Carl and Kelly Rexroad, owners of the Bookworm, Carbondale, Ill., for the last 16 years, have decided to retire and have put the store up for sale, the Southern reported.

The Rexroads will continue to operate the store through the end of the year, and if buyers aren't found by early 2018, they will begin to liquidate the inventory and close the store.

"We would absolutely love to see the Bookworm continue as a viable business in Carbondale and the region," Carl Rexroad said. "The ideal situation, of course, would be to find a buyer who shares a passion for the book business and can continue the business in the same quality tradition we have always tried to achieve."

"Running our own business has been both fun and rewarding," Kelly Rexroad said. "We are ready to move on, take it a bit easier, have more free time and spend a lot of it with our grandkids."

The Rexroads bought an existing bookstore in Eastgate Shopping Center in May 2001, remade it into the Bookworm, and expanded into neighboring space.

The store sells new and out-of-print local books, including many books about Southern Illinois, and regularly hosts local authors for book signings, the Southern added.

Effective immediately, U.S. independent bookstores opening a new account or a new location will have access to special discounts, dating and co-op terms on all adult, children's and audio physical products from Simon & Schuster and its distribution clients, which include, among others, Andrews McMeel, Baen, Hazelden Publishing, Inner Traditions/Bear & Co., Insight Editions, Kaplan Publishing, little bee books, Reader's Digest, Regan Arts, Tuttle and World Almanac.

"Our new program confirms Simon & Schuster's ongoing commitment to independent booksellers," Michael Selleck, executive v-p, sales and marketing, said.

For more information, booksellers should e-mail field sales director Tracy Nelson or contact their local sales rep.

Joel Fotinos, whose departure as v-p and publisher of TarcherPerigee was announced only last Friday, has landed a new gig: v-p and editorial director of a new mind/body/spirit line of books at St. Martin's Press. The appointment is effective November 6.

In his new position, he will publish "both well-known and up-and-coming authors in the fields of spirituality, self-empowerment, and well-being," St. Martin's said. "He'll focus on creating an active and thriving frontlist and backlist in these areas while also looking for unique opportunities to grow the category in creative ways."

"We have long had an interest and success in publishing in the mind/body/spirit space and we look forward to strengthening and growing that success with his focus and expertise," said Sally Richardson, president and publisher of St. Martin's.

Congratulations and many thanks to Third Place Books, Seattle, Wash., which has donated 20% of all sales last weekend at its three bookstores to benefit hurricane relief in Puerto Rico. Third Place sent a check for $6,585 to the UNIDOS Disaster Relief & Recovery Fund, sponsored by the Hispanic Federation.

The effort was proposed by Christina Bearer, a bookseller at Third Place's Ravenna store. "We all know that the individual can be way more powerful when joined together with others," she said.

Managing partner Robert Sindelar, who's also president of the American Booksellers Association, commented on Facebook, "One of my favorite parts of my job is when staff come up with a great idea and all I have to do is say 'Yes, go for it.' "

Amazon Business has launched Business Prime Shipping, a paid annual membership program for registered multi-user business customers in the U.S. and Germany. The service offers unlimited free two-day shipping in the U.S. on eligible items for all users on an Amazon Business account. 

In other news, Amazon introduced an "all-new Kindle app that makes it easier than ever to turn your phone or tablet into a book--so you can read anytime, anywhere," according to the company, which touted the app's "new look and feel inspired by books," one-tap access and a search bar that "is now always available throughout the app." In addition, the Goodreads community is now built into the new Kindle for iOS app.

Sourcebooks and America's Test Kitchen are teaming up for America's Test Kitchen Kids, a partnership "to create a series of co-branded books designed to educate, inspire creativity, and shape a child's relationship with food and cooking." The titles will foster new ways for children to connect with food, from baby's first foods and STEM-based picture books, to cookbooks that bring the test kitchen experience to kids of all ages.

Jack Bishop, chief creative officer at America's Test Kitchen, and Kelly Barrales-Saylor, editorial director for children's nonfiction at Sourcebooks, will lead the teams working on book development and new product generation. They expect to publish six to 10 titles per year across a range of age groups, beginning in fall 2018.

Dominique Raccah, CEO and publisher of Sourcebooks, said that America's Test Kitchen Kids' "focus on combining the science, math, and creativity of food, paired with our aptitude for producing books that transcend categories, will create the perfect doorway to developing a child's positive relationship with food at every stage, baby to teen."

America's Test Kitchen CEO David Nussbaum said that "by partnering with Sourcebooks to focus on children through America's Test Kitchen Kids, we hope to instruct and inspire the next generation of cooks." 

BookBar hosted Denver's first annual children's literary festival last weekend, taking over the entire store and patio with children's authors and illustrators for all ages, including Donna Cooner, Amy Dominy, Jason Gallaher, Jean Hanson, Todd Mitchell, Cathy Morrison, Dow Phumiruk and Heather Preusser. The event also featured a magician, balloon animals, face painting, Mavis the Magical BookMobile, writing & illustrating workshops, drag queen story time, live music and food samples from nearby restaurants. The four-hour event drew hundreds of community families. Pictured: author Melissa Sweet.

It all began on Sunday when Andre Walker, U.K. political correspondent and columnist for the New York Observer, responded to a tweet by English author and illustrator Cressida Crowell ("Public libraries and libraries in primary schools are closing. How are children from low income families to become readers for pleasure?") with his own provocative post: "Nobody goes to libraries anymore. Close the public ones and put the books in schools." He then upped the ante with: "I know this makes Librarians angry but shutting libraries and putting the books into schools would be an absolute good." And "Librarians are like French teachers. These jobs exist in order to pay the wages of sad people who can't get proper work."

Never mess with librarians and their fans.

On Tuesday, Walker tweeted "Dear #Library users, I surrender!" and included a Facebook screenshot: "Dear (and I can't believe I'm saying this) all 110,000 people who replied to my tweet about libraries. Your sheer numbers have proved the point that libraries aren't as unpopular as I believed this morning! Please stop replying!!!"

He noted in one if his Twitter comments: "To be fair I can't help but feel the people that set out to prove to me that libraries are popular have succeeded!"

The Society of Authors even weighed in: "We can't condone chasing anti-library campaigners through the streets with sticks until they capitulate, but, I mean, it does seem to work."

Pen & Sword Books, Barnsley, England, is starting a U.S. office: it has hired Chris Evans as senior editor to help develop a U.S. publishing arm. Based in New York City, Evans will be responsible for commissioning titles for Pen and Sword's U.S. list, focusing on military history, current events and conflicts, and adventure. Evans formerly held editorial positions at Skyhorse Publishing and Stackpole Books.

Pen & Sword is also launching a U.S.-focused website and increasing U.S. consumer marketing and promotion.

The Queen's Prophet by Dawn Patitucci (Turner).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Lewis Howes, author of The Mask of Masculinity: How Men Can Embrace Vulnerability, Create Strong Relationships, and Live Their Fullest Lives (Rodale Books, $25.99, 9781623368623).

HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher: Joy Behar, author of The Great Gasbag: An A-to-Z Study Guide to Surviving Trump World (Harper, $24.99, 9780062699343).

Tonight Show: Denis Leary, author of Why We Don't Suck: And How All of Us Need to Stop Being Such Partisan Little Bitches (Crown Archetype, $27, 9781524762735).

Late Night with Seth Meyers repeat: Jesmyn Ward, author of Sing, Unburied, Sing: A Novel (Scribner, $26, 9781501126062).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, October 28
2:30 p.m. Scott Greenberger, author of The Unexpected President: The Life and Times of Chester A. Arthur (Da Capo, $28, 9780306823893), at Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C.

4:45 p.m. Colin Dickey, author of Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places (Penguin Books, $17, 9781101980200), at Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C. (Re-airs Sunday at 11 a.m.)

5:45 p.m. Sally Quinn, author of Finding Magic: A Spiritual Memoir (HarperOne, $28.99, 9780062315502). (Re-airs Monday at 1:45 a.m.)

7 p.m. Tiya Miles, author of The Dawn of Detroit: A Chronicle of Slavery and Freedom in the City of the Straits (The New Press, $27.95, 9781620972311), at Source Booksellers in Detroit, Mich. (Re-airs Sunday at 2 p.m.)

8:10 p.m. Satya Nadella, co-author of Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone (HarperBusiness, $29.99, 9780062652508).

9 p.m. Eva Moskowitz, author of The Education of Eva Moskowitz: A Memoir (Harper, $27.99, 9780062449788).

10 p.m. Bob Schieffer, author of Overload: Finding the Truth in Today's Deluge of News (Rowman & Littlefield, $24.95, 9781538107218). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m. and Monday at 12 a.m. and 3 a.m.)

11 p.m. Coverage from Regnery Publishing's 70th anniversary party. (Re-airs Sunday at 7 p.m.)

Sunday, October 29
12 a.m. William Youmans, author of An Unlikely Audience: Al Jazeera's Struggle in America (Oxford University Press, $29.95, 9780190655723).

5:45 p.m. Ava Siegler discusses How Do I Explain This to My Kids?: Parenting in the Age of Trump, edited by Diane Wachtell and Sarah Swong (The New Press, $15.95, 9781620973561), at Politics & Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C.

8 p.m. Katy Tur, author of Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History (Dey Street, $26.99, 9780062684929).

10 p.m. Susan Wharton Gates, author of Days of Slaughter: Inside the Fall of Freddie Mac and Why It Could Happen Again (Johns Hopkins University Press, $24.95, 9781421421933).

11:10 p.m. Nelson DeMille, author of The Cuban Affair: A Novel (Simon & Schuster, $28.99, 9781501101724), at Long Island LitFest.

The shortlisted titles for the $75,000 Cundill History Prize, honoring the best history writing in English and sponsored by McGill University, are:

The House of the Dead: Siberian Exile Under the Tsar by Daniel Beer (Allen Lane)
Vietnam: A New History by Christopher Goscha (Basic)
The Great Leveler: Violence and the History of Inequality from the Stone Age to the Twenty-First Century by Walter Scheidel (Princeton University Press)

The winner will be announced November 16.

---

Seven finalists were announced for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year (the "Bookie"), which awards a £29,000 (US$38,335) cash prize, a free £2,500 ($3,304) William Hill bet and a day at the races. The winner will be named November 28. This year's shortlisted titles are:

The Greatest Comeback: From Genocide to Football Glory by David Bolchover
Ali: A Life by Jonathan Eig
Quiet Genius: Bob Paisley, British Football's Greatest Manager by Ian Herbert
Swell: A Waterbiography by Jenny Landreth
Tom Simpson: Bird on the Wire by Andy McGrath
Centaur by Declan Murphy and Ami Rao
Breaking Ground: Art, Archaeology and Mythology, edited by Neville Gabie, Alan Ward and Jason Wood 

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, October 31:

Two Kinds of Truth by Michael Connelly (Little, Brown, $29, 9780316225908) is the 20th mystery with Harry Bosch.

In the Midst of Winter: A Novel by Isabel Allende (Atria, $28, 9781501178139) follows an elderly human rights scholar and young undocumented immigrant who meet after a car accident.

Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit by Chris Matthews (Simon & Schuster, $28.99, 9781501111860) is a biography of RFK by the MSNBC host.

Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire (Morrow, $26.99, 9780062684387) is a retelling of the classic Nutcracker story.

The Diabolic: The Empress by S.J. Kincaid (Simon & Schuster, $17.99, 9781534409927) finds Nemesis fighting to keep the power she gained in The Diabolic.

The Littlest Bigfoot: Little Bigfoot, Big City by Jennifer Weiner (Aladdin, $17.99, 9781481470773) is the second book in the middle grade Littlest Bigfoot series.

Paperbacks:
The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis (Norton, $16.99, 9780393354775).

Gwendy's Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar (Gallery, $14.99, 9781501188299).

Movies:
Last Flag Flying, based on the novel by Darryl Ponicsan, opens November 3. Richard Linklater directs this story of three Vietnam veterans (Steve Carell, Laurence Fishburne and Bryan Cranston) who reunite to bury the son of one of them, who was killed in Iraq. A movie tie-in edition (Skyhorse, $15.99, 9781510733299) is available November 14.

My Friend Dahmer, based on the graphic novel by Derf Backderf, opens November 3. This true story follows future serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer as a high school student. A movie tie-in edition (Abrams, $19.99, 9781419727559) is available.

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
The Twelve-Mile Straight by Eleanor Henderson (Ecco, $27.99, 9780062422088). "When asked what defines 'Southern' literature, most would put land and family on the top of the list. These also define Eleanor Henderson's The Twelve-Mile Straight, a story set in the 1930s in Georgia, where George Wilson owns the cotton mill and most of the land and Juke Jessop is a sharecropper on land that wouldn't support his family, but his renown fills the gap. Full of entanglements, violence, and vivid characters, both white and black, this gripping saga starts with a lynching and weaves back and forth in time and voice until a stasis, if not resolution, is reached." --Ann Carlson, Waterfront Books, Georgetown, S.C.

The Vengeance of Mothers by Jim Fergus (St. Martin's Press, $26.99, 9781250093424). "One Thousand White Women was one of my favorite books and Jim Fergus does not disappoint with The Vengeance of Mothers. Meggie Kelly and her twin sister, Susie, are survivors of the 'Brides for Indians' program and of their Cheyenne village's massacre by the Army. When a new group of women are mistakenly sent west even though the government has abandoned the program, the twins help them adapt to the Cheyenne lifestyle while planning their revenge upon the soldiers that killed their family, including their newborn babies. Full of resilience, hope, sadness, and suspense, I was at the edge of my seat turning pages, worried about the outcome of these remarkable women. I loved it!"--Maxwell Gregory, Lake Forest Book Store, Lake Forest, Ill.

Paperback
Orphans of the Carnival by Carol Birch (Anchor, $16.95, 9781101973097). "Orphans of the Carnival is the story of a time when the oddities of nature could be a lucrative path to fame and fortune. Although heartbreaking, it is the wonderful journey of a talented woman who just wants a normal life, in spite of being alternately vilified and celebrated. Filled with many unforgettable characters and amazing writing, this is a book that will stay with readers for a long time." --Mary McBride, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, Kan.

For Ages 4 to 8
Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers, illustrated by Shawn Harris (Chronicle Books, $19.99, 9781452162812). "Her Right Foot is not only informative and beautifully illustrated, it's also hilarious and really fun to read. I can imagine reading this aloud to kids and adults, and I think both would learn and gain understanding from it, as well as have a lot of fun. The message of the book is important and timely as well, as there are still many immigrants and children of immigrants in the U.S. (aren't almost all of us children of immigrants if we go back far enough?), and sending a message of understanding and welcoming is imperative." --Alissa Hugel, Folio Books, San Francisco, Calif.

For Ages 9 to 12: An Indies Introduce Title
The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $16.99, 9780544876392). "If Wes Anderson wrote The Penderwicks, it might look like The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street. From the moment you step into the brownstone on 141st Street, the five Vanderbeeker children and their eccentric collection of family and friends will charm and delight you. Their attempts to keep their Scrooge-like landlord from evicting them from their beloved home are both hilarious and heartwarming. This modern-day classic-in-the-making will stay with you long after you've turned the final page." --Melissa Posten, The Novel Neighbor, Webster Groves, Mo.

For Teen Readers
Release by Patrick Ness (HarperTeen, $17.99, 9780062403193). "In this beautifully written coming-of-age young adult novel, Adam Thorn, teenage son of a pastor, struggles to accept his sexuality. And a struggle it is, as his Christian parents, recognizing that he is different from his older brother, keep him at arm's length. They have done this for a number of years and Adam feels that his family does not love him. His acceptance and exploration of his sexuality leads him to be able to differentiate between lust and love. Ness' writing explores Adam's feelings and confusion with tenderness and empathy." --Biddy Kehoe, Hockessin Bookshelf, Hockessin, Del.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

Before Anne Fadiman was known for The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down and At Large and At Small, she was an "oakling," withering (according to an adage she quotes) in the shadow of an oak. Her father, Clifton Fadiman, enjoyed a long, successful career as a reader, book reviewer and wordsmith. He worked for Simon & Schuster, the New Yorker and the radio quiz show Information Please, and produced numerous collections of essays, criticism and anecdotes, children's literature, translations and anthologies. Most of all, however, he loved wine.

Fadiman's The Wine Lover's Daughter is a beautifully composed memoir of her father's life, viewed through the lens of his oenophilia. She recalls discovering his essay "Brief History of a Love Affair" at age 10, and being disappointed that it did not describe love for a woman. She should not have been surprised, as even at that age she knew the names of the Premier Cru Bordeaux and which were the Great Years (capitalized as such). Clifton's passion for wine was prodigious, and it was his daughter's shame and consternation that her palate never came to appreciate any of its forms. This memoir is in part the story of that struggle--her repeated attempts to love wine, and all the fine bottles wasted on her. Near the end, she embarks on a study of taste buds, supertasters and the possible scientific explanation for her (as she feels it) failure to live up to a legacy.

While she does not shrink from Clifton's flaws--a condescending attitude toward women, profound insecurity--this portrait is deeply loving. Fadiman seeks to reveal a complex and multi-talented man, and to celebrate his contributions to literature. She also seeks contact with a father she clearly misses. Upon discovering the careful handwritten record of his wine purchases: "He liked thinking about a bottle waiting for decades in a hushed, dark place until a hand reached in, and the corkscrew did its work, and the wine came to life again, a life that had deepened while it bided its time. Opening the Cellar Book was like that." She calls it "the most serious book he ever wrote, the most heartfelt, the most honest." Finding him again in his Cellar Book, as well as in his copious writings, brings Fadiman great pleasure, and will edify and entertain readers. Along the way, she touches upon a century of U.S. cultural history, to which her father contributed.

Fadiman's prose is clear and precise, and while not overtly poetic, perfectly composed as to rhythm and sound. As in her past work, she writes with equal skill of her own memories, family history, science and the finer points of wine appreciation (which she knows by heart and inheritance, if not by personal experience). The Wine Lover's Daughter is a beautiful remembrance and a loving and well-deserved tribute to a literary figure--and to the joy of imbibing. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: A loving daughter's memoir of her father portrays the literary mind of Clifton Fadiman through his passionate oenophilia.