Last month, ownership of Vashon Bookshop, Vashon, Wash., passed from Nancy Katica to longtime staff member Carrie Van Buren. The Vashon-Maury Island Beachcomber reported that Katica became involved with the bookshop in 2001, became a partner in 2007, and assumed sole ownership six years later. 

This year, "Everything just aligned," she said. "I was looking to retire, and this was a good way to transition."

Van Buren moved to Vashon Island in 1999. "I'd been looking at Vashon from West Seattle for five years," she said. "I was ready to have space and quiet--in Seattle there were too many sirens, and like Nancy, I knew the island would be a fabulous place for our kids."

They met at a book club more than 20 years ago; their daughters worked at the bookshop during high school, then Van Buren followed suit. She said she is honored to be continuing the bookshop's legacy: "And I'm excited to be in this business right now." She added that it is "particularly gratifying to see children respond to books," and that her work is exciting because it connects "people to the stories, ideas and the collective thoughts found on these shelves."

Katica observed: "We also enjoy the experience here of having books that these days have been banned elsewhere."

Both women are optimistic about the bookstore's future. "Having Carrie continue the bookshop's story means the world to me--I know it's in good and loving hands," Katica said.

The American Booksellers Association has announced the names of 64 booksellers who will receive scholarships to attend the 2026 Winter Institute in Pittsburgh, Pa., Bookselling This Week reported. The scholarships cover the registration fee, hotel stay, and up to $600 in travel expenses to Wi2026, to be held February 23-26, 2026, at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center.

Individual scholarship recipients are not matched with individual sponsors; instead, a portion of total fees raised by Wi2026 sponsorships is dedicated to funding as many bookseller scholarships for as many new and different stores as possible. The full list of scholarship winners can be found here.

Bestselling author James Patterson has launched an initiative on behalf of emerging authors. The Associated Press reported that Patterson named the first 12 recipients of grants from his "Go Finish Your Book" campaign. Each will receive up to $50,000 to help them complete their manuscript.

James Patterson

"There are so many incredible stories out there that never get written because life gets in the way," Patterson said. "I wanted to give these writers a little time, a little space, and a push to say: your voice matters--now go finish your book." 

Patterson's new program was organized in partnership with the Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP), Girls Write Now, PEN America, the Iowa Writers' Workshop, and the Authors Guild. 

The inaugural recipients were drawn from hundreds of submissions. Jungin Angie Lee, who hopes to finish a short story collection, said, "I aim to write a thoughtful, meaningful, powerful book that sheds light on friendship, family, and disability--particularly the intricacies of giving and receiving care--and the 'Go Finish Your Book' grant comes to me as an extremely generous, much-needed burst of motivation and boost of confidence."

The U.K. publishing industry "has revealed its fears about Donald Trump's tax changes to U.S.-bound parcels, which have led distributor Gardners to place additional charges on packages to the U.S.," the Bookseller reported. Trump cut the "de minimis" exemption on August 29, which means that packages valued under $800 are now subject to tax. Gardners has reportedly added £2.65 (about $3.56) to each parcel sent to the U.S.

A Gardners spokesperson said: "We are aware of the removal of the $800 de minimis threshold and have been advised that postal untracked shipments have been suspended. In response, we have put in place a solution to keep shipments moving smoothly into the U.S. This does involve some additional charges, but they are not prohibitive, and we are working hard to ensure that the impact on our customers is minimal. While the changes have created challenges, we remain committed to providing a reliable service for our customers that send books into the U.S."

One book retailer, who wished to remain anonymous, commented: "We decided to suspend U.S. shipments for a few days to make sure [there are] no nasty surprises with additional customs or brokerage fees... [I am feeling] nervous. Trump can announce dramatic changes on tariffs on a whim at sector and country level. I'm rather hoping the recent court ruling is upheld by the Supreme Court as pushing up the prices of non-print commodities leaves less consumer spending for books."

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The Canadian Independent Booksellers Association has launched The Booksellers' List, an initiative that highlights the titles most anticipated by Canada's indie bookstores for the fall 2025 season. Quill & Quire reported that the 20-title fall list "is the first that CIBA plans to release seasonally, four times a year. Of the selected titles, the one with the most votes is named as the top pick of the season." For the initial list, Pick a Colour by Souvankham Thammavongsa is the #1 choice.

The first list features seven works of nonfiction, one collection of poetry, and 12 fiction titles. Of the 20 titles, 17 are by Canadian authors. It does not include children's books, but CIBA hopes to add a kids' list in 2026.

"Unlike algorithm-driven bestseller charts or critic-curated picks, The Booksellers' List is built entirely on bookseller enthusiasm," CIBA said. "It offers an authentic reflection of the reading tastes, curiosities, and conversations happening in communities nationwide. It captures the buzz of indie bookstores across Canada."

The Booksellers' List is similar to the American Booksellers Association's monthly Indie Next promotion. CIBA executive director Laura Carter said, "We reviewed a number of similar programs and met with the ABA to discuss the Indie Next program, BookNet about Loan, Stars, Book People in Australia, and the U.K. indie bookseller association about their Book of the Month program. This allowed us to consider the strengths and challenges of other programs and determine what would work best for the indie market in Canada."

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On September 20, Dutch booksellers, readers, writers, and others will march in Utrecht for freedom and democracy, the European & International Booksellers Federation's Newsflash reported. The Dutch Booksellers Association (KbB) will be among those joining the march to stand up for the freedom to read. --Robert Gray

Patrick Hemingway, the second son of Ernest Hemingway "who became a safari guide and big-game hunter in Africa, completed a book his father had started and published a volume of their letters," died September 2, the New York Times reported. He was 97. Of the legendary author's three children, Patrick Hemingway "came closest to simulating, though hardly emulating, his father."

He traveled often with his parents (Pauline Pfeiffer Patrick, his mother, was Ernest Hemingway's second wife) and was drawn to Africa by his father's 1935 nonfiction book, Green Hills of Africa. At 23, he moved to the continent and worked on commercial safaris for two years before founding his own company in Tanganyika (now Tanzania), taking patrons through Serengeti National Park and Kilimanjaro National Park.

In  the early 1950s, Ernest Hemingway and his fourth wife, Mary Welsh, went on a 10-week trip to East Africa, where Patrick Hemingway joined them on a safari. His father told him about a blend of fiction and memoir he was planning, the Times noted. "He soon began the book, True at First Light, but never finished the project.... Patrick, however, completed it. His father had written 200,000 words before abandoning the manuscript. Patrick cut it in half and finished the text with what he understood to be his father's intended story, having discussed it with him during the expedition."

With an introduction by Patrick Hemingway, the book was published in 1999. He also wrote a foreword to the 2016 edition of Green Hills of Africa; a foreword to a 2009 edition of his father's Paris memoir, A Moveable Feast, recast by Patrick's nephew Seán Hemingway, a son of Gloria Hemingway; and a foreword to a 2012 edition of A Farewell to Arms, including 47 alternate endings that Ernest Hemingway had suggested. In 2022, he published Dear Papa, a collection of 120 letters that he and his father had exchanged over 30 years.

Patrick Hemingway gave up his safari business in the early 1960s after his wife became ill. The Times noted that, for more than a decade, he taught wildlife conservation at the College of African Wildlife Management in Tanzania. He was also a forestry officer for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.

He oversaw the intellectual property of his father's estate, telling the Times in 2023: "I was the only person who seemed to be interested, and I was uniquely qualified." In an interview with KBZK, he observed: "Most of the things that he liked, I liked, too, and this was especially true of reading and literature. We were on the same wavelength."

He also said he had never felt diminished living in the shadow of his father: "I enjoyed being his son. It didn't bother me because I don't think that I was terribly ambitious. I never was. I didn't want to win a Nobel Prize."

This past week, Shelf Awareness sent our monthly pre-order e-blast to nearly 900,000 of the country's best book readers. The e-blast went to 896,958 customers of 272 participating independent bookstores.

The mailing features 11 upcoming titles selected by Shelf Awareness editors and a sponsored title. Customers can buy these books via "pre-order" buttons that lead directly to the purchase page for the title on each sending store's website. A key feature is that bookstore partners can easily change title selections to best reflect the tastes of their customers and can customize the mailing with links, images and promotional copy of their own.

The pre-order e-blasts are sent the last Wednesday of each month; the next will go out on Wednesday, September 24. Stores interested in learning more can visit our program registration page or contact our partner program team via e-mail.

For a sample of the August pre-order e-blast, see this one from Pages & Parcels, Potosi, Wis.

The titles highlighted in the pre-order e-blast were:

Joyride: A Memoir by Susan Orlean (Avid Reader/S&S)
Vagabond: A Memoir by Tim Curry (Grand Central)
Boleyn Traitor by Philippa Gregory (Morrow)
Remain: A Supernatural Love Story by Nicholas Sparks and & M. Night Shyamalan (Random House)
The Persian by David McCloskey (Norton)
The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown)
Alchemy of Secrets by Stephanie Garber (Flatiron)
John Candy: A Life in Comedy by Paul Myers (House of Anansi)
Writing Creativity and Soul by Sue Monk Kidd (Knopf)
Never Ever After by Sue Lynn Tan (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)
Hazelthorn by CG Drews (Feiwel & Friends)

Wednesday night the Boston Red Sox hosted what may be their most popular promotion night ever: more than 10,000 fans (half of whom had never attended a game before) came out to Fenway Park for Fourth Wing Night, inspired by Rebecca Yarros's romantasy series. Ticket holders received a limited-edition Red Sox/Fourth Wing replica flight jacket, and VIP ticket holders also got a special edition of Fourth Wing (Entangled Publishing), featuring baseball stitching and the Red Sox logo. Fans enjoyed themed concessions, photo ops, cosplay, and more. Yarros threw out the first pitch, and the Cleveland Guardians went on to beat the Sox, 8-1. A portion of ticket proceeds went to the children's charity One October. (photo courtesy Boston Red Sox)

The National Book Foundation is giving the 2025 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community to writer, editor, publisher, professor, and cultural critic Roxane Gay. Gay will be presented with the Literarian Award by National Book Award Winner Jacqueline Woodson at the 76th National Book Awards ceremony & benefit dinner on Wednesday, November 19, in New York City.

Roxane Gay

Gay is perhaps best known for her essay collection Bad Feminist and memoir Hunger. She is also the author of Ayiti, An Untamed State, Difficult Women, and, most recently, Opinions: A Decade of Arguments, Criticism, and Minding Other People's Business. For decades, Gay has been a fearless champion for books, emerging and underrepresented writers, and the global literary community. Gay is the editor of Roxane Gay Books, an imprint of Grove Atlantic dedicated to publishing works by Black writers and writers of colors, queer writers, writers with disabilities, writers from varied economic backgrounds, and those who live at the intersections of multiple marginalized identities.

In 2021, Gay introduced her newsletter The Audacity, where she publishes her own writing along with the work of emerging writers and interviews. She is also the curator of the Audacious Book Club, a monthly book club that features online reader-led discussions and conversations with the authors. She is the author of Black Panther: World of Wakanda (Marvel Comics), winner of the 2018 Eisner Award for Best Limited Series; and the editor of The Best American Short Stories 2018 and Not That Bad: Dispatches from Rape Culture. She is a contributing opinion writer for the New York Times and host of the podcast The Roxane Gay Agenda. In 2018, Gay was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, and since 2022 she has been the Gloria Steinem Endowed Chair in Media, Culture, and Feminist Studies at Rutgers University-New Brunswick. She served as the panel chair for the 2020 National Book Award for Fiction.

David Steinberger, board chair of the Foundation, said, "As a writer, professor, editor, and cultural critic, Roxane Gay has intentionally and artfully carved out spaces to create opportunities for writers, readers, and emerging publishing professionals of all backgrounds in the literary world, and we will continue to reap the benefits of her achievements for generations. It is an honor to recognize Roxane Gay's extraordinary contributions to the literary community at the 76th National Book Awards Ceremony this November."

Ruth Dickey, executive director of the Foundation, added, "Roxane Gay's simultaneous commitment to elevating the work of underrepresented writers and to rigorous cultural criticism has expanded our national dialogue around identity, feminism, social justice, and publishing, and effected change. A voracious reader with eclectic taste and a sharp eye for budding talent, Gay consistently uses her voice to celebrate powerful stories and exceptional writing, and she inspires writers and readers everywhere to advocate for a more just world. We are proud to celebrate Gay's remarkable career as the recipient of the 2025 Literarian Award."

Longtime Candlewick Press and Walker Books Group executive Tracy Miracle has formed a boutique publicity and marketing firm, Egypt Street PR & Literary, that will collaborate on promotional campaigns with writers, artists, publishers, and literacy organizations. The emphasis will be on a tailored approach to the distinct needs and audiences of its clients and to amplify recognition and awareness for their work.

Tracy Miracle

Miracle said, "I am excited to offer a really focused approach to promotional support, including earned media and influencer outreach and placement, event planning, strategic marketing consulting, and communications assistance. ESPR will specialize in supporting creatives with sustained outreach that builds profiles and gains visibility in crowded markets. I love the challenge of garnering and sustaining attention and boosting sales--but ultimately, the most fulfilling part of this new venture will be helping books and authors find their readers."

Miracle has more than 20 years of experience, most recently as v-p of publicity for Candlewick Press and the Walker Books Group. Her track record includes three Newbery Award-winning campaigns, multiple National Book Award honorees, and numerous New York Times bestsellers. She has managed global corporate communications, driven sales revenue and growth, increased market share for established authors and brands, and launched the careers of many new talents in children's and YA publishing.

Miracle has worked with authors and illustrators of all age ranges and formats, including Kate DiCamillo, Meg Medina, Oliver Jeffers, M.T. Anderson, Megan McDonald, Laura Amy Schlitz, Gregory Maguire, Matt Tavares, Maggie Tokuda-Hall, Sophie Blackall, Chris Van Dusen, Liz Kessler, and John Schu.

Egypt Street PR & Literary, based in Massachusetts, was named with a nod to the beloved classic The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo.

ACC Art Books will distribute art books published London's Royal Academy of Arts in North America, effective January 1. ACC Art Books has distributed the Royal Academy of Arts in the U.K. and rest of the world. The Royal Academy of Arts was founded by King George III in 1768 and is one of Britain's premier arts institutions.

Peter Sawbridge, head of publishing and editorial director at the Royal Academy of Arts, said, "ACC Art Books has done an exemplary job for us in the U.K. and the rest of the world since 2017. We're very pleased indeed that ACC Art Books U.S. is now to distribute our books in the U.S. and Canada."

John Brancati, general manager at ACC Art Books U.S., said, "Working with the Royal Academy of Arts in the U.S. and Canada has been an ambition of ours for a while. Their publishing program is impeccable, and we're delighted to represent them in North America."

Philip Roth: Stung by Life by Steven J. Zipperstein (Yale University Press).

A trailer has been released for The Forsytes, a new TV series, based on John Galsworthy's Forsyte novels, that will be coming to PBS MASTERPIECE in 2026. On the period drama in the tradition of The Gilded Age and Downton Abbey, "desire, ambition, and betrayal all boil down to the eternal dilemma: should one be ruled by the head or the heart? With sumptuous period costumes and a lavish set, The Forsytes will bring you into their family of rivals and lovers, sons and wives, artists and tycoons, and leave you wanting more," PBS noted.

The cast includes Francesca Annis (Flesh and Blood), Stephen Moyer (Sexy Beast, True Blood), Danny Griffin (Fate: The Winx Saga), Tuppence Middleton (Downton Abbey: A New Era, Sense8), Eleanor Tomlinson (Poldark, One Day), Jack Davenport (The Morning Show, Breathless), Joshua Orpin (Titans, I Know What You Did Last Summer), Millie Gibson (Doctor Who), Tom Durant Pritchard (Miss Scarlet, This Is Going to Hurt), Monty Dartie, Jamie Flatters (Avatar: The Way of Water), Josette Simon (Anatomy of a Scandal), and Owen Igiehon (Disclaimer).

The Writers' Trust of Canada has released a shortlist for the 2025 Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ2S+ Emerging Writers, which is presented to " the best debut book in any genre by a Canadian citizen or permanent resident who identifies as (but not limited to) lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or Two-Spirit." 

The winner, who will be named at the annual Writers' Trust Awards in Toronto on November 13, receives C$12,000 (about US$8,675), while the remaining finalists get C$2,000 (about US$1,445) each. This year's finalists are: 

How I Bend into More by Tea Gerbeza
All the Parts We Exile by Roza Nozari
Three Parties by Ziyad Saadi

photo: Jenna Wakani

Carla Ciccone is a Canadian writer from Toronto. Her first book, Nowhere Girl: Life as a Member of ADHD's Lost Generation (The Dial Press, September 9, 2025), is Ciccone's exploration, with humor, depth, and detailed reporting, of the cultural impact of ADHD on girls and women, and offers a path forward.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

A reported memoir about the impact of living with undiagnosed ADHD on the generation of girls that medical science didn't study.

On your nightstand now:

I basically didn't read for two years while working on my book, so I'm making up for it now by reading (too) many books at once. Here are a few highlights: One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This by Omar El Akkad; The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley; Radical Acceptance by Tara Brach; Beautyland by Marie-Helene Bertino; I Want to Burn This Place Down by Maris Kreizman; and Story of Your Mother by Chantal Braganza.

Favorite book when you were a child:

Like many good Canadian girls, I loved and wanted to be Anne of Green Gables (from the series by Lucy Maud Montgomery). I'm currently reading the Worst Witch series by Jill Murphy with my daughter, and it's so delightful, I wish I had known about it as a child.

Your top five authors:

This is hard because I love all the writers I read and hate picking favourites! I return to Elena Ferrante because of the honest, beautiful way she writes girls, women, and family dynamics. Reading Toni Morrison is an incredible, immersive experience. I always enjoy Haruki Murakami. For nonfiction, I will read anything from Naomi Klein and Melissa Febos.

Book you've faked reading:

I have ADHD, so I've faked reading a lot. Sometimes I simply can't read books--when I'm overwhelmed or under a lot of pressure. I know when I read the same sentence over and over, and still don't retain it, that it's time to do something else. Having said that, like many before me, I never did make it past the first pages of Ulysses by James Joyce.

Book you've bought for the cover:

I've bought all of Samantha Irby's books because of those cute fuzzy animals on the cover (they were all hilarious books--no regrets).

Book you hid from your parents:

Tiger Eyes by Judy Blume when I was about 11 years old. I can't remember why I hid it, but I do recall that it was the first book I didn't want to share, and it made it even more exciting to read.

Book that changed your life:

There have been many, but the one that first comes to mind is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I read it when I was at a low point, and it provided the enchantment I needed to feel hopeful again.

Favorite line from a book:

"All I want is a dress with puffed sleeves!" --from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery.

Anne's longing for a puff-sleeve dress made her universally relatable. It validated my own yearning for a little whimsy in this cold, hard world.

Five books you'll never part with:

Witches, Witch-Hunting and Women by Silvia Federici; All About Love by bell hooks; The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel van der Kolk; and Girls to the Front by Sara Marcus. Lastly, Making Faces by Kevyn Aucoin was the book I turned to to learn how to do my makeup in the late 1990s and I'll love it forever.

Donna Freitas's Her One Regret explores what one of her characters calls "the last taboo of motherhood." At once a rocket-paced crime tale of suspense and a thoughtful examination of cultural dictates about motherhood, this novel of women's lives and relationships excels as both entertainment and a call to difficult but necessary conversations.

In a brief introductory section, readers meet Lucy in the parking lot of a supermarket in Narragansett Beach. On a gorgeous, early fall afternoon, she loads groceries alongside her nine-month-old daughter, Emma. Then begins Part I: "The First 48 Hours." Lucy has vanished; Emma is found, alone, crying, but perfectly fine, in the parking lot. The small Rhode Island community is horrified, united in a search for the missing mother. But then it is revealed that Lucy had recently confided in her best friend, Michelle, that she regretted having Emma. She had fantasized about staging her own disappearance. The community and the nation erupt in harsh judgment. Is Lucy a kidnapping victim, or on the run? Is she a monster? What do we make of a woman who regrets motherhood?

The rest of Freitas's narrative jumps between the lives of four local women. Lucy is seen mostly in memory, or as a symbol. Michelle is devastated by her best friend's disappearance, in love with her own role as mother, but galvanized to defend her friend. Lucy had tried to tell Michelle what she was suffering, but "Michelle did the thing everybody does with mothers: dismiss their feelings as not real. Michelle gaslit Lucy, kept gaslighting her. She hadn't meant to." Diana, a retired detective, is drawn to Lucy's case and its similarities and differences from other vanished women. And then there is Julia, whose baby is the same age as Emma: "Julia keeps waiting for the moment she'll feel bonded to her son, that miracle other women talk about when connection and unbelievable love will flood her person and overcome the dread, the sadness, the resistance. But it never happens." Julia, an artist who can no longer bring herself to create, sees herself in Lucy, shares the fantasy of escape, and now watches as the world on social media condemns her parallel self. Her desperation feels like an emergency no one around her will acknowledge.

Freitas (Consent; The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano) relates these lives and quiet--or in Lucy's case, suddenly very public--struggles with nuance and compassion. Her One Regret is purposefully thought-provoking and a riveting mystery--a masterpiece of duality, not soon forgotten. --Julia Kastner, blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: A young mother confesses regret in this satisfying, dynamic mystery that is also a rousing conversation starter about an experience of motherhood still treated as taboo.