Book Expo America: 6 fascinating finds

Book Expo America, the book publishing industry convention, was held this past weekend at the Javits Center, with tons of publishers, authors, booksellers and press descending upon the blockwide building to scope out some of the tomes due out later this year.

I hit the show on Friday to check out what’s coming out, which itself is a monster undertaking, as there are publishers, signings and other events going on all weekend. One man alone cannot see everything, or even half of the offerings.

So, with that in mind, here are six books I happened upon during my travels that struck my interest:

‘Guys Can Be Cat Ladies Too: A Guidebook for Men and Their Cats’
By Michael Showalter
The comedian doles out some serious cat ownership knowledge in this hilarious guide. (Out in September)

‘Professor Astro Cat’s Frontiers of Space’
By Dr. Dominic Walliman and Ben Newman
This kitty teaches you all about space in this beautifully illustrated tome. (Out in October)

‘Topsy: The Startling Story of the Crooked Tailed Elephant, P.T. Barnum, and the American Wizard, Thomas Edison’
By Michael Daly
The title kind of says it all. This book, from this Brooklyn author and journalist, investigates a story that touches on the circus, the battle for electricity supremacy and a poor elephant that was electrocuted at Coney Island in 1903. (Out in July)

‘March: Book One’
By Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin and Nate Powell
In the first part of a trilogy of graphic novels, Congressman John Lewis (D-Ga.) tells his own personal life story, delving deeply into his involvement in the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and beyond. (Out in August)

‘Go: A Kidd’s Guide to Graphic Design’
By Chip Kidd
If someone is going to teach eager young minds about the world of design, there is nobody out there better than Chip Kidd to do so. (Out in October)

‘Lego Minifigure Year by Year: A Visual History’
By Gregory Farshtey and Daniel Lipkowitz
Check out more than 2,000 little Lego figures, from the common to the super obscure. (Out in September)