The Gilmore Guide to Books

Connecting Books and Readers One Review at a Time

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Reviews
    • Reviews by Author
    • Reviews by Title
    • Reviews by Genre
  • Podcast
  • Policies
    • Review Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Policy

BEA: The People

May 16, 2016

Hello, kittens! Sorry for the delay in writing. I have lots of excuses, but let’s just go with: the trip to BEA was so fabulous it left my head spinning and I’ve only now gotten myself pulled together enough to write. That’s not far from the truth because to say it was marvelous is an understatement.

I have loads to share so am going to keep it simple today and talk about my favorite part of the show, the bloggers!  I finally met so many wonderful women I’ve known for years online that it was like the best high school reunion ever. Or like four days spent at Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory without anyone behaving so atrociously they were taken away.

The only sad part is that while tons of photos were taken they were on other people’s cameras and since I’m selfie-aphobic I only have a few faces to share.

 

This first photo is bittersweet because it is only three of the five Socratic Salon members. Monika and Jennifer were not at BEA and were sorely missed but this is me with April (The Steadfast Reader) and Shannon (River City Reading). April was my roommate during the show, which worked out perfectly (and could have gone so wrong) and I’ve known Shannon since 2013 and adore her blog. She’s my inspiration as a creative blogger.

 

bea

 

Yup, we’re three brunette, eyeglasses-wearing booksters.

 

The first night in Chicago Julie Merilatt (Julz Reads) arranged a happy hour at a local club that played live music allowing a group of us to chow down on greasy bar food and drink Long Island Iced Teas. I got to meet Kim (Sophisticated Dorkiness), Kristen (Terminal Bibliophilia), Marisa (The Daily Dosage), Rachel (editorial manager at Book of the Month), Julianne (Outlandish Lit),  Katie (Words for Worms), Janani (The Shrinkette), Shaina (Shaina Reads) and Emily (Books, The Universe and Everything). And I got to see Kerry (Entomology of a Bookworm) again after three years. I met her at BEA in NYC- she’s the first blogger I ever met!

Beyond that night getting together with people after the show was difficult- everyone staying in different places, some people needing to commute home, and the very real problem of introverts wanting desperately to socialize but finding their brains have shut down and their throats are raw from having talked more in one day then they normally do in a month. Still, there were the fortuitous moments of  ‘I’m starving’ ‘So am I’ ‘Let’s go’ that provided a quieter space to get to know people better. One of the best for me was lunch with Shannon, April and Marisa.

 

bea

I know it looks that way, but I do not only hang out with brunettes. It just so happens, they’re more fun. Shannon, Marisa, April and me after finding food and avoiding passing out while waiting in an autograph signing line. (apparently this picture appears upside down in some browsers- I have no idea why so let’s just call it ‘arty’)

 

There you have it- a brief snippet of the women I hung out with for three days. They were all charming, smart and funny and it was incredibly special to get to interact with them in person. Reading and writing are solitary pursuits so getting to physically meet the people in your community means a lot. It was frenetic and overwhelming at times, but now I can hear the voices behind the words of their blogs.

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
The Jazz Palace
Amanda Coplin
Annie Bloom’s Event: Amanda Coplin
PNBA
PNBA 2014
hillary clinton
Hillary Clinton in Seattle
leni
Author Reading: Leni Zumas

17 Comments
Filed Under: Feature Tagged: BEA, Chicago, event

Comments

  1. Guiltless Reading says

    May 16, 2016 at 7:24 pm

    So exciting to see so many book bloggers come together! And putting faces to blogs! Thanks for sharing. (PS. I laughed-snorted when I read “introverts wanting desperately to socialize”)

    Reply
  2. tanya (52 books or bust) says

    May 17, 2016 at 3:34 am

    All my favorite book bloggers together in one place? Man, I’ve got to go to BEA one of these years!

    Reply
  3. Marisa @ The Daily Dosage says

    May 17, 2016 at 6:17 am

    Such a great time and wish we could do it all over again. Maybe throw in a spa day, more dinners and drinks, some shopping, whathaveyou. You are so right, though, that now I can see your face and hear your voice when reading posts and it makes me smile like a dork every time.

    Reply
  4. Katie @ Words for Worms says

    May 17, 2016 at 7:02 am

    I don’t know if that photo is intentionally upside down, but you should leave it that way because it seems artsy. It was wonderful to finally meet you lovely salonnières, but I must admit I would have liked to meet the entire set at once. SOMEDAY!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      May 17, 2016 at 9:13 am

      Upside down?! Which one? Yes, we are that funky but I just checked and don’t see an upside down photo.

      Reply
      • Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors says

        May 17, 2016 at 1:25 pm

        It’s the second one of the four of you. It appears upside down to me, too. 🙂 (I just assumed it was intentional!)

        Reply
        • Catherine says

          May 17, 2016 at 5:21 pm

          Thanks- I have no idea what is going on- it looks normal in WP when I edit and in Safari. It’s going to have to stay upside down!

          Reply
  5. Jennine G says

    May 17, 2016 at 7:04 am

    Oh so awesome! I am glad you had a great time and met so m any people. I am so jealous. I could’ve used such an amazing trip. Now one of my bookish goals for sure!

    Reply
  6. Tara says

    May 17, 2016 at 8:07 am

    I’m so jealous! I keep saying that I’m going to go, one of these years; maybe next year?!! Thanks for sharing this, Catherine!

    Reply
  7. Sarah's Book Shelves says

    May 17, 2016 at 9:38 am

    Awh – I love it! And so wish I could’ve been there! Would ya’ll have accepted a somewhat blonde without contact lenses?!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      May 17, 2016 at 1:19 pm

      Perfect!! You can be our token blonde!

      Reply
  8. Leah @ Books Speak Volumes says

    May 17, 2016 at 1:10 pm

    Awww hearing everyone’s stories and seeing pics of you all together makes me so happy! I’m glad you had a great time!

    Reply
  9. Lynn @ Smoke & Mirrors says

    May 17, 2016 at 1:28 pm

    You have definitely motivated me to attend BEA! While I’m jealous, I’m glad everyone who attended was able to connect with the others! Fantastic!! One of my friends who happens to own our local indie bookstore attended and is allowing me to borrow and read some of her ARCs and free copies! So, that’s a plus for me, but obviously no real substitute for meeting everyone!

    Reply
  10. Elizabeth (Silver's Reviews) says

    May 17, 2016 at 2:03 pm

    Fun…love the photos.

    Wish I could have been there to meet everyone.

    Reply
  11. Shannon @ River City Reading says

    May 17, 2016 at 4:03 pm

    <3 <3 I already want to go back!

    Reply
  12. Kristen Coates says

    May 26, 2016 at 6:04 pm

    I am SO SO SO behind on blog posts and general life (when am I not), but it was SO lovely to meet you! Heart eyes forever.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      May 27, 2016 at 10:37 am

      Ditto! I just wish there was more quiet time to really get to talk to people. Waiting in line is not conducive to real conversation. I get the being behind- I’m still trying to get back into some kind of “normal” schedule.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter

Save time and subscribe via email

No time to keep checking for new reviews? Enter your email address to subscribe and receive notifications of new posts by email. No spam!

Bookshop

Currently Reading

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle
by Emily Nagoski
The Dutch House
The Dutch House
by Ann Patchett
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
Wild Game: My Mother, Her Lover, and Me
by Adrienne Brodeur

goodreads.com

Affiliate Disclosure

I’m an affiliate for Indiebound and Amazon. If you click on a link that takes you to any of these sites and make a purchase I’ll earn a small fee, which goes towards the costs of maintaining this site. Your support is appreciated. Thank you!

Archives

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.

Theme Design By Studio Mommy · Copyright © 2023

Copyright © 2023 · Beyond Madison Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in