BookExpo America and BookCon are a must go for Book Lovers

Book Expo 2017, http://www.bookexpoamerica.com/Home/ the premier book publishing event of the year is returning to the Jacob Javits Center in New York City this year. It is held May 31 through June 2, and then on June 3 and June 4, ReedPop, is also holding BookCon, a convention for the public.  Last year, Book Expo was held in Chicago, Illinois, but BookCon was also held during ComicCon  in New York City in October 2016 as an alternative publishing event.   ReedPop was trying to expand programming  during Comic Con.  It must have been successful because ReedPop is again holding BookCon at Comic Con on October 6-9 in New York City this year.

Why go to Book Expo or BookCon.

Its the swag.  If you are a blogger, librarian or book reviewer this is the event to attend. Hundreds of authors are at Book Expo. Authors sign and give away thousands of free books. I have interviewed librarians, who use the free books for summer reading programs or to see what books to get in the future.  Some of the free books are just advanced reading copies but many are the actual book.  In 2015, when we last attended Book Expo in New York City. the third day of the show was devoted to young adult and children books.  Besides getting free books, you can meet authors and talk to them, briefly, about their books and future plans.  There are over 400 exhibitors.

There are also panel discussions by authors and publishers and breakfast events, which sell out early.

The Adult Book and Author Breakfast will start the second day of the event. Whitney Cummings, the comedienne and writer will host and Stephen King, Owen King, Scott Kelly, Kenya Barris, Jesmyn Ward and Claire Messud will be impaneled at this event.

The Children's Book and Author Breakfast on Friday June 2 will kick off the third day of the event. Savannah Guthrie, the co-host of the Today Show on NBC and an author, will host, and Isla Fisher, the actress and first time author, will join Jason Reynolds, Marieko Nijkamp and Jennifer Weiner at a panel during the breakfast. 

 The giant publishing houses are present. Simon & Schuster,  Penguin Random House, Hatchette, Harper Collins, MacMillan have large areas, where their authors sign books and they have meetings. Smaller publishers like Sourcebooks, Chronicle, Doubleday, Scholastic, and Disney are typically present and will give away free books at their booths. Plus there is a huge area solely devoted to autographing free books.  Thirty or so lines, starting once the show opens, for an hour per author all day long, where people can line up to get free signed advanced publishing copies and free books signed by the authors.  

How do you get your free swag. Make sure to bring a suitcase and check it in the coat room, then as you get free swag, load it into your suitcase.  

The exhibitors run the gamut from the major publishing houses to people who will try to get your business.

There is also a section devoted solely to bloggers.

This is not a cheap ticket, but its worth a visit.

 ReedPop, the event organizer, has also instituted BookCon, which is open to the public on Saturday and Sunda.   Adult Tickets  (anyone over 12 years old) prior to May 5 are $35 for Saturday June 3 and $30 for Sunday June 4.  Kids 6-12 are just $10.  Tickets are $45 onsite on Saturday and $40 on Sunday.

BookCon has more limited free swag.  There are still free books but less of them, but there are also pay for books that are signed by authors.  In addition, there are huge halls filled with hundreds of people to see the feature speakers.  There is a lot to see:

On Dan Brown, acclaimed author of The Da Vinci Code will be on the main stage at 11:50 on Saturday.

Jeff Kinney, author of the Wimpy Kids novels, will be on the main stage at 12:45 on Saturday.

Rainbow Rowell, young adult author, will host an hour long panel at 12:15 on Saturday. My daughter has read all of her books.

Holly Black and Leigh Bardugo, YA fantasy authors, will also host an hour long panel on Saturday and delve into the world of fantasy at 12:30.

Young Adult authors Sarah Dessen, Shannon Hale, Morgan Matson and Jenny Han will host a panel  at 1:45 to 2:45.

Tor Science Fiction and Fantasy will hold a panel discussion with John Scalzi, Charlie Jane Anders, Cory Doctorow, Annalee Newitz will discuss science fiction and fantasy.

There is something for everyone.

This year Kevin Hart will be a featured speaker on Sunday. There will be 3 separate meet and greets, at 10:30, 11:30 and 12:45 and one live Q & A where he will be interviewed at 4:00 pm., Each event is $30, but you will  get a free copy of his new book.  At the Meet and Greet, you can get a photo with Kevin Hart.  See  http://www.thebookcon.com/Events/Kevin-Hart-FAQ/ for more information.

BookExpo and BookCon , five days of books, authors, free swag, speakers, authors, movie and tv stars.

It's a must go. Hope to see you there.

Fish & Chips

Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Dreamspinner Press
Reviewed by Nancy
5 out of 5 stars

Summary

Special Agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett are back on the job, settled into a personal and professional relationship built on fierce protectiveness and blistering passion. Now they're assigned to impersonate two members of an international smuggling ring-an out-and-proud married couple-on a Christmas cruise in the Caribbean. As their boss says, surely they'd rather kiss each other than be shot at, and he has no idea how right he is. Portraying the wealthy criminals requires a particular change in attitude from Ty and Zane while dealing with the frustrating waiting game of their assignment. As it begins to affect how they treat each other in private, Ty and Zane realize there's more to being partners than watching each other's backs, and when the case takes an unexpected turn and threatens Ty's life, Ty and Zane will have to navigate seas of white lies and stormy secrets, including some of their own.

My Review

I’ve read lots of books that are parts of series. Though I’ve enjoyed many of them, I find it difficult to complete an entire series. Sometimes the series is too long, or too much time passes between books that I pick up other books and lose interest. Sometimes the plots and structure are too formulaic and the characters show little development. Sometimes the story and characters are moving in a direction not to my liking.

So far, I’m really enjoying this series featuring FBI agents Ty Grady and Zane Garrett. The stories are fun, entertaining, suspenseful, sexy, and full of emotion. I’m tempted to read one book after the other, but feel maximum enjoyment will best be achieved by pacing myself. That way, I won’t tire of the characters, the writing style, or notice little inconsistencies.

One of the things I really enjoy is the slow buildup of Ty’s and Zane’s relationship. As partners, they work effectively together and have a high level of trust. On the personal side, however, both men have secrets and issues best not explored. There is no question the guys are in love. Their actions show it, even if the words are not forthcoming.

“Falling in love or just plain falling: they were both terrifying at any speed.”

An undercover assignment on a luxury Caribbean cruise ship gives Ty and Zane the perfect opportunity to explore their feelings while masquerading as Corbin and Del Porter, a married couple involved in the theft of numerous high-end and rare artworks. It was fun seeing Ty and Zane wear fake wedding bands and change their hairstyle, clothing and mannerisms to create a convincing cover for themselves while gathering information about Corbin and Del’s contacts. It is Corbin (Zane) who is the “brains” of the operation while Del (Ty) is there to soak up the rays and be an attractive companion. Ty and Zane get into their roles so successfully that they have a hard time distinguishing between playacting and their own feelings.

As in the last two books, there is tension, danger, sizzling romance, and relationship growth. While Ty is more open about his feelings in this story, Zane is still reticent. I hope future installments provide more insight into Zane’s past.

I’m officially hooked on Ty and Zane and looking forward to more of their adventures.

City of Miracles

City of Miracles by Robert Jackson Bennett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thirteen long years Sigrud je Harkvaldsson has waited. He has waited to hear from his friend Shara Komayd that it is finally ok for him to come home. Sigrud's hopes are snuffed out like a candle when he learns Shara has been assassinated. Sigrud decides to find and make those responsible for her murder pay...it does not matter if they are man or divine.

City of Miracles was an excellent conclusion to The Divine Cities trilogy. I have to admit I wasn't sure if I was really interested in reading it as I wasn't overly fond of City of Blades. Once I learned the story centered around Sigrud I had to read it. Sigrud was an excellent protagonist. His dogged determination and surprising cunning make him a man that no sane person would wish to fight.

The storytelling excelled in City of Miracles. The author laid the groundwork for much of what happened in City of Stairs. Many questions I hadn't truly considered asking were answered and new mysteries unfolded smoothly throughout the book.

There is so much I wish I could say about City of Miracles, but I won't because I don't want to remove the slightest part of the mystery for anyone. City of Miracles may be my favorite book in the series.

4 out of 5 stars

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


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Daredevil: The Man Without Fear

Daredevil: The Man Without Fear by Frank Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The journey that transformed Matt Murdock into Daredevil had many twists and a few key people. His love for fighting came from his father, but he promised to be better than his Dad by not fighting. His life changed when an accident sprayed him with chemicals costing him his sight get giving back more than most people could imagine.


Matt Murdock's origin story is one I'm fairly familiar with even though I have rarely read any Daredevil stories. It was interesting seeing Stick training Matt after he was blinded.


I have to say the stylistic choice for Elektra's look was quite surprising. She's basically looked the same for as long as I can remember, but she really didn't resemble the Elektra I'm familiar with.

I enjoyed the fact that Matt's heightened senses seemed to take a back seat to his training. His senses were still mentioned, but it was done in a way that didn't diminish Matt into being an individual who is helpless without his gift.

I have heard for a long time that Frank Miller did Daredevil right and I must admit after reading The Man Without Fear, I agree.

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KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON BY DAVID GRANN

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

”Today our hearts are divided between two worlds. We are strong and courageous, learning to walk in these two worlds, hanging on to the threads of our culture and traditions as we live in a predominantly non-Indian society. Our history, our culture, our heart, and our home will always be stretching our legs across the plains, singing songs in the morning light, and placing our feet down with the ever beating heart of the drum. We walk in two worlds.”

The Osage Indians lived in Kansas until the 1870s when the government decided that their land was too valuable for them to own. Laura Ingalls Wilder, writer of Little House on the Prairie, was confused as to why the Osage Indians were being forced off their land. Her father explained: ”That’s why we’re here, Laura. White people are going to settle all this country, and we get the best land because we get here first and take our pick.”

Indians were looked on as a subspecies of human being who didn’t deserve to breath and certainly didn’t deserve to own any useful land. The Osage Indians were moved to Northeastern Oklahoma on a patch of ground that was deemed worthless.

But was it?

When oil was discovered beneath the reservation land in the 1920s, those dirt scratching Indians became extremely wealthy. The federal government, due to the Osages’ inherent racial weakness, deemed them incapable of managing their own affairs and appointed guardians to manage their affairs, white guardians. As an example, if an Osage wanted a car, the guardian would buy a car for $250 and sell it to the Indian for $1,250. The definition of guardian used words such as protector or defender. It didn’t say anything about exploiter.

This is a tale of greed, but unfortunately, it didn’t stop there.

It became murder.

When the suspicious deaths of Osage Indians reached twenty-four, the fledgling director of the Bureau of Investigations ( It would not be called the Federal Bureau of Investigations until 1935.) J. Edgar Hoover decided that he needed Federal agents on the ground. Hoover had already been systematically removing agents from the program that did not meet his criteria for education level and impeccable character. The agents out West, many of them ex-Texas Rangers, did not fit either of those profiles, but Hoover was smart enough to realize that, for a case like this, spit shined shoes and snappy ties were not going to get the job done.

He sent in Tom White, one of those disreputable former Texas Rangers. White brought some people in as undercover agents, and slowly the details of what was going on began to shimmer into view. The problem was witnesses disappeared or clammed up when they were asked to testify at trial. One white man who was trying to help the Osage was mysteriously thrown from a train. Another was kidnapped. Building a case was one thing, but actually prosecuting someone was not easy. It became more and more clear that this was not the act of just one man, but a conspiracy.

”A conspiracy is everything that ordinary life is not. It’s the inside game, cold, sure, undistracted, forever closed off to us. We are the flawed ones, the innocents, trying to make some rough sense of the daily jostle. Conspirators have a logic and a daring beyond our reach. All conspiracies are the same taut story of men who find coherence in some criminal act. “
--Don DeLillo, Libra

Meanwhile, the murders continued unabated. Osages were shot, poisoned, stabbed, and even in one case blown up with dynamite. The ruthlessness with which they were systematically eliminated was actually terrifying. I can’t even imagine the level of fear that the tribe was living under. Death was not a nebulous unknown creature, but was actually embodied by members of their community intent on their destruction.

The other problem was that white people felt the Indians did not deserve the money. The adage the only good Indian is a dead Indian was still in common use, especially if anyone encountered a situation where Indian ownership was in their way.

David Grann has done a wonderful job of investigating these murders. Though some people were incarcerated for the crimes back in the 1920s, the more Grann dug, the more threads he found that led to other guardians who should have been investigated more thoroughly as well. The descendents of those murdered Osage still want closer. They still want justice, even if the killers are moldering in their graves. ”The blood cries out from the ground.”

”During Xtha-cka Zbi-ga Tze-the, the Killer of the Flowers Moon.
I will wade across the river of the blackfish, the otter, the beaver.
I will climb the bank where the willow never dies.”

If you wish to see more of my most recent book and movie reviews, visit http://www.jeffreykeeten.com
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Change Agent By:Daniel Suarez

Change Agent by Daniel Suarez
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mr. Suarez writes great scifi and now has moved into techo thrillers and it IS AWESOME. Imagine the movie Faceoff written way the hell better and you get the point, this will be short and sweet, but if you love very high scifi and future police style stories, this will make your day.



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American War By:Omar El Akkad

American War by Omar El Akkad
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was powerful and massively frightening, as a Southerner, I can totally see this occuring and it scares me to death. A tale of the second civil war in America that in all honesty feels almost timeless, it could almost have easily been the first civil war.

Horrible times, lawlessness, death and disease at every corner and so tangibly possible it hurts to read it. Powerful storytelling and characters and as a lifelong Mississippian, ripped out my heart in places, but that is a good thing.

Read this book.

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An Easy Company Soldier In His Own Words

Easy Company Soldier: The Legendary Battles of a Sergeant from World War II's "Band of Brothers" by Don Malarkey
Reviewed by Jason Koivu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What fascinating insight to an incredible, horrible time in recent history. Don Malarkey, a regular guy from Oregon, has written quite an impressive autobiography about his extraordinary WWII experiences.



And believe it or not, as of this day Sept 26, 2016, he's still alive.

His service is well documented here, but you may also know him from the engrossing Spielberg/Hank tv series Band of Brothers. If you've seen the series, you know much of Malarkey's wartime story. If you're intrigued enough to learn more, Easy Company Soldier is an excellent way to discover the backstory of one of the men on the frontline.

Consider all that this man has done: his heroism and courage in the face of death; his youth devoted to a career in soldiering; and yet, he is also able to write a better bio than a few professional writers I've read. Amazing. Simply amazing.

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In “The Prisoner”, his eleventh John Wells novel, Alex Berenson continues his intelligent espionage/ thrillers that probe the possible threat of Islamic terrorists obtaining weapons of mass destruction while showing how human intelligence gathering can thwart these threats. Berenson continues to exhibit a keen eye for threats that are possibly in the reach of terrorists. Here it is an agent that has been used by terrorists in Japan and Syria against its own citizens. The threat is real. At the same time, Berenson’s main characters remain real, their abilities, in line with real people and not overdone.

At the center of why Berenson remains a must read in this category is the great is John Wells, a character who embodies the best characteristics of intelligence agents.<br /><br />John Wells is humanized by a home life. His ex girlfriend Anne has had a baby girl and Wells is learning to be a father. So there is for the first time a little balance to his life. But these are not books where we are going to probe the dichotomy of his life as a father and a killer. The home life is a sidelight. These are intelligence / espionage / thrillers. And despite his home life, Wells still has the itch to return to the spy business.

While at the same time that we witness an American mission in the contested Mideast go sideways, Wells learns of a possible mole in the CIA, who is feeding intelligence to Islamic terrorists, who are using it thwart American missions in the Middle East. The source of the intelligence is a Bulgarian spy, who runs a prison holding terrorists overseas for the United States. Wells and Shafer team up again. Wells wants to assume a Islamic terrorist persona and infiltrate the prison, while Shafer will run a probe against 4 top level CIA executives to see if he can figure out who is the mole.

The novel unwinds a little slowly, Wells, a man in top shape, must lean himself out so he has the look of an itinerant terrorist, who has been on the run in the Middle East. His program to get in shape could be captured in a few short paragraphs, and Shafer’s investigation seems in some respects to be a non-starter as “Wayne” the mole is firmly entrenched in his plotting. Berenson drops clues early on revealing some facts about the mole that the reader can use to figure out his identity.

But Berenson takes the opportunity to escalate the novel, by setting up a terrorist plot to use nerve gas against Americans. And the mole is deeply involved in the plan. Berenson does show how hard it would be for a Non State actor to produce a nerve gas, but that it can be accomplished. It’s an eye opening discussion.

Once Wells gets himself into shape, the plan is for him to be captured by US agents in the Middle East, but of course, nothing goes according to plan. The Mole makes moves against Wells and Wells also has to take steps to protect himself from kidnappers, who obviously were unprepared for Wells training and fighting prowess.

Once Wells finally makes it to the prison in Bulgaria, the action really starts to heat up. There are murderous Bulgarian gangs to thwart while at the same time gaining the trust of the Arab prisoners. Intelligence is learned, and Wells takes his knowledge of an unknown plot to France, where while nursing wounds from the prison, he must find a well concealed terrorist, who with the Mole is planning a vigorous attack on the West.

The last half of “The Prisoner” showcases John Wells unique trademark skills, the ability to blend into the Arab world, gain intelligence, pick up just a few words, a sneaker brand even, and put the pieces together to ferret out the terrorist plot. I motored through this part of this novel. And again, Berenson’s story is not about drone warfare or teams of super soldiers fighting the terrorists. Maybe that is because John Wells is a lone wolf agent, but I find it more realistic.<

It’s a good read, slowly building to a tight confrontation with lives on the line, exhibiting all the trademarks of the Berenson John Wells novels.

You Will Know Me

You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Katie and Eric Knox will do anything for their gymnast prodigy Devon. When the boyfriend of one of her gymnastic instructors die, will Katie be able to keep their idyllic life from disintegrating around them?

Here we are, another Megan Abbott book and another series of cold knives in my heart. At first glance, I thought this might be similar to Dare Me, Megan's book about cheerleaders. You Will Know Me is about the parents of star gymnasts and the crazy shit they do for their kids.

From the first page, I knew I'd wolf this down like it was a brisket sandwich. All the dark hints of the coming train wreck were like a fishhook through my eyelids. I was powerless to look away as the lives of the Knox family and the rest of the gymnastic families were torn asunder.

The Knox family were as realistic a depiction of the alien world of elite gymnasts that I can fathom. Eric was the charming dad, Katie the doting mother, and Drew the little brother that wound up getting pushed into the background a lot of the time. Devon was the star, the thoroughbred the Knox family and most of the families at the gym pinned their hopes on. I hated that damn Gwen Weaver!

You Will Know me raises a lot of questions about families. How well can you really know someone, even if you've been with them for the better part of a decade? How far would you go for your kids?

Ryan's death scrapes open a lot of wounds and unearths a lot of dark secrets. I gasped aloud like a 1950s housewife when one of the twists was revealed but, even then, the Megster had a couple more twists to throw at me. Once again, she was the matador and I was the bull.

The writing was fantastic. It's been fascinating to watch Megan develop as a writer as I've devoured her books over the last few years. I lost track of lines I wanted to read out loud, bent on finishing it before bedtime.

I will share this gem:
the things you want, you never get them. And if you do, they're not what you thought they'd be. But you'd still do anything to keep them. Because you'd wanted them for so long.

There are other suspense writers that get more press but Megan Abbott's girl-noir tales are the best things going today. Five out of five stars.


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