Bookstores, libraries and other organizations across the country are preparing for Banned Books Week 2017, which runs next week, September 24-30. Shelf Awareness takes a look at what some stores are planning:

In celebration of Banned Books Week, Ingram is running a special promotion for independent bookstores. Through October 5, indies can receive additional discounts on orders of 25 or more books from a list of over 450 banned and challenged titles. Ingram has also teamed up with American Booksellers for Free Expression to create promotional kits for ABA members. So far, this year's kit has been sent to more than 500 stores.

Digital audiobook platform Libro.fm, meanwhile, has created a Banned Books Week playlist featuring many of the most-challenged books in the United States, so "readers can choose to listen freely." Included on the playlist are the audiobook versions of Toni Morrison's Beloved, Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner, Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 and many, many more.

Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., got a head start on Banned Books Week earlier this month with a store display featuring banned and challenged books from years past, and is once again supporting a D.C.-wide scavenger hunt organized by the D.C. Public Library called #UncensoredDC. For the scavenger hunt, copies of banned books have been hidden around the capital in libraries, museums, cafes and bookstores and will be there until the end of the month. The books feature a special black cover and are "free to those who find them." Next Monday, September 25, P&P is co-sponsoring an offsite event with Salman Rushdie, who lived under police protection for close to a decade after Ruhollah Khomeini issued a fatwa for his death in response to Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. Rushdie will discuss his new novel, The Golden House, in downtown D.C.

In Omaha, Neb., indie bookstores Solid Jackson Books and Dundee Book Company are hosting a Banned Books Week party at Brothers Lounge on Thursday, September 28. Readers are invited to "come grab a pint or two, join the conversation about why it's important to keep free speech free, and stick it to the book-burners by perusing important books that some want to label as obscene. And some that are obscene!" A selection of banned books will be available for purchase.

City Books in Pittsburgh, Pa., is hosting a day-long Read-Out this Sunday, September 24. "In direct response to the recent events in Charlottesville and across the nation," the store has decided to "shine a spotlight on books that feature equity, diversity, and inclusion as a primary function of character and plot" by choosing Anne Frank's Diary of a Young Girl and Mildred Taylor's Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry as the Read-Out selections. The event will run from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m, and readers can sign up for 20-minute reading slots. Food and beverages will be provided by City Books.

In New York City, the Strand Book Store is hosting a Banned Books Week discussion panel on Monday, September 25, in partnership with PEN America. Authors David Levithan (Boy Meets Boy), Coe Booth (Kinda Like Brothers) and Ariel Schrag (Adam) will discuss their experiences of having their books banned or challenged, and how to get skeptical readers to give their books a chance. Jason Low, publisher and co-owner of multicultural children's book publisher Lee & Low Books, will moderate the discussion.

The Clinton Book Shop in Clinton, N.J., is taking part in the official Banned Books Virtual Read-Out, now in its seventh year. On Sunday, September 24, the bookstore will dedicate space for customers to record brief videos of themselves reading aloud from banned or challenged books or discussing a favorite banned book and what it means to them. The Book Shop will then upload the videos to the store's Facebook page and submit them to be shared on a dedicated YouTube channel. Anyone who participates in the Virtual Read-Out will receive a 25% off coupon for any book on the banned books list.

And last but not least, Skylight Books in Los Angeles, Calif., is partnering with a local high school for Banned Books Week. Skylight will put up a behind-the-counter display of banned and challenged books with each title featuring a small sign explaining why it was banned or challenged. Customers can then purchase those books at a 20% discount to be donated to the high school's library. --Alex Mutter

Doloris Vest plans to open Book No Further, a new and used bookstore, in downtown Roanoke, Va., on October 17, the Roanoke Times reported. The bookstore will have 500 square feet of space and is near Little Green Hive, a popular coffee shop. The store will have some seating and will host book clubs and writers' workshops.

Vest will carry books about the Roanoke Valley and books by local authors. To help decide on other major categories, Vest is surveying residents about their book interests. The newspaper said Vest is "an avid reader and the former president of the Botetourt County Chamber of Commerce" and has always wanted to open a bookstore.

Book No Further is located at 16 West Marketplace, 16 Church Ave. SW, Roanoke, Va. 24011.

Barnes & Noble will close its store on the Third Street Promenade at the corner of Wilshire in Santa Monica, Calif., after 20 years in business, Canyon News reported, adding that last January, B&N "decided not to renew its lease, and the establishment will be closing its doors early next year."

Canadian bookseller Sheila Koffman, owner of Another Story Bookshop in Toronto, died September 15. She was 72. On Facebook, the bookstore posted: "It is with a heavy heart that we are letting you know our beloved Sheila, the founder of Another Story Bookshop, passed away yesterday. She was surrounded by friends and family. She was a bright light in this community and we will miss her dearly."

Now noted that Koffman "helmed the store through its three decades with a fierce commitment to social justice and an equally ferocious determination to make the store an activist hub."

"She was passionate about the cause," said store manager Laura Ash. "She lived and breathed the bookstore and its politics. She had a bigger-than-life personality but always stepped back to give other people space."

Anjula Gogia, who assisted Another Story with in-store programming, said, "She made sure there was an exceptionally curated list of books teachers and kids could use--books about equity, bullying and Indigenous experience.... She was my comrade. She got it. She ran a business but stayed true to her politics. She kept her commitment in terms of the people she hired and the writers she stocked.... She was still ordering books just a few days before she died. The world of bookselling will be diminished without her starry presence in it."

Coffee House Press hosted Hernán Diaz, author of the novel In the Distance (Oct.), in the Twin Cities. Following a meet-and-greet in the publisher's office, he visited Subtext Books, Common Good Books, Milkweed Books and Magers & Quinn Booksellers. Pictured with Diaz (second from the right): Magers & Quinn booksellers (l.-r.) Brian Goode, Emily Bergslien and Julianne Queensen.

Giovanni's Room in Philadelphia

Inviting readers to "explore eight of the world's only remaining gay bookstores," Logo NewNowNext wrote: "Once upon a time, every major city had a gay bookstore--they weren't just places to stock up on queer lit, but de facto community centers. Gay bookstores offered a space to meet other LGBT people (besides the bars) and were often the first stop for someone new to town. (Remember, this is before the Internet.)....

"Sadly, brick-and-mortar dedicated to LGBT titles are fighting to survive in the age of Amazon. But several venerable repositories remain, treasure troves full of knowledge and wonder for queer people and allies."

The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz (Knopf).

Today:
Fresh Air: Danielle Allen, author of Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A. (Liveright, $24.95, 9781631493119).

Tomorrow:
Conan: Max Brooks, author of Minecraft: The Island: The Novel (Del Rey, $17.99, 9780399181771).

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Senator Al Franken, author of Al Franken, Giant of the Senate (Twelve, $28, 9781455540419).

Tonight Show: Megyn Kelly, author of Settle for More (Harper, $16.99, 9780062495143).

Big Talk Productions has optioned Jonathan Stroud's Lockwood & Co. YA series with plans to adapt the books for television, Deadline reported, adding that the deal comes as the fifth and final installment, The Empty Grave, is set to be published this week by the Penguin Random House imprint Corgi. The other titles are The Screaming Staircase, The Whispering Skull, The Hollow Boy and The Creeping Shadow.

Big Talk's head of film Rachael Prior and CEO Kenton Allen said they "feel a great affinity" with the Lockwood books' "distinct Britishness, innovative world building, vibrantly drawn characters and joyful command of genre," and that the series will be "a highly original, distinctively authored, ghost-detective show to enthrall audiences of all ages."

Stroud noted that he is "hopping with delight at the prospect of Lockwood being brought to the screen by Big Talk.... Their unique sensibility blends comedy, adventure and horror beautifully, and is in perfect synthesis with Lockwood's world. I can't wait for us to take up our rapiers, salt bombs and iron chains and get to work."

The shortlist for the Financial Times and McKinsey & Company 2017 Business Book of the Year Award has been announced. The winner will be awarded on November 6 and receive £30,000 (about $40,590); runners up each receive £10,000 ($13,530). The shortlist:

The Spider Network: The Wild Story of a Math Genius, a Gang of Backstabbing Bankers, and One of the Greatest Scams in Financial History by David Enrich (Custom House)

Janesville: An American Story by Amy Goldstein (Simon & Schuster)

Adaptive Markets: Financial Evolution at the Speed of Thought by Andrew W. Lo (Princeton University Press)

The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone by Brian Merchant (Little, Brown)

Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change by Ellen Pao (Spiegel & Grau)

The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century by Walter Scheidel (Princeton University Press)

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Kirkus Reviews has announced the six finalists in each of the three categories of the Kirkus Prize. Every category winner receives $50,000. The finalists can be seen here.

photo: Amelia Lea

Ashley Weaver is the author of the Amory Ames mysteries. Weaver has worked in libraries since she was 14; she was a page and then a clerk before obtaining her MLIS from Louisiana State University. She's currently technical services coordinator for the Allen Parish Libraries in Louisiana, and lives in Oakdale, La. The Essence of Malice (Minotaur, September 5, 2017) is the fourth installment in the Amory Ames series.

On your nightstand now:

Over the past year or so I've developed a fascination with World War II, and so I'm reading The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare by Damien Lewis and Code Talker by Chester Nez. I'm also enjoying the atmospheric The Widow's House by Carol Goodman. Erik Larson's The Devil in the White City, which I've wanted to read for years, is next in line.

Favorite book when you were a child:

My first favorite book was Richard Scarry's Great Steamboat Mystery. I had the read-along audiocassette version and listened to it so many times I could recite it. It was one of the books that sparked my love of mysteries.

Your top five authors:

There are so many authors I love, but five of my go-to authors, the ones I read and re-read, are Agatha Christie, Jane Austen, Georgette Heyer, Alexandre Dumas and Louis L'Amour. I like a bit of mystery, romance and adventure.

Book you've faked reading:

As an English major, there were a few books I winged my way through in class. One that got me into trouble was Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser. Our professor was trying to initiate class discussion, and though I had actually read the book previously in another class and enjoyed it, I didn't remember it well enough to contribute. Finally, after numerous attempts to engage us, our exasperated professor dismissed class early because no one had done the reading and there was no point in trying to discuss it. (Sorry, Dr. Elmore!)

Book you're an evangelist for:

As a librarian, I feel like I'm always evangelizing for different books! However, the book I've been recommending lately is Radium Girls by Kate Moore. The true story of female factory workers in the early 20th-century struggling to receive justice after being poisoned by radium, it is by turns fascinating, horrifying and inspiring.

Book you've bought for the cover:

I don't think I've ever bought a book solely for the cover, but covers definitely pull me in. I'm also a sucker for a really good title.

Book you hid from your parents:

My parents were always very supportive of my reading and let me choose what I wanted to read, so I never had to hide any books from them!

Book that changed your life:

There are so many books that have shaped my life in different ways or come at just the right moment to mean something special, so it would be hard to choose just one. However, one I am trying to implement is The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo. There's a lot of great advice in there for such a little book. I'm not a neat person by nature, so we'll see if it sticks.

Favorite line from a book:

"There was music from my neighbor's house through the summer nights. In his blue gardens men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars." It's my favorite line from my favorite book, The Great Gatsby. I love how it so succinctly sums up the mood and tone of the story.

Five books you'll never part with:

My list of favorites constantly shifts, but I always say that if my house burned down, one of the things I would grab is my copy of The Great Gatsby. I've read it several times, in different college courses and at different places in my life, and I have so many notes in the margins. I never want to lose that one!

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith was a beautiful story I'd love to watch unfold for the first time again. Also, The Cabinet of Curiosities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. It's my favorite of their Pendergast series and so creepy. I'd love to read it again and not know the solution to the mystery!

Of course high school senior Justyce knows who Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was--he's one of "only eight black kids" at Braselton Preparatory Academy in Atlanta. But Justyce hasn't spent much time thinking about Dr. King and doesn't consider himself one of "THOSE black guys." When he's assaulted by a police officer for helping a drunk girl at a party, however, he realizes that the world sees him differently than he sees himself; he starts looking to Dr. King for guidance because he "can't continue to pretend nothing's wrong." Justyce writes to Martin, as he calls him, throughout the fall, puzzling over the world he's been born into and his relationship to it as a young black man. His letters punctuate most chapters in the first part of the book, as Justyce processes difficult conversations in school and with friends of both races; they track his mixed emotions when he's accepted early to Yale and a classmate who didn't get in says, "I know for a fact it's because I'm white and he's black." Writing to Martin gives Justyce a measure of comfort through everything, even his girl troubles--but after an off-duty white cop shoots at him and kills his best friend, even Martin's words are powerless in the face of what's to come.

In her first novel, Nic Stone uses debate team-captain Justyce's irrepressible curiosity and righteous anger to guide the reader through a nuanced examination of prejudice and racial injustice. Because Justyce lives at the intersection of several identities, he is able to understand every side of each incident--even those he opposes--and Stone's realistic writing brings both his confusion and hard-won clarity to life. Stone combines different formats (like screenplay formatting for conversations) with teenage language (such as "prolly" in place of probably) to keep the story accessible, and she never shies away from deep engagement with the ramifications of racism. In particular, heated classroom debate allows her to introduce many mainstream objections to social justice movements as well as concise takedowns without ever detracting from the overarching story of Justyce's senior year: "So you're saying people just need to pull themselves up by their bootstraps?... In order to do that, they have to be able to afford boots." As a result, while the plot grows increasingly painful, it is never too heavy to bear, and contemporary teens will be delighted to speed through a book by an author who so clearly respects their voices and concerns. --Stephanie Anderson, assistant director of selection, BookOps, Brooklyn Public Library and the New York Public Library

Shelf Talker: A bold, character-driven debut that centers on teens and their experience of the struggle for racial justice in the United States.