Free Reads from BEA

Last year was the first year I registered to attend the BookExpo America (BEA) held here in New York City at the Jacob Javits Center. It was the first time I was able to attend all of the panels and events held there and I must say that some of the most exciting information poured out of the "Book Buzz" panels.

What Is Book Buzz?

For the uninitiated, the Book Buzz events are panels where you get to hear about the most exciting books that will be making their way to bookstores this year. One of my favorite Book Buzz books from last year from the YA Book Buzz panel was Skinny by Donna Conner. There are numerous Book Buzz panels because they are separated by genres and also by those delivering their favorites (ie. Librarians' Book Buzz).  For those who can attend BEA, once you get out of a Book Buzz panel you essentially make it your life's mission to gather up as many of the Buzz-ed about books from the Exhibition floor so you can sink your teeth into them right away! But Thursday, BEA released a special surprise so we don't have to wait until the end of the month for our teasers.

Download Book Buzz 2013 for FREE!

BEA announced the digital release of Book Buzz 2013 Thursday morning on their Facebook page. What does this mean? Well, right now YOU can download a book full of exclusive excerpts from over 25 of this years biggest books to come (for readers outside of the US, it includes 11 of the titles)! The book is available for the Kindle, the Nook, Apple devices, Sony and Kobo. Here is the link to get you started: FREE Book Buzz 2013. I downloaded mine to my nook this morning and I am already excited by some of the author names I recognize (Michael Pollan, Joe Hill, Sarah Dessen) and by the debut authors I have yet to discover!

Come To BEA

After you've read the excerpts and got yourself really excited for all of the new titles heading to your bookshelves, why not come on down to the biggest book party New York has to offer? If you are going to be in the New York area on June 1st, BEA opens its doors to the public with what they call the Power Reader ticket. Here's what BEA has to say about the offer:

With a Power Reader ticket to BEA 2013, available for only $49, you will…

• Discover new and upcoming books before they hit the stands
• See and meet the hottest authors
• Talk to publishers about favorite books
• Mix and mingle with other book lovers and share your passion for reading
• Get autographs and advanced reads of unique books (quantities limited)
• Get tons of giveaways from exhibitors
• Enjoy a day in New York City!

And if you can get a group of 3 or more to join you, BEA is offering a special discount for you if you register before May 17th:

Grab your book-loving friends and head over to BEA as Power Readers. The more friends you invite, the bigger the savings! Bring your book club or just make it a girls day out in New York City!
Receive the following discounts on your group of at least 3 or more: 10% OFF groups of 3 or more, 15% OFF groups of 5 or more, and 20% OFF groups of 10 or more.
Group discounts will expire on May 17. Don’t miss out on these great savings—Order your tickets today! To purchase your discounted group tickets, please contact Diana Press at dpress@reedexpo.com.

I highly recommend this event to all book lovers and, to my writer friends out there, I shouldn't have to tell you why you should be there: books are your business!

So, if you have the date available, and you can afford the admission, let me know when you'll be there. I plan to be there for the entire event providing my Rivera Runs Through It readers with all of the latest Buzz and news straight from the floor!

 Thanks for reading!

Do you have a favorite local book event you like to attend?

Do you enjoy reading the "buzzed about" books each year, or do you prefer making your own discoveries?

  For those who have been to BEA before, what tips to you having for maximizing one's enjoyment of the event?

Bring Back the Arcade!

Oh! How I do love this game!!!

Ms. Pacman, Galaga, Skee Ball and Air Hockey - these are the games I adore. Whether it is a reflection of my yesteryear or simply that ever-breathing competitive nature inside me, I really don't know, but this is what I automatically think of when I think of "the arcade."

I didn't really grow up in the arcade culture, although I was of age to do so. "My" arcade closed before I started to make any kind of money where that type of activity could be appreciated, and it is one thing I wished I always had.

I've been know to yell at the screen...

Meet Me at the Arcade 
 
It was for this reason that the panel at the New York Comic Con entitled "Meet Me At The Arcade" intrigued me so much.  There was a group of gamers discussing the closing of the last true Arcade in New York City, the culture of the arcade and what the future holds for this particular type of gamer.

Meet Me At The Arcade Panel at NYCC 2011

Every single one of these gentlemen had their own experience to share from the arcade as gamers, employees and even as a film maker. The perspectives drew not only from experiences shared in the famed "Chinatown Fair" arcade that was the last arcade in New York City, but also across the United States and even Japan.

I found every bit of the conversation engaging, enlightening and it just made me want to go grab a bunch of friends to go find an arcade!

Why the arcades were/are important even now.

One of the final days at Chinatown Fair.

As the panelists each shared their own experiences it became clear that a trip to the arcade was about so much more than just gaming. Lessons learned at the arcade were:

1. stretching the dollar - One panelist summed it up perfectly, "Every game was a money match." These guys went to the arcade with their lunch money for the day/week and had to use only that to entertain themselves for hours. How was this done? By becoming very good at the game and making each quarter last.
2. patience - Players have to wait their turn to play their game of choice. If they happen to be behind someone who is especially skilled, well, they might be there for awhile. This is far removed from so much of our current media which seems to center around instant gratification.
3. social skills - There was really only one way to get better at games in the arcade without going broke, you had to learn from fellow gamers. Many times this would mean having to approach gamers you may only know from the arcade and engaging in a conversation about strategy and tips. (It also involved spending lots and lots of time simply watching other gamers play the games!) In today's gaming world, where you are in your living room with an unlimited (free) amount of do-overs this type of strategic thinking about the game can often be lost. Fellow gamers have been replaced by strategy guides, YouTube videos and websites and face-to-face interaction has been replaced with voices coming out of the screen or into headsets. Other benefits of the social scene of the arcade mentioned by panelists were:

• finding like-minded people
• finding one's truth - the panelist seemed to agree that the idea that gaming is an "escape"  from reality is a major misconception held by society. They argued, rather, that games allowed them to become more themselves

What about Japan?

Image

You may or may not know this, but arcades are alive and well in Japanese society. This begs the question Why are arcades so popular in Japan when they can't seem to survive in the US? Four very compelling points were raised by the panel:

1. That's where the technology is. This makes the purchase of games and parts a lot more affordable in Japan than here in the US where they would have to be shipped overseas.
2. "No one wants to stay at home in Japan." I found this point particularly interesting. According to multiple panelists, the homes in Japan are so small that they really aren't conducive to "hanging out." They claim that while they lived there they witnessed the prevalence of eating out, going out and just plain being out of the house more in Japan due to limited space!
3. Customer service in Japanese arcades is second to none! Evidently if your button breaks in the middle of you playing a game, you stay where you are, raise your hand and an attendant comes to you with the parts in hand, ready to repair and replace. In contrast, the anecdotes from the US arcades demonstrate that machines could lay dormant for days.
4. Cultural scene vs. Cash Business. Guess which definition belongs to which country! The arcade business is a cash business and, therefore draws the interest of certain types of owners in the US who are less concerned with the scene and more concerned with the cash. In Japan, arcade gaming is part of the culture. You can walk into an arcade and find gaming kids, but you'll be just as likely to see a guy, in his suit, making a gaming stop on his way home from work. Arcade gaming simply means two different things in these two different countries.

What to Look for Next...

And just when the audience felt that there was nothing left for America in terms of the arcade, two exciting ventures were discussed:

1. Next Level Arcade in Brooklyn! Although the location may not be as central as the Chinatown Fair, Next Level was opened by one of the former employees and gamers of Chinatown Fair. He said that he was bored, looking to fill a void and simply did not want to see the community separate. He knows that having a crowd of predominantly 21 and over changes the dynamic of the crowd, but at least some of the players have found a new place to continue their shared gaming.
2. Arcade: The Last Night at Chinatown Fair This movie is a Kickstarter project that was filmed in the final days of the arcade's existence. Here's the trailer so you can get a sneak peek at some of the footage and some of the perspectives of the gamers who were there (I'm looking forward to this movie's release!):

Arcade: The Last Night at Chinatown Fair Trailer from Kurt Vincent on Vimeo.

Do you consider yourself a gamer?

What types of social gaming have you participated in?

From your perspective, what are some of the benefits and/or drawbacks of today's online gaming culture?

PARENTS: Would you prefer your kids playing games socially in an arcade, or at home with the family's console?

Voca People [Theater Review]

When I went this summer to see Voca People.

Musica is Life. Life is Musica.

True?

If you are the Voca People, then this is literally true. You see, the Voca People are a group of "people" from a far, far away place called Voca who have crash landed in New York City on Off-Broadway. Lucky us! In order to get their ship's energia back up so they can fly home, they need music. They use ours, purely acapella, and they are amazing.

Halloween weekend I had the pleasure of seeing the Voca People in the Westside Theater for the second time this year (yes, I liked them that much!). The first time I went to this show I had no idea what I was going to see, but I figured for $5 per ticket, I really couldn't lose (more about those $5 tickets? See my Broadway for Next to Nothing post).

Weird or Wonderful?
 
When the show started I was perplexed - a stark stage, eight "people" dressed head to toe in white with white faces and white bald caps, making weird noises and looking more confused than me! I thought, "Maybe I should have actually checked what this show was about before I came! What's my deal with spoilers, anyway?" Then, by connecting with one of the audience members (placing hand on head), one of the Voca People learned our language, told us their story and declared:

Life is musica. Musica is life.

For the rest of the show, I lived it. These eight talent people brought us all to life with their music, with no instruments but their voices and IT WAS AMAZING! While I am not too much into spoilers myself, I know tons of people are, so if you would like a small sampling of what the Voca People are about, then you should check out this video:

If you watched the video, I have to warn you, it only gives you a piece of what the show is all about! One incredible piece missing is the audience interaction. The Westside Theater is such a great venue because it is small enough that every seat in the house is a GREAT one (the whole place is smaller than many orchestra seating sections of other venues!) and the Voca People come out, into the audience numerous times to interact with everyone there!

Go See It!! 

It's an incredibly fun, fun show! I recently read that someone called the Voca People "Blue Man Group meets Glee" and I'd have to say that's a pretty good tag line. I recommend going to see this show to everyone who loves music, laughs and having a good time.

If you are not in New York, or not visiting us any time soon - no worries! It seems the Voca People have been crash landing all over the planet! Check out their International Site to check out where you can find them!

Have you seen Voca People?

Do you have any shows you'd like to recommend that are fun, entertaining and great to share with a group?

What one show Broadway, or Off-Broadway have you been dying to see?

How to Enjoy Broadway for Next to Nothing

It may come as no surprise to you that I am currently strapped for cash. However, it is November 2011 and I know I am far from alone in that situation.

And, yet, last weekend I went to go see an Off-Broadway show. On Saturday night I was living the high life again, enjoying one of the finer things in life.

How did she do it?!! She has no money for that kind of thing!!

I hear you asking that question from here. If I were in your shoes, I'd be saying the same thing, but I have a secret. Today I want to share that secret with you.

My Secret 

The secret is StudentRush.org and their Will-Call Club. I found out about this gem the same way you are right now - I read a blog post from someone else (thank you New York Cliche!!!) who had enjoyed it. She claimed she was seeing Broadway and Off-Broadway shows for nothing.

I couldn't believe it.

I had to check it out for myself.

So I did. And guess what? When I get my StudentRush tickets, they actually say $0 on them! It's kind of amazing. All I have to pay is a reservation fee. The highest I have paid for that was $18 and that was for the last weekend of Bengal Tiger with Robin Williams! This weekend, I paid $5 per ticket. I don't know about you, but I can't get into a movie for that - scratch that - I can't even pay for the gas to get me to a movie for that!

How Does It Work?

When I made my first reservations with StudentRush this summer, I have to be honest, I was a little nervous. I was skeptical. As a native New Yorker I am not bred to believe in the "too good to be true" deals of a lifetime. My husband and I didn't tell anyone what we were up to just in case the plan came crashing down and we were made fools of.

In order to gt my tickets I had to meet some guy outside of a Starbucks a couple of hours before the show to pick up my tickets. Really? This had "shady" written all over it for me, but I embraced my sense of adventure and my seemingly insatiable for a a night out in these desperate financial times and went for it.

You already know what happened. I wouldn't be writing to you about this if it didn't - IT WAS A SUCCESS!! It was AWESOME!!

If you live near NYC, if you are planning to visit NYC, or you have family out here, then you need to check this site out and see all that it offers! I found this great video made by Frugal-Nomics describing the whole (FREE) process so you can come and enjoy the savings too!


StudentRush.org: A way for you to Stop and Enjoy the Culture from Frugal-nomics on Vimeo.

So now that you know my secret, perhaps we can meet up at a show!!

Which show would you love to see show up in the StudentRush Will-Call club?

Has the increasing price of theater tickets kept you away from the theater?

Check out tomorrow's post where I review this weekend's Off-Broadway show: Voca People!

A Weekend Away...

This morning's view of the Javits Center.

No truer words have been written. Since it started here in New York City there has been nothing quite like the New York Comic Con. This is where I have been spending my weekend. One more day left. One more day of Rivera running through the Con. Then I can come home and run through it all for you right here on the Rivera Runs Through It blog! I can't wait to share it with you!

5 Promo Codes from New York Comic Con 2011

It's finally here! While there is going to be tons of stuff to share with you as I get the opportunity to explore the Exhibitor Floor, Artist Alley, Panels and Screenings throughout the weekend, right now I can quickly share some of the great deals found here at the Con just in case you didn't have the chance to swing on by!

 20% Off At Midtown Comics Of course, there has to be some fantastic comic book deals at a ComicCon! Midtown Comics is a pretty famous comic book store found here in New York City (there are actually three now!), but they also have a great online store and presence. Head over to midtowncomics.com and use CODEWORD: NYCC before October 23, 2011 for 20% off any purchase (excluding gift cards and pre-orders).

10% Off at HasbroToyShop.com Toys and comic books seem to go hand in hand. It is no surprise that Hasbro has a strong presence at the New York Comic Con, or that they are happy to share a nice discount opportunity with a large portion of their fan base. Check out HasbroToyShop.com and enter promo code: NYCC2011 before November 6, 2011 to receive 10% off your online order. (This offer can not be used on gift cards, HasbroToyShop.com Exclusives, Hasbro Ultimate Gifts or PLAYATHON Fundraising Kits. The discount applies to pre-tax and pre-shipping amount.)

Free Movie Rental from FlixFling Need a movie night? (Who doesn't??!!) Flix Fling is a website that provides unlimited streaming movies online. You can sign up by visiting www.FlixFling.com and get a free rental (excluding "Premium" Titles) using the promo code: NYCOMICCON . If you are already a subscriber to FlixFling, then you can use this promo code toward any purchase!

$5 Off CSI: The Experience at Discovery Times Square Discovery Times Square, located on 44th Street right in between 7th and 8th Avenue, provides great experiences for fans. In promoting this most recent experience, Discovery says we can "Play the role of a crime scene investigator in CSI: The Experience... Complete with 3 Crime Scenes, 15 Forensic Lab Stations and dazzling special effects." To take advantage of this discount, use the promo code: CSICON when ordering tickets at CSIEXHIBIT.COM. This offer expires on March 2, 2012.

20% Off T-SHIRTS and FUN Apparel!!!! Every single Comic Con I go to, I come home with at least two brand new t-shirts and longing for about 15 more! www.StylinOnline.com is offering all of us 20% our next online order (so I can save on this year's take-home wish list!) simply by using coupon code: CON2011. So go check them out for easy Halloween ideas, fun and cool t-shirts for yourself or as gifts, or even some  super onesies for the little cuties in your life!


So I hope you can make use of at least one of these deals before they expire! Stay tuned for more goodies from the Con and (who knows?) maybe even more cool deals!

Why Everyone Should Check Out the New York Comic Con (NYCC)

It's coming back! I can't wait!! The New York Comic Con will be back at the Jacob Javits Center this October from the 13th through the 16th! It's getting so that I can't feel it coming nearer...

Are you wondering WHY all of these people are on line at NYCC?

Typically, when talking about comic book conventions, in my experience, I have been faced with two starkly different reactions from those I am conversing with:

• unbridled enthusiasm, or
• confusion, with a hint of fear that I am one of "those kinds of people"

Now, having selected Mathematics as a major in college and following that up by becoming a high school math teacher, luckily, these are reactions that I am all too used to in conversations. I am never offended, I merely see them as an amazing opportunity to let you in on the secret joys of my subcultures that have gone long unappreciated by the masses.

I don't dare to propose that ComicCons are for everyone, however, before you dismiss them entirely based on some preconceived notions of what they "must" entail, I would like to give you a brief list of some of my joys of NYCC:

1. It is just about THE best spot in all of NYC for people-watching.

I was raised a people-watcher. Mom and Dad would bring us to Central Park (another fabulous people-watching spot!) and after hours a having fun in the sun, we would park ourselves on a bench and watch the people go by. There were always so many different kinds of people doing so many different things! I'd think up stories about each person's day and life. The whole thing amazed me!

The Joes +1.

It still does, and ComicCon has INCREDIBLE people - authors, artists, fans of multiple subcultures (comics, specific movies, TV shows, games), people of the press, celebrities at multiple levels, and then (mostly on Sunday) lots of comic-loving families with their kids for family day.

The thing that makes this possibly the "BEST" spot for people-watching is that at the Con people show-off their uniqueness, their fandom and their super-fun inner child with unabashed pride! It is rare to see so many people, who lead otherwise very normal day-to-day lives, come together and just geek-out about whatever it is they love in such a mass effort.

2. Conventions Are A Great Place to Learn.

I think everyone knows this when it comes to conventions surrounding a particular profession or skill, but I feel like it is not something people think about in terms of the ComicCon. Ordinarily, when people think about the ComicCon, they think of crowds of people (they are there), many of which are dressed up in costume (this is very true) walking around an exhibit floor looking at and buying comic books, memorabilia, getting autographs and the such - this is all a part of the experience, however, it is not all of the experience.

One of last year's panels with a line of questions from the audience.

The first time I went to a Comic Con, I didn't realize this and I missed out on all of the PANELS and DISCUSSIONS. Once I discovered them, I never made that mistake again. The Panels are now how I design my entire experience. They vary from fan fun stuff like (thinking back to last year's event) James Marsters telling a packed room of fans what he's up to and answering all their questions (as wacky as they got!), to industry stuff like discussing how digital publishing will impact comics and what publishers, authors, artists and fans are saying about it, to how to bring Graphic Novels and Comic books into the classrooms as tools. There is so, so much going on in the panels and every year I fill a notebook with my nerdiness notes!

3. You get SO MUCH FREE STUFF.

The swag at NYCC can become overwhelming. I have almost excatly the same experience every single year. I walk in people are handing me cool pins, stickers, t-shirts and books and, in my glee I grab it all... hours later I am bogged down wondering, "What the heck am I carrying around?"

However, when night night falls and we get home, it is a combination of that post trick-or-treating and Christmas morning feeling all swirled into one! My husband and I spill out our bags and compare. "Ooo! Where did you get that? I didn't get that!" or "Cool! Look they gave me TWO!" Piles are made - mine, his, stuff to bring in to the students, and stuff to throw in with this year's candy for our trick or treaters!

In addition to the free stuff are TONS of coupons and discount codes for all types of convention deals on ALL TYPES of cool stuff.There are internet promo codes, pre-sales and exclusive offers (i.e. last year there was a special, and very competitive, ComicCon price for the SpiderMan Turn Off the Dark Broadway Show) slipped in among the swag. I'm going to keep my eyes peeled for these this year, because I always end up looking at them last and end up missing out on some of the dated offers - such a bummer!

This was my favorite costume last year.
I thought he was a prop until he MOVED!
This is a costumed person!!

4. It's Just Plain Old-Fashioned Fun!

There is a happy excitement in the air at Comic Con. People don't take themselves as seriously when they are in that space - they're dressed up, perhaps painted blue, or walking on stilts, or sitting in a quiet corner dressed up like a bizarre space octopus scaring THE CRAP out of whoever walks by thinking you are a giant stuffed animal.

People are smiling.

You get to bear witness as fans meet their idols, shake their hands, take pictures with them and thank them for giving them joy.

People of all ages are playing - not just video games (although they are there, too), but jousting, having light saber battles and this year there will be wand duels and a Quidditch team is coming!

There is art everywhere - drawings, paintings, the written word, and now there's more video and graphics, too. Sunday is extra fun because it is family day and there are loads of family-friendly and kids' activities planned! It is just plain awesome.

After writing this post, it has come to my attention that I may be a biased in my perspective, however, let me tell you this: I only went to my first comic book convention out of love for a boy. I had no idea what I was getting into and thought this was going to be one of those things he was going "owe me" for. In other words, I was once the person who was confused by possible enjoyment "those people" had at comic book conventions. I didn't know. I hadn't tried it out. Now that I have, I love it. So maybe it's something you should check out - at least once - even if it's just to say that you have. I say put this on your bucket list and let me know when you're coming!

What are your thoughts about NYCC?

Have you been to any other comic book conventions?

What type of geek-out convention would you like to see and be a part of?