Indigo Books & Music continues slowly to return to normal after a severe ransomware attack on February 8. As the company wrote in a FAQ last week, "We immediately engaged third-party experts to investigate and resolve the situation. As part of this remediation work, we proactively shut down some of our systems to prevent data from being improperly accessed, and have been working with third-party experts to strengthen our cybersecurity practices, enhance data security measures and review our existing controls."

The proactive shutdown included the Canadian booksellers' website and store systems. Most of the store systems have returned to normal and the website is partially operating, but limited to "select books." The Indigo app is not available, and gift cards are not being accepted online but can be used in stores.

The company said that no customer data but some employee data was accessed, and "both current and former employees are being notified that their information may have been impacted. To provide additional assurance and protection to all employees, we have retained the assistance of TransUnion of Canada, Inc., one of Canada's leading consumer reporting agencies, to offer two years of myTrueIdentity credit monitoring and identity theft protection services at no cost."

Indigo has learned, it said, that "some or all of the data stolen" may be available on the dark web or available soon.

The ransomware attack was made by "criminals who deployed ransomware software known as 'LockBit,' " Indigo said. "Although we do not know the identity of the criminals, some criminal groups using LockBit are located in or affiliated with Russian organized crime. We are continuing to work closely with the Canadian police services and the FBI in the United States in response to the attack."

Indigo added that it has not paid a ransom because Canada's "privacy commissioners do not believe that paying a ransom protects those whose data has been stolen, as there is no way to guarantee the deletion/protection of the data once the ransom is paid. Both U.S. and Canadian law enforcement discourage organizations from paying a ransom as it rewards criminal activity and encourages others to engage in this activity. Additionally, we cannot be assured that any ransom payment would not end up in the hands of terrorists or others on sanctions lists."

In January, Wired noted that "since late 2019, one group has been steadily making a name for itself on a multi-year rampage that has impacted hundreds of organizations around the world. The LockBit ransomware gang may not be the most wildly unhinged of these criminal groups, but its callous persistence, effectiveness, and professionalism make it sinister in its own way."

A November 2022 statement from the U.S. Justice Department about the arrest of a LockBit participant said, in part, "LockBit is a ransomware variant that first appeared in or around January 2020. It has become one of the most active and destructive ransomware variants in the world. Since first appearing, LockBit has been deployed against at least as many as 1,000 victims in the United States and around the world. LockBit members have made at least $100 million in ransom demands and have extracted tens of millions of dollars in actual ransom payments from their victims."

Percival Everett at the PEN America Literary Awards ceremony.

Percival Everett's Dr. No (Graywolf Press) was honored with the $75,000 PEN/Jean Stein Book Award at the PEN America Literary Awards ceremony, held Thursday in New York City. Accepting the prize, Everett said: "I don't go out much, and for an old horseman this is kind of tough. I'd like to thank PEN for all they do--it's an amazing organization. For the last 30 years I've had one agent [who] told me when we first started working together, 'You're never going to make me any money, so just write what you want to write.' It was perhaps not well-advised, but I did."

PEN America president Ayad Akhtar praised this year's "moving and groundbreaking works," but also discussed what is at stake for the written word: "For the past 100 years, we've worked to defend the rights of writers to imagine, and speak, to create freely. As we look ahead to the next hundred years, our mission is fueled by new urgency. Alarming attempts to use the power of the state to ban ideas, and the books that contain them, have proliferated in this country, and we are also battling a dwindling space of civil exchange--and a growing belief on all sides of the political spectrum that the harms of speech hold an equal or even greater claim on us than the freedom to speak."

Other award winners named at the event included:

PEN Open Book Award ($10,000): The Black Period by Hafizah Augustus Geter (Random House)
PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection ($25,000): Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty (Tin House Books)
PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel ($10,000): Calling for a Blanket Dance by Oscar Hokeah (Algonquin Books)
PEN/Diamonstein-Spielvogel Award for the Art of the Essay ($15,000): A Left-Handed Woman by Judith Thurman (Farrar, Straus and Giroux)
PEN/Voelcker Award for Poetry Collection ($5,000): To the Realization of Perfect Helplessness by Robin Coste Lewis (Knopf)
PEN Award for Poetry in Translation ($3,000): The Loose Pearl by Paula Ilabaca Nuñez, translated from Spanish by Daniel Borzutzky (co-im-press)
PEN Translation Prize ($3,000): People from Bloomington by Budi Darma, translated from Indonesian by Tiffany Tsao (Penguin Classics)

Honored with career achievement awards were comedy legend Tina Fey (PEN/Mike Nichols Writing for Performance Award); titan of Hindi literature Vinod Kumar Shukla (PEN/Nabokov Award for Achievement in International Literature); and playwright Erika Dickerson-Despenza (PEN/Laura Pels International Foundation for Theater Award).

Chop Suey, the new and used bookstore in Richmond, Va., has changed its name to Shelf Life Books.

Founded by Ward Tefft in 2002, Chop Suey Books was a used bookstore before Chris and Berkley McDaniel purchased it in 2021. The store now has new books on the lower level and five rooms of used books upstairs.

Larry Adamo

Larry Adamo, longtime senior sales representative for Abrams in New York City, died on February 19. He was 82.

Abrams wrote in part, "Larry was beloved and respected for his wit, wisdom, and most of all his passion for our books. He loved illustrated books and art--he was a lifelong painter--and happily passed on his knowledge to subsequent generations of colleagues in sales and other departments at Abrams. Remembered fondly for his non sequiturs and unique sense of humor, Larry will be missed by all of us and by his customers....

"Larry's enthusiasm for books and art made him well respected in the industry. In tribute to Larry, Brian Eskenazi, Publisher, Riverside Book Company, Inc. recalled that, 'Lawrence (as he preferred to be called) cared most of all about the material in the books. As an amateur painter of no small talent, it was fitting that he worked for an art book publisher though he had the same attitude earlier in his career when he worked for a house that published literature and philosophy. Lawrence was a bit of a throw-back in an 'Old World' kind of way--somewhat formal in dress--though he was the opposite of stuffy. It was his way of showing respect for people and matters of substance. He made friends easily, with different kinds of people. He loved art and held Donatello and Masaccio in special esteem and felt the same for Italian cinema and Italian automobiles... and don't forget a double espresso, with a bit of milk on the side, if you please.' "

His family remembered, "His life was filled with conversation, creating artwork full of texture and color, and enjoying life in a small town. He was a man who knew the baker and butcher by name. He was genuinely interested in hearing about other people's lives and chatted with everyone he met. He loved books and the worlds to which they could transport you. He had a braintrust of knowledge regarding Italian cars. He loved the jazz music of Bix Beiderbecke and of classical composers. Larry did not own a cell phone. He eschewed technology and used e-mail grudgingly. He was a gentleman for whom a good cup of coffee and a slice of panettone was a ritual to be slowly and intentionally enjoyed. He had an elegant soul....

"At heart, Larry was an artist. He never stopped sketching and painting or meeting new people. His travels led him to meet and form a deep friendship with a Hungarian Countess, Catherine Karolyi, and the Michael Karolyi Artist Foundation in Vence, France. A seven-acre artist colony sheltered under olive groves and fruit trees, where Larry found a sanctuary that fed his love of conversation, his passion for painting, and the beauty in his soul."

In recounting the striking growth of sales online by independent bookstores in the past few years--to $100 million in 2022 from $15 million in 2019, a gain of more than sixfold--as mentioned by Bookshop.org founder and CEO Andy Hunter at the Supercharge Your Ecommerce session at Winter Institute 2023, we inadvertently got a key detail wrong. The $100 million is accounted for by indie bookstore e-commerce sites on IndieCommerce ($42 million), Bookshop ($40 million) and indie booksellers on other platforms, not mainly Bookshop.

"Mumu the shop dog is here today until 3:30! Stop by and say hi and read a smallish book or two," Maggie Mae's Bookshop, Gresham, Ore., posted on Instagram, adding later: "Let's see how MuMu's first busy Saturday at the shop went."

Auburn Oil Co. Booksellers, Auburn, Ala., shared a photo of the shop's latest sidewalk chalkboard art on Facebook, noting: "Introducing The Wilde Latte as March's drink-of-the-month!! You'll love the delicious flavors of Irish cream, peppermint, and hazelnut mixed together! Come on in and try it today!"

Robin and Her Misfits by Kelly Ann Jacobson (Three Rooms Press).

Today:
CBS Mornings: Ginni Rometty, author of Good Power: Leading Positive Change in Our Lives, Work, and World (Harvard Business Review Press, $30, 9781647823221).

Today Show: Margaret Atwood, author of Old Babes in the Wood: Stories (Doubleday, $30, 9780385549073). She will also appear tomorrow on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Good Morning America: Cole Kazdin, author of What's Eating Us: Women, Food, and the Epidemic of Body Anxiety (St. Martin's Essentials, $27.99, 9781250282842).

Rachael Ray: Ellen Jovin, author of Rebel with a Clause: Tales and Tips from a Roving Grammarian (Mariner, $26.99, 9780358278153).

Fresh Air: Joanna Schwartz, author of Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable (Viking, $30, 9780593299364).

NPR's Marketplace: Heather McGhee, author of The Sum of Us (Adapted for Young Readers) (Delacorte Press, $17.99, 9780593562628).

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Ibram X. Kendi, co-author of The Making of Butterflies (Amistad Books for Young Readers, $9.99, 9780063111585).

Good Morning America: Brian G. Buckmire, author of Come Home Safe: A Novel (Blink, $17.99, 9780310142188).

Live with Kelly and Ryan: Sarah Ferguson, author of A Most Intriguing Lady: A Novel (Avon, $30, 9780063216822).

Glenn Close and Anders Danielsen Lie will star in a film version of Tove Jansson's novel The Summer Book, which Charlie McDowell is directing and producing with his Case Study Films, Deadline reported. Originally published 50 years ago, the book has been translated into 35 languages.

"I'm deeply honored to be adapting one of my favorite novels, Tove Jansson's The Summer Book, and to film in Finland, the beautiful country in which this story is based," said McDowell. "It's long been a dream of mine to work with Glenn Close. I've long admired her thoughtfulness, immense versatility, and deeply captivating presence both on the stage and on screen. I first discovered Anders Danielsen Lie from his brilliant collaborations with Joachim Trier and he's quickly become one of my favorite actors out of Scandinavia. I can't imagine a more magnificent duo to collaborate with on this film."

Jansson's niece, Sophia Jansson, added: "The Summer Book is dear to many readers around the world. It is my favorite of Tove Jansson's books, and it holds a very special place in my heart. Every word of it ushers in vivid childhood memories of my beloved grandmother--her voice, her way of relating to and moving around the island. Seeing that story finally come alive on the big screen will be fantastic and moving on a deeply personal level."

Shelf Awareness welcomes this essay by Mark Schiff, whose Why Not?: Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah was recently published by Apollo Publishers.

I've been a standup comedian for more than 40 years. Except for my first five years and my almost three-year Covid vacation, I've performed nonstop, including touring with Jerry Seinfeld for the last 20 years. Together Jerry and I have gone all over the U.S., Canada and twice to Israel.

One afternoon in Indianapolis, Jerry and I stopped into a car showroom that specialized in muscle cars from the '60s and '70s. While I was looking around at some of the beauties, Jerry walked over to me and said, "Pick one out for yourself."

"What?"

"Pick one out."

"Really?"

"I'll buy you any one you want."

I almost wet myself for the first time since I was four.

I did not take a car that day, but a few years later, he offered me another and I took that one. No sense in being stupid twice. And I learned a great lesson by turning down the first car. When someone offers you a gift, make sure you take it. They are offering it to you because they love you and want you to have it. By not taking it, you are cheating them out of potential happiness. When he again offered me a car and I said yes, I 100% know that it made Jerry happy. Many years later we still talk about how much I'm still enjoying the car. Jerry also has a small boat he rides around in. You never know. One day you might be calling me captain.

But in 2020, when Covid hit, our touring and all my other standup work took a little hiatus. Like most of the world, not by choice, I was forced to sit and wait until we got the all-clear to come out of our bunkers. For the first few weeks, I did what most people did. I talked on the phone, chatted with neighbors, and watched the news 24/6. (No TV on Shabbos.) It was a scary time, especially for people like me in their 60s with bad gums and other underlying health issues.

We thought it would pass quickly, but after the first few months, it became clear this was going to hang around like an unwanted relative.

So, I shook hands and made myself a deal. The deal was that if I did not have to be ventilated and did not die, I would not wait around eating and watching TV for however long this thing lasted. Instead, I would write my way through Covid. Which is how, while flossing my bad gums, I decided, at the not-so-tender age of 67, that I would attempt to write my first solo book. At my age, drug prescriptions are usually the only new thing most people try. But writing your first book by yourself and getting it published is rarer than a Kobe steak in a vegan restaurant.

I got right to it. And that's how Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah was born. Six days a week for the next two-plus years, I pecked away, a word at a time until I had a possible book. A memoir with a sprinkling of fiction, the book became a great receptacle for stories about my relationships with Katherine Hepburn, Bob Dylan, Anthony Hopkins, Milton Berle, and more. Jerry wrote the foreword.

With the focus and energy of a 25-year-old, I decided this was my marathon and I was going to finish it. And finish it I did. And to be quite honest, I loved every minute of it. I don't take lightly that at my age and this being my first solo attempt and then getting it published is anything less than a modern-day miracle. But as my friend Hubert Selby Jr. told me, "Miracles can happen without my consent."

Another lesson I learned is that even though much of this book is about my life and the places I've been and the people I've met, I learned that if you write the truth and it comes from the gut, people will love it. (See below.) Many of the things that happened to me also happened to you. In standup comedy, if I tell you a story and you don't relate you will not laugh.

Why Not? Lessons on Comedy, Courage, and Chutzpah has many things you will relate to. Why Not? will make you laugh and cry and will make you feel good about yourself.

After three long years, I'm once again back on the road with Jerry. If he offers me another car or boat, I promise I'll take it and I promise to let you know.

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Peanut gallery:

"Mark and I started in comedy together at the exact same time, and year after year he's just gotten better and funnier, which irritates me to no end. And as you'll see in this funny and uplifting book, he's a great writer too. I'm just so annoyed. But you will love this book." --Paul Reiser, comedian, actor, and creator of Mad About You

"We've known for a long time that Mark Schiff is funny. Now we know that he's also thoughtful, empathic, and a great Jew. Why Not? is an insightful look at the human condition. Poignant, bravely self-examining, and psychologically acute. Also funny." --Jonathan Kellerman, author of the Alex Delaware series

The longlist for the A$60,000 (about US$40,600) 2023 Stella Prize, celebrating Australian women's writing, can be seen here. The shortlist will be announced March 30 and the winner on April 27.

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On a Benediction of Wind: Poems and Photographs by Charles Finn and Barbara Michelman (Chatwin Books) has won the 2022 Montana Book Award, honoring "literary and/or artistic excellence in a book written or illustrated by someone who lives in Montana, is set in Montana, or deals with Montana themes or issues."

The winner was cited as "a collaboration between poet Charles Finn and photographer Barbara Michelman that weaves a tapestry of words and images from the natural world in the Pacific Northwest, the American Southwest and Montana. This collection of free verse and prose poems is paired with black and white landscape photography that creates an intimacy, strength and lyricism to calm the spirit. Its emphasis on birds, the innate holiness of nature, and experiences shared by an unnamed couple invites the reader to leave the modern world behind and listen to 'the confessions of snow' and 'the breathing of stones.' "

The three honor books were:
Lucky Turtle by Bill Roorbach (Algonquin Books)
Montana Modernists: Shifting Perceptions of Western Art by Michele Corriel (Washington State University Press)
The River You Touch: Making a Life on Moving Water by Chris Dombrowski (Milkweed)

In Korean American writer Gina Chung's charmingly offbeat debut, Sea Change, a young woman who works at an aquarium realizes she needs a life bigger than her usual self-sabotage and wallowing in loss.

In this near-future novel, environmental degradation is even more advanced and there are plans afoot to colonize Mars. Aurora--her Korean name is Bae Arim, but she goes by Ro--has followed in her father's footsteps by working at the aquarium in Fountain Plaza, a New Jersey mall. Fifteen years ago, Ro's father, Apa, set off on a research expedition to the polluted Bering Vortex--where he'd previously discovered Dolores, the aquarium's prized giant Pacific octopus. His craft disappeared and Apa is presumed dead, though Ro holds out hope that he'll return. Her ex-boyfriend, Tae, is nearly as inaccessible, having volunteered for the Arc 4 mission to Mars.

At age 30, Ro is isolated--partially by chance, but also by choice. Her belief that everyone she loves leaves her has driven her to withdraw from those still in her life: she's estranged from her mother and from her best friend, Yoonhee. Ro's after-work habit? Head to Hattie's bar. Drive home drunk. Wake with a hangover. Repeat.

It's clear something's got to give here. Whether Ro will summon the will to change is an emotionally involving question. Flashbacks to her growing-up years fill in the background of her Korean immigrant parents' troubled marriage, but also depict happy family moments. A relaxed pattern forms whereby almost every other chapter delves into the past, alternating with Ro's matter-of-fact, present-tense record of daily life.

When she learns Dolores is to be sold to a private collector, Ro must rethink everything. Dolores--an intelligent and playful creature who changes color to reflect her mood, and appears to recognize individual humans--is a constant source of amusement and wonder: "There is something about staring directly into the knowing iridescent eyes of a cephalopod--you can get a hint of the ancient knowledge that girds the strands of her DNA," Ro thinks. She's a symbol as well: when Ro imagines Dolores escaping her tank for the open ocean, she appears to be envisioning liberation from her own self-destructive habits, too.

The self-hating young woman is a familiar figure in recent fiction, but the specifics of Ro's situation and her friendship with Dolores, along with the speculative elements, make Sea Change stand out. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck

Shelf Talker: In Gina Chung's offbeat debut novel, an isolated young woman finds a friend--and a mirror--in a giant Pacific octopus named Dolores.