Whew! May is finally over!  So much has happened in the last 31 days, I can’t believe it all fit into the same month. I attended at least three conferences for work, I finished grad school, flew across the Atlantic to Spain for just over a week, came back, then turned right around to go to Book Expo America in NYC. This has been the most overwhelming month in recent history, but the best kind… and now it’s out of the woods…back to life, back to sense…

2015 Reading Challenge
Another scant month for challenge books: Just one!

I realized while I scanned my shelves, that not many of my books are actually all that humorous. Though I do have some Terry Pratchett floating around somewhere, this is the only other one I could find. It reminded me quite a bit of Gina Damico’s Hellhole, which I enjoyed much more, in fact. Though I understand why the story had to take place over several years, it felt drawn out longer than was necessary. Still, I enjoyed it.

Book Expo America 2015

This year, BEA was all about connections. Attending Bloggers Conference granted me the pleasure of meeting new faces, and learn a bit more than I did before. After learning my lesson last year, I was much more discerning about waiting in signing lines for particular authors. I managed to return with a haul of under 50 books (43).  I’m much happier with what I brought back this go-round — a much more cultivated batch, rather than a supermarket-sweepstakes grab-bag like last year. A full list to appear later.

There were several fabulous parties that I was invited to, and I had no idea they were going on last year! I’m thrilled to have been invited to be a part of the festivities. This experience has humbled me, but has also reminded me why I love what I do. Words escape me — I’ve had such a difficult time describing my emotions. I can only smile, while my eyes well, and feel so blessed to be surrounded by such love from my friends and colleagues. This is what I’m meant to do. Thank you to everyone who made BEA15 such a treasure. I’ll go all sentimental – these are memories I will be hard-pressed to ever forget.

And if there’s one thing I learned this year: Be bold. Red pants make all the difference.