Ellen in Wonderland – Day 2

The best laid plans…  I learned that hotel wifi isn’t up to the needs of a blogger so I am catching up. I apologize for the posting delay!

Thanks to Dan, the good spouse, I stayed not far from an entrance to The High Line, the magnificent above ground urban park on the west side of Manhattan. A recent extension brings it to 34th Street, a stone’s throw from the entrance to the Javits Convention Center, home to Book Expo America.

So before walking the endless aisles at BEA15, I took the opportunity to see how The High Line had changed since my visit in frigid March. Lush green replaced the dormant winter brown and occasional flowering plants are blooming. And the crowds! Even on a sticky, overcast morning, there were people everywhere – more power-dodging than power walking.

Arriving in the main entry, it’s clear which books the publishers want on a REALLY big stage. Notice the enormous Go Set A Watchman cover art for Harper Lee’s upcoming title and the itty-bitty ant-people below.

 As a true bookie, being at BEA makes me feel like a kid in a candy shop. No calories but with all the book giveaways, lots of extra weight. The day is spent going from booth to booth getting a sense of what new authors are writing and then racing back to pick up a galley from a favorite author.  Lines are long for author signings but all are quite gracious in the 10-second encounters with each of several hundred readers.

For some authors, tickets are required.  Each year I try to get at least one special title for each of my parents.  This year my pick for Dad is Al Roker’s The Storm of the Century.  Talk about a hardworking man – here he is signing the advance copy at 4 in the afternoon.

And there are truly books for everyone. Here I am posing before I pick up a children’s title for my great-nephews.

For the evening I went back to Mom-mode and helped my daughter finish moving out of her apartment and cleaning up.  My reward?  A late night (at least for me) dinner at Diner in Williamsburg. It is a very hip modern restaurant with wonderful food.  Then back to Chelsea, rinse and repeat on Thursday.

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