Barnes & Noble is setting up "a formal review process to evaluate strategic alternatives for the company," it announced yesterday. This follows what management says are "expressions of interest from multiple parties" about buying B&N, including from chairman Len Riggio, who owns about 19% of the company.

In response to the news, B&N stock jumped more than 20% in after-market trading after closing yesterday at $5.46 a share.

The B&N board has set up a special committee of directors--consisting of Mark Carleton, Paul Guenther, Patricia Higgins and Kimberley Van Der Zon--to lead the strategic review process. The committee will be advised by independent legal and financial advisors. Riggio has "committed to support and vote his shares in favor of any transaction recommended by the special committee," B&N said.

Riggio is B&N's single-largest shareholder and has much experience buying and selling--as well as taking public and private--companies in which he simultaneously has controlling interests, including Gamestop, Babbage's Etc. and Barnes & Noble College/Barnes & Noble Education. The most likely interested parties besides Riggio are investment firms.

Because of the "rapid material accumulations of its stock by a party or parties that cannot be identified," B&N has also implemented what it calls a "short-term shareholder rights plan" that will last a year and "be exercisable if a person or group, without board approval, acquires 20% or more of Barnes & Noble's common stock or announces a tender offer which results in the ownership of 20% or more of Barnes & Noble's common stock." At that point, "all rights holders (other than the person triggering the rights and related parties) will be entitled to acquire preferred shares equivalent to Barnes & Noble's common stock at a 50% discount." The move would weaken the holdings of a person or group seeking to acquire B&N who is not approved by B&N--and in effect by Riggio.

Ada's Technical Books & Café, Seattle Wash., has announced a soft opening for Ada's Discovery Café, which it describes as a "longterm pop-up," at the Lounge by AT&T at 425 15th Avenue East. On Facebook, Ada's posted: "We've been busy these past couple weeks... so busy in fact that we haven't even had time to talk about WHAT we were busy with! But it's BIG news and we're excited to finally have the time to share more about it with you. Until this year, we weren't sure a second Ada's location would ever be possible, but awhile back we were presented with an opportunity we just couldn't pass up." A grand opening is planned for mid-October.

Noting that they have "fallen in love with the coffee industry," Ada's owners Danielle and David Hulton said "we've envisioned a space that could allow us to truly combine our love of technology and coffee, with more of a 'nod' to our bookstore roots. Ada's Discovery will be our first chance to experiment with this sort of coffee-centric space. We are calling this cafe a 'long-term popup' because we plan to be at this location for a minimum of three years. After that, if it seems to align well with our values and vision, we may continue, or we may choose do something different... it's all part of the experiment!"

Danielle Hulton told GeekWire: "We started as a bookstore, so I am very used to talking to people about skepticism and getting them on board with a really exciting idea that I've had. My background is in tech, so I feel like I know the pace that Seattle is moving. We like to play with what I call 'slow and fast technology' and like to experiment."

Cole McBride, manager of Ada's Discovery Café and winner of the 2018 U.S. Barista Championship, said, "I think it's really cool how [Danielle and David] are incorporating technology into coffee and they're doing things that no one else in the industry is doing. No one else has built one of these, not that I know of, and I've never seen this in my life, which is really cool."

The Books Inc. location in Burlingame, Calif., will close early next year. President and CEO Michael Tucker said that "changes in the retail environment on Burlingame Avenue have made it untenable to remain." In particular, high-end national retail chains have opened in the area in the last five years, significantly driving up rents. Tucker added that "none of this should be a surprise in an area where the median price for a home is now $1.5 million and the mandated minimum wage is already at $15 plus health care."

He stressed that the closing "does not reflect" on the health of the company, which has 10 other stores in the Bay Area, including the new branch in Campbell that "has been extremely well received."

Books Inc. aims to move Burlingame-based book clubs, events and special programming to other locations and hopes to continue the offsite relationships with libraries, schools and other organizations through its Palo Alto and Mountain View locations.

The company hopes to place Burlingame employees in other Books Inc. stores. Any employee who is not able to transfer to another location will be offered a severance package.

Ben Schrank

Stephen Rubin, president and publisher of Henry Holt & Company, has named Ben Schrank, publisher of Razorbill, as his successor. On November 1, Schrank will become senior v-p and publisher of Holt. For the next six months, he and Rubin will work together, until May 1, 2019, when Schrank will take over as president and publisher, reporting to Don Weisberg.

Rubin wrote: "I have been doing this job for many moons, both at Macmillan and Random House, and I think the time has come for a fresh pair of eyes to look at our publishing program and to reinvigorate the splendid people who make the magic happen."

He said that what particularly appealed to him about Schrank was that "a good portion of Razorbill's intellectual properties are internally generated," and he noted that one of the "few frustrations" he experienced during his time at Holt was the company's reliance on "outside-originated properties." He added that Schrank seems to have "the perfect open sensibility for Holt's unpredictable boutique style publishing program."

In addition to being a publisher, Schrank is also an author. He's written three novels for adults, including Love Is a Canoe, which was published by Farrar, Straus & Giroux in 2013.

At Penguin Young Readers, meanwhile, Jen Klonsky has been promoted to the new position of president and publisher of Putnam Books for Young Readers and Razorbill. Previously v-p and publisher of Penguin Books for Young Readers, Klonsky will now oversee both Putnam Books for Young Readers and Razorbill. And Casey McIntyre, formerly associate publisher at Razorbill, has been promoted to v-p and publisher.

Bookselling Without Borders, which launched a Kickstarter campaign last week to raise $20,000 to expand its program next year, has added a variety of new rewards this week. They include:

• Selected groups of titles from some of the publisher sponsors of Bookselling Without Borders, for a range of donations, some as low as $60. One of the largest is the "Europa Instant Library," from Europa Editions, available for a donation of $2,300. It includes more than 250 titles, "prize-winning, best-selling international literature" such as Trick by Domenico Starnone and Disoriental by Negar Djavadi; Europa classics like The Elegance of the Hedgehog, A Day in the Life of Ancient Rome and My Brilliant Friend; and the Neapolitan Novel boxed set.
• The chance to tag along on with BWB groups at the Turin Book Fair and Frankfurt Book Fair next year. These are available for donations of $3,500 (Turin) and $4,250 (Frankfurt), do not include air fare, and are open to booksellers, buyers, bookstore managers and owners only.
• Membership in some publishers' galley and ARC clubs, such as those run by the Other Press and Graywolf.
• "Book salons" and "book chats" with some of BWB's bookstore sponsors, such as Porter Square Books, Cambridge, Mass.; Square Books, Oxford, Miss.; Busboys and Poets, Washington, D.C.; Seminary Co-op, Chicago, Ill.; Brazos Bookstore, Houston, Tex.; Prairie Lights, Iowa City, Iowa; Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, Wash.; Changing Hands, Phoenix and Tempe, Ariz.; and Book Culture in New York City.

The Kickstarter campaign aims to help fund 16 fellowships to four international fairs next year, and for the first time, two bookstore residencies, in Italy and India. So far, the campaign has raised more than $11,000 toward its goal of $20,000.

In three weeks, Rakuten Kobo will release the Kobo Forma, which it describes as "the largest and lightest 8-inch display e-reader... built for ravenous readers who have come to expect the choice of landscape or portrait orientation, waterproof reliability, an innovative lightweight design, and the perfect alternative to bulky print books."

The Kobo Forma has page-turn buttons "for those who like a tactile way to move through their story," the company said, as well as the ability to read in landscape or portrait mode on the HD Carata E Ink screen. In addition, ComfortLight Pro offers a variety of lighting options. And the e-reader is waterproof, allowing users to "soak up a story anywhere, whether it's in bed, at the beach or in the bath."

Rakuten Kobo CEO Michael Tamblyn said, "Our top customers spend an average of three hours per day on our e-readers. In fact, tens of thousands of our top customers read 7 to 8 hours per day, and that is exactly why we continue to innovate to make our devices beautiful and comfortable for full-time readers."

The Kobo Forma with 8GB of storage (up to 6,000 books) will cost $279 in the U.S. and be available October 23. A version with 32GB of storage will also appear on October 23, but only in Japan. It will be available elsewhere "at a later date."

Amazon gives with one hand and takes away with several others.

The company garnered many positive headlines and even a nod of approval from Senator Bernie Sanders when it announced on Tuesday that all employees will soon receive a minimum wage of $15 an hour. But in the fine print, it turns out that warehouse workers will lose monthly bonuses and stock awards, according to CNBC.

The company claims that the wage increase "more than compensates" for the loss of other benefits, but the Guardian has said some employees will make less money under the new approach.

Among other benefits, warehouse workers currently receive one Amazon share (worth $1,952 at the close of trading yesterday) at the end of every year as well as another share every five years.

Alison Shay has been appointed publicist at UNC Press. She was previously acquisitions editor at Syracuse University Press.

---

Rebecca Suss has been promoted to corporate communications associate at Simon & Schuster. She joined the department as an assistant in 2017.

If You Give the Puffin a Muffin by Tim Young (Schiffer Publishing).

Today:
NPR's Here & Now: Stormy Daniels, author of Full Disclosure (St. Martin's Press, $27.99, 9781250205568).

Tomorrow:
Live with Kelly and Ryan: Chelsea Clinton, author of Start Now!: You Can Make a Difference (Philomel, $16.99, 9780525514367).

NPR's Morning Edition: Ketch Secor, author of Lorraine: The Girl who Sang the Storm Away (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, $18, 9781492616924).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Ellie Kemper, author of My Squirrel Days (Scribner, $26, 9781501163340)

HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher: Doris Kearns Goodwin, author of Leadership: In Turbulent Times (Simon & Schuster, $30, 9781476795928).

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 6
5:45 p.m. Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore, authors of Godless Citizens in a Godly Republic: Atheists in American Public Life (Norton, $26.95, 9780393254969), at Buffalo Street Books in Ithaca, N.Y.

7:30 p.m. Corey Brettschneider, author of The Oath and the Office: A Guide to the Constitution for Future Presidents (Norton, $22.95, 9780393652123).

9 p.m. Jill Lepore, author of These Truths: A History of the United States (Norton, $39.95, 9780393635249), at Harvard Book Store in Cambridge, Mass. (Re-airs Sunday at 5 p.m.)

10 p.m. Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger (Simon & Schuster, $27, 9781501181795). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m. and Monday at 3 a.m.)

11 p.m. America Ferrera, author of American Like Me: Reflections on Life Between Cultures (Gallery, $26, 9781501180910).

Sunday, October 7
12:30 a.m. Harold Koh, author of The Trump Administration and International Law (Oxford University Press, $27.95, 9780190912185). (Re-airs Sunday at 3 p.m.)

2 a.m. Sandeep Jauhar, author of Heart: A History (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $27, 9780374168650), at Brazos Books in Houston, Tex.

12 p.m. Live In-Depth q&a with Geraldine Brooks, author most recently of The Secret Chord: A Novel (Penguin Books, $16, 9780143109761). (Re-airs Monday at 12 a.m.)

6:30 p.m. Miriam Pawel, author of The Browns of California: The Family Dynasty that Transformed a State and Shaped a Nation (Bloomsbury, $35, 9781632867339).

7:45 p.m. Sarah Smarsh, author of Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country on Earth (Scribner, $26, 9781501133091).

10 p.m. Coverage of the 83rd annual Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards, which is presented for "important contributions to our understanding of racism and our appreciation of the rich diversity of human cultures."

Irish author John Boyne won the £2,000 (about $2,595) Goldsboro Books Glass Bell Award, which recognizes "compelling storytelling with brilliant characterization and a distinct voice that is confidently written and assuredly realized," for The Heart's Invisible Furies. The award was launched last year by David Headley, with his team at the Goldsboro Books bookshop serving as prize judges, the Bookseller noted. In addition to the cash prize, the winner receives an engraved glass bell. 

"Choosing this year's winner was an immense challenge, but John Boyne's The Heart's Invisible Furies really stood out to us," said David Headley. "An odyssey exploring 70 years of Irish history, and changing attitudes to sexuality and relationships, it had me laughing aloud one minute, then on the verge of tears the next. Powerful and poignant, but also genuinely funny, it is a tour de force from a writer at the top of his game. John is a worthy winner of this year's Glass Bell Award."

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, October 9:

Killing Commendatore by Haruki Murakami (Knopf, $30, 9780525520047) is the latest literary lunacy from Japan's foremost living author.

Bridge of Clay by Markus Zusak (Knopf, $26, 9781984830159) tells the story of five brothers with a missing father.

The Witch Elm: A Novel by Tana French (Viking, $28, 9780735224629) is a mystery about a man convalescing at his uncle's home when a human skull is discovered in the yard.

A Middle-earth Traveler: Sketches from Bag End to Mordor by John Howe (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28, 9781328557513) contains art from an illustrator most famous for sketching J.R.R. Tolkien's world.

The Clockmaker's Daughter: A Novel by Kate Morton (Atria, $28, 9781451649390) unravels a murder mystery between 1860s England and the modern day.

In the Night Wood by Dale Bailey (John Joseph Adams/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $23, 9781328494436) follows the biographer of a Victorian fantasist as he slips toward his subject's dark past.

Prius or Pickup?: How the Answers to Four Simple Questions Explain America's Great Divide by Marc Hetherington and Jonathan Weiler (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28, 9781328866783) looks at life choices that reflect one's politics.

My Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper (Scribner, $26, 9781501163340) is a memoir by the star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and The Office.

The Vanishing Box by Elly Griffiths (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25, 9780544750296) is the fourth entry in the Magic Men Mysteries series.

Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard (Holt, $30, 9781250165541) is the latest of O'Reilly's historical narratives.

The Lotterys More or Less by Emma Donoghue, illustrated by Caroline Hadilaksono (Arthur A. Levine Books/Scholastic, $17.99, 9781338207538), is the middle grade sequel to The Lotterys Plus One.

Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Peña and Christian Robinson (Putnam, $17.99, 9780399549045) is the first picture book collaboration since their Caldecott Honor and Newbery Medal-winning Last Stop on Market Street.

Paperbacks:
Mutts and Mistletoe by Natalie Cox (Putnam, $13, 9780525539193).

The Fresh and Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook: 75 Easy Recipes for Light Meals to Make in Your Electric Pressure Cooker by Megan Gilmore (Ten Speed Press, $19.99, 9780399582615).

Movies:
First Man, based on the book by James R. Hansen, opens October 12. Ryan Gosling stars as Neil Armstrong, the titular first man on the Moon.

Beautiful Boy, based on the memoirs by David and Nic Sheff, opens October 12. Steve Carell stars as the father of a son addicted to meth (Timothée Chalamet). A movie tie-in edition of David Sheff's memoir (Eamon Dolan/Mariner, $15.99, 9781328974716) is now 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
Ohio: A Novel by Stephen Markley (Simon & Schuster, $27, 9781501174476). "Stephen Markley's powerful debut plumbs the depths of the cruel trick played on small-town America during the recession, war, and political and cultural hostility of the last 15 years and delivers us the gift of surprising and exquisite beauty and hope. In this story of four former classmates and one summer night in 2013, Markley gives us insightful and gorgeous prose revealing the humanity that continues to carry on in the broken center of America. I hope to read this author's keen writing for many years to come." --Beth Albrecht, The Magic Tree Bookstore, Oak Park, Ill.

The Winter Soldier: A Novel by Daniel Mason (Little, Brown, $28, 9780316477604). "The depth and complexity of Daniel Mason's new three-dimensional tapestry of war and its consequences make for a remarkable read. There are the basic wartime themes of love, horror, and loss--of limbs and lives, of innocence and empire. A whole world just vanishes in bombs, guns, and smoke, and the reader is left clutching at hints, but the richness of the story makes it uplifting rather than melancholy. Everything is below the surface; you sink down, discover something new at every turn, and come away refreshed. How does that happen with a war story? Don't ask--just read." --Grace Bogart, Copperfield's Books, Petaluma, Calif.

Paperback
Logical Family: A Memoir by Armistead Maupin (Harper Perennial, $16.99, 9780062391254). "Armistead Maupin's new memoir, Logical Family, tells the story of his life with the same humor and grace that have made his Tales of the City series so beloved. Fans will delight in reading about the inspirations for Barbary Lane and its inhabitants, but readers who are brand new to Maupin will also fall in love. His story is that of a young boy growing up in the old South, in the Navy, in Vietnam, and in the closet--at least until he found his home in 1970s San Francisco. Even if he weren't already an LGBT icon and literary hero, this memoir would be one to champion." --Emilie Sommer, East City Bookshop, Washington, D.C.

For Ages 4 to 8
Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise by David Ezra Stein (Candlewick Press, $16.99, 9780763688424). "Every story time fan's favorite over-excited chicken is back. This time, as instructed by her teacher, Interrupting Chicken is on a mission to find the 'Elephant of Surprise' in every story. And if it's not there, she's going to put it there. I just sat at my desk and laughed. It's everything a real and proper kids' picture book should be. I can't wait to put Interrupting Chicken and the Elephant of Surprise into people's hands." --Amy Brabenec, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, Mass.

For Ages 9 to 12
Mascot by Antony John (HarperCollins, $16.99, 9780062835628). "Mascot is a hometown adventure story filled with new beginnings. When Noah returns to school after the accident that left him paralyzed and killed his father, his old Little League teammates are anything but kind. Luckily, Noah befriends new kid and fellow outcast Dee-Dub, and, with childhood pal Alyssa in tow, shenanigans unfold. Meanwhile, Noah's mother needs someone to talk to, but when a familiar face shows up, will he strike out with Noah? Secret plans, after-school rivalries, and awkward moments abound, with a bit of romance, too. A fun and heartwarming read for all." --Mary Wahlmeier, Raven Bookstore, Lawrence, Kan.

For Teen Readers
And the Ocean Was Our Sky by Patrick Ness, illustrated by Rovina Cai (HarperTeen, $19.99, 9780062860729). "I love Patrick Ness's writing. He generates great tension and his words resound with authority and weight. This story--a Moby Dick tale told from the viewpoint of the whales--follows the apprentice hunter Bathsheba and her pod as they swim down (that's right, down) to the ocean surface to hunt the very men who hunt them. In the process, they find something even more terrible than men. This novel reads like mythology and the theme is a marvelous one, delivered masterfully." --Brandon Breen, Bloomsbury Books, Ashland, Ore.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

The bestselling Libro.fm audiobooks at independent bookstore locations during September:

Fiction

1. Lethal White by Robert Galbraith (Robert Galbraith)
2. There There by Tommy Orange (Penguin Random House Audio)
3. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (Penguin Random House Audio)
4. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (HarperCollins)
5. Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (Penguin Random House Audio)
6. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (Penguin Random House Audio)
7. Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng (Penguin Random House Audio)
8. Less by Andrew Sean Greer (Hachette Audio)
9. A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Penguin Random House Audio)
10. The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin (Penguin Random House Audio)

Nonfiction

1. Fear by Bob Woodward (Penguin Random House Audio)
2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover (Penguin Random House Audio)
3. Calypso by David Sedaris (Hachette Audio)
4. Astrophysics for People in a Hurry by Neil deGrasse Tyson (Blackstone Audio)
5. These Truths by Jill Lepore (Recorded Books)
6. Leadership by Doris Kearns Goodwin (Simon & Schuster Audio)
7. The Restless Wave by John McCain and Mark Salter (Simon & Schuster Audio)
8. Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow (Penguin Random House Audio)
9. Killer of the Flower Moon by David Grann (Penguin Random House Audio)
10. Jello-Girls by Allie Rowbottom (Hachette Audio)