Bright Side Books & Wine celebrated its grand opening and ribbon cutting on April 25, Independent Bookstore Day, at 600 W. Cabarrus St., Suite 107 in Raleigh, N.C. The bookstore, owned by Susannah Baird, posted: "Saying it was a perfect weekend doesn't even begin to cover it. We are so incredibly thankful for all of the amazing authors & vendors who came out to celebrate with us. And of course, thank you to everyone who showed up, supported us, and walked through these doors for the very first time. That meant everything. We're home."

Located in the Platform development in the city's West End, Bright Side Books & Wine will highlight the romance genre and offer a comfortable space for readers to shop and hang out, the News & Observer reported. The store eventually will serve wine but doesn't yet have its license and will offer non-alcoholic beverages in the interim. 

A version of the store, called the Prologue, started operating on a temporary basis at 207 S. West St. last November, serving as a retail and event space for book clubs, author visits and other events. The Prologue closed earlier this month ahead of Bright Side's grand opening. 

On the bookstore's website, Baird noted that she "dreamed of a place where love stories take center stage. A cozy, inviting space where readers can sip wine, browse shelves full of happily-ever-afters, and connect with others who believe in the power of a good book and a better ending.

"Bright Side started as a quiet idea during a heart-to-heart with a close friend, but like all the best love stories, it grew. What began as a personal wish became a shared vision--one I knew I had to bring to life not just for myself, but for everyone who's ever searched a bookstore's sparse romance section and thought, 'Where's the good stuff?' "

Lisa and Leo Brenninkmeyer are the new owners of Owl & Turtle Bookshop Cafe in Camden, Maine. Midcoast Villager reported that the couple bought the store from Brad and Christin Madeira, who "have spent a lot of time helping them get up to speed on running the business," according to Lisa Brenninkmeyer. The business opened in 1970 and has changed both locations and owners over the years.

Leo and Lisa Brenninkmeyer

Lisa Brenninkmeyer founded the nonprofit Walking with Purpose, a Catholic ministry that builds community and provides materials for spiritual development for women. She and her husband are also parents to seven children. "Somehow, even with all of these other responsibilities, she finds time to write the little notes sticking up out of various books on the shelves, helping readers understand why they might find this or that volume interesting. It adds to the unique charm of the Bay View Street shop," Midcoast Villager noted. 

Regarding time management, she said it is all a matter of setting priorities: "You have to choose who you're gonna cheat. The answer isn't, I'm gonna give everybody who wants something from me all that they want.... And I basically said it will never be my family that gets cheated."

The family started visiting Camden 20 years ago. "We bought a house up here and every Christmas and every summer we were here," Lisa Brenninkmeyer said. "And then we moved around quite a bit, but this is where the full family came together. So, our family time is here.... This is home to our kids. And so we decided a year and a half ago that we were going to make the move and just be here year-round.... I've never been happier."

"We have to get there as resources dwindle, and to get to a circular economy, it's secondhand and it's not pulping," said Debbie James, founder of Kibworth Books in Kibworth, England, during a panel on sustainable bookstores at the RISE Bookselling Conference in Verona, Italy, last week. "It's keeping extant books on a journey."

On the panel with James were Izmarij Sadat, co-owner of Doorgelezen.nl, an online new and used bookstore in the Netherlands, and Fabrizio Lombardo, operations director for Librerie Coop, a network of 40 cooperative bookstores located in Italy. Tomás Kenny, owner of Kenny's Bookshop in Galway, Ireland, moderated the session.

A major topic of discussion was shipping and returns, which account for the lion's share of carbon emissions in bookselling. James, who opened Kibworth Books 16 years ago, explained that last financial year she decided to purchase "solely from wholesalers" for the entire year in order assess the impact that had not only on the number of deliveries to the bookstore and boxes received but also on the bookstore's margin. 

The "headline news," she said, was that buying wholesale-only led to a "nearly 9% reduction on single boxes coming into the shop," and buying entirely from one source led to leaner purchasing with a much smaller need for returns. There was, however, about a 2.5% reduction in margin, and James said she's still considering whether to continue the wholesale-only method going forward. "For me, as someone so bothered about my impact on the planet, I'm thinking I would take that," she remarked, while also acknowledging that might be a "privileged position."

James also urged the booksellers in attendance to "look out for education opportunities" on sustainability, whether they come from their own trade associations or elsewhere. James mentioned that she enrolled in a free carbon literacy course at her city's university, and she suggested to booksellers that if their associations don't have programs and working groups about climate change and sustainability, they should collaborate on trying to start them.

Sadat reported that in the Netherlands, because there is a large distributor for all new titles, Central Bookhouse, this allows the distributor to "fill trucks as full as possible" and "make routes as efficient as possible." While that is a "win for the Netherlands" compared to every publisher organizing their own distribution, he said, there are still issues with returns. Most of the returns that make it back to the warehouse "never see daylight again," and "pallets and pallets of books" essentially are thrown away. 

Publishers could do a lot better about learning "how many books we need to press," Sadat suggested, and booksellers could "make a step" in ordering. His own store does not do returns, partly for sustainability reasons but mainly because he and his business partner feel "that is business." If something doesn't sell, then "we need to wait some time," Sadat said.

Doorgelezen.nl is online-only, Sadat noted, and the company uses specialized packaging meant for books, which use less cardboard and result in less wasted space. Doorgelezen also typically reuses boxes, and will attach a sticker to reassure customers that "maybe the box is damaged, but the book is okay."

Touching on returns, Kenny remarked that since Brexit, returns from Ireland no longer go back to Britain and instead "all get pulped." He called the situation "madness," and wondered why it isn't widespread for publishers to do things like reward lower return rates with better discounts. He also pointed out that there was a time, at least through the 1980s, when if a store tried to buy too much, a publisher rep would simply "say no." Now, booksellers are encouraged to "buy more and more."

In the last 20 years, Lombardo said, the Italian book market has gone from seeing around 30,000 new titles published every year to nearly 70,000, which results in "more returns, more transport, more emissions." One way for booksellers to address that is to be "careful on assortment," and he emphasized that Librerie Coop is against the "centralization" of buying and other commercial decisions. 

"Sustainability also means our spaces," Lombardo continued, recounting that about 10 years ago Librerie Coop began "revamping" the stores' lighting and climate systems. They've also tried to maximize natural light in designing stores, brought in furniture made from recycled materials, implemented efforts to reduce and reuse packaging, and cut down on the use of disposable items like tape. More recently, Librerie Coop has also worked to reduce the number of computers inside each shop, due to their power use. And, of course, Lombardo added, the stores educate customers and community members about climate change through the books they stock and events they run. --Alex Mutter

In the first quarter ended March 31, net sales at Amazon rose 17%, to $181.5 billion. Excluding favorable foreign currency fluctuations, net sales were up 15%. North American sales rose 12%, to $104.1 billion, and international sales jumped 19% to $39.8 million, or 11% excluding foreign currency fluctuations. Sales at AWS, the cloud computing and web services division, were up 28%, to $37.6 billion.

In the quarter, net income jumped 77%, to $30.3 billion, which the company largely attributed to income from its investment in Anthropic.

Sales and earnings beat analysts' expectations, leading to a rise this morning of about 3% in after-market trading for Amazon stock. 

Amazon president and CEO Andy Jassy said in part, "AWS is growing 28% (our fastest growth in 15 quarters) on a very large base, our chips business topped a $20 billion revenue run rate (growing triple digits year-over-year), Advertising grew to over $70 billion in TTM revenue, and unit growth in our Stores reached 15% (the highest since the tail end of covid lockdowns). We also hit exciting milestones with delivery speed (more than 1 billion items same-day or overnight in 2026 and counting), Project Hail Mary (nearly $615 million at the box office to date and the second most successful non-sequel, non-franchise opening of recent memory), and Amazon Leo continues to resonate with prospective customers, with Delta Airlines the latest to sign on. We're in the middle of some of the biggest inflections of our lifetime, we're well positioned to lead, and I'm very optimistic about what's ahead for our customers and Amazon."

Amazon capital spending in the first quarter was $43.2 billion, mostly on AWS and generative AI, the Wall Street Journal reported. For the full year, Amazon intends to spend about $200 billion, a 60% increase from 2025. The result has meant that the company's free cash flow dropped to $1.2 billion in the past 12 months from $25.9 billion in the same period a year earlier.

Now the largest U.S. company by revenue, in part because it "invested heavily in speedier delivery and new categories, like luxury goods and cars," the Journal continued, Amazon is now "rolling out new delivery centers designed to ship items to customers in 20 minutes, while also investing in new technologies like humanoid robots and aerial drones. By the end of the year, around 30 million customers will have access to drone delivery, the company has said."

Amazon estimated that in the second quarter, net sales will grow between 16% and 19%, to between $194 billion and $199 billion, and operating income will be between $20 billion and $24 billion.

Gerry Conway, "a prolific comic book writer who co-created characters such as the Punisher, the first Ms. Marvel, Jason Todd, and Power Girl during his tenures at both Marvel and DC," died April 27, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was 73. A former Marvel editor-in-chief, he wrote stories for many of the company's major superheroes, but is perhaps best known for his contributions related to Spider-Man. 

Gerry Conway (photo: Gage Skidmore)

Conway began his career writing short stories in horror and fantasy comics anthologies for DC and Marvel. Before long, he was writing full superhero stories for Marvel. He succeeded Stan Lee as the series writer in the 1970s. The L.A. Times noted that Conway's time on The Amazing Spider-Man included the introduction of the vigilante antihero Punisher, also known as Frank Castle, whom he co-created with artists John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru. Other characters the writer co-created during this time are the supervillain Jackal and Peter Parker's clone Ben Reilly.

Conway also co-created a number of characters with various artists during his time as a writer for DC Comics, including superheroes such as Firestorm, Steel, and Vixen. He also helped introduce the Batman villain Killer Croc, as well as Jason Todd, the young man who would succeed Dick Grayson as Batman's sidekick Robin.

Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige said: "Gerry Conway brought real stakes to his writing, able to weave together sensational super heroics with the human and relatable, and in doing so created some of the most memorable stories and characters of all time. His writing has been hugely impactful across our comics, but it has also inspired so much of what we've done on screen, from Werewolf by Night to Daredevil to Spider-Man and Punisher. Gerry was a wonderful collaborator and friend to so many and will be dearly missed."

Jim Lee, president and chief creative officer of DC Comics, posted on social media: "Gerry defined an era of bold, character-driven storytelling during the Bronze Age of comics, balancing heart, action, and humanity in a way that inspired and captivated generations of readers and creators. While many know his Marvel accomplishments.... Gerry's contributions to DC were equally impactful and significant: shaping Batman, Superman, the Justice League of America, and co-creating Firestorm, Jason Todd, and Power Girl and so many more.... Thank you, Gerry, for the worlds imagined and the heroes created. What an incredible legacy you leave behind. Rest in peace."

Marvel Comics editor-in-chief C.B. Cebulski observed that Conway "has deftly written almost every character in the Marvel Universe. He thrilled us with new characters like the Punisher and broke our hearts in emotional tales like 'The Night Gwen Stacy Died,' a story that affects Spider-Man to this day. Gerry Conway's legacy has made an undeniable and indelible impact on the Super Hero stories we know and love. He will be dearly missed."

DC Comics posted: "Behind every character is a creator who brought them to life. Today we remember Gerry Conway, and the lasting impact of the worlds he helped shape."

Neil Porter

On Tuesday evening, Walker Books Group hosted a retirement celebration for iconic children's book editor Neal Porter at New York City's Society of Illustrators. Belinda Rasmussen, CEO of Walker Books Group, addressed the crowd of authors, illustrators, and publishing professionals to laud Porter's near five decades in the children's book world. 

Above, from left: Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness; Sara DiSalvo, director of publicity, Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree Publishing; Terry Borzumato-Greenberg, children's book marketing executive; and authors Yuyi Morales and Laura Vaccaro Seeger.

Click here to see the latest Independent Press Top 40, the weekly bestseller list celebrating the bestselling 40 fiction and 40 nonfiction titles from independent publishers, as sold by independent bookstores across the country. The list is sponsored by the Independent Publishers Caucus and the American Booksellers Association.

This week's debut fiction titles:

3. On the Calculation of Volume (Book I) by Solvej Balle, translated by Barbara J. Haveland (New Directions)
4. On the Calculation of Volume (Book IV) by Solvej Balle (New Directions)
9. Love Overboard by Kandi Steiner (Arndell)
18. On the Calculation of Volume (Book II) by Solvej Balle (New Directions)
22. The Wax Child by Olga Ravn (New Directions)
24. City of Rats by Copi (New Directions)
26. No Way Home: A Novel by T.C. Boyle (Liveright)
30. The Employees: A Workplace Novel of the 22nd Century by Olga Ravn (New Directions)
33. Size of Your Joy: Poems by Elise Powers (Central Avenue Poetry)
36. The Perfect Divorce by Jeneva Rose (Blackstone Publishing)
40. Burn the Sea by Mona Tewari (Bindery Books)

This week's debut nonfiction titles:

19. Once Upon a Time There Was Truth: or, Why We Need Fairy Tales by Jack Zipes (Yale University Press)
34. Dress Your Baby in Sage and Taupe: A Handbook for the Sad Beige Parent by Hayley DeRoche (Countryman Press)

Lakeside Book Company will soon provide sales and distribution services for three new publishers:

Navigator Books, which publishes books in the categories of history, biography, memoir, and historical fiction, with two titles in 2026, beginning in July, and six scheduled for 2027. Its mission is producing books that will endure by developing authors creatively and commercially through multi-book commitments. Navigator's list will be curated, edited, and published by founder Brendan Cahill, a 30-year veteran of trade book publishing. (Effective June 1.)

Read With You Publishing, a children's book publisher specializing in readers ages 0 to 12. Founded in 2010 by a multidisciplinary team with expertise in technology, education, and publishing, the Chicago company produces fiction and nonfiction titles that combine strong storytelling with learning value and solid retail performance. With nearly 100 new titles published annually, its catalog spans STEAM, early learning, and foundational literacy concepts, offering strong shelf appeal, series-driven formats, and sustained reader engagement. (Effective June 1.)

Dren Productions, a comic publisher co-founded by Michael Dolce and James Mascia that specializes in sci-fi, horror, and fantasy comics with a retro, grindhouse edge. Known for its storytelling and bold artwork, Dren continues to push the boundaries of indie comics while bringing exciting new projects to life. (Effective September 1.)

At Macmillan:

Kate Gester has been promoted to v-p, strategic projects.

Holly Ruck has been promoted to senior director, field sales.

Jeff Willmann has been promoted to senior national accounts manager, sales.

Brian Martin has been promoted to senior manager, sales analysis, publishing operations.

Nomaris Garcia Rivera has been promoted to marketing associate, international marketing.

Sophie Giroir has been promoted to senior associate, events & sales, Macmillan Speaker's Bureau.

Courtney Finley has been promoted to sales associate, special markets.

Tomorrow:
Drew Barrymore Show repeat: Matthew McConaughey, author of Poems & Prayers (Crown, $29, 9781984862105).

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, May 2
10 a.m. to 4:50 p.m. Coverage of the 2026 Annapolis Book Festival at the Key School in Annapolis, Md. (Re-airs Saturday at 10 p.m.) Highlights include:

• 10 a.m. Jacob Mchangama, author of The Future of Free Speech: Reversing the Global Decline of Democracy's Most Essential Freedom, and Nadine Strossen, author of The War on Words: 10 Arguments Against Free Speech--And Why They Fail.
• 11 a.m. Rep. James Clyburn, author of The First Eight: A Personal History of the Pioneering Black Congressmen Who Shaped a Nation.
• 12 p.m. Michael McFaul, author of Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, America, and the New Global Disorder.
• 1 p.m. Tim Weiner, author of The Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century, and Drew Hinshaw, author of Swap: A Secret History of the New Cold War.
• 2 p.m. Josh Dawsey, Tyler Pager, and Isaac Arnsdorf, authors of 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.
• 3 p.m. Bruce Nagel and S.M. Chris Franzblau, authors of The Last Mob Lawyer: True Stories from the Man Who Defended Some of the Biggest Names in Organized Crime.
• 4 p.m. Christine Brennan, author of On Her Game: Caitlin Clark and the Revolution in Women's Sports.

Sunday, May 3
8 a.m. Timothy S. Goeglein, author of What Really Matters: Restoring a Legacy of Faith, Freedom, and Family (Fidelis Publishing, $28, 9781956454888). (Re-airs Sunday at 8 p.m.)

9 a.m. Lanny Davis, author of Finding the Third Way: Lessons in the Politics of Civility from My Journey through History (RealClear Publishing, $32, 9798891383357). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m.)

10 a.m. Enes Kanter Freedom, author of In the Name of Freedom: A Political Dissident's Fight for Human Rights in the NBA and Around the World (Threshold Editions, $28, 9781668078365). (Re-airs Sunday at 10 p.m.)

11 a.m. Sina Azodi, author of Iran and the Bomb: The United States, Iran, and the Nuclear Question (I.B. Tauris, $29.95, 9780755659890). (Re-airs Sunday at 11 p.m.)

1:30 to 7 p.m. Coverage of the 2026 San Antonio Book Festival in San Antonio, Tex. Highlights include:

• 1:30 p.m. Daniela Gerson, author of The Wanderers: A Story of Exile, Survival, and Unexpected Love in the Shadow of World War II.
• 2:13 p.m. Martha A. Sandweiss, author of The Girl in the Middle: A Recovered History of the American West.
• 2:54 p.m. Paul Gillingham, author of Mexico: A 500-Year History.
• 3:38 p.m. Jazmine Ulloa, author of El Paso: Five Families and One Hundred Years of Blood, Migration, Race, and Memory.
• 4:20 p.m. Jean Becker and Tom Collamore, authors of Don't Tell the President: The Best, Worst, and Mostly Untold Stories from Presidential Advance.
• 5:08 p.m. Javier Marín, author of Live From America: How Latino TV Conquered the United States.
• 5:54 p.m. Julia Ioffe, author of Motherland: A Feminist History of Modern Russia, from Revolution to Autocracy.

7 p.m. Andrew Ross Sorkin, author of 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation (Viking, $35, 9780593296967).

Winners were announced yesterday for the 2026 Edgar Allan Poe Awards, honoring the best in mystery fiction, nonfiction, and television, and sponsored by the Mystery Writers of America. 

Best Novel: The Big Empty by Robert Crais (G.P. Putnam's Sons)
Best First Novel by an American Author: Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (Bantam Books)
Best Paperback Original: The Backwater by Vikki Wakefield (Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks)
Best Fact Crime: Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers by Caroline Fraser (Penguin Press)
Best Critical/Biographical: Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley (University of Virginia Press)
Best Short Story: "Julius Katz Draws a Straight Flush" by Dave Zeltserman, Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, September-October 2025 (Must Read Books Publishing)
Best Juvenile: Blood in the Water by Tiffany D. Jackson (Scholastic Press)
Best Young Adult: Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray (Farrar, Straus and Giroux Books for Young Readers)
Best Television Episode Teleplay: "Pilot," Paradise, written by Dan Fogelman (Hulu)

Other Awards

Robert L. Fish Memorial Award: "How It Happened" by Billie Kay Fern, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, July-August 2025 (Must Read Books Publishing)
The Simon & Schuster Mary Higgins Clark Award: All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan (Minotaur Books)
The G.P. Putnam's Sons Sue Grafton Memorial Award: Gone in the Night by Joanna Schaffhausen (Minotaur Books)
The Lilian Jackson Braun Memorial Award: A Senior Citizen's Guide to Life on the Run by Gwen Florio (Severn House) 

Special Awards (announced in January)

Grand Master: Donna Andrews and Lee Child
Raven Award: Book Passage, Corte Madera, Calif.
Ellery Queen Award: John Scognamiglio, Kensington Books

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, May 5:

Pink Floyd: Shine On: The Definitive Oral History by Mark Blake (Pegasus Books, $32, 9798897101115) chronicles decades of the legendary rock group.

This Dark Night: Emily Brontë, A Life by Deborah Lutz (W.W. Norton, $33.99, 9781324037118) is a biography of the author of Wuthering Heights.

Lost Worlds: How Humans Tried, Failed, Succeeded, and Built Our World by Patrick Wyman (Harper, $35, 9780063256484) explores human history between the end of the Ice Age and the Bronze Age.

The Things We Never Say: A Novel by Elizabeth Strout (Random House, $29, 9798217154746) is literary fiction about a teacher with secrets.

Honey: A Novel by Imani Thompson (Random House, $29, 9780593979761) follows a graduate student who murders bad men in the name of feminism.

The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett (Spiegel & Grau, $35, 9781954118812) is historical fiction about an orphan in 1930s Mississippi.

John of John by Douglas Stuart (Grove Press, $28, 9780802167194) follows a young man returning home to the Hebridean islands.

Platform Decay by Martha Wells (Tor Books, $24.99, 9781250827005) is the eighth Murderbot Diaries sci-fi book.

As I Dream of You by Jennifer Lee, illus. by LeUyen Pham (First Second, $19.99 paper, 9781250862044) is a YA paranormal romance graphic novel with inspiration from Orpheus and Eurydice.

Change of Plans by Sarah Dessen (Simon, $21.99, 9798347108770) is a coming-of-age YA novel about a young woman learning to stand on her own after spending much of high school relying on her boyfriend.

Make Believe: On Telling Stories to Children by Mac Barnett (Little, Brown, $20, 9780316601122) contains essays by a bestselling children's author.

Birth Vibes: Stories and Strategies for an Empowered Birth by Jen Hamilton (Grand Central, $30, 9781538771471) shares childbirth wisdom from a labor and delivery nurse. 

Paperbacks:
She Waits Where Shadows Gather: A Novel by Michelle Tang (Poisoned Pen Press, $17.99, 9781464251047).

The Teacher: A DS George Cross Mystery by Tim Sullivan (Atlantic Crime, $17, 9780802167750).

Treat Them as Buffalo: A Novel by Blair Palmer Yoxall (Algonquin, $19.99, 9781643756806).

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

Hardcovers
Small Boat: A Novel by Vincent Delecroix (Mariner Books, $25, 9780063491694). "A short, translated novella based on the deadly travels of a migrant dinghy across the Channel from France to Britain, and the questionable morals of the rescue operators--one in particular, who put aside the truth of these migrants as human beings in order to do their job." --Jennifer Bischof, Frisco Booksellers, Frisco, Tex.

Last Night in Brooklyn: A Novel by Xochitl Gonzalez (Flatiron Books, $27.99, 9781250372031). "Gonzalez has a gift for capturing the essence of a specific time and place. She does it again with Brooklyn in the mid 2000s and the gentrification of the area. The story of La Garza, a fashion designer and an icon of the neighborhood, explores racism, misogyny and class struggle." --Kathy Clemmons, Sundog Books, Santa Rosa Beach, Fla.

Paperback
Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned by Staying Put by Annie B. Jones (HarperOne, $18.99, 9780063411319). "Fans of Annie Jones will love this peek behind the scenes, but even for those unfamiliar with Annie's story, these essays are deeply relatable. Perfect for people who stayed in their hometowns, who lead a quieter life, and who have struggled with their faith." --Claire McWhorter, River & Hill Books, Rome, Ga.

Ages 4-8
The Art of How Dogs Sleep by Alison Kim (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780316580281). "Dogs are incredible, but dogs sleeping? That's an art form. This book captures the glorious delight that is dogs sleeping. You'll find your dog here, your neighbor's dog, the dog you've been dreaming of." --Megan Howe, Alice, Ever After Books, Buffalo, N.Y.

Ages 9-12
Found Sound by Megan Wolitzer and Charlie Panek (Dutton Books, $17.99, 9781101994627). "This book is a lot of fun. Even if you don't think of yourself as someone who would geek out about reverb and anechoic chambers, you might be after reading this book. Hand this to kids who love a sibling story or a puzzle story with plenty of science and facts." --Amanda Grell, Pearl's Books, Fayetteville, Ark.

Ages 12+: An Indies Introduce Title
Deathly Fates by Tesia Tsai (Wednesday Books, $20, 9781250378927). "Get in, xianxia girlies--we're dispelling restless spirits, exploring the social consequences of empire and war, and falling in love with sweet, flirty reanimated princes. A spellbinding tale of family, duty, and compassion, and at its beating core is a heartfelt and unflinching relationship with death." --Lucky Pents, Meet Cute Romance Bookshop, San Diego, Calif.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

As If, Isabel Waidner's fifth novel, features two lookalike strangers who, after a chance meeting, with no spoken agreement, exchange lives. With notes of Stranger on a Train (minus the murders), their mutual obsession threatens both men's tenuous, borrowed realities.

In alternating first-person narratives, readers encounter Aubrey Lewis--"former actor whose career has come to nothing.... Husband who lost his wife and subsequently himself"--at the point where Lindsey Korine enters Lewis's dumpy sublet apartment in central London. Following the losses of both work and wife Laurie (to cancer), Lewis is moldering away, on the cusp of no-showing an audition. Korine follows him home and lets himself in, drawn to their physical sameness. He's been sleeping rough after walking out on his wife and young child. Cold, he helps himself to two coats off the rack in the apartment. The coats belong not to Lewis but to the sublessor. Both men are marked by absences: of possessions, of self-worth. Discovering that Lewis intends to skip his audition, Korine decides to attend: for moral support, he thinks, and then to stand in. Korine, as Lewis, gets the job. Lewis walks out of the apartment and disappears. Korine, with no background or training, seizes the acting opportunity with surprising zeal. While Lewis is camped under the same bridge that his counterpart once used, Korine's wife and son happen by. They call him by the other man's name and take him home.

Korine's wife, also named Laurie, has recently recovered from cancer treatment. Lewis is enlivened by the chance to care for Korine's son (he and the late Laurie had wanted maybe one day to have a child). As the story unfolds, in dual narratives, Korine-as-Lewis struggles on the set of a new television show: not only must he play the assigned character (whose name he confuses with that of his abandoned son), but for his colleagues' benefit, he must play Lewis as well. And Lewis cares for the child (whose name he confuses with a character he was asked to play for television). But the men are so concerned with each other's lives that they will jeopardize their own.

The twisty plot of As If echoes the television show that made Lewis's career, in which "one sleuth, A. Smythe... was hired to keep watch on another sleuth, B. Smith, who was in turn hired to keep watch on A. Smythe. Unbeknownst to each other, neither Smythe nor Smith do anything other than observe each other, creating an existential feedback loop." Both anxiety-ridden, first-person voices emphasize the men's troubled states of mind, with short, staccato phrasing and abrupt punctuation: "Why not. Where was he." The effect is an unsettling novel of doubles, failures, missed and second chances: ghostly, cerebral, and unforgettable. --Julia Kastner, blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: This surreal, unsettling doppelgänger story considers questions of identity, grief, and whether acting may be a route to reality.

The TV comedy Broadway Books released its pilot episode, "The Tipping Point," on YouTube last weekend for Independent Bookstore Day. The creators noted that the debut came "after a successful bookstore tour (with stops including the Brooklyn Book Festival, Baltimore's Atomic Books, & Boston's Porter Square Books)" last year, along with showing the pilot at the Dances with Films fest in Los Angeles, Calif., and New York City's the Downtown Festival. Crowdfunding is underway to produce additional episodes for a full season. 

Written and directed by Carianne King, Broadway Books was developed in the Upright Citizens Brigade Pilot Writing Program and inspired by King's experiences as a bookseller on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Featuring music by Martin Courtney (of the band Real Estate), the project's cast includes Carlos Dengler (founding member of the band Interpol), NYC comedians Joe Apollonio, Lauren Servideo, and Ruby McCollister. It was developed with a female creative crew, including Abbie Jones of Mirmade Productions as producer, with additional support by Miranda Kahn. 

Describing Broadway Books as "a love letter to neighborhood bookstores everywhere, and the important role they play in our communities," the creators said the series will portray "a group of over-educated, under-employed bookstore workers struggling to keep their independent bookstore in business using increasingly desperate measures. In the pilot, the team scrambles to raise the numbers for that night's Malcolm Gladwell reading, drawing upon lessons from The Tipping Point to do so."

Coincidentally, in the lead-up to Indie Bookstore Day, I was spending even more time than usual scanning booksellers' social media posts (my eyes are still in recovery mode), and maybe it was an awareness of the Broadway Books pilot dropping on the big day that inspired me to create a separate file devoted to bookseller reels. So, here's a mini-film fest highlighting some of my favorites:

Troubadour Booksellers, Charlotte, N.C.: "you should def go in there."

Books Are Magic, Brooklyn, N.Y.: "Tomorrow is Indie Bookstore Day AND Emma's 46th birthday. To celebrate, American Fantasy is 46% off in store for ONE DAY ONLY!!!! Happy National Emma Day, Happy Indie Bookstore Day, and Happy New Kids On The Block day to all who celebrate." 

Lovestruck Books & Cafe, Cambridge, Mass.: "T-1 day.... Indie Bookstore Day is almost here and we're warming up to make it all happen."

Beguiled Books, Seattle, Wash.: "Ashley is REALLY excited about Indie Bookstore Day. Please go visit her and tell her Bre sent you."

{pages} a bookstore, Manhattan Beach, Calif.: "Calling all Badass Bibliophiles! Join us for Indie Bookstore Day, Saturday, April 25 and receive a flash (temporary) tattoo while supplies last."

Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, Minn.: "These knees aren't made for the club, they're made for hitting up that bottom shelf at my fav indie for Independent Bookstore Day."

TBR Bookshop, Baton Rouge, La.: "New Girl x Independent Bookstore day. I'll be signing books from 1 p.m.-3 p.m. at @tbrbookshop so come join us! And don't forget about the Baton Rouge bookstore crawl!"

McNally Robinson Booksellers, Winnipeg, Alb., Canada: "Don't forget, this Saturday April 25th is Canadian Independent Bookstore Day and we want to celebrate with YOU!!"

Curious Cat Bookshop, Winsted, Conn.: "How do we open the bookstore day to day? Here's a peek behind the scenes! A lot going on this week as we prep for Independent Bookstore Day (which is THIS Saturday, April 25). Come by and get your passport stamped for the @ctbooktrail, spin the prize wheel, find the kitty (12 and under) and more!"

The Twisted Spine, Brooklyn, N.Y.: "Guest Bookseller Clay McLeod Chapman has taken over The Twisted Spine for Indie Bookstore Day, and oh golly does he have the books for you!"

River Lights Books, Dubuque, Iowa: "Happy Indie Bookstore Day from River Lights."

Anderson's Bookstore, Naperville, Ill.: "We love supporting our community and have a lot of fun things planned for this Saturday, April 25th, for independent bookstore day! Please watch this video regarding bookstore pricing vs online pricing, and then come visit us in either bookshop this Saturday to celebrate with us!"

Main Street Books, St. Charles, Mo.: "The Hype is real... 65 people lined up before 10 a.m. to come see us on any books today. We love our readers!!!"

Columbus Bound Bookshop, Columbus, Ga.: "Thanks to everyone that came out to celebrate Independent Bookstore Day with us today! We love you CBus."

Blue Heron Books, Uxbridge, Ont., Canada: "If Shelley makes this shot, you have to come to Indie Bookstore Day on April 25th, those are the rules."

Poor Richard's, Colorado Springs, Colo. (not Indie Bookstore Day, but indie funny): "What would Richard do? Joe and Sarah spin the wheel!⁠"

Purple Couch Bookshop, North Andover, Mass.: "Happy Indie Bookstore Day! We've had a blast today. Thank you so much for celebrating with us!"

Fabled Bookshop & Cafe, Waco, Tex.: "Clicking our heels three times to take us back to the bookshop. Thanks for helping us celebrate Indie Bookstore Day!"

WordHaven BookHouse, Sheboygan, Wis.: "Thank you for all your love and support! Happy Indie Bookstore Day, y'all."

And, as the credits role, we turn once again to the fine cast of booksellers at Brooklyn's Book Are Magic to officially say "that's a wrap" on another Indie Bookstore Day by sharing their epic "this is me" before and after reel.