Once Upon a Crime, the Minneapolis, Minn., mystery bookstore, has launched a GoFundMe campaign that seeks to raise $50,000 to cope with ongoing financial difficulties. In two days, it has already achieved 25% of that goal, with contributions of nearly $13,000.

The store is owned by Dennis Abraham and Meg King-Abraham and run by their daughter, Devin Abraham. The owners, who bought the store in 2016, have full-time jobs, and Devin is the only employee.

Once Upon a Crime has been a part of the Minneapolis and mystery community for 31 years. In 2011, the store won the Raven Award, for outstanding contributions to the genre, from the Mystery Writers of America.

The store's financial difficulties stem from a decrease in sales that has led to more debt, the elimination of the closest street parking for a permanent bike lane as well as highly disruptive construction work nearby. "We are hopeful that when this work is complete, our location will once again be easily accessible for book lovers!" the store wrote. "Our customers love this specialized award-winning store. People who discover us are very excited by the huge selection of all mystery genres. We regularly host author events letting people meet their favorite authors and find new ones. Devin provides excellent customer service and is always willing to give recommendations or place special orders."

The store aims to become more profitable with a new website; building its social media presence; offering personalized shopping services, detailed on the website; reconfiguring the Annex to host book clubs; creating a puzzle room experience; starting a book club with a local business; and listing some rare and vintage books on eBay.

The store noted that "many bookstores have found that they need to supplement their income from book sales by selling other merchandise and/or offering a coffee shop/cafe. In our location, that is not a possibility. If you have ever visited, you are aware of the incredible amount of books we carry in a very small space!"

Once Upon a Crime added: "The funds will allow us to keep this treasured bookstore up and running. We are confident that if we can pay off a portion of the debt, we will be able to maintain the business for many years to come!"

Tuesday's announcement by the Mystery Writers of America that author Linda Fairstein had been named one of next year's Grand Master recipients sparked numerous protests on social media and prompted the MWA to respond by saying it took the responses seriously and would reexamine the decision. The focus of the protests is Fairstein's role as a member of the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in 1989's Central Park Jogger case, which resulted in the wrongful imprisonment for years of five minority teenagers.

Author Attica Locke was one of the first to condemn the idea of honoring Fairstein, tweeting (see the full thread here): "@EdgarAwards As a member and 2018 Edgar winner, I am begging you to reconsider having Linda Fairstein serve as a Grand Master in next year's awards ceremony. She is almost singlehandedly responsible for the wrongful incarceration of the Central Park Five./ For which she has never apologized or recanted her insistence on their guilt for the most heinous of crimes, 'guilt' based solely on evidence procured through violence and ill treatment of children in lock up..../ Just because she has a flourishing publishing career does not mean we should ignore her past--or her continued unwillingness to accept responsibility for ruining five innocent men's lives. I cannot support this decision. Surely, someone else is more worthy our attention, support, and this laudatory role in the 2019 @EdgarAwards."

The MWA issued a brief statement in response: "We are taking seriously the issues raised by Attica Locke. Our Board is going to discuss these concerns as soon as possible and make a further statement soon."

Novelist, editor and attorney Steph Cha, an MWA member since 2013, wrote in the Los Angeles Times that the organization "is now in a tough spot. Many crime writers have already called for the revocation of Fairstein's award. Meanwhile, Fairstein is sparring with Locke on Twitter, and I doubt she or her supporters would be happy to see the organization cave to the pressure. While the mystery writing community has changed somewhat over the last few years, it has long been embarrassingly white and, if not outright conservative, less than progressive in its collective values (hello hero cops and beautiful dead girls). Fairstein has made a name for herself writing legal thrillers about a sex crimes prosecutor who serves justice and saves the day. She's made enormous profits with these stories, and has been astoundingly successful in shaping her own narrative and retaining the respect of her community.

"Whatever Mystery Writers of America decides--and let's remember that the loss of a reward is not comparable to the loss of freedom--this debacle will show our divisions. Fairstein's actions can no longer fly under the radar. We all have to deal with her now."

At year's end, Pete Mulvihill and Kevin Ryan of Green Apple Books in San Francisco, Calif., will buy out the share of their co-owner, Kevin Hunsanger.  

Green Apple's Kevin Ryan, Pete Mulvihill and Kevin Hunsanger

While Hunsanger, Ryan and Mulvihill completed a 10-year buy-out of the store's founder in 2008, they have effectively been running the store since 2000. For most of his 27-year career at Green Apple, Hunsanger has primarily been responsible for the store's used and rare operations.

Hunsanger, whose official last day at the store is December 31, said that he is departing Green Apple to help found the San Francisco Cultural City Museum, which he expects to open sometime next year. The museum's mission, Hunsanger explained, will be to preserve the cultural relics and artifacts of a city that has changed immensely over the last 30 years, to "try to protect the things that have made San Francisco so special."

Hunsanger added that the most difficult thing about the decision was choosing to leave "something that's been so rewarding in so many ways," and called Green Apple a "very special, magical place." He hoped that his departure would open the way for a "younger group of booksellers" to come in and keep the store fresh for years to come.

Mulvihill reported that he and Ryan have been promoting internally, and are looking to bring in new people from the Bay Area. Noting that the store remains "healthy and viable," Mulvihill said that he's not sure what changes they might make, but they do plan to use the transition as an opportunity to "reevaluate and examine everything we do." He added that he, Ryan and Hunsanger have been reflecting a lot lately on the fun and challenging moments in their 25 years of being in business together.

Carina Press, Harlequin's digital-first imprint for adult romance and mystery, is launching Carina Adores, a "trope-driven LGBTQ+ contemporary romance line" that will offer "highly romantic happily-ever-after stories of royalty falling in love, secret babies, marriages of convenience, friends-to-lovers, single parents and more featuring lesbian, gay, bisexual, asexual spectrum, pansexual, transgender, intersex, aromantic and nonbinary protagonists."

The first Carina Adores titles will appear in early 2020. The titles will be available in print form as well as digital.

Ulrich Sandmeyer, who co-founded Sandmeyer's Bookstore in Chicago with his wife Ellen in 1982, died November 16. He was 70. A remembrance shared on the bookstore's Facebook page noted that Sandmeyer's Bookstore "has served as an anchor for Printers Row and the South Loop for the past 36 years, partnering with local schools, libraries and nonprofits to help transform a neighborhood down on its luck into a thriving hub of city life."

Sandmeyer was born in Germany, but fell in love with the U.S. as a high school exchange student. After his required service in the German Air Force, he enrolled at Miami University of Ohio, where he met Ellen. They married in 1974 and left for Chicago "to pursue their dreams of owning a bookstore. Eight years, two children, and several cats later, that dream became a reality. A third child joined the family business a year later....

"Over three decades, Ulrich saw his vision for a bookstore serving a vibrant, diverse neighborhood realized," the remembrance noted. "Children who grew up reading books from Sandmeyer's are now bringing their own children and grandchildren to discover the magic of books anew. Ulrich's legacy lives on the bookshelves of thousands of Chicagoans and visitors from all over the world, just as he dreamed."

A memorial service will be held this Saturday, December 1, at 11 a.m. at Grace Place Episcopal Church (637 S. Dearborn St.).

"As long as she can remember, Dawn Braasch has loved reading and has adored books," the Vineyard Gazette wrote in its introduction to a q&a with the owner of Bunch of Grapes Bookstore, Vineyard Haven, Mass. Some of our favorite responses:

How important is the holiday season to your business?
We do two-thirds to three-fourths of our business in July and August. Summer is so frenetic here! The holiday season is like summer, but in a much kinder, gentler way. We love the holidays. We stay open late at night, and that's great for business. But it's so much fun for us too because we can talk to our neighbors and talk about books we love. We carry on the Nelsons' tradition of serving eggnog on Christmas Eve. Ann [Nelson] was kind enough to give me her eggnog recipe. It's a great time of year.

What do you want to say to the buying public this holiday season?
Come in! We have a loyalty program.... I think now more than ever, if you value your downtown, your Main Street, then you should be buying local. It keeps your money in your community. I hire local people. I spend my money locally. I don't go off-Island. I pay taxes, the business pays taxes, I contribute to charities. There are many reasons why I hope people will continue to support us.

It sounds like, stresses aside, you love what you do.
I love walking into the store and smelling the books. I love who I work with; I have a great group of people. I love talking to people about books. How lucky am I, living on this Island, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.

"Books and Barn Owls: What Do Books Do?" a video from the Bookshelf, Guelph, Ont., that celebrates books and reading.

The Frankfurt Book Fair New York's November Book of the Month is The Long Path to Wisdom: Tales from Burma by Jan-Philipp Sendker, translated by Lisa Liesener and Kevin Wiliarty (Other Press, $16.95, 9781590519646).

The Frankfurt Book Fair New York called the book a "charming collection of folktales that offer a window into Burma's fascinating history and culture.

"Since 1995 Jan-Philipp Sendker has visited Myanmar (Burma) dozens of times, and while doing research for his novels The Art of Hearing Heartbeats and A Well-Tempered Heart, he encountered numerous folktales and fables. These moving stories speak to the rich mythology of the diverse peoples of Burma, the spirituality of humankind, and the profound social impact of Buddhist thought. Some are so strange he couldn't classify them or identify a familiar moral, while others reminded him of the fairy tales of his childhood, except that here monkeys, tigers, elephants, and crocodiles inhabited the fantastic lands instead of hedgehogs, donkeys, or geese. Their morals resemble those of the Brothers Grimm or Hans Christian Andersen, illustrating how all cultures draw on a universal wisdom to create their myths.

"The Long Path to Wisdom's evocative stories run the gamut of human emotions, from the familiar to the shocking, and are sure to delight Heartbeats fans as well as those newly discovering the magic of Sendker's incandescent writing."

At Penguin Random House Sales:

Christopher Dufault is promoted to v-p, Group sales director, Knopf Doubleday, with the year-end retirement of Janet Cooke.

Lauren Monaco, v-p, Group sales director, Penguin Publishing Group, will expand her sales oversight to all this division's imprints with the retirement in the spring of John Lawton.

Cynthia Lasky is promoted to senior v-p, Group sales director, Random House & Crown, working closely with Christine Edwards, who is now v-p, Group sales director, Crown.
 
Candice Chaplin is promoted to the newly created position of v-p, backlist sales, Penguin Random House Adult.

We Are Here to Stay: Voices of Undocumented Young Adults by Susan Kuklin (Candlewick Press).

Today:
Fresh Air: Jonathan Santlofer, author of The Widower's Notebook: A Memoir (Penguin Press, $17, 9780143132493).

Tomorrow:
Rachael Ray: Sean Hayes, co-author of Plum (Simon & Schuster, $17.99, 9781534404045).

The Talk: Tyra Banks, author of Perfect Is Boring: 10 Things My Crazy, Fierce Mama Taught Me About Beauty, Booty, and Being a Boss (TarcherPerigee, $27, 9780143132301).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Michelle Obama, author of Becoming (Crown, $32.50, 9781524763138).

Ten Speed Press will publish Our Planet by Alastair Fothergill and Keith Scholey, with Fred Pearce, a photographic companion book to the Netflix original documentary series, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, that will debut in April 2019.

"The scope and scale of this grand, awe-inspiring project is unprecedented," said Hannah Rahill, publishing director at Ten Speed Press. "Our Planet illustrates a critically urgent message with exquisite imagery, and the book both represents the series and goes beyond it, expanding on remarkable stories and delivering a depth of information impossible to capture on screen. We're thrilled to partner with Transworld and Silverback Films on this important and timely publication."

Alastair Fothergill at Silverback Films commented: "We are delighted that this lavishly illustrated book is at the heart of the massively ambitious Our Planet project. It captures in one concise narrative the key message that what we do in the next 20 years will determine the future of not just the natural world but humanity itself."

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, December 1
4:30 p.m. Eric Jay Dolin, author of Black Flags, Blue Waters: The Epic History of America's Most Notorious Pirates (Liveright, $29.95, 9781631492105), at Porter Square Books in Cambridge, Mass.

5:15 p.m. Eve L. Ewing, author of Ghosts in the Schoolyard: Racism and School Closings on Chicago's South Side (University of Chicago Press, $22.50, 9780226526027), at the Strand in New York City.

6:30 p.m. Oren Cass, author of The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America (Encounter, $25.99, 9781641770149).

7:30 p.m. Joshua Hunt, author of University of Nike: How Corporate Cash Bought American Higher Education (Melville House, $27.99, 9781612196916), at Kramerbooks & Afterwords in Washington, D.C.

9 p.m. James Mustich, author of 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (Workman, $35, 9781523504459), at the Strand in New York City.

10 p.m. Reihan Salam, author of Melting Pot or Civil War?: A Son of Immigrants Makes the Case Against Open Borders (Sentinel, $27, 9780735216273). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m. and Monday at 3 a.m.)

11 p.m. Kristen R. Ghodsee, author of Why Women Have Better Sex Under Socialism: And Other Arguments for Economic Independence (Nation Books, $22, 9781568588902), at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.

Sunday, December 2
12 p.m. Live In-Depth q&a with Brad Meltzer, author, most recently, of The Escape Artist (Grand Central, $28, 9781538746783). (Re-airs Monday at 12 a.m.)

10 p.m. Rep. Jackie Speier, author of Undaunted: Surviving Jonestown, Summoning Courage, and Fighting Back (Little A, $24.95, 9781503903609).

10:30 p.m. Douglas Mastriano, author of Thunder in the Argonne: A New History of America's Greatest Battle (University Press of Kentucky, $34.95, 9780813175553).

Australian author Jock Serong won the inaugural £2,000 (about $2,565) Staunch Book Prize, which was founded by screenwriter Bridget Lawless last January to celebrate thrillers in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered, for his thriller On the Java Ridge.

Noting that the judging panel was "unanimous" in its decision, Lawless said, "The story is strong, well structured and cleanly told, the characters completely believable. Those things were without question. But really it was that it affected us all in the same way."

Despite early controversy regarding the prize's potential to be damaging to crime writing, Lawless confirmed that the panel hoped to run it again next year and said she is looking for sponsors or funding: "We started off being heavily criticized by some crime writers for launching a prize in which no woman is beaten, stalked, sexually exploited, raped or murdered. But throughout the year, we've seen individual supporters, readers, writers, publishers and activists get behind us completely."

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, December 4:

Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts (St. Martin's Press, $28.99, 9781250122995) is book 2 in the supernatural Chronicles of the One series.

Never Grow Up by Jackie Chan (Gallery, $26, 9781982107215) is the memoir of the martial arts movie star.

The Point of It All: A Lifetime of Great Loves and Endeavors by Charles Krauthammer and Daniel Krauthammer (Crown Forum, $28, 9781984825483) posthumously collects the writings of a right-wing commentator.

Once Upon a River: A Novel by Diane Setterfield (Atria/Emily Bestler, $28, 9780743298070) finds several families trying to claim a mysterious girl fished from the river Thames.

For the Sake of the Game: Stories Inspired by the Sherlock Holmes Canon by Laurie R. King and Leslie S. Klinger (Pegasus Books, $25.95, 9781681778792) is an anthology of stories inspired by Sherlock Holmes.

The Club: How the English Premier League Became the Wildest, Richest, Most Disruptive Force in Sports by Joshua Robinson and Jonathan Clegg (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $28, 9781328506450) gives a history of England's foremost soccer league.

Congo Stories: Battling Five Centuries of Exploitation and Greed by John Prendergast and Fidel Bafilemba (Grand Central, $28, 9781455584642) highlights one of the world's most embattled places.

You Are a Badass Every Day: How to Keep Your Motivation Strong, Your Vibe High, and Your Quest for Transformation Unstoppable by Jen Sincero (Viking, $20, 9780525561644) gives motivational advice.

Avocaderia: Avocado Recipes for a Healthier, Happier Life by Alessandro Biggi, Francesco Brachetti and  Alberto Gramigni (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $19.99, 9781328497932) is a cookbook for all things avocado.

Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton (Delacorte Press, $18.99, 9780525580959) is a vision of the future of humanity and body modification told through six interconnected young adult stories.

Queen of Air and Darkness by Cassandra Clare (Simon & Schuster, $24.99, 9781442468436) is the third and final novel in Clare's bestselling young adult Dark Artifices series.

Paperbacks:
How to Feed Yourself: 100 Fast, Cheap, and Reliable Recipes for Cooking When You Don't Know What You're Doing by Spoon University (Harmony, $19.99, 9780525573739).

Juni Taisen: Zodiac War Vol. 2 by Akira Akatsuki and Hikaru Nakamura (VIZ, $9.99, 9781974702497).

Movies:
Mary Queen of Scots, based on Queen of Scots: The True Life of Mary Stuart by John Guy, opens December 7. Saoirse Ronan stars as the conniving cousin of Elizabeth I (Margot Robbie). A movie tie-in edition (Mariner, $17.99, 9781328638991) is available.

The Silence, based on the novel by Tim Lebbon, opens December 7. This horror film follows a family trying to survive in a post-apocalyptic world beset by monsters.

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

Hardcover
Marilla of Green Gables: A Novel by Sarah McCoy (Morrow, $26.99, 9780062697714). "Many of us who grew up with Anne of Green Gables always wondered why neither Marilla or her brother, Matthew, married; we were also very curious as to what secret Marilla held in her heart regarding John Blythe. Now, Sarah McCoy answers these questions for us in her new book, Marilla of Green Gables. She begins the story when Marilla is only 13 and continues until just before Anne comes to Green Gables. This book is wonderfully and imaginatively written, a rendering that Lucy Maud Montgomery herself would approve of. McCoy brings Marilla to life and helps us understand how she became the woman she did. A must-read for all those who love Anne of Green Gables." --Pat Trotter, Bookends on Main, Menomonie, Wis.

Those Who Knew: A Novel by Idra Novey (Viking, $26, 9780525560432). "This book packs a punch. While slender, every sentence, every word, is well-chosen and thought-provoking. However, as intellectually stimulating as it is, it's still accessible and enjoyable. Every chapter, though small, gives you a snapshot of who a character is and drives the plot along. I picked this book up on a whim and from the very first page I couldn't put it down. I can't recommend this book enough!" --Erin Gold, Pages Bookshop, Detroit, Mich.

Paperback
Green: A Novel by Sam Graham-Felsen (Random House, $17, 9780399591167). "Please read Green. You will fall in love with Graham-Felsen's David from his first utterances on page one of this original, thought-provoking twist on an important subject--race relations. Thank God David has such a great voice and there are so many humorous moments, or else I may have felt extremely sad about his experiences of being such an outsider. A truly memorable moment-in-time novel and a great read." --Sue Roegge, Chapter2Books, Hudson, Wis.

For Ages 4 to 8
A Home in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney (HarperCollins, $17.99, 9780066237879). "Jerry Pinkney's lush and lovely illustrations perfectly bring to life Margaret Wise Brown's gentle, rhythmic words about the chill of winter and warmth of the barn filled with a lively community of animals of all sorts--cows, pigs, goats, cats, horses, and many more--in this glorious new picture book." --Vicky Titcomb, Titcomb's Bookshop, East Sandwich, Mass.

For Ages 9 to 12
Backyard Bears: Conservation, Habitat Changes, and the Rise of Urban Wildlife by Amy Cherrix (HMH Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9781328858689). "Amy Cherrix's insatiable curiosity jumps through the pages of Backyard Bears to entice, engage, and delight young readers. Beautiful and, yes, often cute photographs complete this wonderful combination of nature writing and citizen science." --Stephanie Jones-Byrne, Malaprop's Bookstore/Café, Asheville, N.C.

For Teen Readers
This Is What It Feels Like by Rebecca Barrow (HarperTeen, $17.99, 9780062494238). "This is a story of three young women who used to be inseparable. Dia, a young mother; Jules, a punk lesbian; and Hanna, a recovering alcoholic. Fate (and a $15,000 prize) bring them back together, reigniting their all-girl rock band in a whole new chapter of their lives. Barrow invents incredible, real lives that anyone can connect with immediately. How beautiful she makes every seemingly ordinary life. I implore any fan of contemporary fiction to give it a read, because it has everything you could ever want." --Andrew King, University Book Store, Seattle, Wash.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

Set where the spirit world intersects with the human world, An Orchestra of Minorities by Chigozie Obioma (The Fishermen) is a tragic look at how binding oneself to a singular purpose can both give life new meaning and destroy it. Narrated by the chi (guardian spirit) of a young man living in Nigeria, the novel is a sprawling look at the country's past and present, using mythology to situate the current era as part of an ever-expanding story.

The unnamed chi arrives in the court of Chukwu, head god in Igbo mythology, to plead for leniency for his host, a young man named Chinonso. Usually chis appear only after their hosts have died, and tell their life stories to Chukwu. But Chinonso's chi has arrived early because his host has accidentally done the unforgivable: killed a pregnant woman. So begins the chi's tale, a love story between Chinonso and Ndali, a woman far above him in caste and learning.

Chinonso and Ndali meet by chance when he sees her preparing to jump off a bridge to her death. He succeeds in stopping her, and the two fall in love, much to the chagrin of her family. A poor poultry farmer, Chinonso has none of the attributes her parents expect in a suitor, and he is ostracized for his failures. At the urging of an old schoolmate, he sells his family's property to enroll in university in Cyprus, hopeful that by returning with a degree he can win over Ndali's parents. But his schoolmate's encouragement turns out to be a ruse, and Chinonso is left penniless on the Mediterranean island, beginning a years-long journey back to Ndali that forever changes them both. Throughout his quest to return home, Chinonso fixates on Ndali's promise that she will wait for him.

The Odyssey is mentioned offhandedly on a couple of occasions, but An Orchestra of Minorities plays like a dark satire of that foundational text of Western literature. Chinonso is not a heroic character, but a simple man caught up by forces he isn't smart or careful enough to defend against. And his journey home is not one of triumph, but of a survivor who loses everything he holds dear while still not being able to let go of the life now lost to him. If anything, Obioma seems to use Igbo mythology to counter the Western story of a man bravely venturing home, showing how the tales of the white man cannot be conveniently grafted over the suffering of Nigerians at the hands of colonialism and European culture.

Readers unfamiliar with Nigeria will come away with a deeper understanding of Igbo culture and tradition, with the chi narrator serving as a guide to them as well as Chinonso. The chi speaks with the weariness of a creature who has seen all facets of human suffering, well aware that his host's tragedy is but one story among many. He easily situates what happens to the young man within the greater history of his culture. Ultimately, An Orchestra of Minorities is a powerful look at the opportunities and ruin that lay before a man in pursuit of his dreams. --Noah Cruickshank, adult engagement manager, the Field Museum, Chicago, Ill.

Shelf Talker: Chigozie Obioma's An Orchestra of Minorities is a dark look at the lengths people will go to achieve their dreams.

The Quotation of the Day featured in yesterday's edition of Shelf Awareness was misattributed to Jia Tolentino. The first paragraph of the quote is from a writer, Julia, who requested that her full name not be used in the Vox article. The second paragraph is from podcaster Kyle Amato. Our apologies for the mistake.