Just days after the counter-culture bookstore Mutiny Information Cafe in Denver, Colo., was seized by the city over back taxes totaling $35,000, owners Jim Norris and Matt Megyesi have raised $57,620 through a crowdfunding campaign.

Norris told the Denver Gazette that the new and used bookstore and coffee shop could reopen within a week. "We are humbled and relieved," he said. "We know that we have our work cut out for us honoring all these good people who donated. We are excited to get back to work doing what we do. Thank you, Denver."

The city seized the store on Thursday, and on Friday morning the Mutiny team launched a GoFundMe campaign with the help of organizer Kyle Sutherland. Within a day, 925 donors contributed more than $50,000.

Mutiny's troubles began with the forced closures and other restrictions earlier in the pandemic, Norris noted. The bookstore was already struggling to recover from those and other difficulties when co-owner Megyesi had a near-fatal heart attack earlier this year. Norris called Megyesi's recovery "miraculous but slow," and while Megyesi recovered, Norris lost track of the city's demands for payment. After only two notices, the city seized the bookstore.

Norris added that Mutiny's staff has been fully paid and the shop is now current on all other debts.

In addition to selling books and coffee, Mutiny offers comic books, records, posters and pinball machines. It's also a stand-up comedy venue and hosts author readings, movie screenings, live music and magic shows.

Beartooth Books held a grand opening celebration in Red Lodge, Mont., this weekend, KULR8 reported.

Owners Brian and Amy Sweet sell new books for all ages, and while the inventory spans a wide variety of genres, they have a particular emphasis on local authors. They also carry a selection of nonbook items, including greeting cards and stationery.

"Every town should have a local bookstore," Amy Sweet said. "So many people, including me, like to hold a book and have the physical pleasure of turning the pages."

Brian Sweet remarked that Beartooth Books is part of a wave of new bookstore openings both in the Mountains & Plains Independent Booksellers Association region and across the country. He noted that "almost all new authors that become bestsellers start at independent bookstores, because we recommend them again, and again, and again."

The Sweets plans to host local author events and become a gathering place for the Red Lodge community. The grand opening was very well attended, with nearly 400 people stopping by--"nearly 20 percent of the population of Red Lodge."

Kahini Books, a new and used bookstore specializing in stories with South Asian representation, has debuted as an online bookstore and pop-up shop, Washingtonian reported. Owner Ryanna Quazi launched the store in May and has her next pop-up appearance scheduled for October 1, at the Vienna OctoberFest in Vienna, Va.

In addition to new and used books featuring South Asian characters and by South Asian authors, Quazi also carries lesser-known titles that have fewer than 100,000 ratings on Goodreads or aren't on the bestseller lists. While Quazi hopes to open a bricks-and-mortar store in the Washington, D.C., area eventually, she is sticking with pop-up shops and online sales for the time being. 

"One of the things that drew me to D.C. was not just my day job, but I loved that in this area it's cool to read," said Quazi, who works in public health and is earning a master's degree at Georgetown. "It's cool to be smart."

Quazi told Washingtonian that while South Asian representation has increased in recent years in television shows and movies, she wanted to emphasize South Asian representation in books. Both her parents are from Bangladesh, and she recalled how great it felt to find that representation in books growing up.

She noted: "The fact that you're sitting there for hours, imagining the story in your head, and you're imagining who these characters are. I think it has a different emotional impact on you.”

Citing fatigue and rising costs, Nicole Sullivan is closing BookBar, Denver, Colo., the 10-year-old bookstore and wine bar, on January 31. Sullivan will continue to operate her other bookstore, the Bookies; her nonprofit organization, BookGive; and the small press, BookBar Press.

"With nearly all costs of doing business on the rise, our expenses continue to outpace revenue," Sullivan said in a statement. "It's just no longer sustainable for the long-term. Ten years feels like a good run for a hybrid business model that requires an intense amount of work and financial investment. As much as I will miss the community we've created at BookBar, I'm truly ready to move on, shift my focus, and definitely work less." She cited "the tumult of Covid" and wanting to slow down, spend more time with family and friends, pursue other interests, and focus more on her other book businesses.

In a note to customers, Sullivan added that the store "has found success beyond my wildest dreams, and I am eternally grateful for all of the kindness, friendship, enthusiasm, and support this community has given us. We have far exceeded my expectations....

"[However] running a bookstore, especially a hybrid bookstore and bar, is a complex business model that requires a massive amount of hard work, late nights, missed opportunities, and a non-existent work-life balance.... As much as I love BookBar, it has left me with precious little time to explore other interests, take a vacation, get blissfully bored, or read more than one book a quarter."

In a blogpost, Sullivan called the upcoming minimum wage increase in Denver on January 1 "the final nail in the coffin." She emphasized that "I'm certainly not against raising the minimum wage," but that "the simple math" is daunting. "When I opened BookBar in 2013 the minimum wage was $7.78. In January it will increase to $17.29. That is roughly a 122% increase in the past 10 years. Compare that to the price of books, which have only increased around 5-7% in the past 10 years. It just doesn't work. While the bar certainly helps to increase our overall margins, it also increases the work and complexity of the business, and food and beverage establishments can only raise their prices so much. Booksellers can't raise our prices at all. As long as publishers continue to print prices on the covers of books, bookstores have no control over our margins."

(back row, l.-r.) Alyssa Raymond (Copper Dog Books), Kimi Loughlin (Buttonwood Books and Toys), (front row) Kinsey Foreman (High Five Books), Steph Heinz (Print: A Bookstore), Tildy Lutts (Barefoot Books), Read Davidson (Harvard Book Store)

The New England Children's Bookseller Advisory Council announced its fall Windows and Mirrors list last week at the NEIBA fall conference in Providence, R.I. The list of books is "a thoughtful, inclusive reading list of well-written and well-illustrated 'diverse' books' based on "the concept of windows and mirrors popularized by Dr. Rudine Sims Bishop." Committee co-chairs Kinsey Foreman (High Five Books, Florence, Mass.) and Steph Heinz (Print: A Bookstore, Portland, Maine) sat on a panel with NECBA co-chairs Tildy Lutts (Barefoot Books, Belmont, Mass.) and Read Davidson (Harvard Book Store, Cambridge, Mass.) while fellow committee members Kimi Loughlin (Buttonwood Books and Toys, Cohasset, Mass.) and Alyssa Raymond (Copper Dog Books, Beverly, Mass.) added information from the audience. The group discussed changes in the list--having a shortlist and a longlist, with different titles on both; switching to one list per year instead of a spring and fall list--and talked about the practical uses for booksellers. "I use it as a handselling tool all the time," Lutts said. Davidson uses it "as a tool to pull from when we're picking our holiday books to highlight." The list can be found here.

On the last day of the conference, at the NECBA annual meeting, Lutts announced that Foreman would be taking over her role as co-chair. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," Lutts tearfully said to the audience, "for championing children's books and being a part of NECBA and NEIBA." This moved swiftly into an excellent panel about arts and literacy outreach.

(l.-r.) Tildy Lutts (Belmont Books), Stephanie Heinz (Print: A Bookstore), Abby Rice (Title IX: A Bookstore), Kinsey Foreman (High Five Books), Eliza Brown (Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art), Read Davidson (Harvard Book Store)

Heinz moderated the panel, which included Abby Rice (Title IX: A Bookstore, New London, Conn.), Foreman and Eliza Brown (Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art, Amherst, Mass.). "So, let's get 'when things go wrong' out of the way," Heinz began. "At our store this summer," Rice said, "we were very excited to try a new thing with a kids' pride carnival in the store. It was a little discouraging during the day... but it was a great template and practice session for next year." Brown sympathized: "We've all had those events where either the books didn't show up on time or no one came, and we were left feeling really embarrassed or stressed out." Foreman expanded on what can be learned from such "failures": "We had an experience earlier this summer where a local teacher put together a conference and they were all talking about racial justice topics. We had, I think, six people total buy books. We learned a lot about the kinds of questions we should ask ahead of time: How is this event going to be advertised? Will we be included in the advertising?" And, Rice added, despite "living in late-stage capitalism" and needing to make money, "outreach over income is kind of a big thing if you're doing kids' events and literacy events"--the store is often able to reap return from word of mouth.

"How do you make sure you build on these failures?" Heinz asked. Foreman mentioned something they had learned at Children's Institute: "Have a debrief spreadsheet after the event--it's amazing how quickly you can forget what happens at an event and having that resource to go back to [is very helpful]." Rice added, "If you are building your event orders in the POS system, there's a customer notes section. Store notes there like, 'Next year, sunscreen!' "

Heinz asked how stores are doing literacy and arts programs. Brown suggested starting with local authors and illustrators to connect with your community: "We did a fundraiser called doodles for dollars" in which illustrators sketched the kids' favorite stuffed animal. It was wildly popular and has been replicated by several different stores across the country." Foreman suggested booksellers "ask people what we can do to support you. It's really easy to assume what people want or what they would like to see. But it can be surprising what people come up with." Rice said that Title IX received a grant through the city of New London, and asked local author/illustrator Juana Martinez Neal to create a mural in the store. They use that space as their "pay it forward" program: prepaid gift cards are hung on the wall and any community member can grab a gift certificate to pay for a book. Brown told booksellers to look for grants and Foreman reminded the audience to "ask publishers for ARCs and freebies to give away."

Mariana Calderon from Savoy Bookshop and Café in Westerly, R.I., spoke about a program in the store: Open Agenda. Savoy has a display of LGBTQ+ titles (primarily middle-grade and young adult) that have already been paid for. This allows community members to come in and take a free queer book. "Find the people in your community who have the money and make them feel guilty," Calderon said, "so you can give the books to those who don't have the money." Several panelists and booksellers in the room suggested offering discounts to customers taking part in paying books forward programs. Brown gave a few options for finding grants, such as state cultural councils, tourism bureaus, bureaus of commerce, foundations and philanthropic organizations about kids or literacy. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness

The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, Utah, hosted an afternoon of poetry readings featuring six Poets Laureate. The event was a benefit for Brain Food Books, which puts new books into the hands of children without regular access to them. It was also the first patio partnership with Finca, the restaurant TKE shares a wall with. More than 85 people attended, and enjoyed wines and tapas.

Pictured: King's English owners Calvin Crosby and Anne Holman (left) with Utah Poets Laureate David Lee (1997-2003); Kim Shuck (San Francisco Poet Laureate Emeritus, 2017); Katharine Coles (2006-2012); Lance Larsen (2012-2017); Paisley Rekdal (2017-2022); Lisa Bickmore (2022-present).

"It's the spookiest time of the year! Check out our new fall display," A Novel Idea on Passyunk, Philadelphia, Pa., invited. 

Rebecca Carlisle has been promoted to v-p, marketing & publicity for the Workman, Workman Kids, Algonquin Young Readers, and Workman Calendars imprints. Rebecca first came to Workman Publishing in 2010 as senior publicist. After two years with the company, she left to manage PR and marketing for the fine dining restaurants within Union Square Hospitality Group. She returned to Workman in 2015 as associate director of publicity and then was promoted to director of publicity, senior director, marketing & publicity, and most recently executive director, marketing & publicity. Prior to that, Carlisle held stints in publicity and marketing at Norton, Other Press, and Bloomsbury Publishing and Walker Books.

Alana Bonfiglio has joined the company as marketing assistant, working for the Workman, Workman Kids, Algonquin Young Readers, and Workman Calendars imprints. She is a recent graduate of Lehigh University, where she was a diversity, equity and inclusion intern; undergraduate research assistant; and marketing and communications intern at the Lehigh@NasdaqCenter.

The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris (Sourcebooks Landmark).

Today:
Fresh Air: Margaret Burnham, author of By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow's Legal Executioners (Norton, $30, 9780393867855).

Tomorrow:
Today Show: Javier Zamora, author of Solito: A Memoir (Hogarth, $28, 9780593498064).

The View: Idina Menzel and Cara Mentzel, authors of Loud Mouse (Disney-Hyperion, $17.99, 9781368078061).

Drew Barrymore Show: Serena Williams, author of The Adventures of Qai Qai (Feiwel & Friends, $18.99, 9781250831408).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Anderson Cooper, co-author of Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty (Harper Paperbacks, $18.99, 9780062964625).

Video highlights have been released from The Notebook, a new musical based on the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks that also inspired a film, Playbill reported. Chicago Shakespeare Theater's world premiere began previews September 6, with opening night set for September 28.

Directed by Michael Greif (Dear Evan Hansen, Rent) and Schele Williams (Aida, Motown the Musical) with choreography by Katie Spelman, the production was recently extended through October 30. The musical features a score by singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson (The Way I Am, Girls Chase Boys) and a book by Bekah Brunstetter (NBC's This Is Us).

The winners of the New England Book Awards, sponsored by the New England Independent Booksellers Association, were announced and celebrated during the association's fall conference last week:

Fiction: Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty (Tin House)
Poetry: Such Color: New and Selected Poems by Tracy K. Smith (Graywolf Press)
Nonfiction: Dirtbag, Massachusetts: A Confessional by Isaac Fitzgerald (Bloomsbury)
Children's: Keepunumuk: Weeâchumun's Thanksgiving Story by Danielle Greendeer, Anthony Perry and Alexis Bunten, illustrated by Garry Meeches Sr. (Charlesbridge)
Middle Grade: Zachary Ying and the Dragon Emperor by Xiran Jay Zhao (Margaret K. McElderry Books)
Young Adult: Squire by Nadia Shammas and Sara Alfageeh, illustrated by Sara Alfageeh (Quill Tree Books)

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Barnes & Noble released the shortlist for its new Discover Prize, which "celebrates the very best new authors, elevating the joy of spotting fresh voices early on in their careers.... In an extremely exciting publishing year, B&N booksellers across the country have been reading hundreds of debut authors to narrow down to the six books that make up the shortlist."

In the coming weeks, these six titles will be voted on by B&N booksellers, and the Discover Prize winner will be named October 12 during a live event hosted in the bookseller's flagship store in Union Square. The shortlisted titles are: 

All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Mathews 
How High We Go in the Dark by Sequoia Nagamatsu
Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty 
The Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty 
Sweet, Soft, Plenty Rhythm by Laura Warrell
Trespasses by Louise Kennedy

Johanne Lykke Holm's first novel in English, Strega, is a fever dream meditation on girlhood, female friendships and unnamed dangers.

Rafaela is 19 years old when she leaves her parents' home and travels into the mountains to work as a maid at an old hotel, with eight other girls her age. They clean and polish and set tables for every meal; they wash sheets and dress in clean uniforms, but no guests arrive. Lounging together, sharing cigarettes and liqueurs and candies, they are immediately close. Their matronly bosses are strict, even punitive, but their days still feel relaxed and without energy, emphasizing the pointlessness of their work. The hotel was once a shocking red, fading to pink against the forests; the strangely sinister neighboring nuns call it Il Rosso. Rafa calls it "a morgue beneath the trees." When listless summer turns to fall, the hotel throws a party, and one of the nine girls disappears.

The remaining eight girls search for her; her parents appear to claim her possessions; the barren season at the hotel stretches on. In one of Strega's figurative turns, the missing girl--presumed murdered--comes to stand in for female victims of unspecified violence. At the beginning, Rafa confides, "I knew a woman's life could at any point be turned into a crime scene. I had yet to understand that I was already living inside the crime scene, that the crime scene was not the bed but the body, that the crime had already taken place." Near its end, "We can only find a way out of this crime scene by constructing one of our own."

Holm's prose, translated from the Swedish by Saskia Vogel, is hypnotic, dreamlike and favors repetition in phrasing and images: "Our hands would repeat the same movements... our hands always repeated the same movements." Strega is saturated with red: "We watched a red light rise from the grass and take the form of a hand. I knew it was the blame and the distribution of blame"; "Women are drawn to all things earthly. Bitter soda and red herbs, a lipstick in a bitter red shade. And death, of course." These short, declarative sentences offer surprising lyricism, so that each line demands the reader's attention.

The novel is short and spare, but unwavering in its intensity. Strega is riveting: surreal, ominous, somehow both vague and sharp in its observations about the harms that girls submit to when they become women. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: In mesmerizing, allegorical storytelling, nine maids at a mountain hotel consider the violence the world offers them when one suddenly disappears.

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

1. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
2. Pretty and Reckless by Charity Ferrel
3. No Time to Lie (Masters and Mercenaries: Reloaded Book 4) by Lexi Blake
4. A Life's Work by Shep McKenney
5. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter
6. Begin With We by Kyle McDowell
7. Shattered Sea (The Tattered & Torn Series Book 4) by Catherine Cowles
8. Mine to Cherish by Natasha Madison
9. The Boyfriend Comeback by Lauren Blakely
10. Once in a Lifetime by Katie Winters

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]