Shoshonna Roberts

Maggie Mae's Kids Bookshop in Gresham, Ore., is moving to a new location that is more than triple the size of the original, the Outlook reported.

Owner Shoshonna Roberts will take the store from an 800-square-foot space at 43 N.W. Third St., where the store opened in 2018, to a 3,000-square-foot space at 50 N.W. First St. The new space is only about two blocks away from the old, and Roberts expects officially to open the doors in January 2023.

The extra space will allow Roberts to expand all parts of the store's inventory, particularly young adult and teen books, as well as gifts and toys. The bookstore will also be able to host larger events, and Robert plans to have community rooms available for rent. And while the new space won't officially open until January, there will be a holiday pop-up event there before the end of the year.

"We are moving so we can continue to grow and become Gresham's top spot for books and gifts," Roberts told Outlook.

The Dolphin Bookshop, Port Washington, N.Y., will close at the end of the month after 76 years in business. Newsday reported that Judith Mitzner, who has owned the Long Island bookstore for nearly a decade, made the announcement on Monday via social media, adding that the bookshop "has been a staple" in the town since 1946 "and has cycled through three locations, four owners and several expansions as it tried to keep up with the times."

Mitzner cited diminishing sales and an increase in rent as primary influences on her decision to not renew her lease. The Covid-19 pandemic escalated the situation. "Over the [past] year, we haven’t seen the kind of traffic that we need in order to make it work," she said. "This was a love project... but it's asking for too much."

On Monday, the Dolphin Bookshop "saw a steady flow of customers, many expressing disappointment about the pending closure," Newsday wrote. Local resident Eric Schulmiller praised the bookseller for giving local authors exposure. He said the closure will leave a big hole in the community and urged residents to shop local: "It's always good to shop local, especially if it's with a place that cultivates a relationship with their community."

Mitzner is uncertain what she will do next, saying: "It's going to be hard to replace something that you do because you love to do it."

Ingram has launched its wholesale service in the U.K. "with the intention of filing the gap vacated by the now defunct Bertrams," the Bookseller reported. The company had announced its plans to open a rival to Gardners, the main U.K. wholesaler, in July. 

Ingram UK "rolled out its services to publishers at the end of September, offering wholesale options for any title currently supplied from its operations base located in Milton Keynes. It is also carrying books it has actively purchased from publishers," the Bookseller wrote. A highlight of the service is its next-day shipping guarantee for paperbacks, hardbacks and POD titles, and Ingram said it is working "actively with publishers to develop wholesale relationships and grow [its] title base."

David Taylor, senior v-p, Ingram Content Group UK, said he is looking to fill the gap caused by the demise of the Bertrams wholesaler in 2020, noting: "I think Gardners is a fantastic company and they do a brilliant job. I think there is room in the market for a second wholesaler, we've had two for many, many years. There are things that we can do that maybe Gardners won't be able to do quite so quickly--print on demand is a good example of that."

Ingram is entering the market "at a time when the trade is experiencing huge problems with distribution," the Bookseller noted, but Taylor said: "One of the biggest threats to the distribution business--one which makes most publishers probably sit bolt upright a night in a cold sweat--is moving a warehouse. We moved our warehouse from Plymouth to Milton Keynes very successfully, we didn't lose any business. We're being quite careful--we look after our booksellers and publishers very, very carefully." 

He added: "There's no doubt the U.K. economic outlook is fairly gloomy, but books tend to be very resilient products. In the times of boom they don't go through the roof, and in the times of recession they don't drop off the chart. There's no doubt there is inflationary pressure in the system--we see it everywhere. Everything is going up, which has started to be reflected in the retail price of books--I think there's an inevitability about that."

"Put simply--our global strategy is part of supplying more books to more booksellers, locally," said Donald Roseman, v-p of commercial sales and operations at Ingram Content Group. "Publishers produce the content, we supply it as quickly and closely to the customer as possible, and good availability messaging supports local demand."

Annie Ernaux at Albertine Books

French author and Nobel Prize in Literature winner Annie Ernaux's appearance Monday night at Albertine Books on Manhattan's Upper East Side "felt less like an introduction than a gathering of old friends, French and American alike," the Associated Press reported. "The event, reachable on the second floor via a winding staircase within the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, had sold out well before the Nobel was announced. On Monday, an early line of attendees extended around the corner, with hundreds eventually packed inside, including an overflow crowd that watched her through a video feed from the floor below."

Albertine posted on Facebook: "Photos could never capture our extraordinary evening with Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux, who spoke so eloquently about the art of capturing life in writing with author Kate Zambreno. We were thrilled to collaborate with our friends at Seven Stories Press and grateful to have such a talented live interpreter, Nicholas Elliott. Thanks to all who joined us!"

Titled "The Art of Capturing Life in Writing," the event featured Ernaux in conversation with author Zambreno about Ernaux's body of work, including her latest novel, Getting Lost (Seven Stories). 

Ernaux likened her work to a long-term exploration of her mind, the AP noted. "Literature appeared to me as the only means to reach what I call either truth or reality," she said. "It is a way to make things clear, not in a simple manner--on the contrary to write things makes them more complex. It is a way, also, that so long as something has not been written it doesn't really exist."

Diego Perez, aka Yung Pueblo, signed hundreds of copies of his new book, Lighter: Let Go of the Past, Connect with the Present, and Expand the Future (Harmony), ahead of his sold-out event at the 92Y in New York City. Pictured: (l.-r.) Andrew Owen, Posman Books events coordinator; Sara Rood-Ojalvo, Diego's wife; Diego Perez. (photo: Ellie Fox)

"There's nothing we adore more than book lovers and two lovers of books decided to come together today!" Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, Vt., posted on Facebook. "This afternoon our staff and customers were treated to the beautiful view of a lovely young couple's engagement. Congratulations to the happy couple!"

Steve Tarca of New York City chose the Northshire during peak foliage season to pop the question, "with a ring tucked away in a book," the Bennington Banner reported, adding that Kelly Cochran, his girlfriend, "is an avid reader, and the couple routinely stops at the store en route to his family home north of St. Albans."

Tarca enlisted the help of Northshire's events coordinator Dafydd Wood, who helped him choose the right spot, near the ornate iron staircase leading up to the children's section. The Banner noted that "for the surprise to work, Tarca needed to plan carefully. He enlisted an artist friend, who created a cover for a book in the MinaLima style of Harry Potter novels. Tarca found a suitably thick book, hollowed it out and festooned it with photos of happy moments that Cochran and he had shared. Publishers might not have been thrilled with his title (Kelly and Steven), but Tarca knew his readership of one. He knew she'd love the idea of proposing in a bookstore."

The two most popular books in September at Reading Group Choices were The Ways We Hide by Kristina McMorris (Sourcebooks Landmark) and Children of the Catastrophe: A Novel by Sarah Shoemaker (Harper Paperbacks).

Lerner Publishing Group has added three new distribution clients, effective January 1, 2023:

Planting People Growing Justice Press, which publishes titles that explore history and culture in the African Diaspora, particularly in the arts, geography, and science. Founder Dr. Artika R. Tyner believes that "leaders are readers," and her books seek to inspire the next generation of leaders. Spring 2023 titles include Amazing Africa: A to Z, Gumbo Joy, and Justice Makes a Difference: The Story of Miss Freedom Fighter, Esquire.

Knowledge Books, which publishes books that focus on literacy development, diversity, environmental sustainability, and the sciences. Six Knowledge Books series will launch in Spring 2023 and feature nearly 200 classroom paperback titles. The series include Tas and Friends, Sustainability, Sounds and Letters, Healthy Me!, Comic Decoders, and Celebrations and Events.

Intergalactic Afikoman, a Jewish children's books publisher with a mission to create Jewish fantasy, zany children's books, and books that are bursting with Jewish joy. Spring titles include Lily Blue Riding Hood: A Purim Story, and five backlist titles, among them I Am Hava: A Song's Story of Love, Hope & Joy illustrated by Indian American Jewish artist Siona Benjamin.

The Four Seasons of the Pipa by Patrick Lacoursière, illustrated by Liu Fang Josée Bisaillon (The Secret Mountain).

Today:
Fresh Air: Jacob Goldstein, author of Money: The True Story of a Made-Up Thing (Hachette Books, $18.99, 9780316417204).

Bound Entertainment (Apple's Dr. Brain) is teaming with author Ann Liang to develop her YA debut novel, If You Could See the Sun, which was released yesterday by Inkyard Press, as a series for TV.

"I truly couldn't be more thrilled to be working with Bound Entertainment on this adaptation, and it's both a dream and an honor to get to be involved in the process. I'm so excited for everything to come," said Liang, who will serve as an executive producer on the project. 

Last night, the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Rain Taxi Literary Review partnered to present the Kerlan Award to both a live and online audience. Andrea Davis Pinkney is the 2022 winner of the award, given in recognition of an author's exceptional attainments in the creation of children's literature, and their contributions and support of the University of Minnesota Libraries' Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature.

Pictured: (l.-r.) Gretchen Wronka, president of the Kerlan Friends; Alexandro Genis, chair of the Kerlan Award Committee; Kerlan winner Andrea Davis Pinkney; Lisa Von Drasek, curator of the Kerlan Collection of Children's Literature; Holly Weinkauf, owner of the Red Balloon Bookshop; Pamela Klinger-Horn, Rain Taxi Literary Review.

Hachette Australia and the Emerging Writers' Festival have released a shortlist for the 2022 Richell Prize for Emerging Writers, awarded in memory of Hachette Australia's former CEO Matt Richell, who died in a surfing accident in 2014. The winner, who will be named November 3, receives A$10,000 (about US$6,725), along with a 12-month mentorship with one of Hachette Australia's publishers. Hachette Australia will work with the winning writer to develop their manuscript with first option to consider the finished work and shortlisted entries for publication. This year's finalists are:

Zainab's Not Home by Hajer Al-awsi
When Trees Fall Without Warning by Susannah Begbie
Wake by Kate Harris, 
Place Setting by Eva Lomski 
The Little Ones by Anne Myers 
The Medusa by Lisa Nan Joo

---

Finalists have been named for the 2022 Christy Awards, sponsored by the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association, have been named. Winners will be revealed at the Christy Award Gala on November 17 in Nashville, Tenn. See the 30 finalists in nine categories here.

Lygia Day Peñaflor is the author of the novels All of This Is True and Unscripted Joss Byrd. She is also a private academic teacher for young Hollywood actors, who have included cast members of Gossip Girl, Boardwalk Empire and Spielberg's West Side Story. She lives on Long Island, N.Y., where she rides horses and flies from a trapeze. Creep: A Love Story (Clarion/HarperCollins) is a twisted, tragic love story that follows Holy Family High School's cutest couple--as told through the eyes of the classmate who's stalking them.

On your nightstand now:

Lord of the Fly Fest by Goldy Moldavsky, a satirical YA thriller about influencers at a bonkers music festival.

Love, Dance & Egg Rolls by Jason Tanamor, which weaves snippets of a screenplay into the narrative as the main character imagines his life as a sitcom.

Favorite book when you were a child:

I keep seeing the memes of the Little Miss and Mr. Men books. I used to envy my friends who collected those. I never had my own. We all used to draw the round, colorful characters during recess. I wanted those books so bad. I own them now, finally! I received a boxed set as a gift.

Your top five authors:

This is hard, so here are some who have new releases or books coming soon: Celeste Ng, Courtney Summers, Gillian French. Filipino American authors Randy Ribay and Erin Entrada Kelly have short stories in a middle-grade anthology called You Are Here, releasing this winter.

Book you've faked reading:

All the cool kids read A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle, but I faked it. I pretended to know what they were talking about. I didn't read much fantasy. I just wanted to read Judy Blume, S.E. Hinton and Sweet Valley High books.

Book you're an evangelist for:

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. I didn't know that words could do this; it's so beautiful. I listened to the audiobook. His voice makes the language even more emotional. He's beyond gifted.

Book you've bought for the cover:

I preordered The Getaway by Lamar Giles because of that cover. I mean, look at it! No regrets.

Book you hid from your parents:

I used to sneak-read my mom's copy of Priscilla Presley's Elvis and Me. It's still one of my favorite celebrity memoirs (I read a lot of them). In Creep: A Love Story, Nico Fiore sings Elvis at karaoke. I did that for my mom. He's her favorite.

Book that changed your life:

When I read A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers, I thought, "I can do this! I really think I can write a book." Something about Eggers's casual voice made me believe that I could. I started writing seriously after that.

Favorite line from a book:

"They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago." --Laura Ingalls Wilder, Little House in the Big Woods

I could cry just thinking of that.

Five books you'll never part with:

I have a collection of Degrassi novelizations that were published between 1987 and 1992. I have more than five, but I won't part with any of them. Just tell me the penalty for cheating on this question--I'll take it.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Can you imagine reading one of your own novels without any recollection of having written it? I'll pick that. Creep: A Love Story by me.

Do you have any book-to-screen recommendations?

Lola Tung is so wonderful in Jenny Han's The Summer I Turned Pretty. It's easy to believe that two boys would fall in love with her.

Inventing Anna, based on My Friend Anna by Rachel DeLoache Williams. Julia Garner as fake heiress Anna Delvey is everything!

If you've never seen Mystic River based on the Dennis Lehane novel, it's a must. Fun facts: Connor Paolo played the younger Kevin Bacon. I worked with Connor as his set teacher during Gossip Girl--that was a crazy, memorable time. Hey... I'm two degrees from Kevin Bacon!

This reverent nonfiction work for older middle-grade readers depicts the U.S.'s harrowing history of Japanese American internment during World War II through the lenses of three professional photographers. The accompanying narration by National Book Award finalist Elizabeth Partridge (Boots on the Ground) and illustrations by Lauren Tamaki (You Are Mighty) fluidly merge the artists' visual perspectives into a multi-dimensional experience of the xenophobic response to Pearl Harbor's bombing.

Each of Partridge's three photographers--Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake and Ansel Adams--approached their work recording the Manzanar incarceration camp differently. The U.S. government hired Lange to provide photographic evidence that it was acting humanely toward the Japanese Americans. Lange, adamantly opposed to the incarceration plan, had other ideas: "She wanted her photographs to show what the government was doing was unfair and undemocratic."

The U.S. government imprisoned Japanese-born Miyatake in Manzanar. He managed to smuggle camera equipment into the camp and document the realities of his experience, developing his film at night when it was pitch black. Miyatake was a trusted part of the community and, while he photographed the injustices in the camp, he was also able to capture personal, unguarded moments.

The final member of the book's trio, Adams, entered Manzanar in 1943 at the behest of his friend, the camp's director. Adams's goal was to "show the prisoners were hard working, cheerful, and resilient" to "convince other Americans how trustworthy and patriotic they were."

The photographs in each section are accompanied by Tamaki's original art, which works to incorporate and visually extend the view readers have of Manzanar. Also stretching the reader's experience is a rich collection of backmatter that includes biographies of the photographers, credits for their photographs and information about civil liberties. Each meticulously composed section of the book evokes strong feelings through the combination of imagery and history. The word "impounded" scrawled on photos by Lange that the government deemed inappropriate, juxtaposed with the sense of community in Miyatake's intimate glimpses, illustrate the inhumanity while empathetically connecting readers with the subjects. By including Adams's work, Partridge also teaches her audience that images can be deceiving and that context is vital. Seen and Unseen portrays this assault on Japanese Americans with a powerful accuracy that all readers will benefit from experiencing. --Jen Forbus, freelancer

Shelf Talker: A National Book Award finalist memorably chronicles the history of the Manzanar incarceration camp by viewing the ghastly injustice through the lenses of three professional photographers.

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

1. Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel by Bonnie Garmus (Doubleday)
2. Verity by Colleen Hoover (Grand Central)
3. The Lincoln Highway: A Novel by Amor Towles (Viking)
4. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Washington Square Press)
5. The Last Thing He Told Me: A Novel by Laura Dave (Simon & Schuster)
6. Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (Grand Central)
7. Black Cake: A Novel by Charmaine Wilkerson (Ballantine Books)
8. The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig (Viking)
9. Anxious People: A Novel by Fredrik Backman (Washington Square Press)
10. The Guest List: A Novel by Lucy Foley (Morrow)

Rising Stars:
Lock Every Door by Riley Sager (Dutton)
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy: A Novel by Jamie Ford (Atria)