Other Books I'm Excited About from BEA

I wanted to run through a few more of the advance reader copies, that I picked up at BEA that I have only just started reading. Now that there are plenty of books on my to-be-read shelf, let's take a peek the newest additions that I picked up at the show.

First up is my off-center photo of the advance uncorrected proof of Beg, Borrow, Steal: A Writer's Life by Michael Greenberg from Other Press. This collection of autobiographical essays was first written by Greenberg for the Times Literary Supplement. A native New Yorker, describes his life as an aspiring writer, describing in vivid detail all the struggles, the highs and lows, and at only 66 pages in I feel connected to the author by his New York experiences.

It has even already affected my personal journal writing, as I'm already trying to keep in mind the panache which the author writes about the everyday, the mundane, and the seemingly ordinary. He writes about topics such as documenting his daily commute, the transport of garbage to the Fresh Kills landfill on Staten Island, and other goings on and how it ties into his life, his father's scrap metal business, and all the menial jobs he's had in the struggle to survive as a writer.

Swinging back to graphic novels as I often do, I wanted to talk briefly about the advance reader's edition of a new book from IDW, an adaptation of Richard Stark's Parker novels by the award-winning Darwyn Cooke in this first installment, The Hunter.

Adapted with the blessing of Richard Stark (Donald Westlake) before he sadly passed in 2008, the Cooke adaptations are moody, highly stylized, and in my opinion - dead on.

Illustrated in black & white with only a wash of blue ink throughout, this effect sets up a noir-ish atmosphere that other books seldom accomplish. IDW is so behind this new series, they printed a limited number of hardcover advances to give away at BEA, and I'm glad I was able to snag one. More to come soon.

Oh, and I had to post this picture of the King, as I found him rocking out not far from the Diamond booth.