My BEA Recap: A Fairly Pitiful Story

Before I begin, I just put my BEA loot on the floor to take a picture of it, went to get my phone, came back, and the cat was already dozing on my pile. She is a smart cat. (Yet don't let that fool you because in this photo, you can still see a glimmer of evil in her eyes.)


Anyway, my BEA experience ended up being...well...pretty pathetic. I knew I wasn't going to get to spend much time at the conference itself—only half a day or so when I could take a break from work. I had RSVPed, though, to several blogger events and was looking forward to attending and mingling.

And then the dreaded summer cold struck. A cold in the summer! What sacrilege! I woke up Monday with a scratchy throat, faded quickly throughout the day, and chose an early bedtime over all post-work activities for the day. I stayed home, feverish, on Tuesday, and mustered up enough strength to get to BEA Wednesday morning before heading back to work. I started the day by waiting in line for Sharon Creech's new book, and I immediately questioned whether that was such a good idea; I was woozy and clammy and overheating and feared fainting before I reached the front of the line. I made it through, though, and had a pretty good rest of the morning, despite feeling like total crap.

My small take-away pile includes:

• The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech — Chasing Redbird was in my top 3 as a kid, so this was a lady I was excited to meet.
• Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward — I've heard this author's name before, but I'm not sure where. In my pre-BEA planning, I deemed this one worthy of a read.
• Dare Me by Megan Abbott — Also made the grab list; plus I ran into someone I know from college who happens to be the publicist for this book.
• Edenbrooke by Julianna Donaldson — Oh, English countryside romances; a perfect selection for armchair summer vacation.
• Teresa Giudice's Fabulicious! Fast & Fit Italian cookbook — My work BFF demanded I accompany her to this booth so she could meet Teresa and I could be the photographer. This is now the second Housewife I have met with her, but at least I got a free cookbook this time.
• Unbored: The Essential Field Guide to Serious Fun — I saw a stack of this in a booth and took one because a book with such a subject is always helpful on your average work day.

Maybe next year, BEA. Maybe next year.