The Book and Cover bookstore debuted recently at 1310 Hanover St. in Chattanooga, Tenn. The Times Free Press reported that when the bright pink front door opened last Thursday on the city's newest indie, which is owned by Emily Lilley, Sarah Jackson and Blaes Green, the space "quickly filled with people browsing books on the overcast afternoon." 

"We're just really excited to have someone in here and make it real because it has felt so much like this is something we're doing for our community and they're such a big part of it and they haven't been here yet," said Jackson. "It feels like [the community] is the missing piece."

In addition to shelves filled with books across a variety of genres, Book & Cover has a coffee bar and sells other goods like branded bags and T-shirts, enamel pins and cards. Lilley's dog Bertie can also be found wandering through the space.

The owners crowdsourced $100,000 through IndieGoGo earlier in the year. The Times Free Press wrote that since the fundraising campaign ended this summer, "the process has been a 'whirlwind' as the friends worked to navigate everything from the difficulties of the business model and permits as well as celebrating even the most minor signals of progress."

"It's also been cool to kind of watch ourselves navigate through those challenging pieces and find the small victories," Lilley said. "As we're dealing with something difficult, something positive would always happen that would encourage us, keep us excited about moving forward."

Green added: "It has been a mad dash--list-making and keeping and crossing off--to make sure that we have everything covered. [We want to make sure we have] what is going to make this space accessible and comfortable for all kinds of readers to come in and find something that they like and something that is for them."

At the end of the bookstore's opening day, the owners posted on Instagram: "Friends, we would buy you all bouquets of sharpened pencils if we could. Today was a dream come true and each one of you who wandered into our space; offered us your awestruck words; and (and!) read books in our nooks & corners--thank you! To those of you who supported us, championed us, fed us, helped us--we are eternally grateful."

King City Books in Mt. Vernon, Ill., will close permanently this weekend; Saturday, November 13, is the store's final day in business. Since November 1, everything in the store has been 75% off.

Owner Kendra Peterson, who opened the store in fall 2014, told customers and community members that a combination of reasons led to the closure, but chiefly, the store didn't have the "book and sidelines sales we need to stay open." Peterson noted that she will continue to sell books through the store's website and Bookshop.org affiliate page even after the physical store closes.

"We held on for as long as we could," she said in a video message posted to the store's Facebook page. "Take care, and thank you to those who came in and loved us and kept us afloat."

Total net book sales in August in the U.S. rose 9.8%, to $1.95 billion, compared to August 2020, representing sales of 1,358 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. August 2020 was the fifth full month reflecting lockdowns in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. For the year to date, total net sales rose 14.4%, to $9.93 billion.

Trade sales rose 17.6%, to $822.8 million, in August, and rose 16.1%, to $5.7 billion, for the first eight months of the year. Trade sales of traditional books showed strong growth in every category in August: hardcovers rose 14.3%, to $297.8 million, paperbacks jumped 36.1%, to $295.1 million, mass market rose 21.5%, to $17.7 million, and board books were up 41%, to $21.1 million. E-book sales fell 12.3%, to $88.3 million.

Sales by category in August 2021 compared to August 2020:

The Shanghai International Children's Book Fair, which had been scheduled for November 19-21, has been postponed until March 20-22 next year due to the "recent situation of the epidemic control in China, and in order to ensure the health and safety of all our exhibitors and visitors," according to organizers. The fair will now coincide with the Bologna Children's Book Fair in Italy, which is set for March 21-24.

In a statement, CCBF and BCBF organizers said: "For the first time, the two major professional children's book fairs will connect East and West through innovative real-time events. By mobilizing their wide array of resources, the two fairs will organize joint activities in copyright trade, book promotion and illustration so that participants at both ends of the earth can network efficiently through time and space."

CCBF also expressed "our most sincere apologies for the inconvenience this unavoidable postponement may cause. Yet, we are convinced that the new situation will bring exciting opportunities so as to create a good exhibition and a fruitful business environment for all participants."

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Marcus Rashford

Manchester United and English national team soccer star Marcus Rashford, MBE, has been named FutureBook Person of the Year, becoming the fourth recipient of the award, after publisher Sharmaine Lovegrove, writer Kit de Waal and Booksellers Association managing director Meryl Halls. Rashford "was nominated for using his platform to promote reading and books as well as for speaking out on child poverty during the pandemic."

The Person of the Year award recognizes "people making a real difference in publishing through their actions and advocacy." During the past year, Rashford has released his first children's book, You Are a Champion, and launched the Marcus Rashford Book Club, which showcases the works of young, emerging writers and illustrators from all backgrounds. With Macmillan, he has also worked to donate books to children who otherwise would not get access. 

The award acknowledges Rashford's "advocacy around child poverty and free school meals and more generally holding the government to account for decisions that have a tangible and lasting impact on young people's lives. It too acknowledges his incredible steadfastness in the face of the racism he and other footballers of color still face in today's game and more generally on social media."

Philip Jones, editor of the Bookseller, which runs the annual FutureBook Conference, said Rashford's "advocacy around reading is a precious commodity, his allyship a real and powerful tool as the sector works to get more books into the hands of more readers, as well as improving representation in those books."

Rashford observed: "The actual physical book was always secondary to the bigger picture here for me. Success was getting great books in the hands of the children who truly need them. Books that children could take lessons and tools from, that would help them overcome any challenge they were facing. Success is representation. Success is knowing any child can pick up my book and think it was written for them."

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"We love this article from Chatelaine on 15 amazing indie bookstores across Canada," the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association noted in sharing a link to the feature in which the magazine wrote: "There are over 200 indie bookstores in Canada that are thriving despite the pressure of Amazon and e-books. Why not buy your next read from one of these shops, most of which ship across the country?" --Robert Gray

Marion Ballard, who co-owned and operated Bayboro Books in St. Petersburg, Fla., from 1982 to 1997, died last month after a long illness, the Tampa Bay Times reported. She was 81 years old.

Ballard opened Bayboro Books in 1982, in a storefront adjacent to the University of South Florida's St. Petersburg campus. She started the store with the help of her friend and St. Petersburg city council member Sally Wallace, and once the business was up and running she brought in two more friends, Marty Wallace and Marianne Rucker, to help with the store.

While the store primarily served USF students and faculty, Bayboro Books also hosted book clubs and author events for the wider community. Kathy Arsenault, the former dean of the Poynter library at USF, told the Tampa Bay Times the store was the "intellectual center of our campus," and "we were all so grateful for it."

By 1997, Ballard and the store's other owners were ready for retirement and Barnes & Noble was slated to open on the college's campus. While the time was right to close the store, Ballard continued to stay involved with the book world and ran a number of book clubs. Community service was another of her passions, and Arsenault called her a "legendary volunteer."

One of Ballard's book clubs, Women of Words, is still operating, and later this month the club will present books to local barber Antonio Brown, who runs a children's book club out of his barbershop. A note about Ballard and her love of books will be included with the books being donated to Brown.

"One of our greatest joys is the ability to make a difference in other people's lives," Fact and Fiction Books, Missoula, Mont., posted on Facebook yesterday in sharing the news about a recent promotion involving Stephanie Land's book Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay and a Mother's Will to Survive (Legacy Lit/Hachette), which was adapted into a recently released Netflix limited series. 
 
"Books can make people feel seen and be a tool for nourishing empathy and compassion," the bookseller continued. "Sometimes the fruits of our labor to support our community are quiet and under the radar, but sometimes, a local author makes a splash on the national and global scene in a way that screams from the mountaintops of our community. 

"Since the series based on Stephanie Land's bestselling book was released, we have been processing orders, packing, and shipping signed and personalized copies all over the nation and the world. Today, we had the pleasure of writing a check to donate a portion of the profits of those sales to Mountain Home, a Missoula non-profit that helps single mothers. Thank you to Stephanie for working with us, to Mountain Home for everything you do, and to all our customers for keeping us thriving in our beautiful community. We love you all."

Harper's Books, Lebanon, Tenn., shared a photo of the shop's newly decorated front display window, noting: "It's always a great day when Cheryl does our windows! We're back to Narnia again for the winter season."

Alex Kanenwisher, book buyer at Costco, has selected Better Off Dead by Lee Child and Andrew Child (‎Delacorte Press, $28.99, 9781984818508) as the pick for November. In Costco Connection, which goes to many of the warehouse club's members, Kanenwisher writes:

"He's a modern-day knight-errant. The Lone Ranger, Zorro and Robin Hood all rolled into one. And about as big as they would all be together. He's Jack Reacher, and he's been righting injustices and defending the weak from the powerful since 1997. The 26th book in the series, Better Off Dead, is out now.

"Reacher comes to the aid of a woman trying to find her brother, who may or may not be dead, and who may or may not be a terrorist.

"While Reacher is 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, sheer power is never in question. What I love about his actions, though, is the brainpower behind them. He never acts without reason."

Incidentally the current issue of Costco Connection has a cover feature about Paul McCartney's The Lyrics: 1956 to the Present, the first time in our memory that a book was highlighted on the cover.

Love Is Everything by Charles Ghigna, illustrated by Jacqueline East (Schiffer Kids).

Today:
CBS This Morning: Lana Wood, author of Little Sister: My Investigation into the Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood (Dey Street Books, $27.99, 9780063081628).

Good Morning America: Will Smith, co-author of Will (Penguin Press, $30, 9781984877925).

Fresh Air: Linda Greenhouse, author of Justice on the Brink: The Death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the Rise of Amy Coney Barrett, and Twelve Months That Transformed the Supreme Court (Random House, $28, 9780593447932).

Tomorrow:
Drew Barrymore Show: Emily Ratajkowski, author of My Body (Metropolitan, $26, 9781250817860).

Ellen: Jamie Foxx, co-author of Act Like You Got Some Sense: And Other Things My Daughters Taught Me (Grand Central, $30, 9781538703281).

Late Night with Seth Meyers: David Copperfield, co-author of David Copperfield's History of Magic (Simon & Schuster, $35, 9781982112912).

Actress and producer Reese Witherspoon has formed a new partnership between her popular Reese's Book Club and Simi Winery in California. Variety reported that the collaboration "will launch with the Editor's Collection, a holiday box set of two wines that also includes a personal note from the Oscar winner." The six-year-old Reese's Book Club is a venture of Hello Sunshine, the multimedia company founded by Witherspoon.

"We are thrilled to kick off Simi Winery's partnership with Reese's Book Club," said Mallika Monteiro, executive v-p of Constellation Brands, the parent company of Simi Winery. "These brands are united by two inspiring female leaders--Isabelle Simi and Reese Witherspoon--who carved their own paths and, through sheer grit and determination, shared their passions with the world. Together, these female-led brands will spotlight diverse narratives and deepen connections within the community by offering readers and drinkers more ways to engage with these stories and each other. The Editor's Collection was inspired by the quality and thoughtful craftsmanship behind both of our brands, and this is just the start of much more to come."

Hello Sunshine CEO Sarah Harden said: "We're always looking for ways to deepen our relationship with our wonderful reading community. When our members shared that wine was a top product they were seeking to enjoy alongside books, we knew that Simi's incredible female founder's story and commitment to her craft would make a perfect pairing."

The American Library Association revealed the shortlist for the 2022 Andrew Carnegie Medals for Excellence in Fiction and Nonfiction. The two medal winners, who each receive $5,000, will be named January 23 at the Reference and User Services Association's Book and Media Awards event, which will take place online. Winners and finalists will be honored in the summer of 2022 during a celebratory event at ALA's annual conference. This year's shortlisted titles are:

Fiction

The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade (Norton)

Matrix by Lauren Groff (Riverhead)
The Thousand Crimes of Ming Tsu by Tom Lin (Little, Brown)

Nonfiction

Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619–2019 by Ibram X. Kendi & Keisha N. Blain (One World)
A Little Devil in America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance by Hanif Abdurraqib (Random House)

Seek You: A Journey through American Loneliness by Kristen Radtke (Pantheon)

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The Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association has announced its 2022 Book Awards shortlist, chosen by PNBA independent booksellers. The six winners will be announced in early January. The shortlist:

Unfollow Me: Essays on Complicity by Jill Louise Busby (Bloomsbury)
The Sea in Winter by Christine Day (Heartdrum)
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr (Scribner)
What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad (Knopf)
Hurricane Lizards and Plastic Squid: The Fraught and Fascinating Biology of Climate Change by Thor Hanson (Basic Books)
Odessa by Jonathan Hill (Oni Press)
The Book of Difficult Fruit: Arguments for the Tart, Tender, and Unruly (with recipes) by Kate Lebo (Farrar, Straus, & Giroux)
Time Is a Flower by Julie Morstad (Tundra Books)
Funeral for Flaca: Essays by Emilly Prado (Future Tense Books)
Guard the Mysteries by Cedar Sigo (Wave Books)
Mel Fell by Corey R. Tabor (Balzer + Bray)
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao (Penguin Teen)

At the end of Keigo Higashino's first-rate Silent Parade, someone tells physics professor Manabu Yukawa, "You're a modern-day Hercule Poirot," but that's not quite right. Although Detective Galileo (as the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department refers to Yukawa) has once again used his considerable brainpower to help unravel a bedeviling mystery, Poirot probably didn't know the first thing about volumetric capacity. And the great Belgian detective would have hardly dropped his self-regard long enough to admit sheepishly, as Detective Galileo does, "People often tell me I'm weird."

The physicist's weirdness, science-mindedness and commitment to coaxing rather than directing the police toward answers have been his calling card throughout the Detective Galileo books (The Devotion of Suspect X; Salvation of a Saint; A Midsummer's Equation), and these qualities abound in Silent Parade, the fourth title in the series. As the novel begins, the Shizuoka Prefectural Police have just found the remains of Saori Namiki in the ruins of a "trash house" that recently caught fire; an examination of her bones determines that a depressed skull fracture was the cause of death for the young woman, who disappeared three years earlier, when she was 19.

The other remains found at the house were those of the old woman who lived there, whose son, Kanichi Hasunuma, was a suspect in a case that the Tokyo police worked 23 years earlier involving the murder of a 12-year-old girl. The evidence presented in Hasunuma's trial was deemed insufficient, and the not-guilty verdict "turned the whole world on its head" for then junior detective Kusanagi. Now chief inspector, Kusanagi approaches this new case hell-bent on forging a connection between the two--something made all the more difficult when Hasunuma is murdered.

Higashino, author of the Kyochira Kaga mystery series (Malice; Newcomer) and stand-alones including Under the Midnight Sun, nimbly employs a wandering point of view to let readers access the minds of key characters, from the Tokyo detectives who lean on the bemused Detective Galileo to the individuals who loved the two young murder victims, and whose opportunities to seek revenge are of particular interest to the police. Readers may note that Higashino's characters dwell on concepts like honor and shame to an extent that isn't typical in thrillers set in the West; this only heightens the stakes in Silent Parade, a twist-and-turn mystery in which, for some characters, Detective Galileo is an enigma unto himself. --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer

Shelf Talker: The terrific fourth title in the Detective Galileo series finds the physics professor using science to help the Tokyo police solve two related murders committed two decades apart.

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

1. Until April (Until Him/Her Book 10) by Aurora Rose Reynolds
2. Dangerous Rescue (Takeback Book 2) by Riley Edwards
3. Hostile Takeover by Lucy Lennox
4. Indigo Ridge by Devney Perry
5. A Shadow in the Ember by Jennifer L. Armentrout
6. Riggs by Sawyer Bennett
7. Own Your Power by Jayson Waller
8. When the Unthinkable Happens by Randy Dewey
9. The Bromance Zone by Lauren Blakely
10. Martyr's Promise by Elizabeth Hunter

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]