Friday, June 8, 2012

Library Loot LIII ... and a BEA Story

BEA 2012 Story. 


Around this time last year, I wrote a Library Loot & BEA story post about how I went into the city one evening during the Book Expo of America (BEA) to meet book blogging friend Michelle [Red Headed Book Child] for dinner. While I was walking to the Javits Center from Penn Station one day in June 2011, I unexpectedly bummed into the marvelous dynamic duo Ana and Thea of The Book Smugglers on the streets of New York [We had met online in 2008 and in person in 2010]. Granted they were attending BEA but still ... what are the odds of being on the same street, the same side of the street at the same time, right?

This year I went into the city on Tuesday evening to meet up with some wonderful book blogging friends who were attending BEA 2012. While I was walking to the Javits Center, I thought it be funny if I bumped into Ana and Thea on the sidewalk again. But really... what are the odds of that? Well. I was about to cross 11th Avenue at 34th and you're not going to believe it, but I bumped into Thea! Wow. Two years in a row. Can that even be called a coincidence?!!!

In the Javits Center I met up with Kristen [fantasybookcafe.com] and Janice [Janicu's Book Blog] and then was joined by Kate [Babbling about Books and More] and Ana [The Book Smugglers] all of whom I've met before. I also met with Leanna Renee Hieber, author and friend of Kate, and for the first time, I met Jessica [Read React Review], who I admire very much. After hanging out for a while over a snack and some iced coffee, Kristen and Janice left for a sci/fi event at the New York Public Library, Ana left to met Thea for a party, and Kate, Leanna, Jessica and I went out to dinner and chatted some more. Of course we chatted about the expo and books and a whole bunch of other stuff. Such a nice evening and I was home just after 9:30pm! Example #16 why I love where I live. :)

Where you at BEA? Did you like it?

Library Loot: 

Here's a look at my latest library loot.

First is a recently released cookbook that I borrowed as soon as it came in, The Homemade Pantry by Alana Chernila. I had to return it already because it's only a 14 day book and there is a hold list for it, but I did jot down a frew recipes and I'm either going to borrow it again or just buy it for myself! I love this book!




Yesterday I came home with this pile of books:


 from left to right: 


DK Eyewitness Travel Guides for London and Scotland. 
I also looked for one for Iceland at two of my local libraries and didn't find one. Can you guess where we're going on vacation this summer? So excited!!!

V For Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Graphic novel.
This one consistently pops up on the top of goodreads Listopia lists for the best graphic novels, so I thought I'd check it out. I have not seen the movie either so I'm very curious.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare
This version is published by HarperTeen imprint of Harper Collins Publishing and comes across as an appealing way to introduce Shakespeare to teen readers who perhaps shy away from the classics or books that are considered "stuffy." It has some Extra sections--including a love quiz at the end. Pretty cute. I'm reading this for my Once Upon a Time challenge.

Bean by Bean: a cookbook by Crescent Dragonwagon.
I saw this cookbook reviewed by Beth Fish Reads for Weekend Cooking months ago, and she really liked it. I already flipped through it and found some great information on cooking with beans and many delicious sounding recipes. Soups, stews, salads and even sweets from many diverse ethnic cuisines. I want to try so many of them!

It just so happened that the library was having another used book sale and I showed immense restraint and only came home with three books!

Blood and Gold by Anne Rice.
A few years ago I bought nearly the entire set of Vampire Chronicles books at the used book sale for maybe $5. My friend Mariana gave me a few that I didn't have a year or so after that and now I found one more! When I first started reading romance, I devoured a lot of paranormal vampire romance and thought this would be a neat collection to have, even though I know it's not romance. I don't know if I'll ever read them, but I like having them on my bookshelf.

The Edinburgh Dead by Brian Ruckley
This book caught my eye because of the title. Since we will be visiting Edinburgh on vacation this summer, I thought why not read this book that takes place there before I go! It will be perfect for the Book Pilgrimage Challenge I am participating in. The one I didn't tell you about yet! Oops.

On first glance, I thought this book was an historical murder mystery, but upon a closer look, I see it is published by Orbit books. Which means fantasy! Now I'm thinking it's an historical murder mystery fantasy novel. I'm very intrigued!

His At Night by Sherry Thomas
When I asked Jessica on Tuesday night who some of her favorite authors are, historical romance writer Sherry Thomas was one she mentioned. While I do have one or two of Thomas' books on my TBR pile somewhere, I still haven't read any of her works. So when the yellow-gold cover of His At Night jumped out at me at the used book sale yesterday, I took it as a sign and snatched it up!

What books do you have out from the library right now?

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire from The Captive Reader and Marg from The Adventures of an Intrepid Reader that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries! This week's Library Loot is at ???

22 comments:

  1. I'm waiting for The Homemade Pantry. Great to know it looks like a keeper.
    If I lived closer to NY I would have gone to BEA. Someday I'll make it there :)

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  2. England and Scotland sounds like an amazing vacation! Hope you have a fantastic time.

    It was so great to see you, even if only for a little while! I wish we'd been able to spend more time with you than we did.

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  3. You DID make it into the city after all. I wish I was there. :(

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  4. It was so great to see you again :)

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  5. COOL!
    And yay, that was a lovely BEA story!
    And now I want that Pantry book! :D

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  6. What a lovely time it sounds like you had!! And it sounds like you found some good books from the library as well :) Double bonus if I do say so myself!

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  7. Wait, that's ALL the library books you have checked out?

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    1. What a great coincidence and sounds like a lovely evening! Oh to have a teleportation device!

      I haven't been to the library in AGES...for a book that is :) Still reading eBooks, but Lover Reborn will be my next library book *evil grin*

      And I enjoyed His At Night :) Happy reading - great loot!

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  8. I really missed seeing you there, Christine! Dang it.

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  9. Not sure how my comment ended up as a reply - sorry!

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  10. Your trip into the city sounds like fun! And what a trip you have planned for this summer! I've always wanted to go to Iceland because my husband was born there. And England and Scotland will be such fun to explore. Can't wait to see your pictures. You shouldn't have any problem getting pictures for your Project 362. :)

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  11. BEA was amazing. This was my first year attending, and I feel like I learned a lot and will be a much better blogger as a result. I went to the NYPL SF/F event and loved it; I already read one of the books that one of the authors was reading from because I got so sucked into the story that I couldn't stop after just hearing that one little part.

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  12. Linda.. I want to go back and borrow The Homemade Pantry again. I read parts of it and flipped through all of the recipes, but I didn't get the chance to read every word yet. I think you'll really like it.

    Kristen.. Next time you're in the city, we need to plan a better visit. Some more time to talk. It was nice to visit though, even if it was only an hour or so. :)

    Michelle... I did! But it was planned all very haphazardly. I was going to go Monday but something came up and then I threw together plans to go in on Tuesday pretty last minute. My time was limited, but I made the most of it. I wouldn't have been able to go to Brooklyn with you that evening if you had come it. It would have been too much traveling.
    Maybe next year you'll make it to BEA again?!

    Kate.. As always. :)

    Alex.. It was a fun mini non-BEA adventure for me. ha ha!

    samantha.1020 ... A double bonus book week, indeed! :)

    Lisa... No I have at three other books on my shelf from the library. I get a little antsy if I have too many books out at once with all different due dates. Drives me batty keeping track not to mention it keeps me from all the books I already own that have not been read!

    orannia... Yeah, I'm still waiting for that teleportation device too! Or even to know a Tk Psy who can teleport, right?

    Looking forward to your thoughts on Lover Reborn!

    Angiegirl.. I missed seeing you, too. It was really all my fault. I told you I'd email you about my possible drive by but I sort of through my trip together so haphazardly. I'm terribly sorry. You're one of my favorite people, too! xo You'll just have to come again next year. :)

    Leslie.. Oh wow. Your husband was born in Iceland? How long did he live there? Our visit there will be short.. was supposed to be two days but we mixed up some reservations and I think it might just be one day now, but we'll make the most of it! We tend to do whirlwind tours. lol! I'm looking forward to our trip!

    Grace... So glad to hear you had fun at BEA! And you went to the NYPL SF/F event. I'm thinking we sort of met? I was the non-BEA tag wearing person who met up with Kristen and Janice at the end of the day Tues. and I think maybe you came up to us and talked about strategy for getting on line for your favorite books/authors? Small world. :)

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  13. Oh! I wish I knew you were going, I wanted to go but not alone... I've never been and wasn't sure of what all needed to happen. Maybe next year?

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  14. That's such a coincidence! An awesome one! Maybe it's going to become a yearly tradition LOL. And glad that you had fun with the ladies!

    Yay on the vacation! That's going to be another awesome vacation!

    enjoy the books!

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  15. Mariana.. I should have called you! I didn't attend the expo, though. I just went to the Javits at 4pm to meet a few bloggers and then we left for dinner from there. It's tough for me to get a weekday off from my day job. ; ) Besides.. I'm not so much a book blogger anymore. I'm just me. :o) Maybe next year we'll figure something out!

    nath... Isn't that a crazy coincidence? Thea and I said the same thing.. "same spot next year?" She's living and working in NYC now, though, so hopefully we'll find another reason to see each other before BEA 2013.

    I'm looking forward to our vacation to Iceland and the UK this year. Although you know I suffer from the same pre-vacation anxiety that you do. I can't get SO happy and excited until I'm there. I worry too much about everything that has to be in order at home and for travel. I get very stressed. It's weird.

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  16. One of these days I'd love to attend BEA. How awesome is it that you met your friend in the exact spot a year later! That's freaky and cool!
    Ahh, I envy your vacation plans this summer. Supposedly I have (very) extended family (third cousins or some such) in Scotland. *g* Are you going to kiss the Blarney Stone? *g*

    I hope your week goes well!

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  17. Ha! I have found that you can see people you know in lots of different places. I have had that happen a couple of times now!

    Hope you enjoy your loot ... and your trip!

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  18. Christine, what are the odds? That's so great that you met Ana again and better yet, that you got to go to dinner and had some fun with all those great ladies. :) I'm so glad.

    I planned to go to BEA this year, but was discouraged when I tried to register early and it turned into a bit of a mess. Later on I just didn't even think of it again! Totally forgot about it until the posts started going up all over the place. *g*

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  19. OH PS: I love that you got the graphic novel, V for Vendetta. I always wanted to read that. :)

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  20. I have to correct myself. I said in my post and previous comment.. I was supposed to go in on Tuesday and ended up switching it last minute to Wednesday. I was off a day in my post. See how disorganized I am? :/

    Brandy.. Isn't the Blarney Stone in Ireland? Or are there more than one? Only Iceland, England and Scotland on this trip.. so no kissing stones. lol!

    Marg.. Isn't it crazy when you meet people you know in far away places? Once we bumped into a colleague of my husband's while hiking in Yosemite!

    I think I forgot to link my loot post. Sorry.. and glad you found me anyway. :)

    Hils... Now I feel doubly badly for not letting you and Mariana know I was going into the city. I didn't attend anything connected to BBC or BEA though.. I just went in after hours for a bit to meet up. Kind of pulled together last minute, but I still should have called you two. Sorry!

    I haven't picked up V for Vendetta yet, but soon! ; )

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    1. Oh no! Don't feel bad, Christine! It's good that you went and had a good time. It's like I said... I forgot all about it. *g*

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