Thursday, December 30, 2004

Did you ever wonder why the meetings you want to attend at a conference are all at the same time? I just finished putting together my Itinerary Planner for ALA Midwinter in Boston and just about every meeting I picked has a time conflict with another one I want to attend. I like to attend at least 2 BBYA sessions, the one with the teens for sure, and as many of the other YA selection committees as I can. And, as many ALSC ones as I can get in. This is the first time in years I haven't been on a committee that meets multiple times during ALA conferences so I can wallow in being an audience member for a change. And spend time on the exhibits floor. That's the fun part.

I like to visit the less mainstream publishers, like Llewellyn. I finished White is for Magic by Laurie Faria Stolarz this morning. I missed Stacey Brown's first set of escapes into magic in Blue is for Nightmares, but there are plenty of references to the murder of her childhood playmate Maura in White is for Magic to entice me to read the first installment as well. The third Stacey Brown book, Silver is for Secrets, should be out next month. Stacey has a new love interest, Jacob, and I am sure more magic will occur at their private boarding school, "haunted" by the murder of a student in one of the classrooms. Maybe I will be able to snag a copy of it at the Llewellyn booth at ALA. Stolarz's Stacey Brown books should have a strong following with teenage girls. This is the kind of book I would have loved as a teenager and still enjoy as an adult.

I am having NyQuil and cough medicine withdrawal so that's the extent of my less than lucid thoughts for today!