Grimlock ♥ Ultra Magnus

I've just been struggling: family stress has me down, still, and I've been blue and unable to function at optimal.  I've been doing what I wanted, so I finally was in a place to catch up on reviews. 

First of all, Readercon's program was a thing of beauty.  Just the most striking cover I can remember: 

I bought and took home fewer books than usual, partly because I'm working less and partly because I'm moving into a smaller space!

Yeah, yeah, I know the image is on it's side.   I bought the Ex Libris books because school, and realized that Ken Liu had a story in there after the con had finished, so I didn't get it signed :/  I got the Supernatural book for a dollar.   I got the last two in the dinosaur series and The Red in hardcover for thirty dollars.   Then I got The Casual Angel for free.    Which was a great deal!

(I have the dinosaur lords on order from the library and will probably buy it  used in hardcover if I like it enough, and in paperback if not.   I just wanted more dinosaurs, because of Jurassic World, to be honest.)

I bought Space Opera for like half price from Valente herself, and Children of Lovecraft on the cheap from Datlow.   I got Space Opera signed, and I got Children of Lovecraft signed by Datlow and multiple authors - I can confirm at home, but yeah.   Multiple authors were at Readercon.   I'd bought Robot vs. Fairies for the Ken Liu story before the con, and got it signed by other authors at Readercon.   I won't A Star in the Void - mine was the first hand to go up - and since I own all four books in this series, I'm excited.   It's got a heavy AI presence. I bought Jewish Noir, partly because I knew my parents would dig it - and my mom says it's excellent.   I want more Jewish fiction!  I bought the Mere Wife, a feminist take on Beowulf set in a modern day American suburb, because I heard the author talking about it and bought it for her to sign - as well as signing a short story in Robots vs. Fairies, I believe.   (I also told her Humble Bundle worked; I read the book she co-wrote and now am a fan of hers, paying full price for her books!)  I'd bought Revenant Gun to get signed before Readercon.  I'd bought the Edelman zombie book last year at Readercon and forgot to get it signed: I went to his kaffeklasch and got it and another new book signed. 

The new, signed Edleman.   Everfair I bought before the con because Nisi Shawl was a guest of honor and I wanted to read - or start usually - something by the guest of honor and get it signed.  I got Sirens for two dollars at the library to get signed by Datlow.   She looked surprised and said 'oh, the book club edition.'  I said I didn't know and she assured me it was the only hardcover edition.   I was like 'I saw it at the library and couldn't resist.   And I supported the local library a bit.'  I added that I got it for two bucks, and wasn't going to tell her, to which she made an amused sound and said 'it's so far out of print, I really don't care.'   But it's nice to have a special edition, made more special by the signature!  I got the Between to support Cohen.   It's the first in her fairy stories, but I'm not sure I'll continue: I really loved her other series for the AI.  I figured I loved her so much, I'd give this a shot - and have something other than the book I won't to sign at her signing table!  I got Meet Me In the Middle of the Air because I adore Steve Berman and his Lethe press.   It came signed and I try to get something from him when he's at Readercon.  I got the Ramshead Algorithm because I love that publisher - Pink Narcissus Press - and they said it was their best author.   I got it signed, too, since he was there.  

I picked up a couple freebies but didn't take photographs.  I was pretty much out of breath from carrying all the books so I said later and never got around to it.  Shout out if you want a picture of those. 

But here, have Blue. I think she's super adorable and my parents think she's super ugly.   But Blue!   I was hoping for a raptor, but they had Blue at the Newbury next to the theater and although I suppose I could have gotten it from B&N, it's so hard to find a particular one there.  I went for the quickest, easiest possibility to stop additional stress of having to find mine at B&N.