As most of you know by now, I attended the ALA Midwinter conference this past weekend in Dallas. This being my first large book event to attend, all I can say is WOW! Ok well, I can say a bit more than that. I gained a lot of perspective on the book world as a whole. Being able to interact with other bloggers, librarians, publishers, and authors filled me with lots & lots of insight. I am a person who absorbs information. I love to meet new people and learn about new things. So I definitely went in to this experience with an open mind and I feel as though I came out the other side with tons of new knowledge.
I could sum up my weekend in three words: books, friends, & LOVE! Being surrounded by people who love books as much as you do is such an awesome experience. I loved how no matter where you went, books were always a topic of discussion - sharing our favorite authors, and which books we are eagerly anticipating to be read this year. Meeting bloggers face to face that I've interacted with over the internet for awhile was just as rewarding. Being able to finally put a face to a blog/twitter name was so nice! The convention itself was a bit overwhelming at times, and definitely exhausting, but SO MUCH FUN! The moments in between are what made the weekend so memorable for me, though.
I came home with lots of new books to read. I can't wait to get started on them and start sharing my opinions with you all. I know I picked up a few that I am going to gush and gush over! This crazy-fun edition would not be complete without the mention of SafetySuit. Yup, they even made an "appearance" at ALA. Ok well not really. On Friday night they made their late-night TV debut on the Jimmy Kimmel show & so I had a "SafetySuit viewing party" in my hotel room. There may have been some running & screaming to the TV on my part :) haha
Another awesome addition to round-out this weekend of bookish love, getting to hang out with PRINTZ & MORRIS AWARD WINNER COREY WHALEY! I am so proud of him! He deserves this honor. If you have not read
Where Things Come Back I don't know what you're doing at my blog, ha! Just kidding. Seriously though it was one of my favorite books from 2011 and the boy is made of genius. And yes, he's just as awkward in person ;) Ha! Love ya Corey!
Aside from the wonderful books I came home with, it's the memories I've carried home from Dallas that mean the most. I love my life right now. Never would I have imagined that books would bring such wonderful people to me. I'm getting teary-eyed writing this blog post. I wish I could hang out with my bookish friends from all over the country every weekend. It's YOU who make this blogging experience so much more than just words being read from a page. If you ever get the chance to attend a book event like this, I highly recommend it! Be sure to bring comfy walking shoes & prepare yourself for endless laughs :)
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