BEA 2015 Recap Part I

Tuesday, May 26, 2015

So after five days of Harry Potter fun, I headed to New York City and met up with Selina to enjoy a week of everything bookish. I took an Amtrak train from South Station late morning on Tuesday and arrived into the city around 3:20ish. The hotel was about 6 or so blocks from Penn Station and I met up with Selina at the hotel. We ended up going to a local market around the corner and made a nice pasta dinner with salad with bread and butter.

I was running a bit late for the Jenny Han's P.S. I Still Love You Release party but I did attend. I was fine navigating the subway but once I got off the subway, I was walking toward the wrong direction. It took me awhile to find where Powerhouse Arena is located but I made it! I purchased two copies of P.S. I Still Love You, one for me and one for Elizabeth from Book YAbber and Novelty Podcast. I met up with Emma from Miss Print upstairs along with my OTSPSecretSister aka Nicole from The Book Bandit. Can I say that Nicole is the best secret sister ever? I always look forward to her cute notes and well picked out surprises. I was super excited to meet Emma and Nicole since I've been talking to them on Twitter for quite some while. I met up with Melissa from Novelty Podcast who introduced me to Britt from Please Feed the Bookworm.

Jenny Han's Release Party!

The release party was quite epic. There was a makeover area, a nail area, photo shoot area where you can "sit" in Lara Jean's room and of course the signing with Jenny Han. Since I arrived late, I received an orange ticket. Groups were called up by ticket color in order to minimize the craziness. When my ticket was called, I went to stand in the signing line. I finally got to meet Jenny and it was pretty epic! Jenny said I looked familiar and then remembered my name. It totally made my day. I was able to get a picture with Jenny after she signed my copy of To All the Boys I've Loved Before, P.S. I Still Love You and My True Love Gave to Me. I had her personalize and sign a copy of P.S. I Still Love You for my friend Elizabeth as a super early birthday present. Let's say that Elizabeth was super happy about this!

Thanks Melissa for taking this photo!

Melissa and I were able to get our photos taken at the photo booth. Of course I blinked in my copy of the photo and Melissa half blinked in her copy. Emma, Nicole and I ended up walking back to get the train and I ended up planning Wednesday's schedule with Selina before heading to bed.

Melissa and I at release party's photo booth

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Let's say that Selina and I woke up around 9:00-10:00 since the Exhibit Hall at the Javits wasn't opening until 1:00. This is the only day we were able to sleep in and we took advantage of it. Selina and I had breakfast at the hotel before walking to the Javits. Let's just say that our hotel is less than a 15 minute walk and I already heard stories about the shuttle running late. Some people I knew on Twitter tweeted that they were waiting 30-60 minutes for the shuttle. Selina checked in her bag before we picked up the Publisher's Weekly Show Daily. I didn't bring a bag because it was a half day and I planned to share Selina's bag. There were so many things in the Show Daily that I had to revamp my Wednesday schedule. We didn't line up until 12:50ish. We didn't plan to line up for Truthwitch was a plus for us since we were able to hit more booths instead of waiting in the crazy line.

The Exhibit Hall in the morning

I thought Wednesday was going to be my calmest day. I only had two things on my list that I had to do. I wanted to make it to the drop for Tonight the Streets Are Ours by Leila Sales and I wanted to meet Mike Curato for an in-booth signing of Little Elliot, Big Family. Meeting Mike was a must for me since I missed the chance to meet him last year at BEA. Little did I know that there were tons of drops on Wednesday. I picked up galley drop schedules at most of the publishers that I was interested in. These schedules were major lifesavers. I believe I picked up the most ARCs this day and it also freed up my schedule for Thursday and Friday. I wanted to spend more time in the Autographing Area on Thursday and Friday so I definitely took advantage of the scheduled drops, primarily HarperCollins drops and maybe one Penguin drop.

I believe I went to two ticketed signings in the Autographing Area but I caught the end tails of both lines in order to maximize my time on the floor. I was fortunate to pick up a galley of The Copper Gauntlet. Britt and I were asking Scholastic if they had more copies in the back. I am surprised there wasn't a line this year. I remember I had to wait at least 20 minutes for The Iron Trial drop last year. I picked up a copy of Illuminae for my friend Molly from Cherry Blossoms & Maple Syrup before attending more of the scheduled events. I was fortunate enough to meet Margie from Bumbles and Fairy-Tales very briefly when I was waiting in the Tonight the Streets Are Ours drop line. I love her little bee Moo business cards. They are so adorable! I also met Dana from Dana Square in the same drop line was well. It's so nice to meet people in person.

Meeting Mike Curato was pretty awesome. I got a ticket at Macmillan 30 minutes prior to the signing and of course I got number three! Elizabeth and I were able to take a picture with Elliot and his big family when we waited in the Mike Curato line. It was such a cute way to get fans excited about the new book while we waited. I was super excited when Mike recognized me. I usually chat with him on Twitter and I am constantly retweeting many of his tweets. Little Elliot is super special to me not only because Little Elliot is an elephant but he reminds me of Olivia the pig and Olivia is super important to me during my high school years.

Elizabeth and I joined Little Elliot's family. Photo credit: Elizabeth and Devin

My calmest day of the week became pretty hectic and probably the busiest. I don't recall all the times of the drops but I know I went to at least 3-4 drops which had more than one book being dropped at the same time. I am pretty sure I left the Javits after the Eterna Files signing and ended up meeting Selina back at the hotel. Four hours of craziness was pretty productive. Selina and I made grilled cheese sandwiches and pasta salad before we headed to check out Carlo's Bake Shop in Times Square. After we got back to the hotel, we ended up eating dessert and started planning for Thursday.

This is how I felt on Wednesday. Thank you Selina for picking this up!

Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone

Title: Every Last Word
Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publication date: June 16, 2015
Pages: 368
Source/format: e-ARC provided by Netgalley

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com): 

If you could read my mind, you wouldn't be smiling. 

Samantha McAllister looks just like the rest of the popular girls in her junior class. But hidden beneath the straightened hair and expertly applied makeup is a secret that her friends would never understand: Sam has Purely-Obsessional OCD and is consumed by a stream of dark thoughts and worries that she can't turn off. 

Second-guessing every move, thought, and word makes daily life a struggle, and it doesn't help that her lifelong friends will turn toxic at the first sign of a wrong outfit, wrong lunch, or wrong crush. Yet Sam knows she'd be truly crazy to leave the protection of the most popular girls in school. So when Sam meets Caroline, she has to keep her new friend with a refreshing sense of humor and no style a secret, right up there with Sam's weekly visits to her psychiatrist. 

Caroline introduces Sam to Poet's Corner, a hidden room and a tight-knit group of misfits who have been ignored by the school at large. Sam is drawn to them immediately, especially a guitar-playing guy with a talent for verse, and starts to discover a whole new side of herself. Slowly, she begins to feel more "normal" than she ever has as part of the popular crowd . . . until she finds a new reason to question her sanity and all she holds dear.

My Thoughts:

Samantha (Sam) was always part of the Crazy Eights, a Mean Girls like popular clique. However, she hides a secret from most people. When Samantha was younger, she was diagnosed with Purely Obsessional Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Every day it is hard for her to stay in control. It's a struggle. Her so called best friends don't treat her like a friend. One day she meets Caroline near the lockers and Caroline introduces Samantha to the Poet's Corner, a secret underground poetry club. For Sam the Poet's Corner is a place where she can be herself and she can express her feelings through words. No longer does she have to keep her feelings bottled up inside and she does not have to pretend to be someone who she is not. The Poet's Corner is a place to be yourself and there is no judging of others. Sam had been distancing herself from the Crazy Eights in order to spend her free time or lunches at the Poet's Corner. Originally the guy in charge of the key to the Poet's Corner doesn't want Sam to join the group. Sam doesn't know why but realizes that they knew each other back in grade school. By becoming friends with the members of the Poet's Corner, Sam reinvents herself.

This Every Last Word blew me away. The novel is beautifully written and is relatable. I have not read a book with a character having OCD and never knew about the struggles one goes through to try to keep it a secret. Even the Crazy Eights don't know about Sam's condition because Sam crates a facade that she is "normal." Sam is strong. She gets knocked down but she always gets right back up. She is in control even when she thinks she is not. Even when Sam swims, she keeps her cool. Swimming helps her relieve some of the tension and helps her focus. The number three is important to Sam. Not only does she always swim in lane three and counts things in threes, three is symbolic. She even has three notebooks to write down her thoughts. Tamara Ireland Stone cleverly titled each chapter with three words. I even enjoyed reading how Sam counts in threes when she is thinking. My favorite number is three so reading about how three is symbolic makes me happy!

I am glad there is no instalove in this book. When Sam meets AJ, they don't even become friends right away. AJ didn't even want to be friends with Sam. Slowly they become friends and even something more. I love the slow burning romance. Stone includes adult figures in the novel who are shown in a positive light for a teen. Sam's parents and her therapist are super supportive of her and Sam appreciates everything they do to help her. The twist at the end caught me by surprise but it works so well with the novel. I highly recommend the Every Last Word for realistic contemporary fans and also if you enjoy reading coming-of-age novels.

There is currently a pre-order giveaway where the first 50 people will receive a personalized bookplate and a signed bookmark. You can also enter for a chance to win a Every Last Word prize pack.

MISTI-Con: Day 4 and Day 5

Check out Day 1 of my MISTI-Con adventures here, Day 2 here and Day 3 here.

Day 4

Sunday was packed full of activities and fun. I decided to wear my Weasley Wizarding Wheezes apron with a red dress and a black skirt. I woke up at a decent time and went to breakfast before attending An Introduction to the Dark Arts and Crafts: Needle Felting workshop at Belknap instructed by Nichole Kemsley. I am impressed how Nick was able to bring all the crafting supplies from Qatar to New Hampshire. She's such a good instructor too. I had no problems at all when I was following the steps of how to needle felt. Kira's mother was nice enough to donate some wool for the workshop as well. Jess and I had a lot of fun learning how to needle felt. We made a sorting hat and started a mini witch/wizard. Needle felting is easy to do and it's super relaxing. I see myself needle felting a lot of gifts in the future. I was able to start the base for Hermione's body and her hat. All other embellishments were added when I got home.

After the workshop, I stopped by the Common Room for Madam Malkins Clearance Rack. I picked up a couple of felted soaps before heading toward the Stitch and Witch workshop at Paugus. The great thing about Stitch and Witch is that attendees can bring in their crafts and work on crafty things while chatting with other people interested in the same thing. Snacks were provided as well which was a plus. Some people learned how to knit and I know a few learned how to spin yarn with a drop spindle. I was working on my little needle felted witch and left the workshop a bit early to attend a last minute Chris Rankin presentation at the Main Tent. It was nice to hear Chris Rankin read from his University thesis about Harry Potter Fandom. he also did a Q&A. For those who don't know, Chris Rankin played Percy Weasley in the Harry Potter films. I also saw an amazing Marauder's Map costume when leaving the Main Tent.

Chris Rankin went barefoot at his presentation

Marauder's Map costume

I met my boyfriend near the Gazebo Beach Bar to get some food. Before more programming, my boyfriend and I found a Ford Anglia!!! Now this is quite serious! Only at an HP convention will you find something as awesome as this. I did find a couple cars with HP themed vanity plates like one with Quaffle on it.

AHHH!!! FORD ANGLIA!!!

Afterwards, we both headed to What's Your Cuppa Tea panel that my sister was presenting. I also popped into part of Dressing like a Malfoy on a Weasley Budget: The Essentials of Thrifty Costuming panel. Both panels were quite informative.

Quite a lot of people attended the tea panel

I went the a HP Fandom in Japan panel for about 20 minutes before venturing upstairs to the main lobby where I chatted with Krissy, Cecilia and a bunch of other people before heading back to the hotel room to relax. I caught the last 15 minutes of the Costumed Tea with the Malfoys which was quite fun. It was an informal get together with everyone drinking tea and catching up. Christina and I went to the Common Room to bring leftover tea bags and snacks for others to enjoy. The great thing is that my room is in the same building as the Common Room so I went back to my room to get ready for the Ball. I also snacked on some food before heading outside. My boyfriend and I wandered around the grounds before heading to the Main Tent. I had a blast at the Ball as always. The decorations were amazing, the HP themed drinks were good and everyone loved the photo booth.

How awesome is this? The recreation of tasks in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone! Well minus the flying keys.

My sister and I at the photo booth.

A lot of people were dressed up for the ball and I loved seeing everyone's costume. Of course I saw Wormtail, Lockhart, Auror Harry, a couple of Severus Snapes and even Voldemort. The night went on until maybe a little bit after 10:00. There were many after parties that started at 11:00 and went until 2:00. I ended up going back to the room to change and shower before popping into the various parties. There was a dance party, Disney/broadway singalong, a karaoke room and a bunch of people were hanging out all night long. When I popped into the karaoke room, one of the Snapes I have encountered was singing and the people at the Disney/broadway room were belting out to a RENT number. I eventually made my way to the main lobby and was able to play Cards Against Muggles with my boyfriend, Krissy, Ni and a few other people. Can I say this game is sometimes mildly disturbing but it's so freaking hilarious and addicting? I am glad I was able to test it out at MISTI before playing it in the Muggle world.

I love this picture of Snape and Voldie.

Day 5

Monday was the last day of MISTI. I woke up around 9 something and packed the rest of my things before checking out of the hotel. The Leaving Feast was in the Main Tent and everyone was so emotional. No one wanted to leave and return to the Muggle world. MISTI is magic. It creates bonds no other fandom can create. MISTI creates long lasting meaningful friendships. Even though everyone was sad to leave, we all knew that we can reunite at MISTI 2017! Yes, there will be another MISTI and I hope I will see you there! I hope you enjoyed my recaps of my MISTI-Con 2015 trip.

I see Snape at the Leaving Feast!!!

MISTI-Con: Day 3

Check out Day 1 of my MISTI-Con adventures here and Day 2 here.

Day 3: Saturday, May 23, 2015

Saturday at MISTI-Con was pretty intense since there was so much to do. I actually slept in and missed my first panel due to me staying up to late the previous day. I ended up wearing my Marauder's robes. After a quick breakfast, I ended up attending a panel called Houses vs. Factions: Comparing Harry Potter and Divergent in Belknap. It was pretty short but the panelist opened up the floor for Q&A and also for comments. I loved listening to other peoples' opinions about how the Harry Potter houses correlate with Diverent's factions.

After the panel, I met up with Krissy to help her set up her table for the Bewitching Bazaar and Author's Alley. I ended up staying for the most of the bazaar assisting my sister with her craft table. My boyfriend and I were able to wander around the Wizarding World Fair when my sister's table wasn't super crowded. There were a lot of inflatables like the Auror's Training Course and a bouncy house which was renamed The Shrieking Shack. Lunch was pretty amazing since there were a lot of awesome food trucks around. My boyfriend and I had some hot dogs and fries from Best Dog on the Planet: Boston Trolley Dogs.

Krissy and I at Krissy's craft table

Guess who I found at the Bewitching Bazaar? Professor Sprout and Neville!

Unfortunately, I had to miss a few panels in the afternoon since the Bazaar ran from 12:00-5:00 and I was setting up from 10:30-12:00 and breaking down from 5:00 - 6:00. After a bit to eat for dinner, my boyfriend and I wandered around the Margate and ended up in the Common Room. Around 7:00, my boyfriend and I walked toward Paugus for a yarn spinning workshop. Can I say that it took me forever to to learn how to spin yarn on a metal hook. I didn't get to the drop spindle but I hope to continue learning how to spin yarn. It's pretty cool how you can take wool and transform it to yarn so quickly. After practicing during my free time in my hotel room, I finally got the hang of it and spun a pretty good amount of yarn. It's quite relaxing once I got a hang of it. One of my favorite parts of the night was seeing the rainbow sky! The Margate had an amazing view!

I took it pretty easy Saturday night because I wanted to stay up late on Sunday because of the Ball and because it's the last night at MISTI. I went to bed at a good time because I didn't want to miss my first program on Sunday morning. I did pop into the Unspeakable Party for a bit in my PJs just to see what's going on and wandered around the empty corridors.

Ministry corridor

MISTI-Con: Day 2

Check out Day 1 of my MISTI-Con adventures here.

Day 2: Friday, May 22, 2015

Friday was the first full day of MISTI-Con. So I forgot to mention that I picked up a homemade version of Cards Against Humanity but Harry Potter style. It's called Cards Against Muggles and it is seriously addicting. It became pretty popular at MISTI and it was sold out the first day. I believe the creator is adding people to a mailing list when a second batch will be made.

I had no problem waking up on time to get ready in my Hogwarts uniform and robes. Breakfast was decent before I was off to my first class...or should I say panel. My first panel was the Wizarding World of HP Universal Creative panel which was one of my favorite panels at MISTI. I met up with Dave, Krissy and a couple other people at the Blackstone Lounge. Three designers who help design the set for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (WWoHP) were there to show us how they planned and designed the sets for two of the WWoHP. There was a lovely Q&A at the end of the panel as well. The Portrait Room actually included some creative crew members in the photos which is a nice touch. All the paintings were hand painted in oil paints! I have been to the WWoHP in Orlando, Florida so I had a slight idea about some of the things they were talking about. The creative team definitely makes me want to visit WWoHP again, especially since I haven't seen Diagon Alley yet. Thank you Keith Hawk of Mugglenet for making this panel happen!

Wizarding World of HP Universal Creative panel

My boyfriend and I decided to walk around the grounds before heading to the Intro to Fandom Quilting workshop in Paugus. What I love about quilting is that it is exploratory. You can improvise and come up with something fabulous. Robin Johns Grant was our instructor and she showed us some of her amazing fandom quilts. I chose an always doe square and my boyfriend chose an owl square. What I love about crafting is how relaxing it is.

Intro to Fandom Quilting workshop

MISTI is pretty good at scheduling lunch and dinner breaks into their schedule. Most conventions do not have meal times and programming overlaps. MISTI is about having fun, to reunite with old friends and to meet new friends. By having these meal breaks, everyone can relax and catch up with one another.

After a quick bite to eat, my boyfriend and I headed to From the Closet to Cosplay: A Beginner's Guide to Costuming on a Budget roundtable at Belknap. Krissy Kelly, Christina and Ni were leading the roundtable. It was nice to hear about how to create a fabulous cosplay on the cheap. There are so many places to find nice everyday pieces that can be also used as cosplay pieces. You don't need to spend a lot of money to put something together that is amazing and unique.

A little bit before 5:00, my boyfriend and I headed down to the Pavilion to get good seats for the Merlie Costume Superlative Showcase. Although it was a bit windy today, the showcase went pretty well. There were some amazing costumes that were shown off. What I loved the most about the showcase was the little surprise at the end. A woman proposed to her boyfriend in front of everyone on stage! Of course he said yes! It was so heartfelt and definitely the perfect ending to the showcase.

Dinner was calling so my boyfriend and I went to grab some food with Alberto, Jess and Krissy at Fratello's. I love love Fratello's! They have some scrumptious food and they have huge portions. I ended up eating half my pesto chicken pappadelle for dinner and decided to save the rest for the next day.

I didn't have much planned for the rest of Friday night but I definitely took advantage of the free time to meet up with people in the Common Room and the Main Lobby. I was pretty exhausted after Day 2 and went to bed later than I planned. Overall, Day 2 went quite well! I even met the Night Bus girl aka my sister!

Krissy and I

Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures by Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures 
Author: Jackson Pearce and Maggie Stiefvater
Publisher: Scholastic
Publication date: April 28, 2015
Pages: 192
Source/format: ARC from BEA 2015

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

From bestselling authors Maggie Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce comes an exciting new series full of magical creatures, whimsical adventures, and quirky illustrations.  

Pip is a girl who can talk to magical creatures. Her aunt is a vet for magical creatures. And her new friend Tomas is allergic to most magical creatures. When things go amok—and they often go amok—Pip consults Jeffrey Higgleston’s Guide to Magical Creatures, a reference work that Pip finds herself constantly amending. Because dealing with magical creatures like unicorns, griffins, and fuzzles doesn’t just require book knowledge—it requires hands-on experience and thinking on your feet. For example, when fuzzles (which have an awful habit of bursting into flame when they’re agitated) invade your town, it’s not enough to know what the fuzzles are—Pip and Tomas also must trace the fuzzles’ agitation to its source, and in doing so, save the whole town.

My Thoughts

Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures is a cute middle grade book about magical creatures. The main character, Pip, has a special ability which allows her to talk to animals. The career day at school is the perfect way to introduce Pip and her animal talking ability. I enjoyed reading the interaction between Pip and the animals. Adults and other children think Pip might be strange but what they don't know is that Pip understands animals more than they do. No one believes Pip has this incredible ability.

What I liked about the book is how it incorporates images of magical creatures such as Unicorns and Fuzzles. Pip even includes her own notes next to the images which reminds me of how the Half-Blood Prince from the Harry Potter series adds his own notes to his Advanced Potion-Making book. Readers can see visuals of what Pip is talking about when she describes animals. Pip's friendship with a boy named Tomas made me enjoy the book even more. Strong friendships are important especially in children's books. Kids need to see what good friendships look like. They also need to see characters who are a little bit different from the mainstream because they need to learn that being different is not bad. Being different makes each person unique.

I am usually not a big Maggie Stiefvater fan because of her writing style but this one works. I believe the co-authoring between Stiefvater and Jackson Pearce is a superb collaboration. If you are looking for a quick middle grade read with a bit of magical, humorous and whimsical storytelling and characters, definitely check out Pip Bartlett's Guide to Magical Creatures.

MISTI-Con: The Beginning

Day 1: May 21, 2015

The night before MISTI-Con 2015, I had pretty much everything all packed up for the trip. My boyfriend and I left a little bit later than we wanted to on Thursday, May 21th but arrived a decent to time to Margate Resort to pick up badges. It seriously didn't hit me that I was on holiday until I arrived at the Margate, saw familiar faces and squeed about everything Harry Potter.

So sometime after registration, my friend Jill spotted me going into the Lakeside building. A week prior to MISTI, I asked Jill if she can do be a huge favor. Jill was able to pick up a copy of Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, the yellow collector's edition, from Canada since Jill lives in Canada. I was super excited about this because my plan is to collect all three Fangirl copies that just got released.

My awesome copy of Fangirl!

I attended a panel on the first day after lunch. Cecilia Tan had an informative panel about using tarot cards for storytelling and writing. I enjoyed the panel and I hope to read more about tarot cards. The hotel room was perfect. This year I opted for a Lakeview room in the Lakeside building. Not only did I have an awesome view of Lake Winnipesaukee, but it was just the perfect location to people watch. The Gazebo Beach Bar was the perfect place for my boyfriend and I to watch the sunset while eating dinner along the water. It was absolutely amazing and romantic and the same time.

Beautiful sunset near Lake Winnipesaukee

My sister opted for the Inn aka Slyther-Inn. The Margate is seriously the best place to host MISTI. Not only does the Margate have a Black Lake and a Slyther-Inn but the layout of the Margate is perfect for a magical experience.  Each room had a certain name like Room of Prophecies, there is a tunnel that connects two buildings, the main lobby is perfect for the MISTI fountain and the Mariah room was the best room for common room complete with a fireplace.

The amazing MISTI-Con fountain 

I missed most of the Opening Gala at night but I made sure to go outside of the main tent to watch the spectacular fireworks. It was definitely a great way to open MISTI-Con. Check out for more MISTI-Con recaps later this week.

Some fantastic fireworks on the lawn at the Margate