Fiona Mozley

Among the books by many well-known authors on the longlist for the Man Booker Prize (see the full list below) there's an unusual one, the Bookseller noted. The debut novel Elmet, "a book about family as well as a meditation on landscape in South Yorkshire" that will be published only August 10, is by a bookseller. Fiona Mozley, 29, works weekends at the Little Apple Bookshop in York while completing a Ph.D. in medieval studies. She wrote the novel "while commuting on the train," according to her editor, Becky Walsh, at JM Originals, an imprint at John Murray Publishers, a Hachette UK subsidiary.

The bookstore posted this on Facebook: "Fantastic news. The Booker Prize Longlist includes our very own Fiona Mozley, one of our talented Little Apple staff. We read it and loved it. Out in August. Watch this space."

In the first six months of 2017, Canadian book buyers spent C$398 million (about US$318.2 million) on English-language printed books, a drop of 2.7% from the first half of 2016, according to a BookNet Canada SalesData survey of 966 Canadian book buyers.

At the same time, those buyers increased their purchases of e-books by 3%. E-books now have 20% of the Canadian English-language market. Paperbacks lead with 51% of that market, followed by hardcovers at 23%.

Online shopping, which includes print book sales and e-book and audiobook downloads, rose to 52% of overall book sales, up from 50% in the same period in 2016. The second-most popular purchasing channel is chain bookstores, with a "fairly steady" 25% market share.

Other information on consumer buying habits, sales trends, digital publishing, and more can be found at booknetcanada.ca/bnc-research.

Having "been given an amazing new opportunity at a great new location," Basically Books is "moving a mile and a half down the road," to 1672 Kamehameha Avenue in downtown Hilo, Hawaii (on the island of Hawaii). The bookseller's final day at its former location was last Saturday, and plans call for reopening July 29 with a Where's Waldo party at the new space.

Basically Books is a subsidiary of publisher and printer Petroglyph Press. Both businesses will be able to take advantage of the "highly visible location [that] has abundant free parking and a covered patio," the Hawaii Tribune Herald reported. Although the physical and mailing addresses will change, phone numbers, e-mail and website addresses will remain the same.

"We were offered a golden opportunity we couldn't pass up--a bright, prominent location with lots of parking. Our customers will love this new location," said David Reed, president of the family business and co-owner with his wife, Christine, who added: "We appreciate the support of our downtown Hilo friends and neighbors through the years and we will continue to be downtown merchants at heart. People can stop by to pick up a 'Moving Sucks' lollipop and a discount coupon for August in our new location."

Petroglyph Press was founded in 1962 by Stephen and Frances Reed. David began managing the business in 1974 when his parents retired, and Christine became a partner after their marriage in 1976. They expanded the operation in 1985 with the establishment of Basically Books. 

Humpus Bumpus Books, which sells new, used and rare books in Cumming, Ga., will close August 31 after almost 30 years in business, but there is at least a chance that another bookshop will replace it, Forsyth County News reported.

Owner Paul Cossman said he feels this is the right time for the change: "I decided that it is getting close to the time in my life where I need to start doing some other things. I love my work here, love my customers, love the community, they love us, but sometimes time just pushes us inexorably onwards and you have to make a decision about what you want to do next, and there are other things I want to do."

Cossman added that he "got into the book business because I was looking 30 years ago to do something with meaning, and I wanted to make a living but wanted to do something with meaning, and came up with a bookstore because there weren't any in Cumming."

The possibility exists that a new bookstore will emerge from the closure, though nothing is certain yet. "I have one employee who has expressed continuing the business in the area if she can get a lease that is reasonable enough," Cossman said. "It would be another name, but I would teach her the business... so that she could continue and there could be a continuity of service for customers."

On Facebook this week, the store posted a message to patrons: "Humpus Bumpus has been part of the soul of our community. There will surely be plenty of tears before it's all through. All of us here thank you for your loyal support of the last thirty years."

Adam Eberle

Adam Eberle is joining digital distribution company OverDrive as chief sales and marketing officer. He was formerly general manager and v-p of sales as well as chief commercial officer at PowerSchool Group. Earlier he was director of sales for Skyward, Inc.

OverDrive CEO Steve Potash commented: "With Adam's successes in building both revenue and user base in his previous positions, we are confident that his efforts will accelerate the significant growth that we're experiencing. In addition to working with our executive team to direct forward-looking strategies and partnerships, Adam will lead our growing OverDrive Education division to help develop more ways K-12 schools can benefit from e-books and audiobooks in the classroom."

Early last year, staff at the warehouse of Books Inc., which has 11 stores in the Bay Area of Northern California, began piling up ARCs with the word "girl" in the title. Two stacks with 64 individual titles, flanking Wonder Woman, have climbed to a height of 28"--and they continue to grow.

Congratulations to Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books, Duck, N.C., which celebrated its 15th anniversary last Saturday. Founded by John Power and Allen Lehew, Duck's Cottage is open year-round, serving both the Outer Banks community and the sizable summer vacation population. The store is now wholly owned by Lehew, who oversees the coffee side of the operation, while the bookstore side of things is run by Jamie Anderson.

The bookstore section provides a selection of fiction, nonfiction, Outer Banks-oriented titles and more. Its café offers coffee from an artisanal roaster along with baked goods, and local and metropolitan newspapers.

Duck's Cottage has had six straight years of growth in sales, and this year, that trend continues, the store said.

The poetry gumball machine at Brooklyn's Books Are Magic "is characteristically creative; the poems themselves have been water-colored by hand, and can be bought for a quarter. If you're lucky, you might even get one of the special coupons that have been sprinkled throughout the vending machine as well!" Bustle reported.

On Instagram, Books Are Magic featured images of the poetry gumball machine and the first poem purchased. Proceeds are being donated to Planned Parenthood.

Ingram Publisher Services has added four publishers:

Effective July 1, Calexia Press, Chicago, Ill., a "new traditional publisher" with an emphasis on fiction in the thriller and mystery genres. Calexia's first title will be Blood Run, the next in Jamie Freveletti's Emma Caldridge series, followed by Julie Hyzy's new thriller in 2018

Effective August 5, Callaway Arts & Entertainment, New York City, which develops brands across media platforms, from books to 3-D computer-animated TV programming. Its titles have included Georgia O'Keeffe: One Hundred Flowers, Passage by Irving Penn, David La Chapelle's LaChapelle Land and the English Roses series by Madonna. Its newest title is Obama: The Call of History by Peter Baker.

Effective July 1, Hodder Education, part of Hodder Education Group, which works with schools and colleges, authors and awarding organizations to create print and digital resources. Hodder Education provides appropriate coverage for K-12 and vocational learners, and in particular for students following the International Baccalaureate & Cambridge International Examinations programs.

Effective July 1, NewSouth Books, Montgomery, Ala., which specializes in books about Southern history and culture, especially those that examine the nature of the change and conflict in the region in the post-World War II era. The press was founded in 2000 by Randall Williams and Suzanne La Rosa, who said, "We gravitate to material which enhances our understanding of who we are and asks us to stretch in our understanding of others."

Effective August 14, Sarah Baline is becoming the events coordinator at Catapult, Counterpoint Press and Soft Skull Press. She was most recently the events coordinator at East City Books, Washington, D.C., and earlier worked at Kramerbooks and Politics & Prose. She's the author of the tinyletter Hot Goss! and on Twitter @SweetBaline. She will work from Washington.

Superhero Therapy: Mindfulness Skills to Help Teens & Young Adults Deal with Anxiety, Depression, and Trauma by Dr. Janina Scarlet, illustrated by Wellinton Alves (New Harbinger Publications).

Tomorrow:
Tonight Show: Penn Jillette, author of Presto!: How I Made Over 100 Pounds Disappear and Other Magical Tales (Simon & Schuster, $16, 9781501139529).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, July 29
8:40 a.m. An interview with Marji Ross, president and publisher of Regnery, at BookExpo.

3:15 p.m. John Cheney-Lippold, author of We Are Data: Algorithms and the Making of Our Digital Selves (NYU Press, $27.95, 9781479857593), at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Re-airs Monday at 1:20 a.m.)

5 p.m. Anan Ameri, author of The Scent of Jasmine: Coming of Age in Jerusalem and Damascus (Interlink, $20, 9781566560016). (Re-airs Sunday at 10 p.m.)

7 p.m. Dr. Kurt Newman, author of Healing Children: A Surgeon's Stories from the Frontiers of Pediatric Medicine (Viking, $27, 9780525428831), at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C. (Re-airs Sunday at 11 p.m.)

8 p.m. Kelly Hernandez, author of City of Inmates: Conquest, Rebellion, and the Rise of Human Caging in Los Angeles, 1771–1965 (University of North Carolina Press, $28, 9781469631189). (Re-airs Sunday at 1 p.m. and Monday at 1 a.m.)

10 p.m. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, author of The Least Among Us: Waging the Battle for the Vulnerable (The New Press, $25.95, 9781620972205). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m. and Monday at 12 a.m. and 3 a.m.)

11 p.m. Erica Wagner, author Chief Engineer: Washington Roebling, The Man Who Built the Brooklyn Bridge (Bloomsbury, $28, 9781620400517). (Re-airs Sunday at 5:15 p.m.)

Sunday, July 30
12 a.m. David Goodhart, author of The Road to Somewhere: The Populist Revolt and the Future of Politics (Hurst, $24.95, 9781849047999). (Re-airs Sunday at 7 p.m.)

7:10 a.m. Pete Souza, author of Obama: An Intimate Portrait (Little, Brown, $50, 9780316512589), at BookExpo.

image: Little Apple Bookshop

The 13-book longlist for the £50,000 (about $65,565) Man Booker Prize was announced yesterday. The shortlist will be unveiled September 13 and a winner named October 17. This year's long listed titles are:

4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster (U.S.)
Days Without End by Sebastian Barry (Ireland)
History of Wolves by Emily Fridlund (U.S.)
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (Pakistan-U.K.)
Solar Bones by Mike McCormack (Ireland)
Reservoir 13 by Jon McGregor (U.K.)
Elmet by Fiona Mozley (U.K.)
The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (India)
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (U.S.)
Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie (U.K.-Pakistan)
Autumn by Ali Smith (U.K.)
Swing Time by Zadie Smith (U.K.)
The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead (U.S.)

Chair of judges Baroness Lola Young commented: "Only when we'd finally selected our 13 novels did we fully realize the huge energy, imagination and variety in them as a group. The longlist showcases a diverse spectrum--not only of voices and literary styles but of protagonists too, in their culture, age and gender. Nevertheless we found there was a spirit common to all these novels: though their subject matter might be turbulent, their power and range were life-affirming--a tonic for our times. Together their authors--both recognized and new--explore an array of literary forms and techniques, from those working in a traditional vein to those who aim to move the walls of fiction."

---

Zana Fraillon won the AU$3,000 (about US$2,377) Readings Young Adult Book Prize, which is awarded to the best new contribution to Australian YA literature, for The Bone Sparrow. The winning title was previously shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and the Guardian Children's Book Prize, and was named the 2017 Amnesty CILIP Honor book. It was chosen by a panel of four Readings YA book specialists, along with guest judge and YA author Lili Wilkinson.

Wilkinson commented: "The simple, beautiful prose is such a pleasure to read, almost lulling you into a false sense of security, before you receive the sickening gut punch of reality--this story is really happening, and it's really happening in our own country. The Bone Sparrow is important, it's a story that must be told, a story we must confront. At times it is bleak, but it is also a celebration of warmth, hope, humor and humanity."

Selected new titles appearing next week:

Morningstar: Growing Up With Books by Ann Hood (Norton, $22.95, 9780393254815) explores how books shaped a writer's early life.

It's Not Yet Dark: A Memoir by Simon Fitzmaurice (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $23, 9781328916716) is the memoir of a filmmaker diagnosed with ALS and the companion to a similarly titled documentary.

Lights On, Rats Out: A Memoir by Cree LeFavour (Grove Press, $25, 9780802125965) chronicles a young woman's descent into self-harm and quest for psychiatric help.

A Woman's Place Is at the Top: A Biography of Annie Smith Peck, Queen of the Climbers by Hannah Kimberley (St. Martin's Press, $26.99, 9781250084002) tells the story of an early 20th-century political activist and pioneering mountain climber.

Happiness: A Memoir: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After by Heather Harpham (Holt, $27, 9781250131560) is the memoir of a mother whose newborn faces severe complications.

Say Zoop! by Hervé Tullet (Chronicle, $15.99, 9781452164731) is another intrinsically interactive book for young readers, this time focusing on sound.

The Dark Net by Benjamin Percy (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $26, 9780544750333) is a technological horror novel about a hellish side of the internet.

Mrs. Fletcher: A Novel by Tom Perrotta (Scribner, $26, 9781501144028) follows a middle-aged divorcee fascinated by the online erotic exploits of other older women.

Sour Heart: Stories by Jenny Zhang (Lenny, $26, 9780399589386) is a collection of seven short stories about Chinese American girls.

Pieces of Happiness by Anne Ostby (Doubleday, $25.95, 9780385542807) follows five elderly friends who buy a cocoa farm in Fiji.

Mighty Moby by Ed Young and Barbara DaCosta (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 9780316299367) is a Moby Dick-inspired picture book, recounting the story of a captain's search for a whale that had bitten him.

Paperbacks:
Two by Two by Nicholas Sparks (Grand Central, $15.99, 9781455520688).

Beast: A Novel by Paul Kingsnorth (Graywolf Press, $16, 9781555977795).

Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash by Eka Kurniawan, translated by Annie Tucker (New Directions, $15.95, 9780811225649).

Movie:
The Dark Tower, based on the series by Stephen King, opens August 4. Idris Elba stars as Roland Deschain, a gunslinger in pursuit of the Man in Black (Matthew McConaughey) and the fabled Dark Tower.

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover: An Indies Introduce Title
Hum If You Don't Know the Words: A Novel by Bianca Marais (Putnam, $26, 9780399575068). "Hum If You Don't Know the Words is a marvel. Set in South Africa in 1978, this is the story of Robin, a white child, and Beauty, a black mother, both of whom experience immense loss after the Soweto student uprising. Bianca Marais has written a book about apartheid--a book about tragedy, injustice, grief, and survival--that manages to sparkle with wit, warmth, and charming secondary characters. Readers will love this rare and rewarding gem." --Emilie Sommer, East City Bookshop, Washington, D.C.

Hardcover
Made for Love: A Novel by Alissa Nutting (Ecco, $26.99, 9780062280558). "I don't think I've gotten this much sheer pleasure from a book in a long while. Made for Love is freaking off-the-wall bonkers in the best way. We follow Hazel, a woman on the edge who recently escaped from her top-of-the-tech-world psycho of a husband (whom, she fears, desires to place a chip in her brain so that they may 'meld' consciousnesses), as she battles through hyper-surveillance for a life off the grid. Along the way, she meets a truly delightful cast of characters, gets into some absurd hijinks, and works through the piles of garbage the world has tossed her way. Ditch the jet skis--this is all the summer fun you're going to need." --Molly Moore, BookPeople, Austin, Tex.

Paperback
A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause: Essays by Shawn Wen (Sarabande Books, $15.95, 9781941411483). "Shawn Wen's A Twenty Minute Silence Followed by Applause is a loving tribute to a most untranslatable figure: Marcel Marceau, the mime who defined his art for the 20th century. A connoisseur of silence who could out-talk Studs Terkel, Marceau presented contradictions that can make him hard to grasp, but these nimble essays rise to the task beautifully. You don't need to know anything about miming, or Marceau, to appreciate Wen's lyrical and innovative take on biography." --Travis Smith, Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, N.C.

For Ages 4 to 8
Now by Antoinette Portis (Roaring Brook Press, $17.99, 9781626721371). "A wonderful picture book for kids that demonstrates the importance of staying in the moment and enjoying life as it happens. A great book for teachers and parents to help children focus on the beauty around them and appreciate the here and now." --Lisa Nehs, Books & Company, Oconomowoc, Wis.

For Ages 9 to 12
Orphan Train Girl by Christina Baker Kline (HarperCollins, $17.99, 9780062445940). "If you are interested in historical fiction, Orphan Train Girl is perfect for you as it parallels the situation of a modern-day foster care child with the situation of an orphan in the 1920s. This book is so moving and, in the end, heartwarming. It shows how much of history goes undocumented and untold, until authors like Christina Baker Kline share these stories with us." --Makenna Castor, Page 158 Books, Wake Forest, N.C.

For Teen Readers
The One Memory of Flora Banks by Emily Barr (Philomel, $15.99, 9780399547010). "I thoroughly loved this book! Flora is someone you root for from the beginning as she follows her journey towards the boy who she thinks has, with his kiss, unlocked her brain's ability to remember. The story keeps you guessing whether something has really happened or not, as you're not sure you can trust Flora's memory. There are several plot twists I didn't see coming dealing with her brain injury, how it was caused, and how her mother deals with her own fear and guilt. The poignant relationship with her brother is profound and the message that resonates throughout the story is one we all need: be brave." --Dea Lavoie, Second Star to the Right Books, Denver, Colo.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

The most surprising thing about Mary Jo Salter's poetry collection The Surveyors is how fun and charming it is, though not without a degree of profundity. To say Salter is an experienced poet is an understatement. Not only has she authored several poetry collections, such as Nothing by Design, but she's also served as poetry editor for the New Republic and co-editor of The Norton Anthology of Poetry. In The Surveyors, she showcases her impeccable form, her lines as tight and sharp as rapiers, yet her tone always playful.

It's a tone she sets right away in "Yield," the first poem: "and more letters wanting/ to play came to me/ alone to untangle." Such play is evident throughout the collection's four sections. It surfaces in Salter's ironically euphonic portraits of salty characters. In "The Profane Piano Tuner," for example, terse, pleasantly rhyming lines reveal the tale of a piano tuner who verbally abuses the speaker of the poem's piano while tuning it precisely: "Hour after hour he'd swear/ You filthy whore, Oh don't you dare." The piano tuner's profanity becomes enough of a problem that the speaker must let him go, but in her own musing fashion, Salter ends the poem with an ironic twist in which the speaker's young daughter sits down at the devilishly tuned piano "and played a Chopin prelude like an angel."

Salter constantly displays a lively mix of wit and imagination, approaching subjects with the healthy skepticism of a contrarian. But she neither gives herself over to the militancy of iconoclasm nor produces pure frivolity. Rather she creates neutral space in which the poet and the subject interact in marvelous ways. For all its humor, The Surveyors provides more than one instance of genuine awe. In "Aloe," a broken spear of an aloe plant exhibits "a low, but unbowed beauty/ in its handicap." In "An Afghan Carpet"--one of many meditations on a work of art--the poem ends ominously with "the terrible, low/ warble of warplanes," as if the production of art and the realities of history could never be separated. In the collection's namesake entry--really a series of 12 sonnets--Salter movingly conjures the "sweet things I must remember I've enjoyed" as she contemplates a poem a friend believes she wrote but actually never wrote.

Smart, quirky and offbeat, yet finding truth and beauty in uncommon places, The Surveyors is a poetry collection to cherish. --Scott Neuffer, writer, poet, editor of trampset

Shelf Talker: Poet Mary Jo Salter addresses both the quotidian and the profound with versatile humor and voice in this wide-ranging collection.