BookExpo Report: Hot Reads on Our Radar

Publishing insiders and book lovers recently gathered in New York City for the annual BookExpo. Yes, e-readers such as the Kindle and Nook are on the rise, but hardcover and paperback formats are hardly on the wane if evidenced by the hundreds of titles being on display. And in an early year where Fifty Shades of Grey has made a lot of green and many readers blush, this may be one of the best non-Harry Potter seasons for book sales. This year, I made it over to the Jacob Javitz Center to see Ledisi sign copies of Better Than Alright and then hit the town. Here are a few of the highlights of BEA and a preview of some of the books to watch for the rest of 2012:

MOST EAGERLY ANTICIPATED READ: N-W (Penguin Press) Zadie Smith’s can’t-miss exploration of North West London coming this September.

THE WHO KNEW? AWARD: T.I. aka Tip “T.I.” Harris continues his image transformation with Trouble & Triumph, a “novel of power & beauty” written with David Ritz.

CHUTZPAH AWARD: Eleanore Wells who would get a thumbs up from Valley of the Dolls author Jacqueline Susann for Eleanore’s admirable and tireless promoting of her new book The Spinsterlicious Life: 20 Life Lessons for Living Happily Single & Child Free.

BEST PARTY: Tom Boy Style (Rizzoli) by Lizzie Garrett Mettler at the Rugby by Ralph Lauren store. Who says fashion and non-fiction don’t mix?

HOT TOPIC: The Courage to Hope: How I Stood Up to the Politics of Fear by Shirley Sherrod, out from Atria in August and Purpose (It Books) by Wyclef Jean.

THE PLACE TO BE: The 2012 Champions for Children Awards dinner, which honored among others authors Crystal McCrary-Anthony, whose new book Inspiration we featured in the March 2012 issue of the magazine and Erica Reid, author of The Thriving Child, an essential guide for parents.