Parallel

Author: Lauren Miller
Goodreads Rating: 4.03
Pages: 432
Format: E-ARC from Edelweiss from the Publisher

Abby Barnes had a plan. The Plan. She'd go to Northwestern, major in journalism, and land a job at a national newspaper, all before she turned twenty-two. But one tiny choice—taking a drama class her senior year of high school—changed all that. Now, on the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Abby is stuck on a Hollywood movie set, miles from where she wants to be, wishing she could rewind her life. The next morning, she's in a dorm room at Yale, with no memory of how she got there. Overnight, it's as if her past has been rewritten.
With the help of Caitlin, her science-savvy BFF, Abby discovers that this new reality is the result of a cosmic collision of parallel universes that has Abby living an alternate version of her life. And not only that: Abby's life changes every time her parallel self makes a new choice. Meanwhile, her parallel is living out Abby's senior year of high school and falling for someone Abby's never even met.
As she struggles to navigate her ever-shifting existence, forced to live out the consequences of a path she didn't choose, Abby must let go of the Plan and learn to focus on the present, without losing sight of who she is, the boy who might just be her soul mate, and the destiny that's finally within reach.

BEABlitz: HarperCollins

Today I have an extra special treat, and I am so sorry that it so late coming. With it being Mother's Day, the day sort of got away from me. (I also spent the week scrambling to get my mom a gift because HBO messed up her gift, so there was that too.) Either way, today I have an interview with one of the loveliest people I know at HarperCollins. I'm not sure if I'm allowed to name names, so to avoid that I'm just going to call her Ms. Wonderful from here on out. I actually met Ms. Wonderful at BEA last year, and we had a great conversation about the influence of mormonism on YA, and so many interesting conversations. So thank you to her for this interview!

1.) How many years have you attended BEA?

This will be my third BEA with HarperCollins Children’s Books / HarperTeen. And in case you’re wondering, even after three years of working for a publisher, the grabby hands impulse to collect as many ARCs as possible doesn’t go away.

2.) How would you compare BEA to other book conferences/events?

I actually haven’t attended a lot of book conferences, but I imagine BEA is any other book conference on steroids. It’s huge and fantastic.

3.) Any suggestions for how bloggers/librarians should approach publishers at BEA? 

Clear eyes, full hearts? Honestly, it all depends on what your goals are in approaching publishers. If you want galleys, then stick to the published times for giveaways or signings. If you’re looking for information, then ask away, but know the person you speak to might not be able to give you the perfect answer at that moment – be polite, leave a card (write your specific query on the back so we’re sure to remember), and almost assuredly that person will forward your question to someone who can answer you via email. If you’re just looking to make contacts, great! We’re often doing a lot when we’re in the booth, so if you just want to talk about exciting new books with us, try to find the times when we’re not running around for an in-booth event.  Obviously not every person working a publisher’s booth can get you galleys or author contacts, but it’s always good to present yourself as a smart, passionate book person. Again, leave your card, ask for the cards of those you speak to, and follow-up afterwards with a “great to meet you!” email. We definitely remember the people we meet and we’re always delighted to meet more book people.

4.) How much planning goes into an event like this for you and your staff?

Some groups start planning the next BEA before the current one has even begun. I work in the marketing department and we plan months in advance – publicity and marketing work very hard on cultivating a list of authors that will attend, creating materials we’ll need for distribution, printing galleys for signing and giveaways, determining if there will be other giveaways or in-booth moments, and creating booth schedules.

5.) Are there any titles from HarperTeen or imprints you're excited will be at BEA this year?

One of the best parts of working at a big publisher like HarperCollins is the sheer number of fantastic books we have in any given season. As far as debuts go, I am really excited for everyone to read FIND ME by Romily Bernard, and I’d say that even if I wasn’t working on it. The book is a great thriller and she’s a fabulous up-and-coming debut with a sharp sense of humor. Definitely make time to meet Romily, she’s signing. HE SAID, SHE SAID is from Kwame Alexander and it’s a great YA title that has a fantastic message of social responsibility and activism in today’s digital age set against a storyline of school funding budget cuts in a diverse school.  Kwame is also going to be signing.  THE BEGINNING OF EVERYTHING and HOW TO LOVE are sure to make fans of all who read them.  As far as middle grade goes, I’m a huge fan of THE VERY NEARLY HONORABLE LEAGUE OF PIRATES: MAGIC MARKS THE SPOT by Caroline Carlson. She has a wonderful new middle grade voice and I’m so delighted that this book is getting raves from everyone who reads it. Caroline is delightful. Sherry Thomas is breaking in to YA with THE BURNING SKY and I utterly loved it. It was one of those books that made me frustrated that I read it so far in advance of the pub date because I’ve got that much longer to wait for the next one! And you can never go wrong with Walter Dean Myers, whose latest book, DARIUS & TWIG, is just phenomenal.  I could keep going on and on.

6.) What is your favorite part about attending BEA?

Books. Books, books, books, book people, book conversations, book love, book signings, book parties, aching arms and shoulders from carrying too many books. Everyone complains about hauling themselves out to the Javitz and my feet might kill at the end of each day, but I really love BEA. This time, my birthday is that weekend (June 1^st) so it will feel doubly hectic, but I’m happy to share my birthday spotlight with great new books. 

Pivot Point

Author: Kasie West
Goodreads Rating: 4.38
 Pages: 352
Format: ARC

Knowing the outcome doesn’t always make a choice easier . . .

Addison Coleman’s life is one big “What if?” As a Searcher, whenever Addie is faced with a choice, she can look into the future and see both outcomes. It’s the ultimate insurance plan against disaster. Or so she thought. When Addie’s parents ambush her with the news of their divorce, she has to pick who she wants to live with—her father, who is leaving the paranormal compound to live among the “Norms,” or her mother, who is staying in the life Addie has always known. Addie loves her life just as it is, so her answer should be easy. One Search six weeks into the future proves it’s not.

In one potential future, Addie is adjusting to life outside the Compound as the new girl in a Norm high school where she meets Trevor, a cute, sensitive artist who understands her. In the other path, Addie is being pursued by the hottest guy in school—but she never wanted to be a quarterback’s girlfriend. When Addie’s father is asked to consult on a murder in the Compound, she’s unwittingly drawn into a dangerous game that threatens everything she holds dear. With love and loss in both lives, it all comes down to which reality she’s willing to live through . . . and who she can’t live without.

Revolution 19

Author: Gregg Rosenblum
Goodreads Rating: 3.93
Pages: 272
Format: ARC from NYCC12

Twenty years ago, the robots designed to fight our wars abandoned the battlefields. Then they turned their weapons on us.
Only a few escaped the robot revolution of 2071. Kevin, Nick, and Cass are lucky —they live with their parents in a secret human community in the woods. Then their village is detected and wiped out. Hopeful that other survivors have been captured by bots, the teens risk everything to save the only people they have left in the world—by infiltrating a city controlled by their greatest enemies.
Revolution 19 is a cinematic thriller unlike anything else. With a dynamic cast of characters, this surefire blockbuster has everything teen readers want—action, drama, mystery, and romance. Written by debut novelist Gregg Rosenblum, this gripping story shouldn’t be missed.

The Spindlers

Author: Lauren Oliver
Goodreads Rating: 3.75
My Rating: 3.5 Stars
Pages: 256
Reviewed by: Nicole

I got this book at BEA12. This book is a middle grade read.

Looking across the breakfast table one morning, twelve-year-old Liza feels dread wash over her. Although her younger brother, Patrick, appears the same, Liza knows that he is actually quite different. She is certain that the spindlers-evil, spiderlike beings-came during the night and stole his soul. And Liza is also certain that she is the only one who can rescue him.
Armed with little more than her wits and a huge talking rat for a guide, Liza descends into the dark and ominous underground to save Patrick's soul. Her quest is far from easy, and the road to the spindlers' nests is riddled with danger. She must brave tree snakes, the Court of Stones, and shape-shifting serpents before facing her greatest challenge in the spindlers' lair, where more than just Patrick's soul is at stake.

BEA Recap Day 3

Kristan and I with the pretty boys.

So day three was actually Wednesday for me. That day I had a friend who is an educator come with me, so I didn't feel alone. Little, did I know that this day of them all would be a day that I would feel the least alone. I started out the day with Kristan and Jamie and Lexie who I didn't get to see much of the day or any of the days really. It was there that we met Sylvia who turned out to be someone awesome to spend the day with. While we were waiting on line, two beautiful Angel boys started walking around talking about the cover reveal of the final book in the Hush, Hush saga.

We started out hitting booths that we really wanted and then Kristan and Sylvia and I meet up at the Harlequin booth for their Teen Hour signing. We had gone to their signing the day before and it was there that we found out we missed Alice in Zombieland, a book that went out to the first 50 people. We made sure we were the first 50 on Wednesday. We shows up 2 hours early and managed to convince them to hand out the books because I had to run over to Sarah J Maas's signing of Throne of Glass. I was super stoked that I got the books signed and was able to accrue so many more books in those two hours. Sylvia and I had a debate on how to pronounce Julie Kagawa's name, which she settled in my favor. I also got to meet Kady Cross who had bubblegum pink hair (which I loved) and she was rocking some great crowns on her person.

Our little group. Angel, me, Sylvia, Jamie and Kristan.

From there we went to gather a few more books, and then I sat in line for the Harper Teen signing, another two hours where everyone left their books with me while they ran around and got more. Not that I'm complaining, I got to sit while everyone else made a mad dash for other books. Kristan went to the Throne of Glass galley drop and grabbed me an extra for me to pass on to my co-blogger Amy. (Happy Birthday Amy!) Then it turns out that the 5th in our group, Angel grabbed another one for me, I wound up with three copies. Sylvia grabbed me The Name of The Star by Maureen Johnson because I was stuck holding down the fort.

After that there wasn't much else going on, I managed to grab Libba Bray's The Diviners signed with a really cool necklace as well. I think one of the best moments was when I managed to grab Eve and Adam after I missed getting it on Tuesday. That was a really great moment. My biggest regret is not taking more pictures to show you guys, I guess there is just so much going on that I didn't realize how much time I didn't have to do a lot of things.

On my way back from the Javits Center (alone since my friend left half way through the day), I saw that they were placing the space ship on the Intrepid and that was really cool to get to see. While on the ferry back to the mainland, I met Anna from Read Between the Lines who were also their way to their hotel. They didn't get a copy of Throne of Glass, so I gave them one of my other copies and a few secrets about what I learned through the day.

My mess of Day 3 on the Living Room Floor.