New Procurements (Including Book Expo Swag)

My summer is already off to a busy start, but you know it is getting to be that season when Book Expo hits. I managed to spend a good chunk of Thursday and most of Friday at the Javits Center seeing what's on deck for the book industry for the next six months. I was a bit pickier than in years past in terms of the galley grabbing, but there was plenty to be had. I did have to back away from a couple giveaways as you don't want to get in the middle of a frothing mad librarian-bookseller galley grab fight. Trust me, you don't.

The biggest hit for me is that little number at the top which is Neil Gaiman's Fortunately, the Milk. My wife actually nabbed it and lo and behold it is signed. This indebted me to my wife, but I was able to balance the scales the next day by getting her a copy of Elizabeth Gilbert's new novel The Signature of All Things. I only managed to go two signings the first of which was for Paolo Bacigalupi's Zombie Baseball Beatdown and managed to run into Jim C. Hines while leaving the line. The Bacigalupi's is his first middle grade novel which I'll give a read and pass on to my nephew who I got it signed to. Also, Bacigalupi's next adult novel The Water Knife has a finished second draft so we should see that pop-up in the next year or so. Paolo said they don't have a US publisher yet, but given his rise over the years I doubt he'll have a problem finding one here.

The Universe Versus Alex Woods by Gavin Extence is a coming of age story I've had my eye on and it is, I believe, the second release from the newest Hachette imprint Redhook. A couple years ago Alan Weisman's The World Without Us blew me away so I was quite glad to get a copy of Countdown, which is the flip side sequel exploring what humanity would need to do to survive on the planet long term. From Orbit I got Shaman by Kim Stanley Robinson, his sort of historical novel about life 30,000 years ago and Mira Grant's Parasite, which is a start to a new series about parasitic symbyotes that cure all diseases, but want to be free. Necessary Errors by Caleb Crain is a debut about young expatriates in newly democratic Prague circa 1990. I already owned One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper, but since he was there singing I couldn't pass up getting a copy. My last grab was The Incrementalists by Steven Brust and Skyler White which is about a shadowy group that has been around for a very longtime slowly changing the future in small ways. All in all a nice haul. The pile of books waiting for me at home wasn't bad either.

The first three in this stack were purchases. The Gist by Michael Marshall Smith is a lovely novella, which is  an interesting experiment. There is the original story then a French translation followed by a retranslation into English. Before you decry me for not having read The Princess Bride by William Goldman please know I have, just not in a very long time. But when I learned my wife had never read it I made it a point to get a copy for our library. I think I'll give it a read this summer as it is one of the most enchanting stories ever, in any form. I also had to get a copy of Martha Wells'Emile & the Hollow World. Had to I tell you. In the review copy department I received Love Minus Eighty by Will McIntosh, which I'm already devouring. It is fabulous so far and also one of the most beautiful packaging jobs I've seen this year. It is a paperback with a rice paper cover slipped over so the image bleeds through. Brilliantly done. Ecko Rising by Danie Ware is a cross genre novel not on my radar until I received the copy, but it sounds quite interesting:

In a futuristic London where technological body modification is the norm, Ecko stands alone as a testament to the extreme capabilities of his society. Driven half mad by the systems running his body, Ecko is a criminal for hire. No job is too dangerous or insane.

When a mission goes wrong and Ecko finds himself catapulted across dimensions into a peaceful and unadvanced society living in fear of 'magic', he must confront his own perceptions of reality and his place within it.

A thrilling debut, Ecko Rising explores the massive range of the sci-fi and fantasy genres, and the possible implications of pitting them against one another.

Joyland is Stephen King much anticipated carnie themed mystery set in the 70's. I haven't read a King story in a few years, but just may dip into this one. Last, but certainly not least is Shift by Hugh Howey. I must admit for having fallen hard for Wool, but this prequel is making me a bit trepidacious as it could ruin everything that was setup. Still I can't help myself.

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A Very Brief Run-Down of BEA 2012 Along With Swag

The largest book show in the US Book Expo America, was this week and I went for my annual visit amidst the throngs of librarians, booksellers, industry people, and for the last 2 years a lot of bloggers.

Day 1

I afforded myself most of the day to wander around the main show floor which meant much jostling, squeezing, and nudging through the very busy aisles near the larger publishers. Traditionally people congregate around the likes of Random House, Hachette, Harper, and Penguin as they give out a whole lot of books and they change them throughout the day. There are also tons of signings in the booths.

My first stop was in the very, very long line for Justin Cronin who was signing The Twelve. It was probably the second or third longest line I've ever stood in for BEA behind Neil Gaiman a couple years back and George R.R. Martin many years back. Traditionally I try not to commit to too many lines of this sort as you do miss out on other things and I'm impatient. But given how much I enjoyed Cronin's The Passage I bite the bullet. In the end it went quicker as Stefan from the Civilian Reader met me while queuing and we chatted about books and life, as we tend to do. We also ran into Joshua Bilmes from the Jabberwocky Agency. Agent to such fantasists as Peter V. Brett, Brandon Sanderson, Jim C. Hines, and Myke Cole. In other words: the agent to people I consider stars. Cronin was quite friendly once we got to him. My main question was asking him if it would be about two years for the third volume in which he sheepishly admitted that was the plan. I got the very strong sense that he's been asked many times and felt bad about it taking so long, but I told him two years for a book this size is more than acceptable. He looked a bit relieved.

After that Stefan and I wandered a bit as you're wont to do at such things. We made our way to the Amazon booth as they were giving out a fuckton of books from all of their new imprints. While browsing we again ran into Mr. Bilmes along with Myke Cole who is a super cool guy in person. He's got the energy and excitement you want to see in a debut author. From there we met a few publicists from Amazon and Orbit. I then wanted to go to a quick signing at the Algonquin booth to get a copy of Life Among Giants by Bill Roorbach. Mission accomplished. We then wandered by the SFWA booth where Laura Anne Gilman just happened to be signing Flesh and Fire and met her agent Jennifer Jackson. Jackson reps many authors I'm a fan of like Jim Butcher, Cherie Priest, and Martha Wells.

After that I went off on my own as Stefan had three bags and really couldn't handle more, but I managed to find a few more things Jonathan Tropper's One Last Thing Before I Go, which was on my must grab list. I then went to rest my weary feet.

Day 2

The second day I only got a few hours on the floor, but I got my golden goose.  I tried to go to Morganstern's signing for The Night Circus, but the line was just too long. I then heard people saying the space shuttle was being towed on the Hudson to the Intrepid. I quickly ran over and snapped a couple pictures because it is really something you don't see everyday. The most common comment was "It looks smaller than I thought." Right after I learned about the death of Ray Bradbury, which did cast a shadow on the show somewhat. But more on that in another post.

After that I met Stefan at N.K. Jemison' signing for The Killing Moon. The line was long, but this time I sidled up next to Stefan. It pays to have friends at these type of shows. Soon after is when I landed my golden goose. I had heard rumors of Harper doing something with Carlos Ruiz Zafon's latest book at the show. But it wasn't anything concrete so it could have amounted to nothing, a poster, bookmarks, or a sample chapbook. But again while wandering with Stefan we walked through the Harper booth and saw a line starting, but no notice about a signing, which was odd. Usually there are only lines for signings. What's this for we asked? Someone said "Galleys of Prisoner of Heaven." Zafon's Prisoner of Heaven I asked? "Yes." And from there I dragged Stefan into line. It went rather quick and I now have in my possession of a galley that will be read within the next week most likely. Though I am tempted to re-read The Shadow of the Wind beforehand. Also not seen in the book pile for the day is Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan that got put in a bag I forgot about. The title definitely drew me and if you're curious the short story it is based on is available here for free.

Near the end of the day I met up with Liz Upson from Night Shade to say hello and share a glass of wine. After that I was spent. I skipped the third day as I had had my fill and did all the damage I could take to my legs. The post-BEA body aches had set in. But it was a rather successful couple of days. I met many people and got to debate books with Stefan, which is always better in person. And I got nearly all the books I hoped from. Now I'm going to soak my feet.

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BEA 2010 Show Rundown and Swag
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Cover Unveiled for The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
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New Procurements and Book Expo Swag

Sorry for the slow last week. I was at Book Expo America a bit and also had plenty of work to do at night if I wasn't out with friends.. Firstly, for those who don't know Book Expo is the largest American based publishing event every year that last 3 or 4 days depending on programming. Nearly every publisher is there and most are giving out what they hope will be important books for them in addition to hundreds of author signings.

This is my fifth Book Expo. This year I decided to take a quieter role instead of running around and grabbing every book I could I focused on the ones that I was most interested in and decided to chat a bit more with various publishers to see what they had cooking. I stopped by the Pyr booth to hear about their YA happenings. At Orbit to ask about the shorts program. And checked in with a dozen other mostly genre related publishers. I still made time for a few signings (Scalzi, Vinge, Grossman, etc.) and missed two I really meant to get to. Sorry Lev Rosen and Ernest Cline!  Well on to the swag. And let's start things off with the signed ones to add to the drool worthiness.

First on the pile is Chuck Klosterman's second novel The Invisible Man. He was quite a friendly guy and harrier than I remembered. I love his essays so I have my fingers crossed that his fiction will be as nearly funny. Next is Ernest Cline's debut novel Ready Player One, which isn't actually signed, but I'm too tired to retake a photo. He did a signing that I missed, but I was able to get a copy the next day. Thank you very much Random House. Than we have Lev Grossman's hotly anticipated sequel The Magician King. Who remembered me for our interview months back when I did an early review of The Magicians. Following is Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson who just happened to be in signing the final copies of what I think will be the Sci-Fi hit of the summer. Lastly, are signed copies of The Children of the Sky by Vernor Vinge and Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi who were signing together, which made things easy to see the two greats. I would have liked to talk with both for a bit longer, but did manage to ask Vinge about his time frame for when the Singularity will happen.  He still predicts around 2030.

The above are just a couple galleys I grabbed. Starting off is The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch which is a historical witchcraft novel placed in mid-1600 Germany. It has been getting rave reviews since Amazon Connect did a release a year back. Next is a middle reader I got for a family member called Captain Awesome to the Rescue. How could I resist that? Below that is Michael J. Sullivan's first Riyria Revelations omnibuses from Orbit entitled Theft of Swords, which looks deliciously fat. Next is Spontaneous Happiness by Andrew Weil because couldn't we all use a little bit more? Lastly, is the prolific Harlan Coben's Shelter, which a certainly family member should enjoy. The next photo are the review copies that showed up the last two weeks.

Dead of Veridon by Tim Akers is the second in the Jacob Burn cycle of Noird Steampunk novels, which should be read quite soon since I usually get to Akers quickly.  Eclipse Four edited by Jonathan Strahan would be my first taste of this cross genre anthology that usually pleases short story fans. Zendgi by Greg Egan is his latest hard Sci-Fi effort. I'll probably read Egan's summer release The Clockwork Rocket before this though. Next is The Nebula Award Showcase 2011 edited by Kevin J. Anderson, which looks like all kinds of fun. Lastly, but not leastly is Dancing with Bears by Michael Swanwick, which is the start to a new Steampunky series featuring con-men. Sounds like a good time to me.

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BEA 2010 Show Rundown and Swag

VIDEO | Steampunk Panel from School LJ at BEA 2010 w/ Cherie Priest, Scott Westerfeld & Cory Doctorow

This is a rather interesting video from this years Book Expo as part of the School Library Journal portion of the show. The panel is different than the one I mentioned in my BEA rundown, which was on the show floor.This particular event was with Cory Doctorow, Scott Westerfeld, and Cherie Priest was meant more for a Librarian audience with a focus on YA Steampunk.



As soon as the Steampunk panel from the show floor is online I'll let you know.  That was a good one as well from what little I caught with Catherynne Valente and Cherie having very differing views on Steampunk out of England.

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BEA 2010 Show Rundown and Swag

I've been going to BEA of Book Expo America for the past few years. In many ways I've seen the show decline, especially with the abysmal third day last year.  This year BEA was moved to midweek with only two exhibit days.  I think this was a smart move for the show.  Energy on the floor was higher than I've seen it the past few events and the pace was quite frantic at times.  The aisles were especially clogged on Wednesday in not only the big publishers, but in nearly ever aisle I walked down.  Great to see this.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  On Tuesday I got in and had a lovely dinner at Crema in the West Village.  I highly recommend this place. A very good laid-back atmosphere and delicious drinks.  But it was the food I'll be remembering for weeks. I had their version of Peking Duck with mole sauce, which was outstanding and quite reasonable.  After dinner my wife and I went to Madame X's for the Steam Salon hosted by Liz Gorinsky from Tor.  I didn't get there until a little after 7 and was worried I would miss some of the festivities, but things were just getting rolling.  [some links go to photos as mine didn't come out well] This was a great venue for the gathering.  Something a little bigger might have been nice or a mic for the readers, but for the most part the readings went well. Before everything started I introduced myself to Cherie Priest who introduced me to Tor Steampunk aficionado Liz Gorinsky and Caitlin Kittredge.  All three were quite nice and nicely costumed for the event.

First up was Felix Gilman, who was much younger than I thought who did a short reading of The Half-Made World.  I was in the back of the room so it was a little difficult hearing the quiet Brit, but what I caught was good.  I also bought a copy of his Thunderer, which he signed for me and we discussed doing an interview.  Next up was Catherynne Valente who was dressed up Victorian style with bustle and all.  Catherynne was doing a reading from Deathless, which is her take on Steampunk coming from Tor in 2011. Quite intriguing. After this there was a brief break and I recognized Amber and Justin from Tor both of whom I've been corresponding with for a year now and we got to talking for a bit about this and that.  I learned Dot is leaving Tor and we all shared sad faces.

Up next was George Mann who enlivened the room a bit with his reading from his Newbury and Hobbes books.  At this point my energy and that of my wife was waning so we dashed out back to our hotel before Cherie's reading. This was just the first night of falling down.

Wednesday was the first exhibit day of the show.  There were long lines waiting to get in, but pushing was at a minimum.  Wandering around BEA is a bit of a trap.  If you ever go make at least a loose plan of Publishers to visit and signings to go to otherwise you'll likely not get there.  Don't forget comfortable shoes and bags with long handles to carry your booty.  They give away loads of nice bags as well, but it's always best to come prepared. And I know this goes against usual logic, but don't grab every book you see given away. Decide if it is actually something you'd remotely be interested in before absconding away.  There is probably someone else who'd enjoy that mystery more than you if  you don't read any.  I see so many people not even look at the title and throw it in a mountainous bag.

First I stopped by some of the big publishers to see what they had laid out for the taking.  My first find was Steve Martin's first full length novel An Object of Beauty that I hadn't even heard about.  I greatly enjoyed his two novellas Shopgirl and The Pleasure of My Company. The Shopgirl movie is one of my faves.  Martin is just as good at writing as he is at stand-up with moving and funny works.  My wife and I had split up and when we met up again it turns out she grabbed a copy as well so we gave the extra to a friend we ran into. I grabbed a few more galleys all of which are noted below and than I was off to Gilman's signing of The Half-Made World.  Cherie Priest was signing Dreadnought immediately after he finished so I wandered over to one of the author stages to kill time where a YA panel on Paranormal Fiction was going on with Richelle Mead, Holly Black, Ivy Devlin, and Andrea Cremer. It was a good discussion marred by some technical difficulties at the start, but I had to leave before it was over to get in Cherie's line, which by the time I got there was past the roped area. When I was finished it was still just past the ropes and they ran out of books before her allotted hour was up.  Goes to show you that being early is important for those must have books. Cherie is definitely going up in the world.   After the signings I went by some of the genre publishers to see what they had going on and to say hi to a few people I correspond with. I also stopped by Graphic Novel row where Todd MacFarlane was signing The Haunt.

Thursday was a bit more sedate in terms of people, but it was still pretty busy.  A friend of mine came in to wander a bit with me, which was nice. Hopefully this friend will get their stuff together this summer to start doing some reviews here - that means you Vapor.  I went to Karen Miller's signing and said hello to Alex from Orbit while there. We kidded for a minute about the next cover kerfuffle I'm likely to start.   Than I was on to the Joshua Braff signing for his second novel Peep Show after his The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Green, which showed great promise.  I stopped by the Steampunk panel with Cherie, Catherynne, and Felix for a little bit, but had to move on to meet-up with friends.  They were shooting the panel so hopefully it will be online in the coming weeks.  After that I stopped by the Games Workshop booth where Nick Kyme was signing one of his Warhammer novels.  Next I tried to go back to the Graphic Novel area for a Garth Ennis signing and found out it was the day before.  Oh, well.  But I did happen upon the Paizo booth and talked with the publisher for a moment and he gave me a copy of the anthology Before They Were Giants even though they weren't giving them out.  After that I lost steam quickly and headed home with my two bags full of booty. Below are pics of what I grabbed and the usual info.

Haunt by Todd MacFarlane - This autographed and from what I've heard so far so basically MacFarlane continuing his venom stuff.

Dreadnought by Cherie Priest - Autographed by the very kind Cherie.  I must get to this soon.

The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman - Gilman's Steam-Western, which had me even more intrigued after his short reading at the Steam Salon.

Before They Were Giants edited by James L. Sutter - This is a collection from Paizo of the first published stories from well known authors such as China Mieville, Ben Bova, Greg Bear, Kim Stanley Robinson, William Gibson, Cory Doctorow, and many, many others.  Plus after each story there is a small interview with each discussing where they were in life and also if they would change anything about the stories if they could.

Steppe by Piers Anthony - This also came from Paizo as part of their Planet Stories line of reprints.

Witches Incorporated by K.E. Mills - This is autographed from Mills aka Karen Miller.

The Prodigal Mage by Karen Miller -  Even though I have the hardcover I had to get an autographed copy.

The Noise Within by Ian Whates - I never found the Solaris booth, but my friend snagged me a copy of Whates' novel.

Salamander by Nick Kyme - Warhammer here I come.  

Packing for Mars by Mary Roach - If you didn't enjoy Roach's Stiff than something is wrong with you.  The follow-up Spook wasn't as interesting, but I'm more than willing to give this a shot. I opted to take the book and run instead of waiting in the 150+ long line.
Peep Show by Joshua Braff - This is Braff's sophomore effort, which I'll probably read over next vacation.  Great cover. I got it autographed.
Savages by Don Winslow - This was the much ballyhooed crime novel of the fair and the copy sounded interesting.
The Sherlockian by Graham Moore - The lost journal of Arthur Conan Doyle.  This has the propensity to be really good or truly bad.  Time will tell.
An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin - The biggest find of the show.  My wife will start in on it first though.  She was a big Shopgirl fan.

Word on the street is Book Expo will be going back to 3 exhibit days next year.  Now I go and fall down and rub my feet.

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Checking in from Book Expo America 2009 | Saturday

VIDEO | Mieville, Ringo, and Link Sci-Fi Discussion from Book Expo 2009 and

Book Expo has now posted a whole bunch of the discussions taped at the show here.  During my trip to BEA I really wanted to go to the Sci-fi discussion with John Ringo, China Mieville, and Kelly Link but I only managed to catch the last 15 minutes or so.  Now we can see the whole discussion moderated by Del Rey editor Chris Schluep in which China Mieville sounds smart and John Ringo makes good points while wearing a Utilikilt:



Here is the Scott Westerfield, Holly Black, and Cassie Clare discussion about Alternative History:



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Checking in from Book Expo | Saturday

As expected today was a quieter day, but the quality was very high of stuff to collect. I managed to catch the tail end of the SFF discussion with Mieville and Ringo. I took a little video, but I haven't gotten a chance to download it to see if any was good. If so expect a post next week.

Here is the swag: [Signed] Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson (Tor) Surprisingly this was a finished book, not a galley as most other books I grabbed were. [Signed] The Affinity Bridge by George Mann (Tor) Steampunk. Nuff said. Hitchhikers Guide Limited Edition Promo Book for And Another Thing by Eoin Colfer (Hyperion)More about this later. [Signed] Salt Water Taffy by Matthew Loux (Oni) Because it looked fun. [Signed] Taking Woodstock by Elliot Tiber & Tom Monte (Square One) Because the movie looks good. Ask Arthur Frommer by Arthur Frommer (Wiley) Because I travel.

While in line for the Sanderson and Mann books I found myself behind the very friendly Literary Agent and fellow blogger Jenny Rappaport. Jenny represents David J. Williams and John Joseph Adams who I consider the best anthologist today. She mentioned a new project just signed for JJA, which is of course an anthology, but in this case all stories will be original instead of a mix of new and old reprints. It is tentatively titled The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination to be published by Tor. The premise is superhero stories from the villains perspective à la Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible. Grossman is slated to contributing to the book. Sounds like it will be a good one, but alas it won't be out until 2011 most likely.

Tired. Feet hurt. Sleep now.

Checking in from Book Expo America | Friday

So far the show has been much better than expected. There were some worries that the show is going downhill, and while it is definitely smaller I found everything I wanted and more. It is especially still a fun place to walk around if you love books. There are hundreds of authors throughout the event. I met China Mieville at his signing and got his autograph on The City & The City. He was much friendlier than I expected given his serious look in his photos and tone when I've heard him interviewed. I also managed to get Neil Gaiman's autograph on The Graveyard Book and my first edition hardcover of American Gods. Here he is signing my copy of The Graveyard Book: I left with the biggest grin. I've grabbed a few good galleys and spoke to some of the publishers such as Orbit and Overlook. The Orbit people were especially friendly and they're definitely reading the bloggers. Tomorrow there is a talk with China Mieville and John Ringo I hope to attend. Well here is the swag I picked up:

• Best Served Cold by Joe Abercrombie (Orbit) This is the one I was most excited about grabbing. I don't think they were actually giving them out but Alex from Orbit was very kind.
• [Signed] Soulless by Gail Carriger (Orbit) Gotta love Zombies in a Victorian steampunk setting.
• Mr. Shivers by Robert Jackson Bennett (Orbit)
• The Cry of the Sloth by Sam Savage (Coffee House) I read Savages' Firmin a few months ago a love the heartbreaking story of a rat who is born smart and lives in a bookstore.
• [Signed] The City & The City by China Mieville (Del Rey)
• This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper (Duton) Because it looks interesting.
• New World Monkeys by Nancy Mauro (Crown) Who couldn't love a title like this?
• [Signed] An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage (Walker) I loved the author's A History of the World in 6 Glasses so this should be a good treat.
• The Magicians by Lev Grossman (Viking) I was underwhelmed by Grossman's first book Codex, but the premise sounded interesting enough to give it a shot.

Please feel free to post your jealousy over my grand swag. I don't expect to pick up as much tomorrow, but there were rumors of the new Hitchhikers Guide being given out.

At Book Expo America Friday and Saturday

I'll be attending Book Expo America or BEA for those in the know. It is the largest gathering of Publishers in the US with hundreds of authors doing signings and loads of ARCs being given out. I hope to do a post each day about the swag I grab and the authors I meet. Some of this year's highlights include signings by Neil Gaiman, China Mieville, and Brandon Sanderson. Mieville is also giving a talk about Sci-Fi/Fantasy I hope to get to.