BEA Galleys Worth Waiting For
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BEA: The Galleys I Waited in Long-Ass Lines For

The galleys one Book Rioter waited for and was stoked to pick up at this year's BEA event.

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As I prepped for my first ever BookExpo, I was warned that the lines were nuts and people got pushy. And, yes, I did get elbowed a few times by some over-zealous librarians. I had a few “unicorn” books on my list that I was prepared to join the masses for, but I wasn’t prepared for the madness. Also. I am a textbook introvert. I absolutely hate crowds and prolonged contact with strangers. So I am proud of the fact that I survived the week AND actually made friends with others in the lines. Kate: 1, BEA: 0. Here are the galleys that were worth waiting for:

Wildcard by Marie Lu

Warcross was a favorite of mine from last year and the cliffhanger was so horrible (damn you, Marie Lu) that this was the book I was prepared to wait all day for. Luckily, word that this galley was dropping didn’t seem to be well-known and the line was shorter (in BEA terms) but full of just as excited readers. I can’t wait to dive back into this world with Emika and Hideo. Especially Hideo *suggestive eyebrow*.  

The Wicked King by Holly Black

Ok. So this technically wasn’t a waiting line, but milliseconds after Little, Brown tweeted the password for this book it was a massive swarm to the booth—which then turned into a massive line. And despite the fact that I had camped out in the Hachette section just for this, I still ended up in the middle of the line. Book people can be ruthless when there’s a galley they want! This book is the highly anticipated sequel to The Cruel Prince and (yes, I feel a little guilty about this) I’ve read an e-galley, but the cover is so gorge I needed a physical copy for my shelves.  

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon

This line was by far the longest line I sat in. The line snaked three times and I was solidly in the middle of the second. I was pretty shocked I actually snagged a galley. Women saving the world! An epic (900 page) fantasy! Dragons! I need to find a weekend to dedicate solely to this monster.  

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides (NO COVER YET)

This book was touted to me as “the” psychological thriller of 2019 and, um, that’s all I needed to here. Famous painter Alicia shoots her husband one night seemingly in cold blood and then never talks again. A criminal psychotherapist is assigned to her to find out what exactly happened that night.

Dear Evan Hansen by Val Emmich with Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul

So, for this baby I actually stood in two lines—first for the signing ticket and then for the actual book signing. I saw Dear Evan Hansen on Broadway last summer and it was honestly a life-changing experience for me. I saw myself reflected so accurately in Evan’s fears and anxiety and I am still in love with this show and its cast. This story in book form has the same potential to completely wreck me and I am here for it.