Books: Book Expo America 2011

Book Expo America is my happy place. This year I had the opportunity to attend two full days of programming. That means that I walked more than fifteen miles within the Javits Center, schlepped more than twenty books at any given time, met a fair share of famous authors and celebrities, and, oh yeah, went to business meetings. Here is a not-so-brief, chronologically ordered, list of the daily highlights.


Tuesday
8 - 9:30am - Children's Author Breakfast
  • Katherine Paterson
  • Brian Selsnick
  • Keven Henkes
  • Sarah Dessen
  • Julianne Moore
9:30am - Met Jon Scieszka for the second time and had him sign the new Guys Read book with two other authors. That man is hilarious. I saw him do the book cart drill at ALA with Mo Willems... now that was probably the funniest thing I have ever seen. Delightfully nerdy.

10am - Met Katherine Paterson for the first time. Yes, it was amazing.

11 - 12pm - Met with Dover Publications for a business meeting and found out that the editor I work with is also in a band. Although his isn't as nerdy as mine.

2 - 2:30pm - Stopped by the Young Adult Editor's Buzz, but had to leave early. It was a madhouse in there!

3:20pm - Barely made it to the R.L. Stine signing.

4:30pm - Met Gail Carson Levine for the second time. She's lovely. Her books make me happy.

4:45pm - Met Laini Taylor and got a copy of her new book, Daughter of Smoke and Bone. I am looking forward to the sexy.

5pm - Met The Girls in the Stacks for a brief moment before heading home.

Wednesday
11am - Stood still for one moment and saw Laurie Halse Anderson, Laini Taylor, Melissa Marr, and David Levithan wander by separately.

12:45pm - Met and took a picture with Michael Moore.
1pm - Ate a surprisingly delicious brisket sandwich at Javits. For those of you who know Javits, you know why this is noteworthy.

2pm - Sat with Lori Ess, Robyn Schneider, and Karen Halpenny at the Middle Grades Editor Buzz. Participated in book snagging.

5 - 8:30pm - Naptime!  I woke up at 8:30, ate dinner, and then went back to sleep.  Seriously, Javits does something to you.


Stay tuned over the next week for a list swag and signatures!