Triquetra Books and More, a bookstore and metaphysical shop, is hosting a soft opening this Friday night in Baldwinsville, N.Y., Eagle News Online reported.

Owner Jay Snyder, a former English teacher, will carry crystals and other metaphysical items, along with new and used books, and his event plans include SAT and ACT prep courses as well as writing workshops. Snyder added that knowledge, tolerance and diversity will be emphasized in the store's books, merchandise and events, and he hopes the store becomes the kind of place where anyone and everyone feels comfortable stopping by and hanging out.

Located at 12 Oswego St., Triquetra Books and More resides in a part of Baldwinsville called the Four Corners, which is full of other local businesses. Snyder told Eagle News that he's already connected with a number of other business owners, and he noted that the more he sees of the town and the local business community, the more he likes it. "This is a place that could feel like home. You don't always get that, where businesses aren't competing with one another but are supporting each other."

Snyder, who lives in nearby Bayberry, N.Y., has a day job, and initially Triquetra will be open only on weekends and some weekday evenings.

"As a former English teacher, I've always wanted to have my own bookstore," he said. "This is not just a bookstore to me. I want it to be part of the community."

Annie Philbrick, owner of Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn., and Chuck Royce, landlord of Bank Square's sister store Savoy Bookshop & Cafe in Westerly, R.I., have purchased Bank Square's building in downtown Mystic, where the store has resided for 34 years. The purchase was made through a limited liability company called 49-53 West Main LLC.

"I am thrilled to be a partner with Chuck and help ensure that Bank Square Books will continue to be a cornerstone of downtown Mystic for years to come," said Philbrick. "For the past five years or more, I have been working towards the purchase of these buildings from the longtime owners who were exploring a sale as they headed towards retirement."

Royce said he is "proud to play a small role in Annie's life-long commitment to independent bookstores. I'm delighted with Savoy and deeply indebted to what Annie and her talented team have accomplished."

Next Wednesday, Barnes & Noble is opening a store in Blue Springs, Mo., near Kansas City, replacing one in Independence that closed in February 2021, KCTV5 reported. A ribbon cutting ceremony will feature local children's author Kim Luke (the Enchanted Farm at Fort Osage series).

The new store is in Adams Dairy Landing and will have, B&N said, "a cozy design with beautiful book rooms and a complementary assortment of stationery, puzzles, toys and gifts for readers."

Manager Eric Fuchs said, "My team and I are so excited to be bringing the Blue Springs and Independence communities together by sharing our love of books with everybody. I am a Missouri native and am glad I can stay in my home state doing the job I love. Blue Springs is an area where everything is new and exciting. We are enjoying the thrill of tailoring our displays to meet our community's desires."

Many of the new store's booksellers worked at the Independence store.

Amy Fitzgerald, B&N v-p of stores, said that the company is "thrilled to be opening another store in the Kansas City area and is happy to be able to continue to open stores across the country. We have two new stores opening just this week, with many more planned in 2022."

The Booksellers Association of the U.K. & Ireland has released the line-up for this year's Independent Bookshop Week, the annual celebration of indie booksellers that will be held June 18-25, with Hachette as headline sponsor.

Nearly 700 bookshops have been confirmed to take part in festivities that include literary festivals; special podcast recordings taking place inside the bookshops; poetry showcases; nationwide bookshop crawls; exclusive early releases for indies; window displays; local school events; and much more. Among the highlights: 

• Marcus Leaver, Welbeck co-founder and author of A Little Book About Books, will visit 60 independent bookshops throughout IBW; the book will be available exclusively from indies until September. 
• The Summer Bookshop Crawl will be setting up nationwide bookshop crawls, taking place June 17-19 and covering 10 different locations.
• Authors and bookshop lovers Liz Fenwick and Brigid Coady will host their annual bookshop crawl with the Romantic Novelists Association.
• Afrori Books and the Feminist Bookshop (Brighton) are launching the first Brighton Book Festival.
• Drake The Bookshop (Stockton-on-Tees) is bringing back its Great North Author Tour on June 24-25.

"We can't wait to celebrate Independent Bookshop Week with indie booksellers and book-lovers across the country this June," said Emma Bradshaw, BA head of campaigns. "From author events to school initiatives, and from podcast recordings to their own literary festivals, independent booksellers are proving ever full of creativity and dedication, not only as they curate a special week-long line-up of activities, but also in their everyday work, as pillars of their high streets and local communities. We invite everyone to join us as we celebrate the brilliance of independent booksellers, during and beyond Independent Bookshop Week."

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The Canadian Independent Booksellers Association suggested extending the celebration of Canadian #IndieBookstoreDay and learning more about bookselling by watching Johnny-O and the Book Biz, a documentary by Arthur MacKinnon "featuring Canadian independent award-winning bookseller John Oleksiuk. Through taking us back in time a few decades, John describes a time and a place where you walked into a bookstore for an experience, not just a transaction. He recounts his journey through the book biz and all the authors, actors, and musicians he crossed paths with."

The film is premiering digitally throughout the month of May. Tickets can be purchased via a GoFundMe donation here. 

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In the first quarter of 2022, total book sales in Sweden decreased 2.8% compared to the same period in 2021. The European & International Booksellers Federation Newsflash reported that despite the decline, results in the first quarter were ahead of the same period two years ago, "with total sales amounting to SEK 1.24 billion (about $127.8 million). The Q1 2022 figures show great promise for brick and mortar shops, with their sales increasing by +12.8%."

"With the pandemic restrictions lifted, our members are seeing customers return to their bookshops. It clearly shows that people appreciate shopping in bookshops, as well as the personalised service that is offered," said Maria Hamrefors, president of the Swedish Booksellers Association. --Robert Gray

Steven Heighton

Award-winning poet and writer Steven Heighton, who over his decades-long career published 19 books, died April 19, Quill & Quire reported. He was 60. Heighton won a Governor General's Literary Award for his 2016 collection The Waking Comes Late, but his published works spanned genres, including several novels, a children's book, a memoir, essays and a story collection. His most recent published book was last year's Selected Poems, 1983-2020.

In a statement, House of Anansi, which published his poetry as well as his children's book (at Groundwood), said: "We received the news of Steven Heighton's passing with great sadness and send our deepest condolences to his loved ones.... We are honored that so many of us had the opportunity to know Steven and interact with his writing.... Steven was a prolific and prize-winning author, poet and musician. He was also a kind friend and a true talent. He will be so missed." His other publishers Penguin Random House, Biblioasis and Palimpsest Press shared their condolences on social media, CBC reported.

Heighton published six books of poetry, debuting in 1989 with Stalin's Carnival, which won the Gerald Lampert Award for best first collection, and was followed by The Ecstasy of Skeptics (1994). His first book of short fiction, Flight Paths of the Emperor, was a finalist for the Trillium Award. He later published the memoir Reaching Mithymna, a finalist for the 2020 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. Other works include poetry titles The Address Book and Patient Frame; as well as novels The Shadow Boxer, Afterlands and The Nightingale Won't Let You Sleep. 

The Writers Trust of Canada noted: "The world has lost great Canadian novelist, poet, nonfiction writer and singer Steven Heighton (1961-2022), who had 'poetic sensibilities and storytelling skills with a documentarian's eye.' " 

In a tribute, Biblioasis publisher Dan Wells wrote: "Steven Heighton made us better, as publishers, as people. I can see from the tributes that have met his passing we're far from alone in this. He challenged and encouraged in equal measure, almost always getting the balance right. In this age of ironic detachment he risked being earnest, vulnerable, showing care and concern; 'hardened against carious/ words, spurious charms,' there was about him nothing counterfeit; he worked and worried about making the world a better place to be; worried about how he, and all of us, should move through it. And, damn it, is he going to be missed."

Indie Booksellers were celebrating Star Wars Day yesterday with "May the 4th Be with You" posts on social media. Here's a sampling:

Quail Ridge Books, Raleigh, N.C.: "Happy Star Wars Day from a bookstore not so far, far away."

Carmichael's Bookstore, Louisville, Ky.: "Happy Star Wars Day! We have books from all over the Star Wars universe for you to enjoy."

The Bookshop in Lakewood, Lakewood, Ohio: "Even though we're closed today, we're still nerds. Mast the 4th be with you!"

Page 1 Bookstore, Albuquerque, N.Mex.: "May the 4th Be With You!"

BookPeople, Austin, Tex.: "May the 4th be with you, BookKids! You can still join our virtual event tonight with Jenna Yoon celebrating Lia Park and the Missing Jewel! Link in bio!"

Amalgam Comics & Coffeehouse, Philadelphia, Pa.: "We have enough Star Wars titles to fill a galaxy, pick up something new and start an adventure. May the force be with you."

Fables Books, Goshen, Ind.: "Are you ready to travel to a galaxy far, far away? Your adventure awaits."

Macdonald Book Shop, Estes Park, Colo.: "May the 4th be with you as you navigate these snowy roads today!!! Anyone else wake up this morning totally surprised by this awesome snowstorm?!"

Drama Book Shop, New York, N.Y.: "May the 4th be with you. Happy Star Wars Day!"

Title Wave Books, Anchorage, Alaska: "Happy Star Wars Day! May The Fourth be With You!"

Plaid Elephant Books, Danville, Ky.: "Did you know we have graphic novel adaptations of the Star Wars storylines? They're pretty cool."

The Yellowknife Book Cellar, Yellowknife, N.T., Canada: "May the 4th be with you! And if you have no idea what I am referring to then maybe consider yourself lucky to not know the world of the hot takes about should there have been those three 'prequels' or if Rian Johnson's take was better than JJ Abrams (it was), and just look forward to tomorrow or a nice long nap tonight if your partner feels like watching the movies for the umpteenth time."

Alex Kanenwisher, book buyer at Costco, has selected The Night She Disappeared: A Novel by Lisa Jewell (‎Atria, $17.99, 9781982137373) as the pick for May. In Costco Connection, which goes to many of the warehouse club's members, Kanenwisher writes:

"A young couple goes on a date night at a local pub while the woman's mother, Kim, with whom they live, watches their baby. When they don't return, the mother searches for answers. The story slowly unfolds as Kim tries to solve the mystery herself--after the police fail--and ultimately with the help of a young mystery author.

"Fans of author Lisa Jewell are aware of her penchant for dark, twisty stories, and The Night She Disappeared will not disappoint. The only complaint you might have is not being able to put the book down."

"Bobo applied to be a bookseller," Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle, Wash., posted on Facebook. "Even though he's clearly not tall enough to see over the counter and lacks opposable thumbs, we couldn't say no to that face. So here we are. ⁠Please welcome Bobo the bookseller our newest #dogsofebbco."

Skandar and the Unicorn Thief by A.F. Steadman (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers). In this latest edition of "The Word According to Karp," S&S president and CEO Jonathan Karp talks about the book and its history.

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Senator Elizabeth Warren, author of Persist (Metropolitan Books, $18.99, 9781250839336). She will also be on the View.

Wendy Williams: DJ Envy and Gia Casey, authors of Real Life, Real Love: Life Lessons on Joy, Pain & the Magic That Holds Us Together (Abrams Image, $26, 9781419752780).

Ellen: Tiffany Haddish, co-author of Layla, the Last Black Unicorn (HarperCollins, $18.99, 9780063113879). She will also appear on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers.

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, May 7
9:15 a.m. Roger Lowenstein, author of Ways and Means: Lincoln and His Cabinet and the Financing of the Civil War (‎Penguin Press, $30, 9780735223554). (Re-airs Saturday at 9:15 p.m.)

10 a.m. Mary Sarah Bilder, author of Female Genius: Eliza Harriot and George Washington at the Dawn of the Constitution (University of Virginia Press, $29.50, 9780813947198). (Re-airs Saturday at 10 p.m.)

2 p.m. Jeffrey Frank, author of The Trials of Harry S. Truman: The Extraordinary Presidency of an Ordinary Man, 1945-1953 (Simon & Schuster, $32.50, 9781501102899).

3 p.m. Adolph Reed, author of The South: Jim Crow and Its Afterlives (Verso, $24.95, 9781839766268).

5 p.m. Robert Levine, author of The Failed Promise: Reconstruction, Frederick Douglass, and the Impeachment of Andrew Johnson (Norton, $26.95, 9781324004752).

5:55 p.m. Megan Kate Nelson, author of Saving Yellowstone: Exploration and Preservation in Reconstruction America (Scribner, $28.99, 9781982141332).

Sunday, May 8
8 a.m. William Barr, author of One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs of an Attorney General (Morrow, $35, 9780063158603). (Re-airs Sunday at 8 p.m.)

9 a.m. Valerie Biden Owens, author of Growing Up Biden: A Memoir (Celadon, $28, 9781250821768). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m.)

10 a.m. Deborah Birx, author of Silent Invasion: The Untold Story of the Trump Administration, Covid-19, and Preventing the Next Pandemic Before It's Too Late (Harper, $29.99, 9780063204232). (Re-airs Sunday at 10 p.m.)

2 p.m. Steven Koonin, author of Unsettled: What Climate Science Tells Us, What It Doesn't, and Why It Matters (BenBella, $24.95, 9781950665792).

4:05 p.m. Bjorn Lomborg, author of False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet (Basic Books, $17.99, 9781541647473).

5:05 p.m. Robert Bryce, author of A Question of Power: Electricity and the Wealth of Nations (‎PublicAffairs, $29, 9781610397490).

6:10 p.m. Donald Cohen, author of The Privatization of Everything: How the Plunder of Public Goods Transformed America and How We Can Fight Back (The New Press, $28.99, 9781620976531).

7 p.m. Tiffanie Drayton, author of Black American Refugee: Escaping the Narcissism of the American Dream (Viking, $26, 9780593298541).

Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History by Lea Ypi (published in the U.S. by Norton) has won the £10,000 (about $12,570) RSL Ondaatje Prize, sponsored by the Royal Society of Literature and honoring "a distinguished work of fiction, non-fiction or poetry, evoking the spirit of a place."

The judges said that "the book's central concerns--politics, personal history, the very meaning of freedom--spoke so resonantly to our lived moment. How do nations dream about themselves; how do individuals think of themselves within these fantasies? How do we feel within histories and how they are institutionalised? Ypi is a master at the juxtaposition of these grand and personal narratives--of family secrets and political crises--and repeatedly we returned in our judging conversations to history's long shadow, asking what darkness lies where things remain unquestioned. Ypi's both darkly humorous and deeply serious work made us reflect forcefully on the need for truthfulness about the stories we are told and how we negotiate our own lives within them."

Professor of Political Theory at the London School of Economics and Political Science and Adjunct Professor in Philosophy at the Australian National University and a native of Albania, Ypi said, "This started as a book about concepts and so it is incredible to receive this prize for the best book that evokes the spirit of a place. It goes to show that concepts and places are connected to each other. It is really important to me because the place whose spirit is evoked is Albania, a place people don't usually think about--it's not somewhere that makes headlines unless there is something problematic happening. I hope that it will make people have an interest in the history of this country, which is also a history of universal significance. The book is about the transition from communism to liberalism in Albania and also the dilemmas of freedom that arise as people navigate these different systems. It connects these ideas with ordinary lives, the conflicts, hopes and tragedies that people lived through. I hope this book will make people more sensitive to the realities that should be paid attention to, regardless of whether there is a recognised crisis in a place or not."

Selected new title appearing next Tuesday, May 10:

Siren Queen by Nghi Vo (Tor, $26.99, 9781250788832) follows a Chinese American actress navigating pre-Code Hollywood.

The Murder Rule: A Novel by Dervla McTiernan (Morrow, $27.99, 9780063042209) is psychological suspense about a secret shared between a mother and daughter.

Misrule: Book Two of the Malice Duology by Heather Walter (Del Rey, $27, 9781984818683) concludes a reimagining of Sleeping Beauty.

Ali's Well That Ends Well: Tales of Desperation and a Little Inspiration by Ali Wentworth (Harper, $26.99, 9780062980861) collects comedic essays about pandemic life.

Bad Mexicans: Race, Empire, and Revolution in the Borderlands by Kelly Lytle Hernández (Norton, $30, 9781324004370) chronicles the Mexicans who began the 1910 Mexican Revolution from within the United States.

Back to the Prairie: A Home Remade, A Life Rediscovered by Melissa Gilbert and Timothy Busfield (Gallery, $28, 9781982177188) is a memoir by the star of Little House on the Prairie.

Winston Churchill: His Times, His Crimes by Tariq Ali (Verso, $34.95, 9781788735773) explores the less lauded imperialism of Churchill.

The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza by Mac Barnett, illus. by Shawn Harris (Katherine Tegen Books, $15.99, 9780063084087), is the middle-grade graphic novel that came from the duo's live Instagram show.

The World Belonged to Us by Jacqueline Woodson, illus. by Leo Espinosa (Putnam/Paulsen, $18.99, 9780399545498) is a picture book that celebrates summer in Brooklyn.

Paperbacks:
Long Lost by Jacqueline West (Greenwillow Books, $7.99, 9780062691767).

The Disordered Cosmos: A Journey into Dark Matter, Spacetime, and Dreams Deferred by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein (Bold Type Books, $17.99, 9781541724686).

The Interrupted Journey: Two Lost Hours Aboard a UFO: The Abduction of Betty and Barney Hill by John Fuller (Vintage, $17.99, 9780593468234).

Jay's Gay Agenda by Jason June (HarperTeen, $10.99, 9780063015166).

The Revelations: A Novel by Erik Hoel (The Overlook Press, $16, 9781419750236).

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

Hardcover
Take My Hand: A Novel by Dolen Perkins-Valdez (Berkley, $27, 9780593337691). "Dolen Perkins-Valdez has a gift. Take My Hand sheds light on the long history of forced sterilization of African American women and introduces the incredible Civil Townsend, whose compassion I see in Black women doctors in my own life." --Morgan Harding, Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington, D.C.

Let's Not Do That Again: A Novel by Grant Ginder (Holt, $27.99, 9781250243775). "Politics, family dysfunction, drug addiction, bad behavior--what could possibly go wrong? This extremely readable novel about a New York City political family will grab you right away. The perfect antidote to today's headlines." --Terry Gilman, Creating Conversations, Redondo Beach, Calif.

Paperback
Mother May I: A Novel by Joshilyn Jackson (Morrow, $16.99, 9780062855350). "Joshilyn Jackson's Mother May I is a roller coaster, taking you to dramatic, earth-shaking highs before dropping your heart into your stomach on the lows. I quickly devoured this book but didn't miss its poignant, timely message." --Beth Mynhier, Lake Forest Book Store, Lake Forest, Ill.

For Ages 3 to 7
I Am Quiet: A Story for the Introvert in All of Us by Andie Powers, illus. by Betsy Petersen (Bala Kids, $16.95, 9781611809848). "I've never read a book that so beautifully captures what it's like to be an introvert. Quiet is not always shyness, but perhaps something more, something open. A gift to all children (and adults) who grapple with quietness in a loud world." --Amy Lane, Bards Alley, Vienna, Va.

For Ages 8 to 12
The Last Mapmaker by Christina Soontornvat (Candlewick, $17.99, 9781536204957). "Sai is a great, relatable heroine. So many strong female characters, both friend and foe--who can she trust? Soontornvat builds a remarkably vivid world and keeps the surprises coming until the end. An incredible middle grade fantasy." --Christina Batten, Schuler Books, Grand Rapids, Mich.

For Teen Readers
Sofi and the Bone Song by Adrienne Tooley (Margaret K. McElderry, $18.99, 9781534484368). "A musical fantasy, a magical mystery, a lyrical love story--Sofi and the Bone Song is a gorgeous, wintry novel that does it all. Readers who love soft, sweet coming-of-age stories with clever fantasy worldbuilding will find a home here." --Kiersten Frost, Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, Mass.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

"It has been the work of my life to build slightly firmer boundaries around myself so that I can figure out where I end and the people I love begin," writes CJ Hauser (The From-Aways; Family of Origin) in "Hepburn Qua Hepburn," one of the standout pieces collected in the perceptive and witty The Crane Wife: A Memoir in Essays. While readers are rooting for Hauser, they won't want her to shore up those boundaries too much: a principal pleasure of the novelist's first work of nonfiction is the fact that she's "a kind of joyful sponge for the affectations and interests of the people I love."

The people from whom Hauser has been soaking up bits of identity are frequently the products of someone else's imagination. In the abovementioned "Hepburn Qua Hepburn," Hauser ruefully explains the significance of one of the eligible bachelors in her longtime favorite film, George Cukor's screwball-romance classic The Philadelphia Story: "I've spent most of my life dating Macaulay Connors. Because what I believed when I was thirteen, and for many years afterward, was that this was what love was about. This kind of one-soul-seeing-another-soul synchronicity." Hauser has also turned to the small screen for guidance. In "Mulder, It's Me," she finds in The X-Files, Chris Carter's television supernova, a pathway to understanding her romantic misadventures through the diametrically opposed main characters: "I became convinced that this was what had gone wrong in my last relationship: I had been a Scully dating a Scully." Until she realized she's actually a Mulder.

Taken together, the components of The Crane Wife tell the story of a late-30-something woman's lifelong, traumatic-breakup-riddled search for her true romantic and sexual self. The collection's title essay, which gained a wide readership when it appeared in the Paris Review, is about a trip that Hauser took to the Gulf Coast of Texas to study the whooping crane 10 days after calling off an engagement. Perhaps it was foreordained that the road to romantic fulfillment would be rocky. In one of the charged vignettes that comprise "Blood: Twenty-Seven Love Stories," Hauser writes this of her and her sister's inability to keep alive the cacti their parents brought home from a trip for their young daughters: "Our parents exchange a look. As if they know already that love will not be easy for us." But for readers, Hauser's agony is, if not ecstasy, then enchanting. --Nell Beram, author and freelance writer

Shelf Talker: Collectively, this perceptive and witty offering's components tell the story of a late-30-something woman's lifelong search for her true romantic and sexual self.

The following were the most popular book club books during April based on votes from book club readers in more than 75,000 book clubs registered at Bookmovement.com:

1. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray (Berkley)
2. The Lincoln Highway: A Novel by Amor Towles (Viking)
3. The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig (Viking)
4. The Maid: A Novel by Nita Prose (Ballantine)
5. The Four Winds: A Novel by Kristin Hannah (St. Martin's Press)
6. Cloud Cuckoo Land: A Novel by Anthony Doerr (Scribner)
7. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Washington Square Press)
8. Hamnet by Maggie O'Farrell (Vintage)
9. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave (Simon & Schuster)
10. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty (Holt)

Rising Stars:
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson (Ballantine Books)
The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (Harper)