, of the Harper Collins imprint Katherine Tegen Books (think Divergent, and Love & Leftovers)! Yes, she exists, and is so nice! We all geeked out and had to take turns getting a picture with her... here's mine:

The fabulous Katherine Tegen... and me. 

John Green @ Dallas Library

Sunday was pretty much a day of John Green, and also the YA Romance Panel. Stacy and I went to see Green's social media presentation in the morning, and also his talk about banned books at the Dallas Library that night. He is full of awesomesauce. I had him sign my copy of Paper Towns and personalize my signed copy of The Fault in Our Stars (BTW, mine has a red J squiggle). I wanted a picture with him but they weren't allowed... I was a little disappointed but I understood, if he took pictures with everyone the line would have been crazy long... It was really cool to see so many teenage nerdfighters at the library's public event. They were sooooooo excited to be there and to see him. 

Seriously, ALAMW12 was such a fun weekend! I was so excited to meet blogger/twitter peeps... like Melina @ Reading Vacation, HD @ Reading Writing Breathing, Lauren @ 365 Days of Reading, Jess @ Gone with the Words, Lindsi @ Books, Sweets, and other Treats, Kate @ Exlibris and many more (sorry, I just can't list everyone here)! I also met some great authors, and just to name a few: Lauren Myracle, Sophie Jordan, Mandy Hubbard, and Tom Angleberger!

Me, Lauren @ 365 Days of Reading, and Katie @Katie's Book Blog

I am so thankful that I had the opportunity to attend this conference. I shipped 4 (yes four) book boxes home via media mail and I hope they arrive soon! It will seriously be like Christmas morning :). I'm exhausted, but I'm already looking forward to the next event, when we can all meet up again (BEA anyone?).

Author Signing: Garth Stein

In October, I had the opportunity to attend a Garth Stein reading/signing event at the Tattered Cover.

Stein was going to read from Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog, the middle grade adaptation of The Art of Racing in the Rain, which I love, love, LOVE! However, being at the end of his tour, he wanted to do something different. So instead, he read one of his short stories about 2 kids surviving a catastrophic earthquake in Seattle where they escape with the help of hundreds of birds. I wish I could remember the title! The story was packed with action, adventure, and family. I was sad when it came to an end, but he did mention that he was considering developing it into a MG/YA novel.

Garth Stein reading us his short story.

I was really excited to attend this event since I had finished listening to The Art of Racing in the Rain audiobook a few weeks beforehand. It's seriously one of my favorite reads of 2011 and I've been telling ALL my friends and family to read it :). I loved hearing him talk about what inspired the story/Enzo. Also, it was great hearing about how he fired his agent that didn't believe in his story because it was told from a dog's perspective. He knew that he had written something special, and believed whole-heartedly in his novel. I'm so thankful that he was so persistant with getting it published!  

A blurry picture of me with Garth.

If you're a dog lover, I highly recommend The Art of Racing in the Rain. This book is for everyone (men and women), and with the middle grade adaptation, it's for all ages too! I've had friends tell me that they weren't sure they could read it because it's a sad book about a dog... that it would upset them. Yes, it's a little sad in parts, but for reference, it's not nearly as sad as Marley and Me! I promise it's not too sad. It's an inspiring and humorous story about family, loyalty, and navigating life. Please read it, you can thank me later!

Below is the synopsis from goodreads. The cover pictures for both the adult and middle grade adaptation are Amazon links.

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side.

A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it. (Goodreads)

Author Signing: Laini Taylor & Giveaway

Last month I attended the Laini Talor reading/signing event for Daughter of Smoke and Bone at the fantastic Boulder Book Store.

It was great hearing Laini talk about her book, Daughter of Smoke & Bone, which I loved. I found it interesting that she traveled to Prague to research another story about vampires, and ended up using that experience for Daughter of Smoke & Bone. She was originally thinking of setting it in New York or Florence. She also read a few passages which showed her protagonist Karou's personality while also introducing us a little to the magic of the story and the hierarchy of wishes... enough of a tease to make me want to start reading immediately!

Laini Taylor prepping us for the passage she read from Daughter of Smoke and Bone.

After the reading, she opened up to questions from the audience. I really enjoyed learning that she's a bit of a perfectionist (like me) and how she learned to work with her brain - knowing her strengths and weaknesses. She shared that while writing, she keeps the manuscript open on one side of the screen, and next to it, another document that she allows herself to write freely. When she described this I was nodding like an idiot because that's how I work! I'm not a writer, but for my job I have to write test and validation reports. I usually have the report open on one side and a document open next to it where I keep notes, ideas, and draft paragraphs/sections. I've never known anyone else to do this (but I've never really asked so maybe it's more common than I think)! I really like learning how authors approach the writing process so I just ate up this information. She also shared that she doesn't usually follow an outline, and that she loves revising but hates first drafts (me too!).

Clementine, Laini Taylor, and me :)

Afterwards, I had 2 copies (yes... two, one for me and one for one of my lovely readers!) of Daughter of Smoke & Bone signed, and also a paperback copy of Lips Touch, which is illustrated by her husband Jim Di Bartolo, who also signed my copy! Since I was one of the last ones in line, I was fortunate to chat with them all for a bit. It was great meeting Laini and her family, they are all so warm and friendly, and her daughter Clementine is just adorable! Oh, and I just love Laini's pink hair - I wish I was that bold!

I feel sooooo lucky to have been able to meet Laini Taylor. I wish I had been able to read Daughter of Smoke & Bone beforehand so I could have asked her more questions about the incredible world she created and her characters. I finished it yesterday and I'm still reeling! I'm drafting my review and I'm just at a loss right now on how to use words to describe my love for the story, the world she built, and the characters. Seriously.

I'm sharing my love for this book by giving one of my readers a signed copy of Daughter of Smoke & Bone! I feel torn about this, and I haven't done this in a while, but I am requiring that entrants are followers. I'm so thankful to each of you, for making my blogging experience so incredible, and I want to gift this book to one of you. This is easily one of my favorite reads of 2011, and is proudly displayed on my favorites bookshelf. I'm so excited to share it!

To enter, click "read more" and fill out the Rafflecopter:

Pen Fatale Tour: Author Signing!

This past week I was lucky to be able to attend the Pen Fatale panel discussion at one of my favorite bookstores, the Tattered Cover with Katie from Katie's Book Blog. We had a fantastic time!
 

Included on the panel were: Jessica Brody (My Life Undecided), Alyson Noel (The Immortals series), Mary E. Pearson (Jenna Fox Chronicles), and Gabrielle Zevin (All These Things I've Done). The panel discussion was moderated by Claire Martin, book reviewer for the Denver Post. I thought she did a fantastic job with asking insightful questions about both the books and the authors. The audience also asked some really great questions and there was some great discussion. 

All the authors were so open and friendly! I loved hearing more about the books and the stories behind them - what made them come to be. I'm embarrassed to admit that I have yet read any books from these authors, but after meeting them I wish I could read them ALL. Now! 

Here are some pictures from the event:

You can see from the group picture, that I was totally geeking out about meeting these authors! The Pen Fatale Tour was the first author event I've ever been to, and it was so much fun :). With the tour only going to 6 cities, I felt lucky to attend... and wanted to share it with my readers. So... I snagged a second poster and had it signed so I could give it to one of you! It's super easy, just submit your name and email to enter, contest ends October 31st.