Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews. Hop on over there to ogle what other bloggers got this week.
I had such a great time at ALA Annual in Orlando this past weekend! I was really glad to get home on Tuesday. Four boxes of books beat me home and the rest arrived on Wednesday. Such amazing books are coming in the next months. I don't know where to begin. I featured some of the arcs on a Top Ten Tuesday post earlier this week. Let me show you the audiobooks I bought.
One of my go-to booths is the Books on Tape booth. I usually buy some cool audiobooks for $20 a pop. Unfortunately, sometimes I forget what I already have and have purchased duplicates. This year, I actually bought two at the conference! Silly me. Apologies for leaving out bibliographic information and synopses as I am rushing to schedule this and have no time.
Being Jazz: my life as a (transgender) teen by Jazz Jennings. I bought this in the first batch. Then promptly forgot that I had and bought another copy on the last day of exhibits. No worries, I'm sending this on to Never Counted Out with a bunch of books.
Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk.
Red: the true story of Red Riding Hood by Liesl Shurtliff.
The Last Star by Rick Yancey. This is the exciting conclusion to the Fifth Wave trilogy.
Out of Darkness by Ashley Hope Perez.
Anna and the Swallow Man by Gavriel Savit.
Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys.
Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart.
Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan. This was a freebie at the booth. It's one of the few books by Levithan I have not read.
Stonewall: breaking out in the fight for gay rights by Ann Bausum. This was actually a freebie at the Audiobook Buzz presentation. I bought it and listened to it a while ago, but thought I would pick it up to gift to either my sister or send it on to Never Counted Out.
So I've been in Orlando since Thursday and already ALAAC16 is a blur. I really should blog as I go but I am terrible at taking notes and try to be present in the moment as much as possible.
I arrived ridiculously early on Thursday. I had originally booked my hotel for Friday to Tuesday but, by the time I got around to booking my flight, I couldn't find one to get me in to Orlando in time. So I had to arrive a day early. By that time, I couldn't get convention rates for my room. No matter. I am here!
I got into my room early. Grabbed a quick nap and headed to Universal Studios where I spent three or so hours at SeaWorld.
These were the first ducks I encountered on my trek.
Of course, I am also interested in texture:
I have a triptych of succulents from my trip to Albuquerque seven or eight years ago. I may need to make a new one to add to my collection. These are intriguing.
Of course, flamingos are always amazing.
For some reason, this guy
reminded me of this guy
Seaworld was fun. I recommend visiting it.
On Friday, I had the entire day until exhibits opened at 5:30. I opted for a trip to Universal Studios and cabbed over there in time for the park's opening. Of course, I beelined to Diagon Alley where I spent a blissful three or four hours.
I purchased a Hermoine wand (non-interactive) among other things. The place is truly enchanting; kind of makes me want to reread the entire series all over again (for the third time).
Having now idea what I was in for, I wandered into the Escape from Gringotts line. It was rather long. After committing, I realized that I missed the warnings about motion sickness and back problems.
Thank goodness it was short. It was fantastic! I wish my inner ear was not such a traitor to my body.
I had a delicious lunch in The Leaky Cauldron. I am sorry that I did not take any pics but highly recommend the fish and chips.
I spent entirely too much money and had a high old time.
