Today Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words welcomes the last of Free Dreamer’s Book Adventures at the Leipzig Book Fair. Next week she answers your questions and we announce the winners of the Free Dreamer Contest! Take it away, F.D.!
Oh, and welcome the Merry Month of May, more on that too!
Free Dreamer’s Leipzig Adventures End and May Begins
Welcome back to the final instalment of my book fair adventures in Leipzig.
Back at our bungalow on Saturday night, I was awaited not only by my two temporary roommates but also by two other classmates. We only had two uncomfortable chairs, so the five of us ended up sharing two single beds. We chatted and gossiped till way too late. It was around 1.30am when we finally threw them out.
Since none of us wanted to get up earlier to pack their stuff, we took care of that in the night. While picking up my clothes and throwing them into my suitcase, I found a bra that most definitely wasn’t mine. Upon closer inspection it turned out to be my classmate’s binder, who’d needed it for her cosplay. Obviously, the best way not to forget it the following morning would be to hang it on the door knob of our front door. We speculated on the meaning of a bra on a door latch as opposed to the traditional sock. We never did find an answer to that question…
It was about 3am till our stuff was packed and we were all showered. One of my roommates said she’d take care of the alarm and everything. Said she’d probably go for a walk in the surrounding woods before waking us the following morning. Well. What woke us was a knock at the door, about half an hour after we’d planned to get up. Luckily it was a classmate at our door, who was slightly confused why we’d hang a bra on the door. It might have been a little weird to explain that to our teacher… XD
So the three of us dressed in a hurry, neither of us really all that awake. At the bus stop where we’d agreed to meet my teacher told me she didn’t have a train ticket for me. Suddenly I was worried I’d have to find my own way back home! A few tense minutes at the train station talking to a friendly employee there and I parted with 105€ so I could catch the same train as everybody else. That was the cheapest option available to us and I was just glad I had a safe way to get home.
Once on the train, we started writing our postcards. And once we’d finished writing them we realized we only had 5 minutes to change trains at the last German train station. Since we’d bought stamps, we ended up giving our postcards to the conductor, who was kind enugh to post them for us.
The train ride was looooong. We had all slept very little the last three nights and were all exhausted. Some took a nap but I’ve never been able to sleep on a train in broad daylight. On the first train, we read lots of crappy teenie magazines. We learned that it’s no fun to have a baby when you’re only 14. We also learned that boyfriends don’t like it when we post sexy pictures on our Instagram accounts and that you should talk about stuff like that in a relationship. We also tested our coolness and I turned out to be coolest of them all. All in all, it was a very educating train ride. That left me feeling kind of old and wise. XD
The next part was worse, somehow. It was a faster, more modern train. The people there weren’t as loud and we were more spread out. The time for education had passed and me and the four classmates from the night before played cards. We were in this weird state when you’re beyond exhausted and have passed into that hyperactive phase. We even played the card game my friend had gotten for her 4-year-old son and started imitating the sounds of the animals we saw on the cards. We ended up talking about all sorts of random things and laughing way too loudly. I think our poor fellow travellers were slightly annoyed by us.
And then we were finally back home, after 3 nights of way too little sleep and 8 hours on the train. I was glad to be home again, tbh. All in all, the book fair weekend was great. Way too short, though. I’m planning on going again next year, but not as part of a school trip. If you ever get the chance to go to a book fair like this one, you should absolutely take it. It’s totally worth the experience.
I’ll be back a final time next week to answer all the wonderful comments my reports have gotten.
📚Some Questions for F.D.:
✍🏼From Jen: Which books did you take photos of and end up getting free copies when you got home?
✍🏼From Purple Reader: For your fair, as a dreamer, what did you anticipate or expect the most from going, and how did that go? Were your expectations met or exceeded? (I hope they were). I know what you’re saying about Sanderson. I read his concluding 3 vols. in the Wheel of Time series, and thought they picked the quality back up to what I saw in the first 3 vols. But I’ve since gravitated to gay fiction, so haven’t read anything of his since. Do any of his stories involve a gay protagonist?
✍🏼From Didi: I always want to go and see an int’l book fair! How much plan did you do prior to going (you’re not take “we’ll just see what’s interesting there” tactic and go with it, surely? What’s your most favorite “souvenir” from the event (books purchased incl.)? 🙂
✍🏼From H.B.: Did you get to attend many discussions and if you did which ones were your favorite(s)? It’s great you got to meet Brandon Sanderson. I haven’t read one of his books yet although I have my eye on a few of his stories. In general what book of his would you suggest I start with?
Stay Tuned for Winner Announcements Next Week Along with Answers to Your Questions…Yes we are picking more than one! So leave more questions for F.D. at the end of today’s blog!
This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Sunday, April 30:
- Free Dreamer’s Leipzig Adventures End and May Begins
- This Week at Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words
Monday, May 1:
- Release Blitz – The Perils Of Intimacy by Rick R Reed
- Release Blitz- Bryan T Clark’s Come To The Oaks
- Release Day Blitz: Nate and the New Yorker by Kevin Klehr
- RIPTIDE TOUR and Giveaway: Risky Behavior by LA Witt and Cari Z
- A Lila Review: Perils of Intimacy by Rick Reed
- A MelanieM Release Day Review: Stage Two (Series: Lexington Lovers Book Three) by Ariel Tachna
- A Stella Review: Catch A Falling Star by Matt Burlingame
- An Alisa Review: Sand Trap (The Wyverns #4) by L.M. Somerton
Tuesday, May 2:
- Release Blitz & Review Tour – Brigham Vaughn & K. Evan Coles
- Release Blitz Positive Reinforcement by Tamryn Eradani
- Review Tour – Toxic (Treacherous Chemistry #2) – Avylinn Winter + Volatile
- A VVivacious Review: Toxic (Treacherous Chemistry #2) by Avylinn Winter
- A VVivacious Review: Volatile (Treacherous Chemistry #1) by Avylinn Winter
- An Ali Audiobook Review: The Winter Dark by J.S. Cook and K.C. Kelly (Narrator)
Wednesday, May 3:
- Release Blitz & Review Tour While You See A Chance by Alexa Milne
- Release Day Blitz I Do, or Dye Trying by Aimee Nicole Walker
- RIPTIDE TOUR Concourse by Santino Hassell
- A Barb the Zany Old Lady Review: For a Good Time, Call (Bluewater Bay) by Anne Tenino and EJ Russell
- A MelanieM Release Day Review: Somewhere on Mackinac by Jeff Adams
- A Stella Release Day Review: By the Numbers: Adding it Up (By the Numbers #2) by Tory Temple and Chris Owen
- A Alisa Release Day Review: The Dusk Parlor (World of Love) by S.A. Stovall
Thursday, May 4:
- Release Blitz: Urgent Care (Hearts & Health #3) DJ Jamison
- A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: You Are the Reason (The Tav #2) by Renae Kaye and Dave Gillies (Narrator)
- A Julia Review: The Rest is Illusion by Eric Arvin
- A Stella Release Review: The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
- An Alisa Review: Hot Wednesday by Taylor Kinney
- A MelanieM Pre-Release Review: Dim Sum Asylum by Rhys Ford
Friday, May 5:
- Book Blitz Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter
- INTERLUDE PRESS The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember
- A Barb the Zany Old Lady Audiobook Review: Poppy’s Secret by Andrew Grey and John Solo (Narrator)
- A Caryn Release Day Review: Every Breath You Take by Robert Winter
- A Kai Review:Anything For You (A Middleton Romance #1) by Ethan Day
- A VVivacious Review: The Art of Mutual Pleasure by K.A. Merikan
Saturday, May 6:
- Readers & Writers for LGBT Chechens Blog Tour
- A MelanieM Review: Wolf in King’s Clothing by Parker Foye
Scattered Thoughts and Rogue Words 
Thanks for sharing your story! I know that too little sleep feeling…although my experience was from having to work for several days with little sleep – so not as fun.
Question: What do you plan on doing differently for your next trip to the book fair (other than not going with a class)?
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Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I can relate to the too little sleep and what it does to us.
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Thanks for sharing – I always hate the end of a trip, it always seems to take longer and I’m leaving a good time behind, back to my more mundane world. So … in contrast, what was the most NON-mundane thing you did on your trip?
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