A Day on the Floor of the Book Expo.

1. So we're in New York for Book Expo America. While the convention is but a blip on the population of New York, there are signs of the show outside the hall. Here's a billboard for the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. You may have heard that #7 is due on November 13.

Other book ads were simply something that New York sees all the time. It was fascinating to see the ads in the New York subways. Jason and I took the C train to Greenlight in Brooklyn (duplicating the trip I made with Amie last year) and then we took the G to Word. Alas, I got off at the wrong stop, so we'll save that trip for later in the week.

2. It's my first glance at Coffee Houses's compilation, Read This!: Handpicked Favorites from America's Indie Bookstores, edited by Hans Weyandt, the co-owner of St. Paul's Micawber's Books. This is based on a blog feature that included picks from our own Stacie.

There's already been a great advance review from Kirkus which notes the collection is "entertaining, informative, satisfying and fun--everything books should be." I also heard from Chris (pictured--I decided to cut off his head in the photo like so many of the book jackets I spotted on the subway) that the librarians have been very enthusiastic for the book's publication. We're hoping to put together a great event this fall to celebrate the publication.

3. My post about Jesmyn Ward's Salvage the Bones on Tuesday was prescient in that I heard her speak at the ABA Celebration of Bookselling just shortly after the entry posted. What a wonderful collection of authors, including a number (Andre Dubus, Ann Patchett, Jeffrey Eugenides) who appeared at Boswell and many others whom we hope would visit in the future.

After the lunch, the authors who attended signed copies of their books. I came this close to getting my hardcover signed, but alas, I left it in the hotel room. I could also head down to Chicago on Saturday, but I have to work.

4. The show has changed a lot over the years. There was a time when every booth gave out tons of galleys, and you would just grab and go, but nowadays, most of the larger publishers connect galleys to signings, and the signings generally involve long lines.

One hot ticket was Gillian Flynn (pictured, concentrating on her long line), whose Gone Girl came out on Tuesday, June 5. The book is getting all the great reviews we expected. Here's Sherryl Connnelly in the New York Daily News, noting that Flynn outdoes her first two novels in a thriller that takes The War of the Roses to a new level.