Take your favorite aspects of walking into a book store and multiply them by 50. This is how ReedPOP, the world’s largest producer of pop culture events, is taking the acclaimed consumer book event out of New York City and into Chicago for the first time on May 14, 2016. The one-of-a-kind interactive experience where storytelling and pop culture collide will be held at McCormick Place as the bookend to the annual Book Expo America (BEA) trade event. Headlined by best-selling authors and the world’s hottest Hollywood talent, BookCon will bring books to life through a series of Panels, Autographing sessions, Author Q&As and more.
The initial guest list for BookCon 2016 includes a mix of Hollywood talent and traditional authors, highlighting the event’s scope and personality. It includes a discussion with multi-talented comedian Chris O’Dowd (Bridesmaids) where he will talk about his upcoming book, Moone Boy 2: The Fish Detective, with co-author Nick V. Murphy. Additional events will feature mega-sellers Leigh Bardugo (author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller Six of Crows and The Grisha Trilogy) and Danielle Paige (Stealing Snow). The latest entrant into the late night battles – Samantha Bee (Daily Show) – will also make an appearance to talk about her middle grade novel, Cracking Up. This is only the beginning of the power-packed line-up being curated for BookCon 2016. ReedPOP will continue to add and announce guests and content up until the show.
“I can’t wait to get back to BookCon. It’s like a huge party for book lovers and there’s no better place to connect with readers,” says Leigh Bardugo, #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of Six of Crows.
BookCon is designed to appeal to the modern-day book lover with an appreciation for broader pop culture and where these worlds intersect. BookCon will feature a vibrant Show Floor with the world’s most influential publishers including ABRAMS, Chronicle Books, Hachette Book Group, HarperCollins, Macmillan Publishers, Penguin Random House, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster and many more. In addition to over 250 Exhibitors, the Show Floor will house the Downtown Stage, home to innovative content like Q&As, trivia and illustrator events.
“BookCon 2015 proved that both Fans and the industry crave an event that connects authors to Fans in unique ways,” states BookCon’s Show Manager, Brien McDonald. “Now, we’re bringing that experience to Fans in a new city and fully expect Chicago to embrace us as our home for BookCon 2016.”
BookCon 2015 in NYC drew 18,000 fans (an 80-percent increase over 2014’s inaugural show) and showcased 300 Guests and 250 Exhibitors. The show included appearances by renowned actors and authors alike including: Julianne Moore, Mindy Kaling, B.J. Novak, Nick Offerman, Aziz Ansari, John Green, Jason Segel, Judy Blume, R.L. Stine and many others.
As an original consumer extension of BEA, BookCon will have unprecedented access to the world’s most accomplished authors and most influential publishing houses.
BEA, North America’s largest gathering of book industry professionals from around the globe, and BookCon, the consumer extension of the show, combine to make the ultimate event destination for the publishing industry and booklovers worldwide. BEA is widely known as the leading business event for publishers, booksellers, digital content creators, traditional and self-published authors, media, rights professionals, and movie and television executives who attend to discover new voices, learn about trends shaping the book industry, and network with those who have a passion for books and reading. BookCon is the ultimate Fan event where storytelling and pop culture collide – offering Fans unprecedented access to authors, publishers, celebrities and creators of content that influence everything we read, hear and see. Tickets for BookCon will go on sale on Thursday, November 12 at 12:00 PM CST.
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Jen’s Tribute
When we’re little, we’re all taught a few basic truths. In my house, those truths were as follows: The Mets are the best baseball team on the planet, UCONN is the only basketball team worth rooting for, and the Vulcan salute is how you greet people.
The original draft of my tribute went on for about a page and a half about how I grew up watching Star Trek, how I made friends through Star Trek, how the show was one of the few things my dad and I shared while I was a kid–but I think that sentence sums it up in all its meta-elegance.
I don’t really want to talk about me. It feels wrong and selfish, when a man’s amazing and inspiring life has come to an end, to focus on my own that’s barely begun. Leonard Nimoy has always surprised me. His performance as Spock was consistently challenging and fascinating to watch, but more than that, every time I learned something new about the Man, I found myself grinning. He never stopped working, and learning, and trying new things. He never shied away from the role that bought him international fame and his status as a pop culture icon. He never appeared as anything less than dignified and wise.
A life is like a garden. Perfect moments can be had, but not preserved, except in memory. LLAP
— Leonard Nimoy (@TheRealNimoy) February 23, 2015
Even as I read through his obituaries today, I was finding out things about Leonard Nimoy I never knew–but somehow none of them surprised me. It would seem that here, at the end of his life, he truly took his Vulcan signature to heart. Here’s what the rest of our team had to say about Leonard Nimoy’s life and death.
Sam’s Tribute:
“He taught me that being weird was normal, that science and logic were magical. He taught me that in a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. He taught me that ‘Live long and prosper’ could mean so much more than a television catch phrase. Not being able to meet him is one of the biggest regrets I’ll always carry. Live Long and Prosper Sir, you’ve taught us all so much. I wish you well on that final frontier.”–Samuel Lee Smith
Colby’s Tribute:
“I was never exposed to the original Star Trek, so Leonard Nimoy came in to my life way past the acceptable date for most geeks. Even then, he was only vaguely associated with Spock, more of a nerd Demigod like Bruce Campbell than the blue-sweatered half Vulcan. Instead, Mr. Nimoy’s most well-known work for me is the Bilbo Baggins song. If you haven’t seen the video, be prepared for a lot of cringe-worthy 60s nonsense and overacting, but in such an energetic and offbeat way, that you can’t help but laugh. And be forewarned, this song will plant its hooks in your brain and you’ll find yourself singing it weeks later.”
Leia’s Tribute:
“I grew up all Star Wars, and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I found a place in my heart for Star Trek. Leonard Nimoy called out to the melancholy teenager still inside of me with his gorgeous photography, and touching poetry, so when he was slated to appear in Dallas, I made it a goal to sit in on his Q&A. It was miraculous. His voice and presence oozed wisdom, and I felt at peace listening to him speak. I made it a point to check his Twitter every day, just to see the little life tidbits he would throw up, ending in a loving LLAP. I bid you farewell, sir. It was life changing being in your presence, and all of space and time will never be the same”–Leia Calderon
Tushar’s Tribute:
“
Leonard Nimoy was one of the true geek OG’s and one of the stars of a series that was well ahead of its time. Though he did a lot of things in his life he was always Spock to me – the hyperlogical intellectual that was an archetype I was drawn to since I was a kid. And he accepted that status as geek idol – maybe reluctantly at first – but eventually – purely and whole-heartedly, he *was* Spock in the end. I remember reading an article a while ago about how when he found out Nichelle Nichols was getting paid less than other cast members, that he made it a point to correct that with the front office because it wasn’t right. Geek culture and entertainment at large took a big hit today.” –Tushar Nene
“Loss of life should be mourned, but only if the life is wasted.” –Spock
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Valentine’s Day is coming and unimaginative (I mean, ~romantic~) fools everywhere are busting out the movie love quotes
“You had me at Hello.” No thanks. That’s not necessary.
“I wish I knew how to quit you…” Really? Grow up, cowboy!
“I’ll never let go, Jack. I’ll never let go.” As she pries his cold, dead hands off hers and watches him sink to the bottom of the ocean.
Those same pleas of helpless, undying, unconditional saccharine dribble we hear from the pretty people each year are meant to bring out the innocent flirt or unbridled passion in all of us, but honestly? They’re so overused that sometimes they make even the best of us throw up in our mouth a little.
Settle down, now, don’t brand me as cynical and unromantic. Okay, I’ll admit to the first but I’m certainly not unromantic. I just know we literate and loyal geek culture inhabitants can do better.
Why go to those rom-coms or tear jerkers for love quotes, when we have a world of comic books, super heroes, video games and sci-fi movies, television shows and books to provide us with a much larger pool of romantic, encouraging and inspiring commentary tailor made for your fangirl or boy paramour or pal?
Since money is getting tighter than Black Widow’s suit this year, a simple paper heart with a well-suited quote printed out or hand-written (oooh, better yet) with that perfect phrase or inside joke that says “You and I are the same kind of weird” can mean so much more than any expensive or impersonal gift. You don’t have to completely cheap out, however, attach one of these to a single rose, candy bar or action figure.
I’ll even give you some starting points. Here are some of my picks for quote-heavy sources, from the bleeding obvious to the more obscure.
Star Wars
Feel free to venture into the extended universe for more:
“Scoundrel? I like the sound of that.”
— Han Solo
“I’d just as soon kiss a Wookiee. “
—Leia
“When I’m around you, my mind is no longer my own.”
— Crazy Anakin
“ My love for you is a puzzle…for which I have no answers.
— Padmé Amidala
And, let’s say the last one together:
“I love you. “
—Leia
“I know.”
— Han
(You can flip this “Empire Strikes Back” quote around with Leia responding “I know” as she did in “Return of the Jedi.”)
Superheroes
“Love should never be a secret.”
— Dr. Otto Octavius
“I cannot preach hate and warfare when I am a disciple of peace and love!”
— Wonder Woman
“I’d rather not rule the earth. I just want to marry the girl next door and live in the suburbs.”
— Captain Dynamo (This one is a great inside joke because this Image Comics character was a habitual womanizing pig)
“Face it, Tiger, you just hit the jackpot.”
— Mary Jane Watson
“Waves are but water. Wind but air. And though lightning be fire…yet it must answer thunder’s call.”
— Thor Odinson (Not technically a “love quote” but who wouldn’t want to hear this from him?)
“…love is not a constantly stable factor, it’s (a decision you’ll) have to make again and again.”
— Black Panther (great for long-term relationships)
“They were young. They were in love. They were heroes.”
— Narration about Jean Grey and Cyclops in The Uncanny X-Men #137
“Paradise unearned is but a land of shadows!”
— The Silver Surfer
“In brightest day, in blackest night, no evil shall escape my sight.”
— Green Lantern
“I should break your face for that, but that would not teach you of love.”
— Slaughterman
“When you look in her eyes and she’s looking back in yours… everything… feels… not quite normal.”
— Peter Parker (about Mary Jane)
“I’ve been bitten.”
— Peter Parker
“So have I.”
— Gwen Stacey
“Let’s face it, this is not the worst thing you’ve caught me doing.”
— Tony Stark (to Pepper Potts)
Television Shows
“Why did you marry her?”
— Spock
“It seemed the logical thing to do at the time.”
— Sarek (Star Trek)
“You are like an angel with no wings.”
— Andy Dwyer (Parks and Recreation)
“If you prick me, do I not… leak?”
— Data (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
“Nice Legs… for a human”
— Worf (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
“You have that face on again… The one when you’re thinking ‘he’s hot when he’s clever.’”
— The 11th Doctor (Doctor Who)
“I love you and I like you.”
— Leslie Knope and Ben Wyatt (Parks and Recreation)
“I’m going to pull time apart for you.”
—Amy Pond (Doctor Who)
“I married me a powerful ugly creature.”
— Jayne Cobb (Firefly)
“Love is Poison. A sweet poison, yes, but it will kill you all the same.”
—Cersei Lannister (Game of Thrones)
“Brainy is the new sexy.”
— Irene Adler (Sherlock)
“I may be on the side of angels, but don’t think for one second I’m one of them.”
—Sherlock Holmes (Sherlock)
“Have you ever been told you’re beautiful in flawless Russian? Get used to it.”
— Howard Wolowitz (The Big Bang Theory)
Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Trilogy
“I would rather share one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world.”
— Arwin
“Love or an act of kindness that are the things that keep darkness age bay.”
— Gandalf
“Loyalty, honor, a willing heart, I can ask no more than that.”
— Thorin Oakenshield
“My precious….”
— Gollum
“I’m looking for someone to share in an adventure.”
— Gandalf
Video Games:
“The right man in the wrong place can make all the difference in the world.”
—Half-Life 2
“Stay frosty.”
— Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
“Wakka wakka wakka!”
—Pac-Man
“Fus-ro-dah!”
— The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
“Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said ‘Goodbye’ and you were like ‘NO WAY!’ and then I was all ‘We pretended we were going to murder you’? That was great.”
— GladDOS from Portal 2
“It’s time to kick ass and chew bubble gum…and I’m all out of gum.”
—Duke Nukem
And some other random geeky treasures:
“As You Wish.”
— (Westley) The Princess Bride
“Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
— Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (interesting enough this is also Matthew 6:21)
“Gravitation can not be held responsible for people falling in love.”
— Albert Einstein
“Say ‘Kiss me’.”
— Deckard (Blade Runner)
“You know you’re in love when you can’t fall asleep because reality is finally better than your dreams.”
— Dr. Seuss
“…sometimes, when you fall, you fly.”
— Neil Gaiman (The Sandman: Fables and Reflections)
“Every lover is, in his heart, a madman, and, in his head, a minstrel.”
— Neil Gaiman (Stardust)
“Don’t Panic.”
— The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy
“Let us think the unthinkable, let us do the undoable, let us prepare to grapple with the ineffable itself, and see if we may not eff it after all.
— Douglas Adams
Hope these little snippets of nerdy love help you win your true love’s heart, share a laugh with a good friend, or keep Mom off her “you never call me” kick for another month.
Consider this my gift to you, because as George McFly said, “You are my density.”
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