Law&Crime, the around-the-clock trial network backed by author, legal commentator and attorney Dan Abrams and A&E Networks, is launching a book line that will feature true-crime and legal-based titles that will be sold and distributed worldwide by Simon & Schuster. It aims to publish two to four books a year.

The focus of Law&Crime titles will be criminal investigations, law enforcement and trials. Its first book, which should appear next year, will be by Tulsa, Okla., police Sergeant Sean "Sticks" Larkin, who is an analyst on the show Live PD and the host of A&E's PD Cam.

Law&Crime COO and general counsel Andrew Eisbrouch commented: "Law&Crime is thrilled to be moving into the publishing world, bringing the most compelling legal stories to a new medium. We are delighted to be working with Simon & Schuster, who will provide the sales and distribution experience and reach needed to share these stories with audiences craving content in this exploding genre."

The fifth annual Independent Bookstore Day is this coming Saturday, and the excitement is increasing as stores receive their IBD catalogue orders. IBD is hosting a Twitter party with Bookstore Day ambassador Tayari Jones on Thursday, April 25, at 10 a.m Pacific; join in using the hashtag #BookstoreDay. 

Here's another look at some of the activities indie bookstores around the country have planned for Saturday.

This month marks the 10th anniversary of Off the Beaten Path Bookstore in Lakewood, N.Y., and owner Bob Lingle has chosen to celebrate that anniversary in conjunction with Independent Bookstore Day. Plans for the day include giveaways of both books and audio books, as well as a party featuring baked goods and free hot dogs. Store founder Holly Richardson, who opened Off the Beaten Path in April 2009, will be working the grill.

An Unlikely Story Bookstore & Cafe in Plainville, Mass., is hosting a fundraiser for the Book Industry Charitable Foundation. The $10 ticketed event will feature authors, publisher reps and independent booksellers from across New England going head-to-head in a game show-style trivia contest. Authors Holly Black and Cassandra Clare, as well as children's book author and illustrator Raul the Third, are scheduled to participate. The event will feature complimentary snacks and a cash bar. All proceeds from tickets and drinks sold will go to Binc.

In St. Louis, Mo., Left Bank Books will be kicking off the festivities with an hourlong used book sale: buy one, get one free from 10 a.m to 11 a.m. Other plans for the day include IBD storytime, a happy hour during which a Left Bank bookseller will be previewing upcoming titles, a Left Bank Books 50th anniversary backdrop to use in photos, and a variety of giveaways and promotions. And anyone who donates any amount to the Left Bank Books Foundation will be able to choose one wrapped mystery book.

Papercuts J.P. in Boston, Mass., has a day of raffles and giveaways planned for IBD, along with visits from two local authors: Morris Collins, author of the novel Horse Latitudes, and Chaya Bhuvaneswar, author of the short story collection White Dancing Elephants.

At New Dominion Bookshop in Charlottesville, Va., IBD plans include guest booksellers, free balloons and snacks. And from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m., the store will be hosting its second annual Rose Garden Party in the rose garden outside the store.

In Pasadena, Calif., both Vroman's Bookstore locations will be hosting IBD events. At the flagship store on Colorado Blvd., children's book author and illustrator Antoinette Portis (Not a Box) will stop by for a reading and signing at 10:30 a.m. At 2 p.m., cookbook authors Marge Perry and David Bonom will present and sign their book Hero Dinners: Complete One-Pan Meals That Save the Day, and provide a sampling of some of their recipes. At the Hastings Ranch location, meanwhile, there will be an all-day Bookstore Scavenger Hunt, along with Seuss-a-bration storytime in the morning and a visit from author Veera Hiranandani in the afternoon.

Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, Mass., will begin its IBD festivities with a visit from Heidi E.Y. Stemple and Jane Yolten, the mother/daughter team behind A Kite for Moon; in the afternoon, Natasha Lowe, author of Lucy Castor, and Youme Le, author and illustrator of Mail Under the Night Sky, will both drop by. Other planned activities include face painting, a photo booth, kids' arts and crafts, and homemade cupcakes.

And in St. Paul, Minn., Red Balloon Bookshop will start IBD off with a Sesame Street-inspired storytime session, along with snacks and kid-friendly activities. At 1 p.m., the store will be hosting the inaugural IBD Escape Room. Groups of puzzlers ages 8 and up will have 45 minutes to escape the room, and if successful they'll win a discount on an item of their choice. And at 3 p.m., musicians from the Ramsey Middle School Jazz Band will stop by to perform.

Last Thursday, the second part of the American Booksellers Association's Spring 2019 Kids' Next List was delivered to nearly half a million of the country's best book readers, going to 448,810 customers of 132 participating bookstores. The first part of the summer catalogue will be sent on Thursday, May 30.

The e-newsletter, powered by Shelf Awareness, features winter Kids' Next List titles, with bookseller quotes and "buy now" buttons that lead directly to the purchase page for the title on the sending store's website. The newsletter, which is branded with each store's logo, also includes an interview (from Bookselling This Week) with the author whose book was chosen by booksellers as the number-one Kids' Next List pick, in this case Angie Thomas, author of On the Come Up (Balzer + Bray).

For a sample of the newsletter, see this one from Bibliobus by Bibliobar, Garland, Tex.

Warren Adler, "a prolific novelist who launched a long and lucrative Hollywood career with his classic story The War of the Roses--the story of a hollowed-out marriage that became a runaway movie hit in 1989," died April 15, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was 91. Adler cited being a good listener as the inspiration for his works, telling the Associated Press in 1991: "I have trained myself to listen very carefully, like a journalist."

Adler wrote about 50 books, including The Sunset Gang, Target Churchill, The Children of the Roses, Random Hearts and Last Call. He optioned more than a dozen of his books for film, TV and stage during his career. Variety reported that "four months before his 1991 novel Private Lies, was published, it garnered $1.2 million in a studio bidding war for the rights, at the time believed to be the most Hollywood producers ever paid for a work that had yet to hit the bookstores. Tristar bought the rights, but it was not ultimately produced."

Adler "never completely let go of the Roses," the New York Times wrote. In addition to returning to them in The Children of the Roses (2004), he wrote a play in 2013 based on the original novel that has been produced in Europe and South America. A Broadway adaptation, written by Peter Tolan, with Adler's agreement, is planned for the 2021 season.

Sixty booksellers gathered for the Midwestern Independent Booksellers Association's Book University, a new event designed around the needs of frontline and beginner booksellers. Pictured: a session on growing your sales power with indie press titles with moderator Michael Reynolds, Europa Editions; panelists Hans Weyandt, Milkweed Books/Bookstore; Marisa Atkinson, Graywolf; Nica Carrillo, Coffee House Press; Matt Keliher, Subtext; and Angela Schwesnedl,  Moon Palace Books.

"After this endless dull winter, it’s time to hop in the car (or train or bus) and head up into the Hudson Valley for some fun and adventure," LoHud noted in a feature headlined "The Hudson Valley and Catskills are hopping: 5 hot spots to check out."

Among the stops highlighted: "Along with more than 10,000 new books in a wide range of categories, the Spotty Dog Books & Ale in the Columbia County city of Hudson has a dozen or so beers and ales on tap along with IPAs, meads and ciders in cans and bottles. The wine list offers reds, white and roses. Bar snacks including cheese plates, empanadas, olives, nuts and chips and salsa are also available. The bookstore also offers an expanded local section and a smart collection of books and toys for kids."

Cassandra Fernandez has joined Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing as marketing associate. She was previously marketing assistant at Random House Children's Books.

The Tiger at Midnight by Swati Teerdhala (Katherine Tegen Books), the first of trilogy.

Tomorrow:
Today Show: Dr. Alexandra Sacks and Dr. Catherine Birndorf, authors of What No One Tells You: A Guide to Your Emotions from Pregnancy to Motherhood (Simon & Schuster, $17, 9781501112560).

The View: Julian Lennon, co-author of Love the Earth (Sky Pony, $17.99, 9781510728547).

Jake Lacy (I'm Dying Up Here, The Office) will be a series regular opposite Zoë Kravitz in High Fidelity, a reimagining--with a female point of view--of Nick Hornby's 1995 novel and the 2000 film starring John Cusack. Deadline reported that the series, "which recently moved from Disney+ to fellow streaming platform Hulu, hails from writers Veronica West and Sarah Kucserka, Midnight Radio and ABC Signature."

Kravitz stars as the record store owner obsessed with pop culture and Top Five lists, while Lacy "will play Clyde, who is effortlessly cute, if not the coolest guy in the room. A recent NY transplant from LA, he's still trying to figure out how to navigate the city. Despite his lack of interest in music, he reveals a funny and open side that intrigues Rob (Kravitz). But he might prove to be just like all the other guys... or so it seems," Deadline wrote.

West & Kucserka, who developed the series for television, executive produce alongside Midnight Radio's Scott Rosenberg, who co-wrote the High Fidelity movie, Josh Appelbaum, André Nemec and Jeff Pinkner, as well as Hornby. Jesse Peretz will direct and executive produce the pilot. Midnight Radio's Adrienne Erickson will serve as producer.

A shortlist has been released for the 2019 Little Rebels Award, which is given by the Alliance of Radical Booksellers to recognize children’s fiction (for readers aged 0-12) that "promotes social justice or social equality, challenges stereotypes or is informed by anti-discriminatory concerns." The winner will be named July 10. This year's shortlisted titles are:

The Ghosts & Jamal by Bridget Blankley
Across the Divide by Anne Booth
Running on Empty by S.E. Durrant
The King Who Banned the Dark by Emily Haworth-Booth
Freedom by Catherine Johnson
Tomorrow by Nadine Kaadan
The New Neighbours by Sarah McIntyre

The Australian Publishers Association announced three Hall of Fame award honorees:

Richard Walsh, a pioneer of Australian publishing, won the Lloyd O'Neil Hall of Fame Award, which recognizes outstanding service to the Australian book industry by an individual from within its ranks including publishers, booksellers, authors and other industry representatives with exceptional long service to the industry.

Kathy Kozlowski, a bookseller at Readings Kids bookstore in Carlton, won the Pixie O'Harris Award, which recognizes publishers, editors, creators, booksellers, publicists and other industry representatives "who have worked consistently in the field of children's literature, demonstrated commitment beyond the call of duty, and who have developed a reputation for their contribution to the children's book sector."

Ella Chapman, head of marketing communications at Hachette Australia, received the Rising Star Award, which recognizes emerging talent in the Australian book industry "whose record reflects ongoing excellence and growth in contribution to their profession."

As a young Irishman with literary ambitions, John Connell couldn't wait to escape his family's farm in County Longford. But after more than a decade away, he returned to his childhood bedroom, helping his father with the tasks of calving season and tending to the family's flock of sheep. An investigative journalist who has also published short stories and a novel (The Ghost Estate), Connell turns his sharp eye to memoir in The Farmer's Son. He explores the rural setting of his childhood, the long-time historical relationship between human beings and cows, as well as his own (slightly more fraught) relationship with his father.

Connell begins his account in January, during an unusually dark and rainy winter: he is back at home and not at all sure he wants to be. His rendering of farm life--mucking out the cows' stalls, chasing down errant sheep, the actual mechanics of delivering a calf--is sober and clear-eyed. In each day, each task, each argument (spoken or unspoken) with his father, Connell weighs the pull of the land and his family's history against the grit, blood and constant uncertainty of working with livestock.

Despite his best efforts, some calves and lambs will die, either during birth or after it. Their livelihood is subject to the demands of the market, and the relentless winter rain floods the fields where the animals graze and darkens everyone's mood. Connell's family members are sturdy, determined Irish country folk; he charts his father's exasperation, his mother's steady patience, his granny's plainspoken, wry approach to life. His own moods can be as mercurial as the weather, but--though he relishes a break from the farm to go running or drive to the next town for supplies--he gets out into the weather, day or night, and does what has to be done.

There's no glamour in farming as Connell renders it; some of the bloodier scenes are like James Herriot without the cheeky humor. But there is a kind of everyday nobility in the quiet, daily work of farming, the constant "walk with survival, with death over our shoulder, sickness to our left, the spirit to our right and the joy of new life in front." Connell is both able to absorb himself in the mundane details of farm life and pull back for a broader perspective on farming and farmers. His book is neither a polemic nor an elegy, but a thoughtful, often luminous portrait of an ancient, valuable way of life that is in danger of disappearing. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Shelf Talker: John Connell's memoir is a thoughtful, sober-eyed account of a calving season on his family's farm in rural Ireland.

The bestselling self-published books last week as compiled by IndieReader.com:

1. Snitches Get Stitches (The Bear Bottom Guardians MC Book 8) by Lani Lynn Vale
2. At the Pleasure of the President by Shayla Black and Lexi Blake
3. Mad About Moon by Melissa Foster
4. Ethan by Dale Mayer
5. 30 Minute Seder by Robert Kopman, illustrated by Bil Yanok
6. Can't Hurt Me by David Goggins
7. Nobody Does It Better by Lauren Blakely
8. My Best Friend's Mardi Gras Wedding by Erin Nicholas
9. Chasing Vengeance by Katie Reus
10. Repeat by Kylie Scott

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]