I’m not a “re-reader”. In fact, there is only one book that I have re-read, on purpose and under my own free-will. It is Robert A. Heinlein’s Stranger in a Strange Land. I think it stands just as tall as Huxley’s Brave New World.
Apparantly, I’m not alone. This year,on July 7th, folks all over the world are celebrating (ok, maybe just recognizing) the centennial of Heinlein’s birth.
Apparantly, I am one of the three people that watched The Quill Book Awards last year. Now, organizers say public interest has been so bad, that they are taking voting privleges away from the public and giving them to 6,000 booksellers and experts.
Us commoners used to get to vote in all the categories. Now, the experts pick the winners in 19 areas, while the public gets to pick the winner for a single 20th category “Book of the Year”. Organizers say that this will “streamline consumer participation and add to the credibility of those who are named winners”.
We’ll just have to wait and see how all this pans out on October 27, 2007.
Well, I have run out of beer. So, since I can no longer drown my sorrows (for not being able to make this year’s BEA), I decided to see what all I missed.
Reed Next did make it to the show, worked his booth and took it all in. He said that wi-fi on the floor was horrible…
It’s almost here! BEA, the largest publishing tradeshow, this side of the Atlantic, kicks off Friday, June 1st in New York City. Man, do I wish I could be there! It’s going to be HUGE. I can’t imagine all those authors, publishers andall those books!
I am just going to have to live my dreams through the blogs and exploits of others. There is the BEA Director’s blog and BookDwarf says there will be live blogging there. A few LibraryThingers are even planning a trip to a local watering hole (co-owned by Sebastian Junger).
I’m also trying to land some first-hand accounts of the show here at {head}:sub/head. So I’ve got my fingers crossed that it’ll happen.
Let me know if you’re aware of any other palces that will shift their lenses to BEA this weekend. I’d really like to keep up.