"[Owning a bookstore] certainly changed my relationship to reading. I read so many galleys now, books that haven't come out yet. I also have a sense of the books I wish were there and aren't. Those are the books I need to write."

Oliver & Co. Bookstore in Howell, Mich., will host a grand opening celebration this coming Saturday, June 6, Livingston Daily reported.

Located at 212 S. Michigan Ave., Oliver & Co. will carry new and used titles for all ages, along with gifts and a variety of pre-packaged snacks and drinks. Owners Seth and Stephanie Perrin hope to create a welcoming third space for the community, and they plan to start hosting author events and other activities beginning in July.

The grand opening celebration will begin at 10 a.m. on June 6 and feature local author Gabrielle Jones signing copies of her debut novel, Killing Kam. 

Per Livingston Daily, Oliver & Co. is the first bookstore to open in Howell since the closure of Aria Booksellers years ago.

Gladys Books & Wine in Brooklyn, N.Y., has launched a GoFundMe campaign to help it recover from repeated flooding, BK Reader reported.

"Each storm brings new damage, and we've spent months trying to get our landlord to take it seriously and make the repairs that are their responsibility," wrote owner Tiffany Dockery on the GoFundMe page. "That cooperation hasn't come. Meanwhile, the water keeps coming back, because Bed-Stuy itself sits in a part of Brooklyn that is increasingly prone to flooding."

Money raised by the crowdfunding campaign will go toward covering the damage already done, including clean-up, repairs, and replacing lost inventory; investing in waterproofing, drainage, and other preventative measures; and holding the store's landlords accountable to their legal responsibilities.

Launched with a goal of $60,000, the campaign raised more than $56,100 in its first week, and Dockery has already been able to start work on the basement. In an update posted May 25, she wrote: "I was absolutely overwhelmed (in the best possible way) by the outpouring of love and support. Whether you are a regular or someone who just found out about us but believe in our mission, please accept my deepest thanks."

Dockery opened the bookstore and wine bar in 2025. It focuses on books by Black and queer women and is named in honor of Dockery's grandmother.

The Books-A-Million bookstore at the Orange Park Mall in Orange Park, Fla., is closing and will become one of the company's 2nd & Charles stores, which offer a selection of books, collectibles, games, toys, music, and pop culture merchandise, the Florida Times-Union reported. The new store will occupy the same 21,315-square-foot space and is expected to open later this year. 

Orange Park Mall general manager Randy Bowman said that the mall "continues to evolve with retailers and experiences that reflect the interests and lifestyles of our community. We look forward to continuing to serve book lovers while introducing an expanded mix of entertainment categories at 2nd & Charles."

Maureen Duffy, author of more than 60 works and a pioneering activist for gay rights and writers' rights, died May 27. She was 92. The Guardian reported that Duffy wrote novels, plays, poetry, and nonfiction, including The Microcosm (1966), a novel inspired by the Gateways lesbian club in London; and Restitution, which was longlisted for the Booker Prize in 1998. She was awarded the inaugural Royal Society of Literature Pioneer prize last year by Bernardine Evaristo, who described her as a "true trailblazer in every sense of the word."

Duffy won her first poetry competition when she was 17 and later studied English at King's College London, which inspired the Queen's College London of her novel Capital, the second in her London trilogy (with Wounds and Londoners: An Elegy). She also wrote for stage, screen and radio, along with poetry collections and biographies, including a study of Aphra Behn.

Duffy served as the first president of the Gay Humanist Group in 1980, the Bookseller noted. "I've always been interested in politics and there's a sort of bloody-mindedness in me that wants to take issues on," she said in 2017. "It's a continuous battle. As well as authors' rights, I've also been a campaigner for gay rights and animal rights. I feel very strongly that you have to stand up and play your part."

She was a leading member of the Writers' Action Group, which campaigned for Public Lending Right and helped secure its introduction in 1979. The Bookseller noted that this led to the creation of the Authors' Licensing and Collecting Society (ALCS), founded by writers in 1977 "to ensure authors are paid for secondary uses of their work." She also later played an instrumental role in the work of the International Authors Forum and PLR International."

"Maureen Duffy leaves behind an exceptional body of work and a legacy of activism and action that changed the landscape for writers in the U.K.," the ALCS said in a tribute. "She will be remembered not only as a brilliant and pioneering author, but as someone who helped make the profession of writing more visible, recognized and fair. We remember her with deep admiration, gratitude and affection."

ALCS CEO Barbara Hayes commented: "Maureen Duffy was not only an extraordinary author and tireless advocate for authors' rights, but also an inspiring mentor whose wisdom, generosity and determination profoundly shaped my own journey.... For decades, she championed authors' rights, fair remuneration and proper recognition for creators with remarkable passion and conviction, leaving an enduring legacy for writers everywhere."

New York City officially renamed part of E. 12th Street at Broadway Fred Bass Way, celebrating the life and work of second-generation Strand Bookstore owner Fred Bass, who died in 2018. Yesterday, Councilman Harvey Epstein and current Strand Bookstore owner Nancy Bass Wyden (center) unveiled the sign together outside the flagship store.

Bass Wyden said, "My father believed deeply in New York City--in its readers, its curiosity, and the communities that make it such a vibrant place. He dedicated his life not only to building Strand Bookstore, but to preserving something he felt was essential: a place where people could discover ideas, stories, and one another."

Epstein added, "Strand Bookstore is woven into the fabric of our community: in my life, from buying birthday presents and family gifts to spending countless hours with my kids browsing shelves, reading books, and picking out books and Strand swag together. It is deeply meaningful to honor the life and legacy of Strand Bookstore owner Fred Bass right here in our neighborhood. As Strand Bookstore approaches its 100th anniversary next year, we recognize the enormous role it has played in shaping New York City's cultural and intellectual life."

"Summer reading challenge: Go back to summer camp!" That was the message on the sidewalk chalkboard sign in front of Prologue Bookshop, Columbus, Ohio, which noted: "It's never too early to start making your summer reading plans. Come pick up your Camp Prologue summer reading challenge today. Read and participate in community events to earn merit badges. Reach 5 merit badges, turn in your card, and get a $15 gift card to Yellow Brick Pizza."

Independent Publishers Group has added five publishers to its sales and distribution programs:

Purple Diamond Press, a children's publishing company founded by C.M. Harris, an author, disability advocate, and champion of inclusive storytelling. Purple Diamond publishes children's books that teach values like kindness, self-acceptance, empathy, and inclusion. Titles feature diverse characters. (Worldwide sales and distribution, effective June 1.)

Pierrot Books, a family-owned publishing house specializing in children's books that has been active in Central Europe since 1993. Pierrot Books focuses on educational books that are suitable for preschool children and primary-school students. (Expanding into North America with IPG, effective July 1.)

Editorial Rubio, a Spanish educational publisher founded in 1956 that focuses on learning workbooks and materials that have played a significant role in elementary education in Spain and beyond. Its picture books have stories that facilitate the development of skills related to fine motor skills and language, basic operations, and logical reasoning. (Effective June 1.)

Granica Publishing, founded more than 50 years ago and initially focusing on psychology and sociology titles. In the 1980s, Granica added essays, business books, management, marketing, coaching, neuroscience, and human resources, and now has expanded into children's and youth literature. (In North America, effective June 1.)

Armaenia Editorial, Madrid, Spain, which brings foreign literature from small or minoritarian countries to the Spanish-speaking world. Its mission is to amplify global voices by translating acclaimed works, fostering empathy, and expanding perspectives. (Effective June 1.)

Kat Harding has joined Phaidon and Monacelli as publicity director, North America.

Summerland Cove by Ellen Baker (Mariner Books).

Today:
Today Show: Jill Biden, author of View from the East Wing: A Memoir (Gallery Books, $32, 9781668222881). She will also appear tomorrow on the View. 

Fresh Air: Elizabeth Stordeur Pryor, author of Something We Said: Richard Pryor, a Nortorious Word, and Me (37 Ink, $29, 9781982154509).

Late Night with Seth Meyers: David Sedaris, author of The Land and Its People: Essays (Little, Brown, $30, 9780316264839). 

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Dr. Gillian Goddard, author of The Hormone Loop: An Empowering Guide to Restoring Hormonal Harmony, from Puberty to Menopause (Harper Influence, $30, 9780063455047).

Today: Claudette Zepeda, author of Cooking the Borderlands: Spice and Smoke Between Mexico and the States (Clarkson Potter, $35, 9780593796139).

Late Night with Seth Meyers: Ann Patchett, author of Whistler: A Novel (Harper, $30, 9780063511637).

The Birds, Alfred Hitchcock's classic 1953 horror movie that was loosely based on Daphne du Maurier's short story, is getting reimagined in the form of a limited TV series. Deadline reported that "the high-profile package, which is being taken out to buyers, has Emmy winner Sarah Snook (Succession, All Her Fault) starring and Tom Spezialy (The Leftovers, Watchmen) writing." Executive producers are Spezialy, Snook, David Heyman via Heyday TV and Jennifer Gabler Rawlings of Omni Artists.

The series is described as "a visceral, present-day reimagining of Hitchcock's classic set in Spezialy's home state of Alaska with a murder mystery at the center and new characters, led by a new female protagonist, Myra Massey (Snook)," Deadline wrote, adding that the series "is changing the approach to the lead character, from the film's damsel-in-distress Melanie Daniels (Tippi Hedren) who has to be rescued" to Snook's Myra Massey, "who has to rely on herself because no one is coming to her rescue."

Sue Gibbs, head of development at Heyday Television, said the new project is not an adaptation of Hitchcock's film: "We're going back to the source material, the Daphne du Maurier novella and using that as inspiration. And at its heart, it's looking at when nature turns on you. Obviously, with climate change that is very timely."

Winners have been announced for the James Tait Black Awards, sponsored by the University of Edinburgh and the longest-running book prizes in the U.K. In fiction, the winner is On the Greenwich Line by Shady Lewis, translated by Katharine Halls (Peirene Press). The biography winner is The First and Last King of Haiti: The Rise and Fall of Henry Christophe by Marlene L. Daut (Knopf). Each winner receives £10,000 (about $13,450).

Organizers said that On the Greenwich Line "follows an Egyptian-born housing officer navigating the lives of migrants and refugees in East London. A sharp study of displacement, bureaucracy and belonging, the novel has been praised for its dark humour, compassionate storytelling and vivid portrayal of contemporary urban life, establishing its author as a distinctive new voice in contemporary fiction."

The First and Last King of Haiti "tells the extraordinary story of a formerly enslaved man who rose to become the only king in Haiti's history. Exploring Henry Christophe's role in securing Haitian independence and his vision to build a powerful Black nation in the aftermath of colonial rule, Daut re-examines Christophe's complex legacy while placing Haiti and its revolution at the centre of global history."

When the sun rises in the Arctic after having been gone for months, the effect is one of time blindness and disorientation. In Rebecca Wright Stevens's gripping legal thriller-memoir, Sisters of the Midnight Sun, this unwavering beauty became the staging ground for a crime as chilling as the permafrost. The bodies of two well-known sisters, Bernice and Wanda Ipalook, were discovered outside of Utqiagvik (formerly known as Barrow, Alaska), leading to more than a forensic puzzle for those drawn into the investigation.

The account follows Stevens's time as a tenacious defense attorney assigned to defend Amos Lane, a somewhat notorious figure in the region. Lane had assault and theft charges already pending against him, making him an easy target to accuse for the sisters' deaths. What began as a straightforward criminal case quickly spiraled into a complex web of politics and historical trauma. Stevens skillfully sets the scene, detailing the claustrophobia of a town where everyone is a witness and no one is a stranger. The writing is gripping as she describes the procedural hurdles specific to the region: having to take prop planes to inaccessible areas, the importance of oral testimony, and the gut-wrenching stakes for a community trying to get justice for people they had known their entire lives, slain and accused alike.

Perhaps the most compelling attribute of Sisters of the Midnight Sun is Stevens's transparency regarding her own relationship with the Arctic and its community. She details her connections to at-risk teens she was unable to help, as well as her romance with a charming Indigenous man who, like many in the town, had a serious drug dependency. She mourned the limitations of her role as a legal practitioner within these communities, even as her bonds with the people there deepened. The natural world is itself a character, with scenes that dramatize both the dangers of the cold and the creatures living within it, as when Stevens found herself face to face with a ravenous polar bear: "Terror seized me like I had never known before--not of death or of darkness but of being lifted into the air and hearing all my ribs snap."

Sisters of the Midnight Sun is for readers who grew up on the razor-sharp courtroom dramas of Scott Turow or the high-stakes atmospheric tension of John Grisham, delivering an extra bite that feels like a bracing breath of sub-zero air. It provides the satisfaction of a legal thriller while serving as an insightful investigation into a territory those in the Lower 48 rarely see clearly. This is a haunting, expertly crafted reminder that the law is only as strong as the people who uphold it. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.

Shelf Talker: Sisters of the Midnight Sun is a powerful exploration of the nature of justice and the Utqiagvik community.