Independent bookstores across the country hosted enthusiastic crowds over the long holiday weekend, encompassing Black Friday, Plaid Friday, Indies First and Small Business Saturday. While last year marked the first major Thanksgiving weekend since the beginning of the pandemic in which people flooded into stores, they usually wore masks, could only enter in limited numbers and were wary of being in large groups. This year, despite Covid's continuing presence, people again flooded into stores, most not wearing masks, and it felt more like a return to pre-pandemic times.

A busy shopping day at Octavia Books in New Orleans, La.

Continuing several Biden family traditions, President Biden and First Lady Jill Biden spent Thanksgiving weekend on Nantucket and shopped at Nantucket Bookworks. The visit was featured on a variety of local and national news media.

Book & Puppet Co., Easton, Pa., was one of two local businesses highlighted in station WFMZ-TV's coverage of Small Business Saturday. WFMZ made the connection with Indies First and quoted co-owner Andy Laties saying that business builds from this point on for the holiday season. "It's always thrilling when things really take off. So it's fun when the authors come in and the people come in to chat with them."

The Lit.Bar, Bronx, N.Y., celebrated Small Business Saturday with a grand re-opening of its bar, which had been closed since the pandemic started. Readers were invited to join a "toast to resilience, community, and starting over."

Grand opening at River Bend Bookshop in West Hartford, Conn.

River Bend Bookshop, West Hartford, Conn., held its grand opening on Saturday. It's a branch of River Bend Bookshop in Glastonbury, which opened in 2018 and includes the River Bend Book Truck.

In honor of Small Business Saturday, Stuyvesant Plaza in Albany, N.Y., featured some of its independent business owners, including Susan Novotny of the Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza, "who began working at the store in 1988 before purchasing the business in 1991. 'Our booksellers have always been warmly attached to our book-loving customers,' Susan says. 'They keep us in business with their loyalty and we make it our mission to give back to the community through daily engagement with reading outreach programs, schools, libraries, retirement communities, and more.' "

In the runup to Small Business Saturday and Indies First, the Advocacy Committee of the Independent Book Publishers Association launched the "Fall into Indie Books at Indie Bookstores" campaign to "foster IBPA member independent publisher relationships with indie bookstores and help readers fall in love with indie books."

Throughout the month, IBPA members were encouraged to visit their local independent bookstores and take pictures and videos with their books and other indie press books, then post them with comments on Instagram with hashtags #ibpaloves indies, #supportindies and #fallintoindiebooks.

To celebrate Small Business Saturday, Indies First and Black Friday, Libro.fm has been offering audiobook credit bundles at a 10% discount from last Wednesday through today. The credit bundles usually are priced at two for $30, three for $45, six for $90, nine for $135, 12 for $180 and 24 for $360.

And throughout the holiday period, anyone who purchases a credit bundle gets a seasonal audiobook. Choices include Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris, Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory and The Matzah Ball by Jean Meltzer.

Independent booksellers took to social media for #IndiesFirst on #SmallBusinessSaturday to share their experiences and to express gratitude to communities across the U.S. for stepping up to support them in challenging times. Here's a sampling from the big weekend:

At Skylight Books

Skylight Books, Los Angeles, Calif.: "Happy Small Business Saturday! We [love] being your local bookstore. How lucky are we to spend our days helping people fall in love with books and expand their horizons. Thanks for making it all possible!"

Paper Boat Booksellers, Seattle, Wash.: "Happy Small Business Saturday!! Owen and Kelly are here to welcome you in this morning as we get set for Family Reading Time at 11:00 and we have hot cider and snacks and all the cozy feelings of the festive holiday season! So get out today and support your local businesses--we all need your support and we would love to see your faces!"

At Reads & Company

Reads & Company, Phoenixville, Pa.: "Woohoo!! SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY is HOPPING down here at Reads & Company! Stop in for great gift ideas, fun Jolabokaflod gift boxes, our brand-new rewards program, and so much more. Our friendly team of booksellers extraordinaire is ready to help!"

Morgenstern Books, Bloomington, Ind.: "Earlier this morning, just moments before kick-off: Ryann, Helmut, Ashley, and Margaret huddle up with coach Jenna to review the game plan for today's Big Game. It's Small Business Saturday--15% off everything in the store! Let's Go!"

The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, Utah: "Happy #smallbusinesssaturday! Thank you for your support and patronage of King’s English, particularly over the past few years of pandemic, new ownership, and big changes. We love you all!"

At the Yankee Bookshop

The Yankee Bookshop, Woodstock, Vt.: "Happy Small Business Saturday! The Yankee Bookshop has been a locally owned Woodstock business since 1935, and we’re still going strong, thanks to you our community of book lovers. This holiday season, we hope you support your friendly neighborhood booksellers wherever you are."

The Next Chapter Bookstore, Hermiston, Ore.: "We are ready for your smiling faces this Small Business Saturday! And we're super excited about the sale on our warm drinks and mugs!"

At Green Bean Books

Green Bean Books, Portland, Ore.: "Our little shop is bustling for Indies First Day! Shop small with us today and get some grand recommendations."

Sundog Books, Seaside, Fla.: "Thank you, former First Lady Michelle Obama for highlighting Sundog Books in Seaside, FL on this #smallbusinesssaturday! We are incredibly honored to be included as one of your choice independent bookstores & proud to carry your new book #thelightwecarry."

Newtonville Books, Newton, Mass.: "Bustling Small Business Saturday here! Thank you all for shopping local!"

At Loyalty Books

Loyalty Books, Silver Spring, Md.: "How's everyone's #SmallBusinessSaturday going? Sending hugs to our fellow booksellers and retail workers! It's been a busy day for the Loyalty team. Our bodies are tired, but our hearts are full!"

Mystery Lovers Bookshop, Oakmont, Pa.: "THANK YOU!! Thank you to everyone who made this one of the best #smallbusinesssaturday in the history of the store! Thank you to everyone who shopped online and visited us in the store this weekend. Thank you for supporting our store and our #smalltown."

Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Ga.: "As Small Business Saturday enters its final few hours, we're left with that 'final cookie feeling.' That 'something amazing happened here and we're so thankful and have a slight sugar rush going on' feeling. Thank you to everyone who came out to support small businesses today; you're the true spirit and life of Little Shop and we love ya lots for keeping our little shop going!! We hope you had lots of fun today because we sure did!!"

At the Book & Cover

The Book & Cover, Chattanooga, Tenn.: "We have had the best day helping you find books for your friends & loved ones (and yourself!). There’s pizza out back and we are open until 8 p.m. tonight--don’t forget to join us for cider and caroling at 7 p.m.!"

Kona Stories, Kahaluu, Hawaii: "What a great Small Business Saturday!"

Neighborhood Books, Presque Isle, Maine: "Wrapping up the busiest 8 days of my LIFE. Main Street Mania, school book fair, book box packing, Thanksgiving, Plaid Friday and Small Business Saturday. I am speechless. You guys are the absolute best. You show up for us, support us and are choosing to shop local. We are incredibly grateful for your support. Words will never be enough! I am heading home tired, but so fulfilled."

Duck's Cottage Coffee & Books, Duck, N.C.: "Sunday already? Can't believe another #thanksgiving, #blackfriday and #smallbusinesssaturday are in the #books! things got busy at #duckscottage and we appreciate everyone’s patience! Hey--remember when we could only have 6 people inside at a time? That didn't make anyone happy either... two reminders: we close at noon today & don't forget you can #shopsmall tomorrow on #cybermonday."

If social media posts from indie booksellers were any indication, Plaid Friday made a notable impression as a prelude to Small Business Saturday. "Are you wearing plaid today?" the American Booksellers Association tweeted. "Happy #PlaidFriday--a day that celebrates the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses! Plaid Friday is a fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box 'Black Friday' frenzy."

Several indie booksellers across the U.S. celebrated Plaid Friday as a way "to kick things off"--as Battenkill Books, Cambridge, N.Y., put it--on #SmallBusinessSaturday Eve, including:

At Napa Bookmine

Napa Bookmine, Napa, Calif.: "Our booksellers were SO plaid yesterday!! Today is Small Business Saturday so make sure and head out to your favorite small businesses to show how much you appreciate them!!! We all appreciate YOU!"

Pig City Books, Lexington, N.C.: "Black Friday? Nope! #plaidfriday in support of small independent businesses."

Betty's Books, Webster Groves, Mo.: "Happy Plaid Friday! Plaid Friday is celebrated across the country as part of the Shop Indie Local Campaign! Consider it an indie shop response to Black Friday at big box stores. We'll see you tomorrow for one of our favorite days all year: Small Business Saturday! It's gonna be a fun one."

Gibson's Bookstore, Concord, N.H.: "Happy Plaid Friday! Wear plaid to the bookstore today and automatically receive 10% off your transaction! Forgot your plaid? Not to worry. The secret word* also gets you the discount.... *The secret word is PLAID."

Sweet Home Books, Wetumpka, Ala.: "Today we are celebrating Plaid Friday! over the last several years, Black Friday has become super chaotic and stressful! We want to join together with other small and local businesses to put the joy back in holiday shopping! We still have amazing deals and promotions (this is our biggest sale of the year!!), but we want to focus on celebrating the creativity and diversity of small businesses. We would love to see some of y'all wearing plaid to help us celebrate today!"

At Francie & Finch

Francie & Finch Bookshop, Lincoln, Neb.: "It's a gorgeous day to be downtown and away from the madness of Black Friday. Come enjoy Plaid Friday with us!"

Lucy's Books, Astoria, Ore.: "Happy Plaid Friday!"

Blue Willow Books, Houston, Tex.: "Take a break from Black Friday... it's #PlaidFriday, a day to cozy up to your favorite local spots! Shoutout to our #Houston bookstore neighbors Basket Books and Art, Becker's Books, Brown Sugar Cafe & Books, Brazos Bookstore, Kaboom Books, Katy Budget Books, Kindred Stories, Murder by the Book. And a big shoutout to the awesome folks at Cactus Music! Show Houston's historic record shop some love on this #BlackFridayRecordStoreDay, and every day."

At Portkey Bookstore

Portkey Bookstore, Safety Harbor, Fla.: "Today's Plaid Friday and I'm representing! Plaid Friday is the locally-owned independent business alternative to Black Friday."

Chapters Bookshop, Galax, Va.: "Plaid Friday celebrates the diversity and creativity of local and independent businesses. It's a fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store 'Black Friday' consumer frenzy. Also, it's a way to show your support for our local economy. THANK YOU for wearing PLAID on November 25th!"

At Keaton & Lloyd

Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop, Rome, N.Y.: "Get ready for Plaid Friday to show support for locally owned businesses such as Keaton & Lloyd Bookshop! We have handmade and local gifts perfect for stocking stuffers plus we support local writers and artists as well!"

Serendipity Books, Chelsea Mich.: "Ody had a blast greeting everyone during Plaid Friday yesterday. Shopping local makes him smile! Will we see you for Indies First today?"

Winchester Books Gallery, Winchester, Va.: "Good Night Little Bookstore! Thank you for an wonderful day celebrating 10 Years of Plaid Friday! See you tomorrow for Indies First/Shop Small Saturday!"

Through printing issues, delays and supply-chain disruptions, this year has still brought a ton of splendid reading material for children and teens. Our 2022 Best Children's and YA Books encompass age ranges and genres. Included are gorgeously illustrated picture books that cover everyday experiences--both nonfiction and fiction--as well as stories of mythic proportions and cat-sized fears. Our middle-grade and young adult titles include fiction and nonfiction that embrace courage, despair, terror and triumph. Click here to see our reviews of the top kids' picks for 2022. (Shelf Awareness's Best Adult Books will be announced December 2.)

Picture Books
Boobies by Nancy Vo (Groundwood Books)
Every Dog in the Neighborhood by Philip C. Stead, illus. by Matthew Cordell (Neal Porter Books)
Kapaemahu by Hinaleimoana Wong-Kalu, Dean Hamer and Joe Wilson, illus. by Daniel Sousa (Kokila)
Magnolia Flower by Zora Neale Hurston, illus. by Loveis Wise, adapted by Ibram X. Kendi (Amistad Books for Young Readers)
Mina by Matthew Forsythe (Paula Wiseman Books)
Mushroom Rain by Laura K. Zimmermann, illus. by Jamie Green (Sleeping Bear Press)
Nana, Nenek & Nina by Liza Ferneyhough (Dial Books)
Powwow Day by Traci Sorell, illus. by Madelyn Goodnight (Charlesbridge)
The Flamingo by Guojing (Random House Studio)

Middle-Grade and YA
Ain't Burned All the Bright by Jason Reynolds, illus. by Jason Griffin (Caitlyn Dlouhy/Atheneum)
All My Rage by Sabaa Tahir (Razorbill)
Choosing Brave: How Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Sparked the Civil Rights Movement by Angela Joy, illus. by Janelle Washington (Roaring Brook Press)
Family of Liars by E. Lockhart (Delacorte Press)
I'm the Girl by Courtney Summers (Wednesday Books)
In the Key of Us by Mariama J. Lockington (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
Moonflower by Kacen Callender (Scholastic)
Our Crooked Hearts by Melissa Albert (Flatiron Books)
Seen and Unseen: What Dorothea Lange, Toyo Miyatake, and Ansel Adams's Photographs Reveal About the Japanese American Incarceration by Elizabeth Partridge, illus. by Lauren Tamaki (Chronicle Books)
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill (Algonquin Young Readers)
The Door of No Return by Kwame Alexander (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers)

Poets Peter Cole (l.) and Kaveh Akbar (Pilgrim Bell) read together at Prairie Lights in Iowa City, Iowa, last week. Cole's book of poems, Draw Me After, is out this week from Farrar, Straus and Giroux. Photo: Kathleen Johnson/Prairie Lights.

"We can't stop talking about this window display. The store is feeling so cozy and atmospheric--it's the perfect weekend to stop by!" Browsers Bookshop, Olympia, Wash., posted on Facebook. 

At Sourcebooks:

Jess Johns has joined the company in the newly created role of director of analytics. She was previously the manager of consumer insights at Ingram and one of the cofounders of the analytics start-up OptiQly, which was acquired by Ingram in 2017.

Drew French will join the company on December 6 as a senior data scientist. French was most recently a data scientist II on Readerlink's advanced analytics team.

Finder's Creatures #1: Bog Gone! by P. Knuckle Jones (Penguin Workshop).

Today:
CBS Mornings: Maria Ressa, author of How to Stand Up to a Dictator: The Fight for Our Future (Harper, $29.99, 9780063257511). She will also appear tomorrow on the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Also on CBS Mornings: Louise Penny, author of A World of Curiosities: A Novel (Minotaur, $29.99, 9781250145291).

Good Morning America: Kevin Hazzard, author of American Sirens: The Incredible Story of the Black Men Who Became America's First Paramedics (Hachette Books, $30, 9780306926075).

Rachael Ray: Hugh Bonneville, author of Playing Under the Piano: From Downton to Darkest Peru (Other Press, $28.99, 9781635423426).

Drew Barrymore Show: Kirby Howell Baptiste, author of Little Black Girl: Oh, the Things You Can Do! (Nancy Paulsen, $18.99, 9780593406236).

Kelly Clarkson Show: Natasha Leggero, author of The World Deserves My Children (Gallery, $28, 9781982137076). She will also appear tomorrow on the Drew Barrymore Show.

Late Night with Seth Meyers repeat: John Irving, author of The Last Chairlift (Simon & Schuster, $38, 9781501189272).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Gabrielle Union, author of You Got Anything Stronger?: Stories (Dey Street, $17.99, 9780062979940).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Lisa Bryan, author of Downshiftology Healthy Meal Prep: 100+ Make-Ahead Recipes and Quick-Assembly Meals (Clarkson Potter, $32.50, 9780593235577).

Also on GMA: Tori Hope Petersen, author of Fostered: One Woman's Powerful Story of Finding Faith and Family through Foster Care (B&H Books, $17.99, 9781087750972).

Drew Barrymore Show: Fat Joe, co-author of The Book of Jose: A Memoir (Roc Lit 101, $28.99, 9780593230640).

The Talk: Paulina Porizkova, author of No Filter: The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful (The Open Field, $27, 9780593493526).

The West End run of Neil Bartlett's Orlando, adapted from Virginia Woolf's novel, will continue at London's Garrick Theatre through February 25, 2023, with December 5 set as opening night, Playbill reported.

Emma Corrin (The Crown) stars in the title role, joining a cast that includes Deborah Findlay, Jessica Alade, Debra Baker, Akuc Bol, Lucy Briers, Richard Cant, Melissa Lowe, Jodie McNee, Oliver Wickham and Millicent Wong. Michael Grandage directs.

The production also has set and costume design by Peter McKintosh, lighting design by Howard Hudson, sound design and compositions by Alex Baranowski, movement by Ben Wright, associate direction by Anna Girvan, and casting by Jacob Sparrow.

Osebol by Marit Kapla, translated from Swedish by Peter Graves and Tomb of Sand by Geetanjali Shree, translated from Hindi by Daisy Rockwell are joint winners of the 2022 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation, which recognizes "the best eligible work of fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, work of fiction for children or young adults, graphic novel or play text, written by a woman, translated into English by a translator (or translators) of any gender, and published by a U.K. or Irish publisher."

They are the first joint winners of the prize. Judges explained: "Our choice of joint winners comes not out of conflict or compromise but a shared and equal wonder at the skill and vision of both pairs of authors and translators in such wholly different genres."

Concerning the novel Tomb of Sand, judges said the author and translator "lead their readers on an uproarious, polyphonic journey through Indian domestic life and social history. The widowed, octogenarian Ma irrepressibly defies age, family and convention to take a trip crashing through every barrier that seeks to fix her role and cramp her style, as a playfully high-spirited satire embraces the darker legacies of division, prejudice and Partition."

As for the oral history Osebol: Voices from a Swedish Village, judges said the author and translator "assemble a haunting collage of testimonies from the inhabitants of a small rural community in remote woodlands. Selected, edited and laid out with truly poetic grace and flair, these intimate stories of time and place, change and loss, accumulate into an unforgettable fresco of human experience and memory in an era of transition and upheaval."

Delving into the dark underbelly of the picturesque, fictional town of Piermont, Conn., Regrets Only by Kieran Scott is an entertaining domestic thriller. A glamorous group of moms struggles to recover after Ainsley Aames, the popular president of the Piermont Elementary parent association, tumbles to her death from the deck of her mansion. One of the moms might be the murderer, since each had a complex relationship with the enigmatic Ainsley. Alternating among the narratives of three characters, Regrets Only offers readers multiple intriguing storylines that enhance the mystery at the novel's heart.

Paige Lancaster, a talented but drama-prone writer for a Hollywood TV series, grew up in Piermont and has returned with her young daughter, Izzy, after an embarrassing career implosion sent her fleeing back east. Paige is intimidated by the perfectly turned-out women who run the parent association at Izzy's school but decides to volunteer in the hope that she and her daughter can assimilate into their new community. Except that this is no ordinary parent association, blessed as it is with affluent families who raise vast amounts of money by throwing extravagant parties--a fundraising machine on steroids.

Ainsley is found dead the morning after hosting the elaborate Parents and Pinot school auction, and foul play is suspected. Paige decides to lean on her experience as the writer of a popular TV detective series to investigate the crime. Her late father was Piermont's chief of police, after all, and maybe crime-solving prowess runs in the family. As she digs deeper, the web of secrets surrounding Ainsley and her posse of mom friends grows ever more impenetrable. Meanwhile Paige reconnects romantically with her former high school boyfriend, John, and finds herself drawn to Dominic, the handsome police officer she keeps bumping into all over town.

Scott, an acclaimed writer of teen fiction (Pretty Fierce) and a previous adult thriller (Wish You Were Gone), packs Regrets Only with suspense. A natural fit for fans of Liane Moriarty, the novel paints a cozy portrait of a coastal town at the cusp of autumn while peeling back the complex layers of its characters' lives, exploring their underlying insecurities and their often complex relationship to motherhood.

Paige's secretive past and the shocking reason she fled the West Coast loom large as the murder investigation takes an unexpected turn and the full extent of "what happened in L.A." comes back to haunt her. --Shahina Piyarali, reviewer

Shelf Talker: Set in a picturesque Connecticut town, this entertaining domestic thriller with an irresistible dash of romance follows a Hollywood TV writer struggling to escape her past.