On Friday, we had another cold, wet day here but I took the train to Philly for the ALA Midwinter exhibits. After eating a honey strawberry banana crepe at Reading Market, I went over for the Author session and two hours of the exhibit hall.
The authors both write historical fiction, probably my least favorite genre. But they were both excellent, with
Mary Doria Russell having a funny speech about how librarians were 'pushers' (Nancy Drew, just a taste) and then reading from her work about Clara Hitler.
Geraldine Brooks, Australian and whipsmart, talked about her new book
People of the Book and how Christians, Muslims and Jews all worked to protect this sacred Jewish text through the ages in Serejevo. She's on an author tour if you are interested in trying to see her speak.
The exhibits-- about 1000 booths, a string band, a Rocky, a patriot, some pretzels and cheesesteak. There were so many publishers giving books away, much more than the state library conference, where a post-it note or a pen are the best giveaways.
And...there was a graphic novel section! I remember a DC booth a few years ago, but it's great to see comic publishers taking library sales seriously.
-I harassed the guy from Marvel about One More Day. He was easygoing and said he'd take it back to Marvel. One bit of news is that Terry Moore's Spider-Man loves Mary Jane is slated for 2008.
-DC gave away Minx books
-IDW and Dark Horse and TokyoPop had booths also.
-I bought the "Read Responsibly" book and the "Book Club" T-shirt from Bill from the Unshelved comic.
Fanboy and Fangirl Films for 2008--
May week one- Iron Man
week 2- Speed Racer
week 4- Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull
June 13- The Incredible Hulk 2
June 27- Wanted
July 11- Hellboy 2
July 18- The Dark Knight
Nov 21- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Dec 25- Star Trek
My next post will be for Running42K on my current pull list!
Labels: ALA Midwinter, Unshelved