BEA and a Wee Hiatus

BEA WAS GREAT BUT I'M FRIED

I want to write extensively about my awesome first time at BEA but can't. My day job is taking me away from hearth and home pretty much until June 16. By which time no one will even remember what BEA is because everyone will have sun-nesia (amnesia that happens when exposed to too much sun and vodka.)

So. Here's what I loved about BEA in a short, somewhat rambling, post:

PEOPLE
Yes, it's soylent green. I loved meeting people and talking about books. I loved that it was positive talk about books. Not author bashing, not genre bashing, no one was interested in making anyone else feel bad about the books they like to read. For me, the expo echoed what Maureen Johnson said in her Keynote speech at the Blogger Conference. Critical discussions, yes. Sweeping judgements, no.

BOOKS
I DIDN'T KNOW. When I first signed up, I didn't know the books would be free. Is this me being stupid? I guess. But I didn't know. When I realized there was tonnage of books to be had, I read up on DO'S and DON'TS and made sure to wear comfortable shoes and bring an empty rolling bag to keep in coat check. I also made sure only to take a book that I truly wanted and would read. THAT'S ALMOST ALL OF THEM. By Saturday evening, as I headed back to Pennsylvania, that rolling bag was bulging with books. Books I am GEEEEEEKED to read. A sampling:

This is only a THIRD of the book haul. I also got tons of books for my kids and husband. Everyone was happy.

And I got THIS:

I waited in line and loitered near the Harper Collins booth for a LOOONG time. I annoyed everyone who worked there and got my mitts on this. I am complete.














BOOK CON
I wasn't a fan of Grumpy Cat - especially as I tried to wiggle my way past the gigantic line of people who wanted to look at this cat. It was more than an HOUR long. And I did think that the organizers might consider opening up the other half of BEA to the BOOK CON crowd - to alleviate some of that crowding but also to give some of those more indie publishers more traffic.
The best booth by far at BOOK CON was the MACMILLAN booth. It was totally consumer focused with give aways and buzz panels and awesome 'genius bar-esq' staff ready to give you recommendations based on what you want to read. I got some great rec's on YA mysteries I'm going to check out AND I managed to snag a copy of Rainbow Rowell's LANDLINE.

My daughter also got to meet Jeff Kinney, a person she spends a lot of time with. That guy signed for hours. Definitely better than Grumpy Cat.


KISMET
My friend and awesome person Jenny Herrera texted me to ask, Friday afternoon, if I felt like, I don't know, heading out to a screening of THE FAULT IN OUR STARS followed by a discussion with Lev Grossman and John Green. I may have broken one of the glass ceiling panels in the Javits with my screech. So that happened. And it was glorious.

What was your best time at BEA?

I look a little scared, don't I? It's because Kitty exudes fabulosity. And I'm not worthy.

Book Expo 2014 - Maureen Johnson Makes Me Laugh/Think (damn her!)

Day One
Maureen Johnson is my new hero. I will likely stalk her to the end of my days. Her keynote at the start of the Blogger Conference at BEA14 was genius. She pretends to be a laid back, rambly sort of girl (the kind of girl I often find when I look in the mirror) but she's actually an insightful, deep-thoughts, whip-smart kind of author and speaker.

Her big take away? Book bloggers challenge the lazy status quo. For every broad, lowest common denominator media story designed to panic (TEENS DON'T READ! FIFTY SHADES OF GRAY IS BAD WRITING!) there needs to be (and there are) bloggers who challenge generalization. Bloggers need to shine a light on book love - because there is so much to love. Instead of click-bait rage.

She mentioned a recent article in the Atlantic that was just such click bait. (And of course, I clicked it.) But her point was that this kind of article is not engendering discussion (good) it's just a didactic rant (bad) and it's making readers sound stupid. I haven't finished reading the article, but I imagine it not only seeks to make readers feel stupid, but also seeks to make other people feel smug about not reading.

Lots of great food for thought! I've already had three cups of coffee!! If you see me buzzing around confusedly at BEA, please point me toward a bathroom/food table.

Are you at BEA? What are you looking forward to?