ALA Day One

Wow. I'm exhausted.

So exhausted, I didn't go to the signing at Andersons tonight. Sorry my ala blogging buddies, I just had no stamina left.

So, I have some awesome pictures I want to share with you. I'll try to give you a brief synopsis of how my day went as I go along the pictures, and then I'll try to remember some of the free swag I got (like a billion books).I went with my aunt, who is on the right side of Cat in the Hat and there I am on the left. Demco (an awesome company) had not only a game to win stuff, but we got to take a picture with the Cat in the Hat.. who couldn't resist?


Here I am getting my FIRST book of the day signed - Never Eat Soggy Waffles - which is a book about mnemonics. I figure this would be great for the elementary library I'll be working at. I think I got about 10 things/books/etc. signed. I'll get more tomorrow and Monday!


Here is my aunt, me and Maggie Stiefvater. My aunt nabbed a copy of Lament for her to sign (I told she must read THAT book first). And yes, I nabbed Ballad for her to sign (cannot wait to read it!). Can I mention that I didn't buy ANY books today? I'll take a count in a minute here and see how many I technically got today.

And yes, we had to go back to the car before lunch because we were both seriously loaded with books (which are heavy!).

My aunt, at her house, after unpacking all four bags of free swag.


My aunt, the zombie, not sure where to put this stuff, nonetheless find time to read the 27 (yes she counted) books she got.
A tired looking Kristen, surrounded by four very full bags of swag.

Highlights of the day:

• Meeting other bloggers
• Meeting and getting a book signed by Maggie
• Talking to the graphic novelist who wrote Owly - he was this awesome young guy who didn't mind that I called his work "cute" - because Owly is SO cute.
• Finding some new authors and getting FREE hardcovers signed. Thank you Little Brown for being awesome!
• Running into all of my old coworkers from the public library
• Meeting and getting a book signed by MARGARET WEIS! GAH!
• Kimberly Pauley lives in my hometown and she was signing her new book Sucks to Be Me - she also runs the YA book central website. So cool to chat with her.
• Hanging with my aunt, who is rockin'! I'm sad she could only go today.

I will be going tomorrow with another friend and my mum (who sadly went today but didn't get much stuff - poor her).

Then I'll go Monday with yet another, different friend.

So, what all did I get?

Here are some highlights:

• Three copies of Shiver ARCs
  
• Copy of Avi's new book
• Signed copy of Ballad ARC
• Signed copy of Shattered by Kathi Baron
• ARC of Bran Hambric (I had to talk them into nabbing me one)
• ARC of Tricks by Ellen Hopkins
• ARC of THe Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer
• Signed copy of Sucks to be Me by Kimberly Pauley
• All sorts of bookmarks, posters, and more!
  

I got 32 free books! :)

What I'm hoping to find tomorrow or monday:

• Ash
• Hush, hush
• Catching Fire
• North of Beautiful
• Twenty Boy Summer
• and tons more! :)
  

God, now I'm going to collapse in exhaustion... I will try to get an IMM up for the stuff I just got in the mail this week.. but it may not happen.

So, I will be holding two contests soon.. probably right when my contest for Candle Man starts.

I can tell you right now, one will be for Twenty Boy Summer and a pretty piece of jewelry.
The other will be for 2 or 3 ARC copies of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

Hopefully I'll be giving an update for you guys tomorrow night as well.