BookExpo America events start today, so we're moving to Manhattan and Brooklyn for the duration, and this is our last issue of the week. We'll have plenty of stories about BEA, starting next Monday, when we return. For those of you attending BEA, enjoy the show and look for us in the aisles!

 

"The lesson to be learned is, for me, that it pays to have a political agenda. I'm sure there are ways we lose business because of our political agenda, but what we gain far outweighs what we lose."--Linda Bubon, co-owner of Women & Children First, Chicago, in New City Chicago.

At Borders Group, consolidated sales in the quarter ended May 5 rose 2% to $876.8 million while the net loss rose 77.7% to $35.9 million, higher than analysts' expectations. Still, in after-hours trading, Borders stock rose 0.2% to $23.36.

At U.S. superstores, sales during the quarter rose 1.4% to $615 million. Sales at superstores open at least a year fell 1.9%. Book sales were slightly down, DVD sales were nearly flat and music sales continued to decline. Gifts and stationery sales rose. Superstores had an operating loss of $22 million compared to operating income of $1.5 million in the same quarter a year ago. During the quarter, Borders opened four superstores and now has 502.

International sales rose 22% to $153.7 million (without the weak dollar, they would have risen 11%). Sales at international stores open at least a year dropped 2.5%. The operating loss fell slightly to $9.8 million.

Sales in the Waldenbooks Specialty Retail division dropped 15% to $108.1 million as the company closed another 11 of these stores. Sales at stores open at least a year dropped 1%. The operating loss for the division was $14 million compared to $16 million in 2006.

In a statement, CEO George Jones reiterated the company's view that 2007 is "a year of transition" as Borders implements the strategic plan it announced in March. He called the first quarter sales environment "more challenging than we anticipated and that trend has continued."

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Net sales at Books-A-Million in the quarter ended May 5 rose 2.1% to $116.3 million and net income rose 40% to $2.1 million. Sales at stores open at least a year fell 0.5%.

In a statement, BAM president and CEO Sandra B. Cochran said that comp-store sales had risen compared to the fourth quarter of last year, "driven by an improving media environment, highlighted by Oprah's endorsement of The Secret. Several categories performed well, with New Age, teen, graphic novels and hardcover fiction showing particular strength." She added that the company looks forward to "a strong summer movie lineup and the publication of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

BAM is paying a regular quarterly dividend of nine cents a share on June 25.

Teresa Weaver, the book editor of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution whose job is being eliminated at the end of June, is joining Atlanta Magazine as book editor, effective July 1. She will write a monthly book column called the Shelf (ahem!) that makes its debut in the September issue and will work also on book excerpts, book-related features and the books portion of the annual summer reading issue.

Weaver worked at the Journal-Constitution for 18 years, the past 9 as book editor.

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The following is a Metropolitan Diary item that Kate Boyce Sampson wrote to the New York Times:

A few years ago, my children and I were happily browsing in a lovely and not-inexpensive French bookstore in Midtown.

Overheard:

Outraged female customer, indignant on hearing the price of an item: "I could get it cheaper in Paris."

Unruffled clerk: "Bon voyage, madame."

On Saturday from 4-5 p.m. in Room 1E11, see a screening of Powell's Books's first Out of the Book film, which focuses on Ian McEwan and his new book, On Chesil Beach. After the screening, McEwan, editor Nan Talese and Dave Weich of Powell's will speak. More than 50 indies around the country are doing special screenings of the 28-minute movie next month.

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Mark Rifkin, whose day job is hardcover managing editor at HarperCollins Children's Books, has an article on TimesSquare.com about BEA. Check it out online either by going to TimesSquare.com's home page and scrolling down or going to timessquare.com/Blogs/This_Week_In_New_York/Literary_Conventions.

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To promote Tourists of History: Memory, Kitsch, and Consumerism from Oklahoma City to Ground Zero by Marita Sturken, which appears this fall, Duke University Press is giving away an admittedly kitschy object: a teddy bear with a Tourists of History T-shirt. Go to booth 3233 for an unusual Teddy Bear.

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Orbit launches in the fall, as it were, and Hachette Book Group USA is celebrating its new SF/F publisher with a cocktail party on Saturday from 4-5 p.m. at its booth (3734). The out-of-this-world party is open to all. 

 

In a repeat, tonight on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart, Al Gore campaigns for his new book, The Assault on Reason: How the Politics of Fear, Secrecy, and Blind Faith Subvert Wise Decision Making, Degrade Our Democracy, and Put Our Country and Our World in Peril (Penguin Press, $25.95, 9781594201226/1594201226)..

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Also a repeat: tonight on the Colbert Report's lineup, John Amaechi, former NBA player and author of Man in the Middle (ESPN Books, $24.95, 9781933060194/1933060190).

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Tomorrow on NPR's Talk of the Nation: Paul Shirley, author of Can I Keep My Jersey?: 11 Teams, 5 Countries, and 4 Years in My Life as a Basketball Vagabond (Villard, $23.95, 9780345491367/034549136X).

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Tomorrow on the Diane Rehm Show: Ted Gup, author of Nation of Secrets: The Threat to Democracy and the American Way of Life (Doubleday, $24.95, 9780385514750/0385514751).

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Tomorrow on KCRW's Bookworm: Christine Schutt, author of A Day, A Night, Another Day, Summer (Harvest, $13, 9780156030663/0156030667). As the show put it: "Prose impressionist Christine Schutt describes the painstaking intensity that allows her to perfect her cadences and the precision of her imagery. Her stories are built up draft upon draft, variation upon variation, until Schutt achieves a density that is both poetic and conclusive."

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Friday on the View: Jane Seymour, author of Making Yourself at Home: Finding Your Creativity and Putting It All Together (DK, $40, 9780756628925/075662892X).

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Friday on NPR's All Things Considered, Elizabeth Drew, whose new book is Richard M. Nixon (Holt, $22, 9780805069631/0805069631).

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On Friday's 20/20: David Zinczencko dishes up The Abs Diet for Women: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Belly and Firm Up Your Body for Life (Rodale, $24.95, 9781594866241/1594866244).

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On Sunday Meet the Press meets speechwriter and political campaign strategist Robert Shrum, whose new book is No Excuses: Confessions of a Serial Campaigner (S&S, $28, 9780743296519/0743296516).

 

Selected titles with a pub date of next Tuesday, June 5:

The Harlequin by Laurell K. Hamilton (Berkley, $25.95, 9780425217245/0425217248). The 15th outing for vampire hunter Anita Blake.

The Navigator by Clive Cussler with Paul Kemprecos (Putnam, $26.95, 9780399154195/0399154191). The 7th NUMA Files novel.

Spare Change by Robert B. Parker (Putnam, $24.95, 9780399154256/0399154256). Boston P.I. Sunny Randall joins forces with her retired cop father to crack a 31-year-old cold case.

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (Nan A. Talese, $22, 9780385522403/0385522401). The new novel from the author of Atonement and Saturday explores a newly minted marriage in crisis.

Undead and Uneasy by MaryJanice Davidson (Berkley, $23.95, 9780425213766/0425213765). It's marital mayhem for Vampire Queen Betsy Taylor, who must track down the person responsible for the disappearance of her groom-to-be.

Too Late to Say Goodbye: A True Story of Murder and Betrayal by Ann Rule (Free Press, $26, 9780743238526/0743238524). Rule's latest true crime tale delves into the mystery surrounding the apparent suicide of a dentist's wife.


On sale in paperback June 5:

The United States v. I. Lewis Libby edited by Murray Wass (Union Square Press, $12.95, 9781402752599/1402752598). The book includes an edited trial transcript, opening and closing statements by both sides, commentary on testimony by each witness, illustrations of trial exhibits, a timeline, a cast of characters and more concerning the trial of Scooter Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff. Convicted on four counts for lying about matters concerning the outing of Valerie Plame, Libby coincidentally will be sentenced on this book's pub date. Editor and reporter Murray Waas has written extensively about the CIA leak case for the National Journal; his work has also appeared in the New Yorker, the Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe.

From an appearance on NBC Nightly News by President Bill Clinton, who shared his personal endeavors for reducing energy consumption, to the proposed development of an environmentally conscious town in Florida, recent media coverage has led to increased consumer awareness of environmental topics.

Once confined largely to Earth Day promotions, "green" books are a hot commodity. "This is decidedly not a once-a-year issue," says Chris Morrow of Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center, Vt. "Now that climate change is finally getting some mainstream play people are waking up to the variety of 'environmental' problems." Carla Cohen of Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., credits Al Gore's documentary about global warming, An Inconvenient Truth, with helping to bring environmental topics into the national spotlight.

Cohen was inspired to launch a Climate Action Group after hearing Jared Diamond, the author of Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed, speak at Politics & Prose last year. The group is made up of professionals and interested individuals and promotes initiatives such as the Cool Capital Challenge, a city-wide effort to reduce metro D.C.'s carbon dioxide pollution.

With a wealth of tomes from mainstream and niche publishers alike, those looking for information on sustainable living, alternative fuel sources, climate change and more will find no shortage of resources. "The bottom line is that the economy, the environment and all us creatures living on the planet are interconnected and to continue acting like we aren't is suicide," says Morrow. "And there are plenty of good books helping to show the way."

For those interested in going green, here is a sampling of titles:

Available Now

Blessed Unrest: How the Largest Movement in the World Came into Being and Why No One Saw It Coming by Paul Hawken (Viking, $24.95, 9780670038527/0670038520). From billion-dollar nonprofits to single-person causes, Hawken offers a look at organizations dedicated to restoring the environment and fostering social justice.

The Citizen-Powered Energy Handbook: Community Solutions to a Global Crisis by Greg Pahl (Chelsea Green, $21.95, 9781933392127/1933392126). Renewable energy strategies that can be adopted by individuals and communities.

Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future by Bill McKibben (Times Books, $25, 9780805076264/0805076263). A former staff writer for the New Yorker sets forth a new way of thinking about the things we buy, the food we eat, the energy we use and the money that pays for it all.

Green This! Volume 1: Greening Your Cleaning by Deirdre Imus (S&S, $15.95, 9781416540557/1416540555). Cleaning house in an environmentally responsible way can be as effective (and often cheaper) than the more traditional, toxic, means.

Hell and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and What We Should Do by Joseph Romm (Morrow, $24.95, 9780061172120/006117212X). The founder and executive director of the Center for Energy and Climate Solutions offers pragmatic answers for averting the threat of global warming.

It's Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living by Cissy Trask (Gibbs Smith, $12.95, 9781586857721/158685772X). Practical information for adopting greener habits no matter how hectic your lifestyle.

The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved: Inside America's Underground Food Movements by Sandor Ellix Katz (Chelsea Green, $20, 9781933392110/1933392118). An eye-opening look at how ordinary people can revive community-based food production.

Stop Global Warming: The Solution Is You! by Laurie David (Fulcrum, $9.95, 9781555916213/155591621X). The environmental activist recently wrapped a national college tour (via a biodiesel bus) with singer Sheryl Crow. David continues to garner national media attention, including a recent appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

This Moment on Earth: Today's New Environmentalists and Their Vision for the Future by John Kerry and Teresa Heinz Kerry (Public Affairs, $25, 9781586484316/1586484311). A celebration of American innovators who are transforming the way we protect and care for the world.

True Green: 100 Everyday Ways You Can Contribute to a Healthier Planet by Kim McKay and Jenny Bonnin (National Geographic, $19.95, 9781426201134/1426201133). Small changes in everyday habits can make a big difference toward saving the planet.


Looking Ahead

On the Clean Road Again: Biodiesel and the Future of the Family Farm by Willie Nelson (Fulcrum, $9.95, 9781555916244/1555916244, May). The country crooner's pocket-sized primer about the benefits of biodiesel. (Galleys will be available at BEA.)

Gas Trees and Car Turds: A Kids' Guide to the Roots of Global Warming by Kirk Johnson and illustrated by Mary Ann Bonnell (Fulcrum, $16.95, 9781555916664/155591666X, July). Educating the next generation about the perils of global warming.

Chelsea Green's series of "Little Green Guides" ($7.95, September):

• Composting: An Easy Household Guide by Nicky Scott (9781933392745/1933392746)
• Energy: Use Less-Save More: 100 Energy-Saving Tips for the Home by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert (9781933392721/193339272X)
• Reduce, Reuse, Recycle: An Easy Household Guide by Nicky Scott (9781933392752/1933392754)
• Water: Use Less-Save More: 100 Water-Saving Tips for the Home by Jon Clift and Amanda Cuthbert (9781933392738/1933392738)

Wake Up and Smell the Planet: The Non-Pompous, Non-Preachy Grist Guide to Greening Your Day edited by Brangien Davis (Skipstone/Grist.org, $14.95, 9781594850394/1594850399, October). One of the first titles from the new Mountaineers Books imprint Skipstone, this humorous and resourceful book has suggestions for making "green" choices for everything from attire to cocktails. The book will be promoted at Grist.org membership gatherings nationwide.--Shannon McKenna