BEA 2014 -- Day 3 and 4 (Friday, May 30th and Saturday, May 31st)

Friday was my last full day in New York City and it was a great one. Rather than rush over to the Javits Center, Kathy and I decided to head to Bubby's on the High Line for a wonderful breakfast. Their homemade sodas are amazing -- I had a strawberry/rhubarb one! We ended up walking the three miles to Bubby's and then we walked the High Line back to Javits. It was a gorgeous day and we appreciated every minute of it. It was nice not to have to rush from one event to another that morning.

(This is a little aside, but Kathy and I didn't once take a cab or the subway during our trip to New York (except for Kathy's rides to and from the airport.) The weather, albeit a little cool, was perfect for walking; and we were able to time everything so we could walk everywhere. Just when we were finally getting comfortable getting around the subway system...)

However, when we arrived back at BEA we were more than ready to tackle the show floor. We walked up and down the aisles and even checked out some of the autograph signings. I was happy to grab an autographed copy of THE WOLF by Lorenzo Carcaterra at the very last minute of his signing. Of course, I picked up a wide variety of adult and kids books that you will hear more about throughout the next few months! Some of the ones that I am extremely excited about include:

LILA by Marilynne Robinson
THE TRUTH ABOUT THE HARRY QUEBERT AFFAIR by Joel Dicker
THE GOLEM OF HOLLYWOOD by Jonathan Kellerman and Jesse Kellerman
THE BLACK HOUR by Lori Rader-Day
THE FORGOTTEN GIRL by David Bell

One of the best things about BEA is the BEA Book Group Speed Dating Session which took place on Friday at 2:00. We arrived plenty early to register because we knew this session is extremely popular with both bloggers and librarians in addition to book club leaders. Basically, there were 20+ publishers there "pitching" their top book club picks to us.  Each large round table had one or two publisher representatives; and when the gong ringed, they moved to the next table. We then had one or two new publishers for the next few minutes. And so on and so on. In an hour and forty-five minutes, we were treated to a variety of great book club suggestions. Many of the publishers brought books for us to take with us too! We even received a handout featuring all of the books -- even the ones we weren't specifically presented. It was so much fun!!!

Here's a list of books that caught my eye:

DESCENT by Tim Johnston
THE GARDEN OF LETTERS by Alyson Richman
REUNION by Hannah Pittard
WHAT I HAD BEFORE I HAD YOU by Sarah Cornwell
LOOKAWAY, LOOKAWAY by William Barnhardt
WE ARE NOT OURSELVES by Matthew Thomas
RAINEY ROYAL by Dylan Landis
THE ITALIAN WIFE by Ann Hood

After this session, Kathy and I decided to head back to our hotel and check out the TKTS booth. We had no plans for the evening and thought it would be the perfect time to catch a show. Our first choice was Kinky Boots and we were lucky enough to score tickets for 40% off!

But first, we wanted to get a quick bite to eat. We were planning on getting a quick salad somewhere but Kathy spotted a cute little Italian restaurant that almost looked like a fast food cafe. It was called the Academie Barilla and it was pretty darn good. Naturally, they served a variety of Barilla pasta dishes that were light and relatively healthy. Kathy asked about the restaurant and we were told that this is the first one and they are hoping to expand within the next few months/years.

Kinky Boots was amazing! I absolutely loved it and I highly recommend it if you are looking for a fun show the next time you are in New York City. The story was written by Harvey Fierstein and the music by Cyndi Lauper, so how can you go wrong? It won six Tony awards including Best Musical and tells the story of a struggling shoe factory owner who turns around his business with the help of an unlikely person. The show makes you laugh and cry and it was a wonderful message about friendship and acceptance!

On Saturday, I ended up having a nice (but early) breakfast with Kathy before walking to Penn Station for my 9:00 train. Coincidentally, Candace from Beth Fish Reads was on the same train to Harrisburg so we chatted for 3 1/2 hours. It sure made the time go by quickly!

In the chaos that my life was the weeks leading up to BEA, I accidentally scheduled an early morning train so my husband could pick me up before my son's baseball game. About 8:00 on Friday evening, my husband texted me that not only did Booking Son have a 12:00 game but he was also pitching. ACK! I scrambled to find a friend who could pick me up at the train station, and she took me directly to the baseball game where I arrived just in time to see him pitch. I did miss his hit and RBI by a few minutes though!

When I arrived home, I had a big box of books from the Harper Collins Fall Preview event already waiting. It did take until Tuesday to receive my 46 pound box from BEA chock full of all my goodies!

I'm a little sad that this is my final post about the 2014 BEA. This might sound silly, but once I complete my wrap-ups, my trip truly is over! At least I have lots of fantastic books to tide me over for the next year.