The winners of the National Book Awards, presented last night in New York, are:

Fiction: The Friend by Sigrid Nunez (Riverhead)
Nunez said in part, "I was lucky enough as a child to have had a mother and teachers who taught me that whatever happened in life, however bad things might get, I could always escape by reading a book. I was lucky enough to keep on meeting them, people who believed that reading and writing were the best things a person could do with her life. And to learn what Alan Bennett was getting at when he said that for a writer, nothing is ever quite as bad as it is for other people, because however dreadful, it may be of use. I became a writer not because I was seeking community but rather because I thought it was something I could do alone and hidden in the privacy of my own room. How lucky to have discovered that writing books made the miraculous possible: to be removed from the world and to be a part of the world at the same time. And tonight how happy I am to feel a part of the world."

Nonfiction: The New Negro: The Life of Alain Locke by Jeffrey C. Stewart (Oxford University Press)
Stewart said in part, "If [Locke] was here right now accepting this award, he wouldn't have a family with him. As a gay man who lived a closeted life, he had many struggles and one of them was with a tremendous, crushing loneliness. And so when I stand here, I think about his achievement. And what it was was to create a family among writers and artists and dancers and dramatists and call them the New Negro, the basis for a new creative future, not just for black people, a New Negro for a new America. Thank you, Alain Locke."

Poetry: Indecency by Justin Phillip Reed (Coffee House Press)
Reed said in part, "I want to feel a fullness, to love the vast proliferation of the voices and blurred countenances that have made it possible for me and for you with me to have libraries, to realize the tremendous intersection of lives and languages that a single one of those voices and faces represents and how recognizing each of the lives beyond those in fact magnifies each of us. That could be so joyful."

Translated Literature: The Emissary by Yoko Tawada, translated from Japanese by Margaret Mitsutani (New Directions)
Unable to attend the awards because of commitments in Japan, Tawada sent a message saying in part, "Translation gives a book wings to fly across national borders."

Young People's Literature: The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo (HarperTeen)
Acevedo said in part, "I walk through the world with a chip on my shoulder. I go into so many spaces where I feel like I have to prove that I am allowed to be in that space. As the child of immigrants, as a black woman, as a Latina, as someone whose accented voice holds certain neighborhoods, whose body holds certain stories, I always feel like I have to prove that I'm worthy enough and there will never be an award or accolade that would take that away. That is how I walk in the world. But every single time I meet a reader who looks at me and says 'I have never seen my story until I read yours,' I am reminded of why this matters. And that it's not going to be an award or an accolade. It's going to be looking at someone in the face and saying, 'I see you,' and in return be told, 'I am seen.' And so thank you so much to the readers who time and again remind me why I took this leap, why it matters, and why books matter."

Toby Cox at Three Lives & Company welcomes Amazon to NYC.

Amazon's decision to locate the company's new "HQ2" headquarters in Crystal City in Arlington, Va., and Long Island City in Queens, N.Y., in return for generous, even excessive, incentives has prompted strong critical responses from many, including the independent bookselling community that has been battling Amazon's invasion for more than two decades.

Several booksellers in the New York area with whom Shelf Awareness spoke expressed concern that the huge jump in Amazon's presence in the center of the book publishing industry could lead to even more power and influence in the business. The adverse effect might be similar to what some worry about with the opening of a huge office in Arlington, Va.: Amazon's expanded presence in the capital could help the company politically at the federal level.

Lexi Beach, owner of Astoria Bookshop in Queens and a bookseller who is directly in Amazon HQ2's line of fire, wrote an op-ed for the New York Daily News in which she said she was "more than a little troubled by the deal New York has made with Amazon to help them open their new offices in Long Island City.... A corporation infamous for not paying corporate taxes moving into the neighborhood where I've built my business is unacceptable....

"It is dangerous to the American economy to watch Amazon grow so large, but it's especially damaging to brick-and-mortar small businesses like mine.... Contrary to popular opinion, bookstores are thriving. But residents must decide what they want their neighborhoods to look like, and vote with their wallets accordingly. Civil servants must put in place legislation and regulations to protect constituents and municipal budgets alike.

"The hypocrisy on [NYC Mayor Bill] de Blasio's part--he goes out of his way to shop locally because of how badly Amazon hurts brick-and-mortar stores--stings especially. For now, I must protect my business the best I can: by publicly objecting to this plan, and working to educate people who are not yet aware of Amazon's insidious, though technically legal, business tactics."

In strongly worded letters to Virginia Governor Ralph Northam and New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, ABA CEO Oren Teicher wrote that "it is unconscionable that state tax dollars paid by [New Yorkers & Virginians] would be redirected to subsidize one of the world's largest--and most profitable--companies, which, among other things, has a history of doing whatever it can to drive competitors out of business and to avoid paying its fair share of taxes."

Teicher added: "It is simply bad public policy to direct public money away from infrastructure, first responders, and public schools--which benefit all [New Yorkers & Virginians]--and, instead, to direct that money to a single international mega-corporation with a market capitalization that dwarfs virtually every other company.... Local businesses are the backbone of our state's fiscal health. The news of such massive public subsidies to one of the world's largest and most profitable corporations is contrary to the long-term interests of all [New Yorkers & Virginians]."

Solid State Books, Washington, D.C., offered a subtle take on the issue in the subject line of its e-newsletter yesterday, which read simply: "Visit our HQ1!"

Several more bookseller scholarship winners have been announced for the American Booksellers Association's 2019 Winter Institute, joining the 72 publisher-sponsored scholarships previously awarded, Bookselling This Week reported. The additional winning booksellers include:

• Deon Stonehouse of Sunriver Books & Music in Sunriver, Ore., whose business card was pulled at random from among booksellers who submitted cards at the fall regional trade shows
• Tina Ferguson of Face in a Book in El Dorado Hills, Calif., whose Winter Institute scholarship was awarded for participating in ABA's ABACUS-17 survey
• Sami Thomason of Square Books Jr. in Oxford, Miss., who won the CHIRP scholarship, which is awarded by Candlewick Press
• Vanessa Diaz of the Book Catapult in San Diego, who won the Glenn Goldman scholarship, given by the Southern California Independent Booksellers Association

Earlier this week, Kelsey Nolan of Skylight Books in Los Angeles was awarded the Carla Gray Memorial Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists, which includes funds to cover Wi14 expenses.

In addition, Booksellers New Zealand is sending two booksellers to Winter Institute: Pene Whitty of University Book Shop at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch; and Ruth Bruhin of Poppies New Plymouth in New Plymouth.

Trustbridge Global Media has acquired Peachtree Publishers, bringing the 41-year-old company within the same group that owns Holiday House and other children's content businesses in North America, Europe and Asia. Terms were not disclosed for the transaction, which was completed November 7. The company will be known formally as Peachtree Publishing Company Inc.

"We are at an inflection point in our business," said Peachtree publisher Margaret Quinlin. "We're having our strongest year in the history of the company, and we've celebrated some gratifying successes recently, thanks to a talented team of passionate professionals who are eager for growth. Trustbridge appreciates our goals, mission, and core values. With its investment and support, we're excited about taking the company to new levels, and further elevating Peachtree's reputation as a premier book publisher."

Quinlin, who has owned Peachtree since 1990, will continue as president and publisher. Current staff will remain in place, and new additions to staff will support the company's projected growth. In addition, Peachtree will remain in Atlanta, Ga., where it will operate independently and manage its own fulfillment and distribution with the assistance of its network of independent book rep groups across the U.S. and Canada.

"We've always said our core values--the commitment to our books, our sense of community, and the importance we place on our relationships--are the keys to our longevity and success, and those will not change," Quinlin added. "We will continue to honor our authors, illustrators, and other partners with the same attention and care as always. Most importantly, our mission remains the same: to create and disseminate books that educate, entertain, encourage and endure."

Scottish poet, novelist, playwright and scriptwriter Janet Paisley, who "wrote in Scots and English and was a life-long activist for social justice and the Scots language," died November 9, the Herald reported. She was 70. Paisley's books include six poetry collections, two award-winning works of fiction, 11 plays for theatre and radio, and seven radio history drama series. She edited the annual anthology New Writing Scotland for the Association for Scottish Literary Studies and coordinated the first Scottish PEN Women Writers Committee.

In addition to the novels White Rose Rebel and Warrior Daughter, her books include the poetry collections Pegasus in Flight, Alien Crop, Reading the Bones, Ye Cannae Win and Sang fur the Wandert, her last book of poems, which was completed after a serious stroke in 2010, published in 2014 and "is a major achievement," the Herald noted.

In a tribute, Alan Raich wrote that Paisley "will be remembered with love, admiration and affection, as a writer, mother, grandmother, colleague and friend. She was active and enabling, a catalyst and an example, in every good sense those words convey."

Congratulations to Powell's Books at PDX, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary as a retailer at Portland International Airport. As part of the festivities, the bookseller is giving away a limited-edition commemorative tote bag with in-store purchases of $30 or more, while supplies last.  

"We were invited to join PDX 30 years ago because the folks at the Port of Portland wanted our airport to be different, and better, than every other major U.S. airport," said Powell's president Emily Powell. "Their vision for the airport, and our vision for what a bookstore could be in an airport, have led us in many interesting directions. Powell's is proud that for 30 years we have been at PDX, ready and waiting to share the magic of reading with everyone who treads that now famous carpet. We extend our deep gratitude to our airport team for reaching this most wonderful milestone, to the many people who support the work at the airport, and to the many customers we serve--it takes a large team to keep it all running, and each piece is essential."

Nantucket Bookworks, Nantucket, Mass., shared a photo of its new window display on Facebook, noting: "LIGHTing up Bookworks for the Holidays! #bethelight."

Soul Dog: A Journey into the Spiritual Life of Animals by Elena Mannes, foreword by Robert Thurman (Bear & Company).

Tomorrow:
HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher: Van Jones, author of Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart, How We Come Together (Ballantine, $27, 9780399180026).

The MIT Press and Einhorn's Epic Productions have announced a deal to develop and produce The Curie Society, an original graphic novel, and Scooter Braun's SB Projects has obtained the television rights and will co-develop the franchise for TV with EEP. James Shin, senior v-p of film & television at SB Projects, is set to oversee development along with Heather Einhorn, Adam Staffaroni and Aroop Sanakkayala from EEP.

"The MIT Press has a long and rich history of publishing impactful books by and about women in science, technology and mathematics," said press director Amy Brand. "With this innovative partnership and concept, we are excited to extend that impact to a younger generation and broader population of readers."

Created by EEP's CEO Heather Einhorn and chief creative officer Adam Staffaroni, the The Curie Society is currently being written by Blue Delliquanti (O Human Star, Meal) and edited by Joan Hilty (Birds of Prey, Manhunter, Batman), with an artist to be announced. The story "will center around an international secret society of young female scientists who use their various STEM skills in covert operations to protect the world," according to the creators. 

The MIT Press and EEP will also be working with science media company Massive to build a real-world Curie Society: a digital community of actual science super-heroines readers and fans.

"We created The Curie Society to be a place where smart, heroic, young women can shine," said Einhorn. "To bring this world to life it's incredible to be working with forward-thinking and innovative partners like the MIT Press, Massive and SB Projects."

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, November 17
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Live coverage of the 2018 Miami Book Fair (Re-airs Saturday at 9 p.m.). Highlights include:

• 10 a.m. Michael Isikoff and David Corn, authors of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin's War on America and the Election of Donald Trump (Twelve, $30, 9781538728758).
• 11 a.m. Simon Winchester, author of The Perfectionists: How Precision Engineers Created the Modern World (Harper, $29.99, 9780062652553).
• 12 p.m. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, author of Turning Pages: My Life Story (Philomel, $17.99, 9780525514084).
• 2:30 p.m. Ibtihaj Muhammad, author of Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream (Hachette, $27, 9780316518963).
• 4:15 p.m. Elaine Pagels, author of Why Religion?: A Personal Story (Ecco, $27.99, 9780062368539).
• 5:15 p.m. Rebecca Traister, author of Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women's Anger (Simon & Schuster, $27, 9781501181795), and Celeste Ng, author of Little Fires Everywhere (Penguin Press, $27, 9780735224292).

Sunday, November 18
10:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Continuing coverage of the Miami Book Fair (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m.). Highlights include:

• 10:30 a.m. Alan Dershowitz, author of The Case Against Impeaching Trump (Hot Books/Skyhorse, $21.99, 9781510742284), and David A. Kaplan, author of The Most Dangerous Branch: Inside the Supreme Court's Assault on the Constitution (Crown, $30, 9781524759902).
• 11:15 a.m. Alissa Quart, author of Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America (Ecco, $27.99, 9780062412256).
• 11:45 a.m. Crystal Fleming, author of How to Be Less Stupid About Race: On Racism, White Supremacy, and the Racial Divide (Beacon Press, $23.95, 9780807050774).
• 12:30 p.m. Jose Andres, author of We Fed an Island: The True Story of Rebuilding Puerto Rico, One Meal at a Time (Anthony Bourdain/Ecco, $27.99, 9780062864482).
• 1:15 p.m. Rania Abouzeid, author of No Turning Back: Life, Loss, and Hope in Wartime Syria (Norton, $26.95, 9780393609493).
• 2:55 p.m. Chris Stirewalt, author of Every Man a King: A Short, Colorful History of American Populists (Twelve, $28, 9781538729762).
• 4:45 p.m. Anna Clark, author of The Poisoned City: Flint's Water and the American Urban Tragedy (Metropolitan, $30, 9781250125149).
• 5 p.m. Julian Castro, author of An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up from My American Dream (Little, Brown, $28, 9780316252164).
• 6 p.m. John Kerry, author of Every Day Is Extra (Simon & Schuster, $35, 9781501178955).

Poet, essayist, scriptwriter and performer Samuel Wagan Watson won the 2018 Patrick White Literary Award, honoring an author who has " made a significant but inadequately recognized contribution to Australian literature." Established by Patrick White with the proceeds of his 1973 Nobel Prize in Literature, the award is worth A$20,000 (about US$14,430). Books + Publishing noted that Watson "is the second Indigenous writer to win the award in its 45-year history, after Tony Birch was awarded the prize in 2017."

"I am humbled by their decision and it is difficult to convey the emotional impact of this prestigious award on myself, my wonderful family and my community," Watson said. "Patrick White is a major figure in Australian literature and I am honored to be recognized alongside his name. It provides me with a deep sense of personal satisfaction for what I spend a great deal of my time thinking about and putting to the page for my readers.... The award is a great motivator for me to continue writing and expressing how I perceive, and how we all relate to, the cultures and communities around us."

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, November 20:

Tony's Wife: A Novel by Adriana Trigiani (Harper, $28.99, 9780062319258) follows two working-class musicians in the 1940s big band era.

Target by James Patterson (Little, Brown, $29, 9780316273947) is the 24th thriller with Alex Cross. (November 19)

The Comforts of Home by Susan Hill (The Overlook Press, $26.95, 9781468301465) continues the Chief Superintendent Simon Serrailler mystery series.

The Pats: An Illustrated History of the New England Patriots by Glenn Stout and Richard A. Johnson (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $35, 9781328917409) chronicles one of football's most successful franchises.

Why We Dream: The Transformative Power of Our Nightly Journey by Alice Robb (Eamon Dolan/Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $27, 9780544931213) shines a light on the science of sleep.

The Camelot Code, Book #1 The Once and Future Geek by Mari Mancusi (Disney-Hyperion, $16.99, 9781368010849) follows a time-traveling Arthur of Camelot who chooses contemporary football over going home.

Found by Jeff Newman, illustrated by Larry Day (Simon & Schuster, $17.99, 9781534410060) is a wordless picture book in which a little girl saves a lost dog.

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 Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock: A Novel by Imogen Hermes Gowar (Harper, $28.99, 9780062859952). "This book was a pure delight from beginning to end. High-class escorts, nouveau riche merchants, madams, back-stabbings, broken hearts, mended hearts, parties, an angry mob, pining, mermaids: what more could you ask from a historical novel taking place in the late 18th century? The characters are so well-rounded I found myself cringing for them in their embarrassment and cheering for them in their triumph. The writing is so atmospheric it feels absolutely authentic. I can't remember the last time I enjoyed reading a book as much as I enjoyed reading this one. The only way to describe this book is as an absolute romp." --Chelsea Bauer, Union Avenue Books, Knoxville, Tenn.

The Real Lolita: The Kidnapping of Sally Horner and the Novel That Scandalized the World by Sarah Weinman (Ecco, $27.99, 9780062661920). "Any fan of Nabokov's Lolita will be enthralled by Sarah Weinman's investigation of the real-life kidnapping and sexual assault that became the basis for the 20th-century masterpiece. Weinman dives deep into the archives to piece together the ties between fact and fiction, even when the author or the victim's family refused to discuss history. Swapping between true-crime journalism and contemporary literary analysis, the author brings new attention to Nabokov's seminal work and draws the tragedy of Sally Horner out of obscurity." --Ariel Jacobs, Solid State Books, Washington, D.C.

Paperback
Man With a Seagull on His Head: A Novel by Harriet Paige (Biblioasis, $14.95, 9781771962391). "Ray Eccles, a nonentity, goes for a walk on his 40th birthday. He seems almost reassured by the thought that he is past the age when something interesting is likely to happen to him. He assumes he is all alone on a deserted beach, but then, in quick succession, a woman appears, they lock eyes, and Ray is knocked cold by a seagull plummeting from the sky. Is it Ray's salvation or doom? Is Ray's ensuing story, told in Harriet Paige's gem-like prose, the stuff of tragedy or farce? Or are we all Ray, placid and longing, dreaming of rising into the sky?" --Ezra Goldstein, Community Bookstore, Brooklyn, N.Y.

For Ages 4 to 8
Crafty Llama by Mike Kerr, illustrated by Renata Liwska (Bloomsbury, $16.99, 9781681191218). "What a sweet, sweet picture book! This husband-and-wife writing and illustration team reminds us that everyone has creativity inside them, something they can share with the world. Now I've decided to organize some crafting circles and dust off my needlework project!" --Buffy Cummins, Second Star to the Right Books, Denver, Colo.

For Ages 9 to 12: An Indies Introduce Title
The House With Chicken Legs by Sophie Anderson (Scholastic, $16.99, 9781338209969). "Twelve-year-old Marinka is not like most girls. She has a pet jackdaw, a foundling lamb, a yaga for a grandmother, and a house that routinely walks, runs, or canters to an entirely new location without consulting its occupants. What Marinka THINKS she wants most is to just be a normal girl with normal friends and the chance to determine her own future. What Marinka REALLY wants is indeed something very, very different. A bit of folk tale, a dose of adventure, and a lot of quirky humor tossed in, The House With Chicken Legs takes readers on a ride they will not soon forget." --Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, N.C.

For Teen Readers
A Winter's Promise: Book One of the Mirror Visitor Quartet by Christelle Dabos, translated by Hildegarde Serle (Europa Editions, $19.95, 9781609454838). "I had high hopes since I've been coveting this book since I saw it in a Metro station in Paris a year ago. It definitely did not disappoint. A Winter's Promise is a stellar addition to the fantasy genre booksellers can recommend to adults and teens alike. The worldbuilding is incredible and Ophelia is a heroine you can immediately relate to: clever, resourceful, and constantly underestimated. Dabos delights and thrills readers as Ophelia finds herself caught in the middle of political intrigue and deadly secrets with nothing but her wits to keep her alive. As the tension builds and mysteries are revealed, it's impossible to put the book down." --Katerina Argyres, Bookshop West Portal, San Francisco, Calif.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

The food memoir is a common literary recipe, sating appetites for sustenance as well as story, as reliable a pairing as grilled cheese and tomato soup. Enter a new classic in the larder: Kitchen Yarns: Notes on Life, Love and Food by the versatile Ann Hood (Somewhere Off the Coast of Maine, An Italian Wife, The Book That Matters Most).

Like the writing of M.F.K. Fisher, which Hood cites, Hood's prose packs a wallop in these nearly 30 essays. She chronicles her time as a young girl in a large, loving Italian family; a teen model for a department store; a TWA flight attendant; and a longtime writer, partner, mother, cook and knitter.

Each essay mixes memories with meditations. In the especially fine "Party Like It's 1959," Hood recounts a dinner party for the ages. Though it was served in the 1990s, the meal was identical in menu and attitude to first-class inflight meals she had served years earlier as a flight attendant. She considers the chateaubriand, the company around the table, the fine china and all that led up to being served that meal herself, rather than serving it to others. "How we entertain is a combination of who we are and how we live, of all the dinners we've had and all the dreams we still embrace," she writes.

Woven into the mélange are recipes for what filled Hood's plate over the decades. Some are inspired by dishes made by her mother. Some are dishes she once cooked to impress a boy, or the man she would eventually marry. Some relate to her children. One highlight in that vein is the crunchy, garlicky dish Sam's Potatoes, calling for a "more than reasonable" amount of olive oil. Another, the understated Risi e Bisi (Italian rice and peas), that Hood would cook for her youngest daughter, Anabelle, who in pickier years refused any food "too spicy, too crispy, too mushy, too peppery, too saucy."

One of the sweetest essays details Hood's romance with food writer Michael Ruhlman, who harbored a decades-long crush on Hood before the two finally got together (but who still cannot abide her affinity for American cheese). Even as Hood can make hearts swell with her stories, she can make them thump: "I am in IKEA starting my life over." New fears, new furniture, new futures, then Swedish meatballs.

Hood lost her daughter Grace at the tender age of five (see Comfort: A Journey Through Grief), and it's heartbreaking to read about Grace's Cheesy Potatoes--rich and Gruyere-sprinkled--once happily assembled by Hood's little blonde girl with glasses. Grace, Hood recalls, loved "layering the potatoes in concentric circles and evenly spreading the cheese." So many moments and meals in Kitchen Yarns shine, but perhaps this is the recipe to try first, in honor of Grace and the grace granted by cooking with loved ones. --Katie Weed, freelance writer and reviewer

Shelf Talker: This food memoir from the prolific Ann Hood should appeal to fans of M.F.K. Fisher, with essays and recipes for readers seeking nourishment both culinary and literary--and a killer Whiskey Sour.