Under the Umbrella Bookstore & Cafe in Salt Lake City, Utah, has won the third annual Indie Press Month display contest for its two-tiered in-store table display featuring handmade, ceiling-hung signage showing the Indie Press Month signature lightning bolts beneath black clouds. The Independent Publishers Caucus (IPC) cited the display for "championing the kind of DIY creativity and ingenuity that fuels both independent publishing and bookselling." The store receives a $500 prize.

Under the Umbrella's winning display

Under the Umbrella marketing and events coordinator Alexa said, "We are so honored to receive this award for the Indie Press Month bookstore display contest! As a queer bookstore, Under the Umbrella deeply appreciates the role that independent and small publishers have played in platforming queer stories... Our store chooses to focus on indie publishers and indie authors in order to uplift marginalized identities, even within the queer community. We see these values reflected in our customers who continue to support indie bookstores in order to get books they can't find in big-box bookstores.... Thank you again for this opportunity to create something fun and engaging for our customers near and far."

IPC is also awarding $75 co-op funds to the three finalists: Aaron's Books, Lititz, Pa.; Postcard Bookshop, Portland, Ore.; and Arvida Book Co., Tustin, Calif. Additionally, IPC will award co-op funding to an additional 20 stores--more than doubling last year's co-op program--because of the growing popularity of Indie Press Month among publishers, booksellers, and partner organizations.

The first 20 stores that tagged @indiepubs on Instagram in the month of March are set to receive $50 co-op marketing funds. Those stores include Vroman's Bookstore, Pasadena, Calif.; The Head and the Hand, Philadelphia, Pa.; Magic City Books, Tulsa, Okla.; The Winchester Book Gallery, Winchester, Va.; Schuler Books, West Bloomfield, Mich.; Norwich Bookstore, Norwich, Vt.; Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, N.C.; Page 1 Books, Albuquerque, N.Mex.; Bookshop Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, Calif.; Square Books, Oxford, Miss.; City Lit Books, Chicago, Ill.; Watermark Books & Cafe, Wichita, Kan.; Bobzbay Books, Bloomington, Ill.; Honest Dog Books, Bayfield, Wis.; Book Soup, West Hollywood, Calif.; Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, N.C.; Main Street Books, Lafayette, Ind.; Tomorrow Bookstore, Indianapolis, Ind.; Prologue Bookshop, Columbus, Ohio; and Whatsit Books, Albemarle, N.C.

Partners this year included Bookshop.org, Brooklyn Public Library, EveryLibrary, Libro.fm, Ingram Content Group, Shelf Awareness, Publishers Weekly, Foreword Reviews, Open Road Integrated Media, Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP), Independent Book Publishing Association (IBPA), American Booksellers Association, Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association, California Independent Booksellers Alliance, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, Great Lakes Independent Booksellers Association, Midwest Independent Booksellers Association, New England Independent Booksellers Association, New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, and the Independent Bookseller.

Lake City Books, Madison, Wis., is moving from its current location at 107 N Hamilton St. to a larger space across Capitol Square in July. The current store will remain open until the end of June, with a grand opening of the new space scheduled for the week of July 6.

Owner Molly Fish and Bowie at Lake City's future location

Owner Molly Fish said the new location at 120 S Carroll St. will allow for more books, more events, and include a wine bar. The space will feature a 36-foot-long wall of books with a rolling ladder, a mid-century style bar, and an outdoor patio. The wine bar will have "a tasteful and simple menu hand-picked by Andrea Hillsey of Square Wine Co.," along with non-alcoholic drinks like kombucha and sparkling water.

Lake City Books is a woman-owned indie bookstore that has been selling new and used books since opening in 2023. It will continue to carry the latest popular releases, used titles from recent years, diverse children's books, and literary gifts, but now will have more room to expand the selection. 

A Madison native, Fish said her store has grown rapidly over its three years and has outgrown its current location. She also noted that the overwhelming community support the bookshop has received proved to her that downtown Madison is ready for a larger space to gather that's dedicated to books. 

"I can't wait to share this beautiful new location with our community. We will have space for more books, more people, more events, plus the bonus of a wine bar," she added. "With this new location, I believe Lake City Books will become an iconic destination in downtown Madison. It will be bigger and brighter but with all the indie charm and blue bookshelves that people already know and love." 

The Headless Librarian in Tyler, Tex., will be moving into a new space as early as this summer, KETK reported. Since its opening in 2023, the Headless Librarian has occupied a booth inside of Blue Bird Antique Mall. Its new home will be a 1,957-square-foot storefront at 235 S. Broadway Ave #120 in downtown Tyler. The extra room will allow owner Katy Perez to significantly expand the book selection and add a tea bar and host events such as book clubs and author readings.

"I want the Headless Librarian to be a place where people feel inspired, included, and at home," Perez told KETK. "Downtown Tyler feels like the perfect place for this next chapter and I'm incredibly grateful for the support that's helped make it possible."

Perez hopes construction and renovation work will be done by the end of the summer.

"When I started looking for a new space, I was very intentional," she said. "I didn't want just any building. I wanted the right fit, the right partnership, and a place that truly aligned with what I'm trying to create."

The Barnes & Noble bookstore at the Stamford Town Center in Stamford, Conn., will close on July 15 when its lease expires. In a statement, the company said, "We have loved being part of this community, and it has been our honor and privilege to be your bookseller for the past 19 years."

B&N opened a new bookstore in High Ridge last year, and also operates locations nearby in Westport and in Hartsdale, N.Y. In a Facebook post, the B&N Stamford store noted: "We have enjoyed the past 19 years in this mall and in this community and we appreciate all of our loyal customers." 

The U.S. contingent at the RISE Bookselling Conference, taking place this week in Venice, Italy: (l.-r.) American Booksellers Association CEO Allison Hill; Jessica Osborne and Melissa Taylor, owners of E. Shaver Booksellers in Savannah, Ga.; Jamie Fiocco, owner of Flyleaf Books, Chapel Hill, N.C.; sweet pea Flaherty, owner of King’s Books in Tacoma, Wash.; and Kimberly Brock, adult book buyer at Joseph Beth Booksellers in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Lara Heimert is retiring as president & publisher of Hachette's Basic Books Group, effective June 5. She will be succeeded by Brian J. Distelberg, who is currently the group's v-p & associate publisher.

Lara Heimert

Hachette Book Group CEO David Shelley thanked Heimert for "21 years of incredible publishing. She leaves us a legacy of books that are foremost in their fields, and she also leaves us after a record-breaking 2025 for the Basic Books Group: heartening both for us as a company and for everyone who cares about the market for quality non-fiction publishing."

He called Distelberg "a thoughtful, smart, highly market-aware editor and publisher, and who I know will lead the fantastic Basic Books Group team to new heights."

Heimert joined Basic Books from Yale University Press in 2005 as executive editor and became v-p and publisher in 2012. She subsequently added Seal Press to her responsibilities and created Basic Books UK in conjunction with John Murray Press. In 2023, Heimert added PublicAffairs and Bold Type Books, and in 2024 she created the new imprints Basic Liberty and Basic Venture and became president of the newly formed Basic Books Group.

She said, "I have been incredibly lucky to spend the last 21 years working with some of the smartest scholars in the world, and alongside a brilliant group of colleagues. It is largely because of BBG's extraordinary team that I feel comfortable stepping away and letting the next generation carry the mission forward. I couldn't be more thrilled that Brian Distelberg will be my successor. I have worked with him for a decade and know him to be a leader of exquisite taste, judgment, and ethics. I am certain that the Basic Books Group will become even stronger and smarter with him at the helm."

Brian Distelberg

Distelberg joined Basic Books in 2015 from Harvard University Press, and became v-p, associate publisher of Basic Books Group in 2024. He holds a PhD in history from Yale University.

He said in part, "I'm excited to lead the talented Basic Books Group team to continued success and further growth by staying true to the values that have animated Basic for more than 75 years. As publishers of enduring books that emerge from authentic human expertise and deep research and reporting, our six imprints have a tremendous opportunity to serve readers who hunger for an alternative to AI summaries, addictive algorithms, and ephemeral content."

Judging by the Cover Books, Fresno, Calif., hosted the launch for The Selena Reader: Remembering the Queen of Tejano (University of Texas Press). Co-editors Larissa M. Mercado-López (l.) and Yndalecio Isaac Hinojosa (r.) were joined by Fresno Poet Laureate Aideed Medina for the event, which took place on what would have been Selena's 55th birthday.

On April 11, Lemuria Books, Jackson, Miss., marked its 50th anniversary with a "a day of music, drinks & fun." There were kids' events, authors discussing what the store has meant to them, live music, food trucks, and a specialty cocktail created for the event. All proceeds benefited the Mississippi Book Festival. As part of the celebration, the store was honored with a marker on the Mississippi Writers Trail. A replica of the marker was featured at the party. Pictured: the marker, many former and current Lemuria booksellers, and co-owners John Evans (seated in the middle with a yellow shirt) and Mel Evans (standing to the far right).

"Max is pretty keen to help with prep for CIBD on Saturday. So, so helpful," Huckleberry Books in Cranbrook, B.C., posted on Facebook.

Coco Zephir is a bookseller at An Unlikely Story in Plainville, Mass., where she works on the events and marketing teams. She loves romance titles and here offers a roundup of some of the books coming out this month that she's most excited about:

Into the Blue by Emma Brodie (Ballantine)
Calling all theater, improv, and Saturday Night Live fans! Into the Blue centers on two young people who we meet in their late teens/early 20s working at a video store in western Massachusetts. AJ is writing fan fiction for a galactic TV show while dreaming of writing for SNL. Noah is living with his famous aunt while taking care of his sick mother. He's a descendant of Hollywood royalty: his aunt starred on the show AJ writes fan fiction for. To persuade Aunt Eudora to attend a convention celebrating the show, AJ and Noah agree to take improv lessons--lessons that will alter the trajectory of their lives forever.

I was hooked from the first page, and that tension kept up until the very end. Into the Blue is a must-read for literary romance fans.

The Paris Match by Kate Clayborn (Berkley)
Get ready to fall in love with The Paris Match! This beauty-and-the-beast retelling will have you gasping and giggling while reaching to book the next flight to Paris.

Layla doesn't want to be at this wedding. She's the maid of honor for a bride who is her ex-sister in law--the whole situation is awkward. When a side comment to the bride-to-be causes a storm, Layla teams up with the best man to save the wedding day, but their connection may just steal the show.

Kate Clayborn returns with a fairy tale retelling that will transport you for a compelling, dreamy love story.

The Duke by Anna Cowan (St. Martin's Press)
Need a steamy sapphic historical romance to tide you over until the next season of Bridgerton? Anna Cowan's The Duke serves up the perfect enemies-to-lovers revenge story for spring.

The Duke brings the heat, the yearning, and the glamour in a reimagined Paris and London, where women can hold the seat. When Celine learns that her protector is set for the guillotine, a duke named Kate enters the scene. Kate has the power to save Celine from her dreary fate, but denies her, sparking a journey of revenge that festers until she returns to the duke's door years later, having walked through unimaginable tragedy, with blackmail in hand.

You'll root for Celine and Kate and wonder how these two will ever end up together. Don't miss it.

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Katie Sturino, author of Sunny Side Up: A Novel (Celadon Books, $17.99, 9781250344229).

Today: Sissy Goff and David Thomas, authors of Capable: How to Teach Your Kids the Strengths, Skills, and Strategies to Build Resilience (Baker Publishing, $24.99, 9780764245329).

The shortlist has been selected for the 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, which honors "exceptional writing by women and non-binary authors working in the U.S. and Canada" and is sponsored by BMO (Bank of Montreal). The winner, who will be announced June 2 in Toronto, will receive US$150,000 and a five-night stay at Fogo Island Inn; the four finalists each receive US$12,500.

The shortlist:
Hellions by Julia Elliott
The White Hot by Quiara Alegría Hudes
Cannon by Lee Lai
A Guardian and a Thief by Megha Majumdar
Lion by Sonya Walger

Alexandra Skoczylas, CEO of the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, said, "These five books represent literary excellence across a diverse range of genres, including novels, a graphic novel, and a short story collection. We are fiercely committed to championing women and non-binary authors working in Canada and the United States, ensuring their stories receive the global recognition and support they deserve. To that end, we encourage everyone to read these books, and to pass them on to friends."

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Winners have been announced in eight categories for the 20th annual Sheikh Zayed Book Awards, organized by the Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre under the auspices of the Department of Culture and Tourism--Abu Dhabi, and recognizing "the profound contributions of scholars and authors to the Arabic literary canon." Winners will be celebrated at an official ceremony at a future date; each category winner receives a prize of 750,000 UAE dirhams (about $204,200) and the Cultural Personality of the Year receives a gold medal, a certificate of merit, and a prize of AED 1 million (about $272,240).

Literature: Births in the Zoo by Egyptian novelist Ashraf Elashmawy
Arab Culture in Other Languages: Der arabische Diwan: Die schönsten Gedichte aus vorislamischer Zeit by German author Stefan Weidner, an edited anthology of early Arabic poetry
Translation: Iraqi-American translator Nawal Nasrallah for Smorgasbords of Andalusi and Maghribi Dishes and Their Salutary Benefits, a translation of the 13th-century cookbook Anwā al-Saydala fī Alwān al-At'ima
Young Author: Moroccan scholar Mustapha Rajouane for his work Plots and Characters: A Rhetorical Argumentative Approach to the Arabic Novel
Literary and Art Criticism: Perceiving the World: Mutual Stereotypes Between the Self and the Other by Jordanian author Zuhair Tawfiq
Manuscripts, Encyclopaedias and Lexicons: Egyptian scholar and philosopher of religion, Prof. Dr Mohamed Otham Elkhosht, for his six-volume Encyclopaedia of World Religions
Publishing & Technology: Emirates Literature Foundation, based in Dubai

And Egyptian artist Nagat El Saghira was awarded Cultural Personality of the Year in recognition of her status as "one of the Arab world's most distinguished vocal icons... One of the last surviving voices of the golden age of Arabic music and a living memory of this defining chapter in Arab cultural history, El Saghira performed a rich repertoire of poetic songs that strengthened the place of the Arabic language in the cultural imagination. Her artistic journey brought together the works of some of the Arab world's most distinguished poets and composers, enriching the canon of Arabic song and forging an enduring connection between poetry and music, while leaving a lasting legacy for generations."

Dr Ali bin Tamim, Secretary-General of the Sheikh Zayed Book Award and chairman of Abu Dhabi Arabic Language Centre, said, "In this landmark 20th anniversary edition, the Sheikh Zayed Book Award is honoured to have demonstrated its continued commitment to enriching the global intellectual landscape, fostering cultural exchange and amplifying the Arab world's influence on international thought. This year's laureates reflect the remarkable breadth and continuity of Arabic cultural and literary history--from the foundational voices of pre-Islamic poetry to contemporary scholarship and literary works that speak powerfully to our present cultural moment. Their achievements transcend borders, demonstrating that Arab culture is not peripheral but integral to a shared global dialogue. As we mark two decades of the Award's journey, we honour 144 laureates whose work has left an enduring imprint on the global appreciation of Arabic literature, scholarship, and knowledge, and we look ahead to an even more expansive role in shaping the cultural conversations of the future."

Book lovers who lack the resources to visit the Italian countryside will find the next best thing in Villa Coco, Andrew Sean Greer's gambol amid the rolling hills and olive groves of Tuscany. Greer has become a virtuoso at crafting charmingly episodic novels, as he demonstrated with the Pulitzer-winning Less and its sequel, Less Is Lost. Now Greer, who has spent much of his adult life in Italy, takes readers through a country he knows well, as seen from the perspective of a young man beginning his quest through the vagaries of adulthood.

The first-person narrator is "our young man," a recent college graduate who looks "so much more like a soulless marionette, an unenchanted Pinocchio, than a twenty-one-year-old American near the end of the millennium." This alleged milquetoast disembarks at a Tuscan train station with "brown shutters against yellow paint" that seemed "so fanciful you might unwrap it and find it was chocolate." He majored in Archives and Record Management and, at the suggestion of his adviser, responded to a job posting for the services of an "adjutant," or assistant. His role is to catalog the belongings of the Baronessa Lisabetta, better known as Coco, a rich 92-year-old widow. He learns, however, that his duties will include "dictation, pruning, shopping, [and] hunting martens," like the one that peeks into his room one night. Weirder still, the posting asked him to bring such non-archival materials as gin and fish oil.

Greer has created a delightfully eccentric tale filled with colorful characters and unusual developments. These include the protagonist's romance with Giacomo, Coco's married cousin, who "possibly works in publishing" and whose wife has a girlfriend; a boat named Caprice that figures prominently in the narrative; the contents of a cardboard package Coco needs to deliver to an unknown recipient; Pippa, Coco's princess friend, who once fell in love with a monkey; the mysterious disappearance of items he's supposed to catalog; and his eventual discovery of the true reasons that Coco wanted an archivist. Hidden in the frivolity is one young man's realization of an eternal truth: that people aren't always what they seem, even, or perhaps especially, among the upper classes. To catalog the items in a villa is one thing. To classify the mysteries of the human heart requires a completely different inventory system, as Greer demonstrates in this seductive work. --Michael Magras, freelance book reviewer

Shelf Talker: Villa Coco is the delightful story of a young archivist and his adventures in Italy as he attempts to catalog the possessions of an eccentric 92-year-old widow.

The bestselling self-published books last week as compiled by IndieReader.com:

1. Shield of Sparrows by Devney Perry
2. Daggermouth by H.M. Wolfe
3. Guardrails: Ten Boundaries for an Unbreakable Marriage by Jim Ramos
4. Here Where We Live Is Our Country: The Story of the Jewish Bund by Molly Crabapple
5. Planet Money: A Guide to the Economic Forces That Shape Your Life by Alex Mayyasi
6. Pretty Little Death by Lola Glass
7. The Wrong Catch by C.R. Jane
8. Sweet Oblivion by Bella Matthews
9. Twisted Pawn by L.J. Shen
10. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]