"I've always been aware of how intimate independent bookstores are. When you go into an indie bookstore, more than any other type of bookstore, the booksellers are going to know what to recommend. That's always been something that I experienced as a reader, but it's been so jaw-dropping for me as a writer to get a peek behind the curtain and see, not just how much influence independent booksellers have (which was a pleasant surprise for me), but also how passionate they are....

"Every interaction I have with them is marked by so much passion and curiosity and excitement for what they do. It's truly an honor to be able to be supported by them, and it makes me really appreciate all of the work that goes into running a bookstore. I really didn't even begin to understand and comprehend the passion they put into reading and selecting and stocking. It's a marvel, honestly."

Cozy Calico Books will host its grand opening and ribbon-cutting celebration on April 25, Independent Bookstore Day, featuring an appearance by Mayor Earnie Porta, followed by a story time with Tracey Kyle, author of The World's Biggest Food Fight: The Incredible Story of the Festival of La Tomatina (Sky Pony) and other titles. Other highlights include door prizes and local author signings.

Located at 199 Union St. in Occoquan, Va., in northern Virginia, Cozy Calico Books is owned and operated by author Tracy Banghart, with her husband, Andy Blanton, and their two children. The bookstore will offer what it describes as "a thoughtfully curated collection of new books and bookish gifts for readers of all ages."  

Banghart is the author of half-a-dozen YA novels and one picture book, including the Grace and Fury series and Perfect Girl. Her most recent release, Red as Royal Blood (HarperCollins), was published last November under the pen name Elizabeth Hart. Her next YA novel, Ink and Soul (When I Wrote the World, Book 1), will be released by Candlewick in summer 2027. 

"I love being an author, but it can sometimes be a lonely profession," Banghart said. "Opening a bookstore gives me the opportunity to connect with readers on a different level. I love handselling an author friend's book or watching a parent read a picture book to their child, snuggled in one of our comfy chairs."

Blanton retired last fall as a colonel from the U.S. Army and is a senior fellow at George Washington University. A nonfiction fan, he plans to host a national security-focused book club beginning in June. "After moving around with the Army for 24 years, I really wanted to feel like I was part of the local community. This bookstore is making that a reality," he noted.
 
Jordan Sanders, president of Visit Occoquan, said: "We often hear people say they'd love to see a bookstore in Occoquan--so to say our community is excited about Cozy Calico Books opening is truly an understatement. Everyone passing by is peeking through the windows and asking when the doors will officially open. This shop is already creating buzz, and it's clear it will be a wonderful addition to our town." 

The bookshop is named in honor of the family's two cats, though they will not be appearing at the shop. "Checkers and Ouija are enthusiastic mascots but don't have the temperament to be bookstore cats. We do hope to partner with local rescues, however, to host cat adoption events at the store," Banghart said. 
 
She added that "we believe that books teach empathy, joy is an act of resistance, and community is more important than ever. We started this venture to create a safe, cozy space with a beautifully diverse selection of books for all to enjoy."

Dust & Blush Bookshop will celebrate its grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on April 25, Independent Bookstore Day, at 116 S Lake St. in downtown Boyne City, Mich., in northern Michigan. The ceremony will be followed by a day of activities for the community.

The future home of Dust and Blush.

Owned by Rachael Hilliard, the new bookstore features curated romance titles, gifts, and an in-store mocktail lounge, 9&10 News reported, adding that the lounge "serves handcrafted beverages inspired by books to encourage guests to stay and read.... The shop is designed to be a gathering place for events where readers can connect over shared stories and characters"

Hilliard launched a successful KickStarter campaign last fall that raised more than $50,000 toward start-up costs for Dust & Blush. At the time she wrote, in part: "I'm an Air Force veteran, neurodivergent creator, girl mom, and lifelong book lover who found her way back to herself through stories. Opening a bookshop started as a dream I had at eight years old, but slowly as life went on it became a 'someday' kind of dream. The kind you tuck away in the back of your mind while life continues to unfold around you.

"But like all the sweetest love stories, the excitement was persistent. It whispered, 'what if?' even when logic said 'not now.' This summer, while swimming with my family in Lake Michigan, I decided it was time. Time to stop waiting for the perfect moment. Time to stop putting myself last. Time to finally say yes to my biggest dream and not when everyone else was taken care of, but now. (Eldest daughter energy, anyone?)

"So I made a silent promise to myself: it's time to bring this dream to life. For me, for you, for us. For every romance reader who's ever longed for a space to belong, to be inspired, and to find themselves again. Dust & Blush Bookshop was born in the depths of my heart and in the depths Lake Michigan, where I finally decided to chase the dream I'd been saving for 'someday'.... Now, I'm honored to be building Dust & Blush Bookshop. A place where others can find that same sense of peace, belonging, inspiration, and excitement."

Boyne Area Chamber of Commerce director Jennifer Clasman told 9&10 News that the chamber is excited to welcome a new business to town: "This is exactly the kind of business that strengthens the fabric of our downtown. Dust & Blush brings something truly unique to Boyne City; an experience that invites people to gather, connect and stay awhile. It's thoughtful, immersive and perfectly aligned with the vibrant, creative energy we're continuing to build here."

River Stone Bookshop recently hosted a ribbon-cutting and grand opening celebration at 205 N. Cascade St. in downtown Osceola, Wis. The Sun reported that stepping inside the new bookstore "feels less like entering a retail store and more like walking into someone's living room. That's exactly what owner Jennifer Randall had in mind." 

Jennifer Randall

Randall graduated from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minn., with a degree in writing, and had previously been working in auto sales. She felt called back to the world of literature to pursue a new adventure and open her own bookstore. 

Calling the community response thus far "exceptional," she said, "Opening this bookstore really came from a strong, constant pull that I couldn't ignore. It was something I felt every day, even when I didn't know how it would all come together. I just kept taking steps, and little by little, things fell into place. I just kept getting in front of the right people to guide me. I'm a woman of faith, and I feel like this is what the Lord wanted me to do." 

Her goal for the bookshop's inventory mix is to feature 80% used books and 20% new titles. She plans to hold writing workshops and author events and offer cold-brew coffee. 

She added that she hopes River Stone Bookshop becomes a lasting business in downtown Osceola and a place where people return regularly. The Sun noted that for Randall, "the shop means more than just a new venture; it's the beginning of a journey she once doubted she would undertake." 

"I struggled with learning challenges over the years (my whole life), and because of that, I often felt like I was the one watching other people build things--not someone who would actually do it myself," Randall said. "Being here now, owning a bookstore, feels incredibly meaningful to me. It's something I never fully believed I could do, and that makes it even more special."

KD's Books in Lee's Summit, Mo., will be moving to a new location with the help of a successful GoFundMe campaign, KMBC9 reported.

The bookstore's last day at 241 SE Main St. will be April 30; after that, it will move to a new, smaller location in downtown Lee's Summit. The move, store co-owner Nicole Perne explained, was necessitated by a major rent increase.  

In an early March Facebook post, Perne said she'd found a smaller location that would be much more sustainable for the bookstore long term, but it couldn't be done without community support. She launched a GoFundMe campaign with a goal of $15,000 on March 6. In less than 48 hours it had raised $12,000, and the total now stands at $15,500.

"We are so incredibly grateful to be surrounded by this community," Perne wrote in a thank-you post on March 8. "So many of our customers have become friends over the years. You're the reason we want to continue this journey and stay right here in DTLS for many years to come."

KD's Books first opened in downtown Lee's Summit in 1990, originally as a children's bookstore with a small selection of used adult titles. Today it is a general-interest bookstore with new titles for all ages. Tina and Nicole Perne have owned the bookstore for the last four years.

"Downtown Lee's Summit has been always so supportive," Nicole Perne told KMBC9.

In our feature on Friday about how bookstores can deal with ICE, we mistakenly stated that the Winter Institute session on ICE and Bookstores: What You Need to Know was not taped. In fact, it was taped, and the recording is available here for American Booksellers Association members.

As part of the the 32nd Oxford Conference for the Book, Square Books in Oxford, Miss., hosted the Willie Morris Awards celebration. The awards, named for Mississippi author Willie Morris, honor "some of the best literature telling rich, original stories about the U.S. South marked by a strain of honest optimism." Pictured: (r.) Southern Fiction winner Susan Gregg Gilmore, author of The Curious Calling of Leonard Bush (Blair), with Square Books bookseller Jude Burke-Lewis. 

In a nice case of symmetry, Jane Seskin, poet, psychotherapist, and author of 13 books, has a poem called "Show and Tell" in the April/May issue of Woman's Day, the magazine's celebration of National Poetry Month. Now in her 80s, Seskin had five poems published in Woman's Day in the '80s. "Show and Tell" is from Seskin's Older, Wiser, Shorter: The Truth and Humor of Life After 65: Poems (Tallfellow Press).

Seskin announced the "good news" on Instagram, saying in part that it shows "there's room for a second act. There's room for you to do other things in your life. And there's room for you to come around to what it was that gave you pleasure and do it again.

Trident Booksellers & Cafe in Boston, Mass., which was recently the scene of a bookshop marriage proposal, posted on Facebook: "Congratulations to the happy couple! We love being part of your love stories."

Lauren Cekada has joined Abrams as sales assistant.

Come Along by Cosmo Sheldrake, illus. by Liniers (Magic Cat).

Today:
Good Morning America: Cleo Wade, author of In a World of Sunrises: 365 Days of Heart, Soul, and Hope (Avid Reader Press, $28.99, 9781668210710). She will also appear on Today.

Also on Today: Emma Straub, author of American Fantasy: A Novel (Riverhead, $30, 9798217046850).

Kelly Clarkson Show: Billy Porter, author of Songbird in the Light: A Picture Book (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781419745836).

Sherri Shepherd Show repeat: Brian Hart Hoffman, author of Bake from Scratch: Volume Ten (83 Press, $44.95, 9798992385311). 

Fresh Air: Arsenio Hall, author of Arsenio: A Memoir (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing, $28.99, 9781982191368).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Babs Costello, author of Did Your Mother Ever Tell You?: Words of Wisdom, Wit, and Love (Zonderkidz, $19.99, 9780310167662).

Today: Kate Bowler, author of Joyful, Anyway (The Dial Press, $30, 9780593734193).

Also on Today: Emma Brodie, author of Into the Blue: A Love Story (Ballantine, $30, 9798217093700).

Drew Barrymore Show: Arnold Myint, author of Family Thai: Bringing the Flavors of Thailand Home (Abrams, $40, 9781419776380).

Sherri Shepherd Show repeat: Da Brat and Judy, authors of The Way Love Goes: A Guide to Building a "Beaurtiful" and Everlasting Relationship (Amistad, $27.99, 9780063349643).

The cast has been set for the Public Theater's upcoming Off-Broadway world premiere stage adaptation of Girl, Interrupted, adapted from Susanna Kaysen's memoir and set to play at the company's Martinson Hall May 13-June 21, Playbill reported. 

Pulitzer-winning playwright Martyna Majok (Cost of Living) is writing the book for the play with music, with Grammy-winning former 'Til Tuesday front-woman Aimee Mann writing the music. Material written for the musical previously comprised Mann's most recent album, Queens of the Summer Hotel. The production will also feature choreography by Sonya Tayeh.

Jo Bonney will direct the cast that includes Juliana Canfield as Susanna and singer-songwriter King Princess making her theater debut as Lisa, alongside Emily Skinner (Dr. Wick), Ta'Rea Campbell (Valerie), Gabi Campo (Tori), Mano Felciano (Man), Mia Pak (Grace), Katherine Reis (Daisy), Sally Shaw (Polly), and Lauren Jeanne Thomas (Judy). 

Outlaw Planet by M.R. Carey (Orbit) has won the 2025 Philip K. Dick Award, honoring "distinguished science fiction published in paperback original form in the United States" and sponsored by the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society with the support of Philadelphia Science Fiction Society. The award was presented at Norwescon 46 on Friday.

A special citation was given to Uncertain Son and Other Stories by Thomas Ha (Undertow Publications).

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Zohra Anwar Chunawala has won the Lee & Low Books' 2025 New Voices Award for her picture book manuscript, The Dabbawalas of Mumbai. The award is given biennially to an unpublished writer of color or Native/Indigenous writer for a picture book manuscript. Chunawala, who lives in St. Louis, Mo., will receive a publication contract and a $5,000 advance.

Lee & Low said that the book "introduces young readers to India's legendary lunchbox delivery workers who navigate the bustling city of Mumbai with unmatched precision, ensuring that thousands of home-cooked meals reach hungry people on time."

Chunawala said, "I draw ideas from my lived experience, which is varied in the absolute sense: my childhood growing up in one of the busiest, most hyperactive cities in the world, Mumbai, and my kids' experiences of being diaspora. I started writing three years ago when I realized there was still so much room on bookshelves for stories that represent kids like mine and families like ours."

Montreal-based Arizona O'Neill's superb graphic novel debut, Opioids & Organs, strikingly melds vulnerable memoir, illuminating explorations of historical and contemporary medical industry, investigative international travelogue, and razor-sharp literary references. "To the parts of my father still out in the world," her intriguing dedication states, challenged by a green-eyed yellow lizard who warns, "I advise against proceeding."

When Arizona receives a heartfelt letter, complete with happy family photo, from a stranger whose life was saved through organ donation--her father's heart beats in his chest--a friend responds, "This is great.... Something good came from his death." Arizona initially queries, "Do you think they know the heart is from someone who died of a fentanyl overdose?" then quickly devolves into agonized accusations: "The medical industry is stealing organs from the opioid addicts.... They let my dad die and USED HIM FOR PARTS!" O'Neill magnificently transforms that rage into both testimony and exposé of how "Canada's opioid crisis is helping put an end to the organ shortage in our country."

Arizona's father died in 2015. Despite sustained addiction struggles, his 41-year-old comatose body was otherwise "young, healthy, and well preserved. The perfect condition for organ harvesting." At the hospital, instead of getting answers surrounding his collapse and brain death, Arizona had legal papers pushed upon her to "donate his organs to those suffering from a more... 'acceptable' illness." And so she signed away his body parts. Years later, Arizona demands to know more. Izzy the yellow lizard from the dedication, who is seemingly a permanent fixture on her shoulder since birth, opines, "You're becoming too repetitive.... I'm getting bored." But Arizona insists she "need[s] to learn more about organ transplantation." Despite Izzy's objections that "leaving the house is overrated," Arizona meets up with Frankenstein's monster--the (mostly) gentle giant prefers to be called "Frankie"--and the trio embark on an epic journey through graveyards, academic institutions, libraries, museums, Parisian catacombs, and an Alice(-less) Wonderland, to figure out "How did we go from being disgusted by Doctor Frankenstein's inhumane use of people's remains, to seeing organs from the deceased as a 'gift of life'?"

O'Neill proves her superlative artistry across every page, balancing simplified line art with meticulously detailed realism (her architectural backgrounds are particularly stunning). She relies on predominantly muted colors to reflect the emotional burdens she's hoping to lessen; distant history happens in black-and-white. Her "weird daydreams" manifest with cameos by fantastical creatures, animated body parts, and human meat markets. "I am hoping that by telling my story, I will be able to make peace with it." --Terry Hong

Shelf Talker: Graphic novelist Arizona O'Neill presents a striking debut about the organ industry that benefited from her 41-year-old father's death from a fentanyl overdose.