I love BEA, better known as Book Expo America. It’s the premiere American book show - a place to mingle with publishers, authors, editors, bookstore owners and see what books will be coming out in the very near future.

Before BEA took up permanent residence in NYC, it used to pop up periodically in Los Angeles, and I always made it a point to drop in.

One time, while I was eavesdropping, I heard two publishing stereotypes - one even wore a brown corduroy sportcoat with leather elbow patches - discussing the future of the industry: “These blogs, they’re just so much nonsense, right?”

Whatever you enjoy about publishing, you’ll find something to love at BEA. The current one just ended, and was full of surprises.

Here are 10 of the best ones:

10. Nobody’s talking about Green Lantern

9. F. Scott Fitzgerald cosplayers drinking with Hemingway cosplayers

8. Borders has asked for help from the Hero Initiative

7. Comic book sales may be down, but they still kick the crap out of any literary novel set in Fairfield County or Westchester

6. New iPad app: Where Books Used To Be

5. Giant cats

4. Books-A-Million cuts back; changes name to Books-A-Hundred

3. Billy Mumy to buy Barnes & Noble; rename it Barnes & Barnes & Barnes

2. The food court should be called Taste of CCI

And the #1 surprise at this year’s BEA?

1. They still make books?

[Artwork: Book Expo America]