BEA 2010: Books (Part 1 – The 50+ Pounds I Brought Home)

As most of you know, I spent four full days in New York City recently for BEA and Book Blogger Con (May 25 to 28): I was there to pick up books, meet fellow bloggers (as well as authors and publicists) and of course enjoy some good food. (I didn’t really do any sightseeing at all!) I’m therefore going to break up my BEA/BBC reports into several posts focusing on these themes.

First off, books, because obviously BEA is all about the books! I certainly did well in that department: I brought an empty suitcase with me on the way to New York, and it was full to the brim with 50+ pounds of books and assorted swag on my way back:

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Here are the books I lugged home, most of which I picked up at BEA (the ones on the bottom right are books I bought, except for Designated Fat Girl: A Memoir by Jennifer Joyner, which was also a BEA snag):

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It’s hard to narrow done the list to the top few I’m most excited about because frankly I’m pretty excited about all the books I picked up. However, there were a baker’s dozen that stood out:

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1. By Nightfall by Michael Cunningham (pub date 10/10) – This is the book I’m most excited about: Cunningham is one of my favourite authors and I didn’t even realize he had another book on the way until I heard about this one at BEA.


2. Special Exits: A Graphic Memoir by Joyce Farmer (pub date 9/10) – Graphic memoirs are one of my favourite genres these days: this was the first book I snagged at BEA from a friendly rep at Fantagraphics.
   


3. I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman (pub date 9/10) – I loved What the Dead Know, which I read last year (but unfortunately didn’t review), so I’m keen to read more of Lippman’s mysteries.
   


4. Room by Emma Donoghue (pub date 9/10) – I haven’t read anything by this Canadian author yet, but this novel told from the point of view of a five-year-old boy who has spent his whole life locked in a room with his mother sounds both creepy and fascinating.


5. Let’s Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship by Gail Caldwell (pub date 8/10) – I had read Wendy’s review of this book, which is about Caldwell’s friendship with writer Caroline Knapp, and I’m interested in the relationships between women writers, so I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy of this memoir.


6. The Water Wars by Cameron Stracher (pub date 1/11) – This YA dystopia about a world where water is more precious than oil or gold sounds all too plausible. I have high hopes for this one!
   


7. Ape House by Sara Gruen (pub date 9/10) – I heard Gruen speak at the Author Lunch at BEA and her amazing stories about the bonobos at the Great Ape Trust in Iowa (which inspired this novel) brought tears to my eyes.
   


8. Dangerous Neighbors by Beth Kephart (pub date 8/10) – I’ve heard so many good things about Kephart’s books (thanks mainly to Amy), plus this YA novel is a story about sisters, which sounds good to me.
   


9. The Watchman’s Rattle: Thinking Our Way Out of Extinction by Rebecca D. Costa (pub date 10/10) – After reading Getting a Grip 2: Clarity, Creativity and Courage for the World We Really Want by Frances Moore Lappé recently, this book sounds like a good follow-up.
   


10. Up from the Blue by Susan Henderson (pub date 10/10) – I had never heard of this debut author or this novel before I found a copy in my swag bag after the Celebration of Book Bloggers hosted by Harper Collins, but I started reading it on the subway back to my hotel and it sounds really good.
    


11. Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon (already pubbed) – I was afraid this tale of suspense might be too creepy for me, but I devoured this book last week and really enjoyed it. (It’s creepy, but not too creepy!)
    


12. Manhood for Amateurs: The Pleasures and Regrets of a Husband, Father and Son by Michael Chabon (already pubbed) – Two of my favourite bloggers, Rebecca and Jenners, raved about this one, so my expectations are high!
    


13. Sima’s Undergarments for Women by Ilana Stanger-Ross (already pubbed) – I’ve read good things about this one on the blogs, and it’s blurbed by Michelle Richmond, one of my new favourite authors, so I’m hoping I’ll enjoy it too.

Are any of these books on your wish list? If you were at BEA, what fabulous books did you pick up that I missed?