BEA 2015: Day One - Evening Events

After a crazy (but great) first day at BEA, I was ready to move onto my evening activities. First up, as I previously mentioned, was the Simon & Schuster hosted event for Laura Dave's Eight Hundred Grapes (review here, if you're interested!)

It was a happy coincidence that I had read Eight Hundred Grapes about a week and a half prior to BEA - before I even knew I'd be going to this event. I'm really glad I did because book events are so much better when you've read the book being talked about! I wasn't originally invited to this event and it was thanks to the amazing generosity of Melissa of Chick Lit Central (who I would finally be meeting that night) that I'd be going. She reached out to BookSparks, who had invited her, and asked for me to be put on the guest list. Thank you, Melissa!

It was adventure getting there (my first Uber ride was interesting), but eventually the girls (Tiffanie of Mostly YA Lit, Andi of Andi's ABCs, Tiffany of About to Read, and Gail of Ticket to Anywhere) and I arrived at the venue, The Park. The restaurant was so nice and I adored the twinkle lights strung up around the outdoor seating.

We were able to meet author Laura Dave immediately. She was as sweet in person as I expected! She actually remembered tweeting with me a few days prior (thank you, Mom, for giving me a unique name, and thank you, self, for giving yourself a Twitter handle that includes your name) and was so appreciative of my kind words about her book! I always love an author even more if they are as thankful for my support as I am to be meeting them. 

There was a ton of food to be eaten but, I admit, I was more excited for the above desserts and wine! There were three kinds of each, though I only tried the two white wines (the Prosecco was dee-lightful). 

Signage - Laura Dave is so tiny (and I am so giant) - With the other bloggers!

While I was thrilled to finally meet Laura Dave, I may have totally fangirled when two other guests walked into the event...LIZ AND LISA. Ahhh! Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke are the two women behind the, now defunct, Chick Lit is Not Dead blog. They're authors as well  (so they're focusing more on their own work than reviewing other novels) and I absolutely adore them. I awkwardly hung around so I could meet them and, after telling them that I really love their work, mentioned it was Melissa who got me into the event as I was wait-listed for the event my other dinner companions were going to. Turns out they were going to that event too and Liz told me they wouldn't leave without me and we'd all go to the event together. Speechless.

After chatting books, life, and being a twentysomething with two of the girls from Simon & Schuster (I wish I remembered their names because I totally adored them), taking pictures with Laura, and picking up a finished copy of Eight Hundred Grapes (now signed and personalized!) and a great mug, Liz, Lisa, Melissa, and I headed out to Ladies First, an event hosted by Jennifer Weiner and Atria Books, in support of VIDA: Women in Literary Arts. 

Top Left: With Liz and Lisa. Middle: The view from the 42nd Floor. Swoon.
Right: With Colleen Hoover! Bottom Left: A few of the ladies at the event.
Right: Jennifer Weiner speaking to the crowd. 

True to her word, Liz got me in the door and I was able to surprise Samantha Stroh Bailey (in the blue striped dress above) and Meredith Schorr (in the black and white striped dress above), two of the other women I'd be dining with that evening! While the event was free, you could give a $30 donation and get a tote and five signed books from any of the authors at the event. And there were a lot of authors! Jennifer Weiner, of course, Jodi Picoult (who we apparently walked right by when we came out of the elevators), Elin Hildebrand, Jen Lancaster (in the flower dress and crown in the group shot above), and so many more. It was quite hard to pick which books I wanted! There was a lot of food here too but since I had had so much at the previous event I passed on everything...except the milkshakes. Give me ice cream and I am a happy girl. :)

I ended up with Colleen Hoover's Confess (I got a picture with her but didn't think to get my copy personalized. Stupid. BUT she said I looked familiar after I said I was at the Atria Toronto event last fall. Squee!), Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star (I've loved her for so long and to be able to say hi and get a signed book was so cool!), Elisabeth Egan's A Window Opens, Brenda Janowitz's The Lonely Hearts Club (which she personalized for me - she's so sweet!), and Spinster by Kate Bolick (which wasn't actually signed and she was busy chatting with someone and didn't even look over to me while I was hovering sooo...that sucks.). 

Meredith, Samantha, Melissa, and I had dinner reservations to get to so we scurried off to our next destination. The cab ride took forever so we eventually got out and walked the last couple of blocks to the restaurant (Trattoria Trecolori), just as it started raining, of course! Along with the four of us, Julie Valerie (who I had met for lunch earlier in the day), Francine LaSala, Amy (who also reviews for Chick Lit Central), and Lynn Marie Hulsman were also there. There was so much to talk about (books! BEA! life! wine!) and so much to eat and drink that it felt like we were there for no time at all. I pretended to be oblivious as Meredith, who was seated next to me, ordered desserts for Sam and I (her birthday was the day before, mine the next day), and act surprised when a piece of the most decadent chocolate cake was placed in front of me. :) Amy and I quickly devoured the cake and then, eventually, it was time to head home. Goodbyes were said (sad!) and I powerwalked home to the apartment and my roomies. 

Left: Meredith, Sam, and me in the cab. Middle; Me and Meredith at dinner.
Right: My first (of many) birthday desserts.

Because there were six girls and only two keys, we had to do some creative planning to make sure no one got locked out of the apartment. I knew I'd be the last one home that night so I texted Emilie to say I was on my way so she'd let me in when I buzzed. When I opened the door to our place I was greeted with the sweetest surprise: five girls yelling, "Happy birthday!", cupcakes, and mimosas. The cupcakes were from Donna Bell's Bakeshop - which was opened by Pauley Perrette (Abby on NCIS) (boy, was my sister jealous). I had the red velvet cake and a mug (well, two) of mimosa before heading off to bed. 

My first day at BEA was a success and I didn't get lost. I couldn't wait to see what the second day, and my birthday!, had in store!

In case you missed it...

Planning + Travel Day

Day One - Day at the Show

Armchair BEA: Best of 2012

Design Credit:
Emily's Reading Room

It's Day 2 of Armchair BEA!

Today we're sharing either some of our favourite books so far this year, and/or the books being promoted at BEA that we hope will end up among our favourites for the year. I decided to focus on seven books I've read this year (and not necessarily ones that were published in 2012) that I've really enjoyed. "Why seven?" you ask? Because 5 was too few and 10 was too many. :)

A visual representation of some of my faves!

Blank Slate Kate - Heather Wardell. Published November 2011. Read January 2012. Review.
Heather Wardell never ever disappoints. This is one of her latest novels and was full of excellent twists and turns and was a wonderful story. Think The Vow but better!

I've Got Your Number - Sophie Kinsella. Published February 2012. Read February 2012. Review.
While I didn't LOVE Kinsella's latest novel, I still enjoyed reading it. It was amusing and cute and I had fun diving into it.

The D Word - Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke. Published May 2011. Read March 2012. Review.
The ladies at Chick Lit is not Dead are not only great bloggers but excellent authors as well. Good story, multiple perspectives, and an all around great novel.

Favorable Conditions - Kathleen Kole. Published December 2011. Read March 2012. Review.
This is Kole's third novel and by far my favourite of the three. I loved it because it was written in such a way that I was able to connect with the main character even though she was at a completely different stage in life (divorced and with two kids in college). Great read.

How to Eat a Cupcake - Meg Donohue. Published March 2012. Read March 2012. Review (for Novel Escapes).
How can you go wrong with a title like that? Answer: you can't. This book was fantastic and had a much deeper storyline that one may expect from a sweet title like this. Definitely a must read.

Forgotten- Catherine McKenzie. Published May 2012. Read April 2012. Review.
Catherine McKenzie is one of my favourite authors so I was anxiously awaiting her third novel. It didn't disappoint! Interesting and unique storyline and great characters. I'm hoping for a sequel that focuses on the main character's best friend!

The Tall Book: A Celebration of Life from on High - Arianne Cohen. Published June 2009. Read April 2012. Review.
I was drawn to this one because I'm 6'. I wasn't sure what to expect but I ended up getting an amusing and informative look into the world of talls. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and encourage all my fellow talls to read it as well!

Fun observation: 3 of the 7 authors are Canadian! (Wardell, Kole, and McKenzie) I'm a proud Canuck and love finding amazing Canadian authors.

Hope you enjoyed the glimpse into some of the great books I've read this year. Make sure you head on over to the main link up page to check out all the other posts! Come back tomorrow for another Armchair BEA post - a positive "real life" experience with books.

March Chick Lit Challenge Read: The D Word

I am going to start off this review with a simple statement:

I love chick lit.

Of course, if you're a regular reader of Books Etc. you'll already know that. And, if you took a look at the title of this post you'll realize that I read The D Word by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke for a chick lit challenge (hosted by the amazing Chick Lit Plus).

One of the first sites I found when I first fell into this wonderful world of book blogs a few years ago was Chick Lit is not Dead. Many of you will know that site as well (and if you don't, get your butt over there and check it out!) Liz and Lisa have all sorts of good stuff on their site - author interviews, reviews, giveaways. Not only do they run a rockin' website but, as it turns out, they're pretty stellar authors themselves. I really enjoyed reading their novel The D Word.

Want to know what this great book's all about? Here's the synopsis:

Jordan Daniels and Elle Ryan thought their lives would become less complicated when they walked away from their respective relationships one year ago. But instead, they find themselves vying for a relationship with the same divorced man.
As a spiritual counselor, newly single mother Jordan Daniels makes her living predicting other people’s futures. If only she could foresee her own. A year after filing for divorce from her husband, Kevin, he seems to be the one moving on effortlessly, while Jordan still can't bring herself to fill his old underwear drawer. But it’s not until Jordan’s polar opposite, Elle steals Kevin’s heart, that Jordan becomes convinced she’ll be replaced both as a wife and a mother to her five-year-old son, Max.
When Elle met Kevin, the last thing she wanted was another relationship. Especially not with a man with baggage-she already had enough of her own. She left her fiancé, Chase right before their wedding to avoid the imminent D word, something she’s convinced runs in her family like a disease. But a year later, she’s no closer to becoming less skeptical about marriage. And despite her attachment to Kevin and his son, when Elle sees just how far Jordan’s willing to go to win Kevin back, Elle starts to question if she should have left Chase in the first place.
In The D Word you’ll walk in the shoes of Jordan and Elle as they discover that sometimes you’re not that different from the person who makes you feel the most insecure.

I was expecting a good book but I found myself a great one. I wasn't sure how I was going to feel about the whole divorce thing but it ended up being a non-issue. You know when there are seemingly huge roadblocks thrown in the way of characters and you can tell they're just put there by the author to have some conflict and they really don't work with the story? Well, that doesn't happen with this novel. Jordan and Kevin's divorce added all the conflict needed for the novel which meant that there weren't any crazy antics created solely to amp up the tension.

I was hoping for a particular conclusion for pretty much the entire novel but I ended up having an ah-ha moment at the same time as Jordan and Elle. I knew, as they did, that things were going to turn out differently. And I was more than ok with that, just as they were. I found that interesting because I kept thinking about the possibility of another outcome and I didn't think I was going to like it. Fenton and Steinke managed to create a conclusion that totally satisfied me and I applaud them for that.

The multiple perspectives was a smart idea for this book. I loved being able to get into the minds of the two women. I also liked that every once and awhile we got an inside look at some of the other characters as well - if I remember correctly, that included Elle's mom, and Kevin, to name two. This was helpful because it allowed me to be unbiased and get both sides of the story. All of this helped me love Elle and Jordan even more. I was really invested in both of their lives and stories and loving a character is almost always necessary for me to love a novel.

I really liked reading The D Word and am really excited to get to the other novel written by these lovely ladies, I'll Have Who She's Having. It would be a safe bet to expect a review of that one later on this year for the challenge! Take note, fellow chick lit lovers. You should definitely add this book to your to be read list!

Happy reading :)