East End Books, Provincetown, Mass., is targeting an October opening for its new location in the Seaport district in Boston, Axios reported.

Originally slated to open late last year, the Seaport store has faced a number of unexpected delays. To help complete the build-out, store owner Jeff Peters is looking to crowdfund $20,000 through Patronicity, which will earn a $40,000 matching grant from Biz-M-Power.

The Seaport store is located at 300 Pier 4 Blvd., Unit 4, next to the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Woods Hill Pier 4 restaurant. The bookstore will be larger than the flagship store in Provincetown and will feature a wine and tapas bar run in conjunction with Woods Hill. Its book inventory will be similar to the original store's in style but larger in scope.

Though the bookstore has yet to fully open, Peters and his team have been holding events in the Pier 4 space. On September 14, East End Books will feature Julia Glass, author of Vigil Harbor (Pantheon), in conversation with Tom Perrotta, author of Tracy Flick Can't Win (Scribner).

Peters told Axios: "We're very excited to get the store open and be a part of the Boston community. This really is a bookstore for everyone."

Following months of delays, Cellar Door Books in Riverside, Calif., opened last week in its new home at 473 E. Alessandro Blvd., Suite B, the Press-Enterprise reported.

After Cellar Door Books lost its lease in the Canyon Crest shopping center earlier this year, store owner Linda Sherman-Nurick found a new space in the Mission Grove shopping center. When the store closed in Canyon Crest in early May, Sherman-Nurick thought she'd have the new space open before the end of the month. Instead, construction delays and other issues kept the bookstore closed for most of the summer.

"It got to be almost funny," she told the Press-Enterprise. "Everything that could possibly happen has happened."

Almost immediately it became clear that very little work had been done on the new space, and subsequent progress was so slow that Sherman-Nurick had to explain to her landlord's contractor that because of the delay, her business was "dying." Though the contractor's pace finally accelerated, issues with the store's electricity, phone, and Internet sprang up.

Sherman-Nurick had to push back a planned opening date of August 11, but on August 17 the store passed its final inspection and was at last able to open for business. Though the store had neither signage nor a working phone line at the time, two customers were already waiting to enter. Said Sherman-Nurick: "it was wonderful."

Cellar Door Books is planning a grand opening celebration for October that will coincide with the store's 11th anniversary.

Jim Milliot (l.) and Jonathan Segura

Jim Milliot, editorial director of Publishers Weekly since 2014, is retiring at the end of the year, PW Daily reported. He began his career at Simba Information, where he wrote the BP Report ("On the Business of Publishing") newsletter and edited the Educational Marketer and IDP Report newsletters. In 1993, he joined PW as business editor and soon became news editor. In 2010, he was named co-editorial director, and became editorial director four years later. He has served on the statistics committee of the Book Industry Study Group and was the winner of BISG's Sally Dedecker Lifetime Achievement Award earlier this year. He also has served on the board of the Independent Book Publishers Association and is a regular contributor to various industry publications.

He commented: "It has been exciting to be a position to document the many changes that have occurred in the industry over the last 45 years. From the consolidation of book publishers, the rise and fall of the bookstore chains, the arrival of the internet, Amazon, and e-books, and the uncertainty caused by the pandemic, there has been no shortage of important issues to report on over the years. Starting in 2024, I will still be keeping an eye on the industry, but from a new different vantage point as editor-at-large."

As we noted when he won the Sally Dedecker award, several of us at Shelf Awareness have had the pleasure of working with Jim, one of the nicest, most knowledgeable, and hardworking journalists in the book business. May he have a long, happy retirement!

In related news, executive editor Jonathan Segura has been appointed co-editorial director and will become editorial director in January. David Adams, a reviews editor, has been appointed reviews director. Senior writer Andrew Albanese has been promoted to executive editor. Rachel Deahl, director for columns and special projects and longtime Deals columnist, has been named director of branded content. And Adam Boretz, director of special editorial projects, will become senior editor.

The Philippines will be Guest of Honor at the 2025 Frankfurt Book Fair, the second time that the fair has had a guest country from Southeast Asia. (Indonesia was the guest country in 2015.)

Every year the fair selects a guest country, whose literature and culture is highlighted both during the fair and at events in Frankfurt and elsewhere in Germany. The focus leads to greater visibility for the guest country's authors and publishers and increases translations into German and other languages.

Senator Loren Legarda from the Philippines said in part: "It's high time that the international community can read and appreciate our stories told in our own voices, recognize that Filipino stories are worth reading, and that they are complex and informed by the colonial and post-colonial imagination."

Charisse Aquino-Tugade, executive director of the National Book Development Board, added: "The Philippines' book publishing industry recorded a steady growth in revenue in the past five years. Come 2025, when we take the stage as Guest of Honor, we will tell the story of the Filipinos: from our rich mythological history, the nationalistic novels of José Rizal, the empathetic post-ecological climate stories of our contemporary fiction, down to the colonial origins of capitalism and the humanity of our growing diasporic populations. We are excited for this new chapter of Philippine literature and culture."

Frankurt Book Fair director Juergen Boos said, "Even though the Philippines is the world's 13th largest nation with more than 110 million citizens, I believe for many of us in Europe, Philippine literature is currently still rather unknown territory. As the country steps into its role as Guest of Honor, we will learn a lot about the importance of storytelling and today's cultural scene for Philippine civil society. With an incredible 183 different languages spoken on its 7,641 islands, the country's diverse influences are one of the aspects I am looking forward to seeing in Frankfurt in 2025."

The guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair is Slovenia this year and Italy in 2024.

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Alan Little

Alan Little, who built Gardners into one of the biggest international book and home entertainment wholesalers and distributors, died on August 8 at the age of 92, the Bookseller reported. As the company noted, "Little was born and grew up in London and his passions included music and reading, so it was unsurprising his career would lead him into the book trade, firstly as an independent bookseller and eventually into wholesaling and distribution.

"A pivotal moment came in 1986, when Alan, alongside Jean and their son Jonathan, seized the opportunity to acquire the ailing wholesale enterprise, Gardners of Bexhill. Alan's vision and drive paid off as Gardners began to thrive, evolving into the Little Group, comprising multiple book and entertainment businesses with over 1,500 employees, and revenues of over half a billion pounds sterling annually."

Last year, Gardners opened Gardners US, which sells British books on a wholesale basis to U.S. bookstores, and the Little Group bought Baker & Taylor UK.

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Our favorite section of a q&a by the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association and Melissa Agnew, founder and owner of Books4Brains, Comox, B.C.:

Can you tell us about some of the ways you create a sense of community with local readers?

We have several initiatives in place to engage with our community, and our B4B Reading Program is one of the most cherished among them.

The B4B Reading Program has been designed to inspire young readers and help ensure that every child in our community has access to high-quality literature. For the past two years, we have been providing every kindergartner and grade 1 student in School District 71 with three new free books before spring break. This not only encourages a love for reading at an early age but also fosters a sense of equality, as all children, regardless of their family's economic status, get access to the same books.

We understand the transformative power of books, and we believe that by providing these children with their own books, we are promoting literacy, sparking creativity, and helping them start their own personal libraries. Seeing the excitement and joy on a child's face when they receive their books is a truly rewarding experience, and we're grateful to be a part of their reading journey.

The Killer Nashville 18th annual International Writers' Conference took place last weekend. Pictured, with Killer Nashville guitars: conference founder Clay Stafford; Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR's Fresh Air and winner of the John Seigenthaler Legends Award; and guest of honor and keynote speaker Cindy Dees.

Avid Bookshop, Athens, Ga., shared a chalkboard reminder:

"While the start of a new school year can bring fresh routines and more responsibilities, it's also a good moment to make a new plan to read for fun. ⏰ When do you like to sneak in a little reading? In the grocery queue? Waiting for the bus? Sitting in the carpool pick up line? Tell us below in the comments. #AvidAsks"

Pearl's Books, Fayetteville, Ark., noted:

"Quiet bookstore = perfect lunch break"

Grand Chief Salamoo Cook Is Coming to Town! by Tomson Highway, illustrated by Delphine Renon, narrated on streaming platforms by Jimmy Blais (The Secret Mountain).

In Memoriam by Alice Winn (published in the U.S. by Knopf) has won the 2023 Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. Waterstones wrote: "In Memoriam is an enthralling story of forbidden love that blooms in the shadow of the First World War, as best friends Gaunt and Ellwood leave their idyllic Wiltshire boarding school for the trenches. Cinematic and heartbreakingly tender, Winn's narrative combines an unforgettable tale of human connection with the harrowing realities of military conflict, celebrating the tenacity of hope in the darkest of times.

"From the moment early reading copies of In Memoriam arrived, our booksellers were captivated by the assured storytelling that permeates every page of Alice Winn's stunning debut. Since the novel's publication in March, the same has been true of the reading public and critics alike, making In Memoriam a bestseller from the start."

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Shortlists have been selected for the Readings Children's and Young Adult prizes. Winners in both categories as well as New Australian Fiction, each of whom receives A$3,000 (about US$1,935), will be announced in late October.

Children's:
The Bookseller's Apprentice by Amelia Mellor
The Eerie Excavation (An Alice England Mystery) by Ash Harrier
Evie and Rhino by Neridah McMullin, illustrated by Astred Hicks
No Words by Maryam Master
Sea Glass by Rebecca Fraser
The Wintrish Girl (Talismans of Fate, Book 1) by Melanie La'Brooy

YA:
Completely Normal (and Other Lies) by Biffy James
Dancing Barefoot by Alice Boyle
If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang
Spice Road by Maiya Ibrahim
The Upwelling by Lystra Rose
Where You Left Us by Rhiannon Wilde

photo: Ryan Andrew Bruce

Daniel Hornsby is the author of Via Negativa. His second novel, Sucker (Anchor, available now), is a satire of technology and the ridiculously wealthy. His other work can be found (or is forthcoming) in Joyland, the Missouri Review, EPOCH, and the Quietus. He lives in Minneapolis, Minn.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

If Theranos were run by vampires, as told by Roman Roy from Succession.

On your nightstand now:

I pretty much use a stack of books as my nightstand, but here are the highlights: All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews (amazing); one of the Iain M. Banks books from a series set in a post-scarcity future in which people secrete drugs from genetically modified glands and exchange sex for fun; Paul Beatty's The White Boy Shuffle. I'm halfway through Edward St. Aubyn's Patrick Melrose novels, and I'm really awed by his insight into the psychology of abusers, their victims, and people dealing with addiction. And they're funny.

Favorite book when you were a child:

I was obsessed with the Animorphs novels by K.A. Applegate. Each book was written from the POV of a different character and then, on top of this, the characters transformed into mice, fleas, gorillas, red-tailed hawks. I think the series planted something in my brain about what you could do with voice and perspective. At my peak fandom, I could read one of those bad boys a day.

Your top five authors:

A nightmare question! Okay: Joy Williams, Bohumil Hrabal, Patricia Highsmith, Roberto Bolaño, Alice Bolin. All of them are deeply funny while dipping their toes into eternity somehow. Or maybe it's the sense of humor that lets them keep their eyes on eternity. I don't know.

Book you've faked reading:

I started writing my first book while earning a theological studies degree, so there's a pile of books I faked reading. I mastered the emphatic nod during the discussion group. I've found my way back to many, but there are a couple religious-studies syllabus mainstays that still haunt me.

Book you're an evangelist for:

I Served the King of England by Bohumil Hrabal. This weird Czech dude with an unpronounceable name has so much heart. He died falling out the window of a hospital while trying to feed pigeons. When I first read this one, I felt like I'd found a little chunk of my soul anachronistically preserved in the world of Prague hotel/restaurants in which the story takes place.

Book you've bought for the cover:

The earliest one I can remember is A Wrinkle in Time. I wanted to know what that teal-winged centaur was all about. More recently, I was taken by the cover to Yu Miri's Tokyo Ueno Station, which reminds me of the amazing work by artist George Wylesol.

Book you hid from your parents:

The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. I was 14, I think. I don't know how I got ahold of that one, but I didn't want them getting the wrong idea. This was Indiana, after all, and we were very Catholic. And I vaguely knew the book had a dangerous aura, something to do with Cat Stevens.

Book that changed your life:

I'm cheating with two here: 2666 by Roberto Bolaño and Calvino's Invisible Cities. Both changed my brain and made me realize how beautifully messy novels could be, a swirl of ideas and observations. Both of these books (one of which could eat the other in a sitting) contain the whole world.

Five books you'll never part with:

I'm going to leave out any book already mentioned here. My soul would wither without The Visiting Privilege (the collected stories of Joy Williams). The older I get, the more I come back to Chekhov, who always surprises me by being both deeper and funnier than I remember. Winter in the Blood by James Welch and The Dog of the South by Charles Portis should be in there, along with Patricia Highsmith's Ripliad, so I can get five books for the price of one. If I get stuck trying to figure out a plot, Highsmith always gives me something.

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

The End of Vandalism by Tom Drury is an absolute gem of a novel, and I wish I could be stunned by it all over again. It's another one of those books that--like Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life, Ulysses, a couple books I mentioned earlier--contains everything.

Sarah Davis-Goff's Silent City centers on a young woman faced with impossible choices in a post-apocalyptic version of Dublin. "To me, banshees are heroes. I saw images of banshees growing up at home on the island, women dressed in black, warriors. The ones who fight the skrake. HERE TO PROTECT, the grimy posters said." Orpen was raised by her two mothers on an island devoid of other humans and, crucially, of skrake: monsters that bite, infect, and kill. The skrake "takes up your body and uses it like a puppet. Fast, vicious, strong, with long sharp teeth, the skrake is like a child's bad dream." Following the death of her mothers, Orpen ventures into a world she knows nothing about. She is bent on survival in this terrifying landscape of zombie-like beasts.

In the dystopian city that was once Dublin, she becomes a banshee, a member of the entirely female troops of paramilitary security forces ostensibly meant to protect, but actually used by "management" (entirely male, sinister, self-serving) to forage for supplies and keep other lowly citizens in check. Wallers work night and day, repairing and rebuilding the city's walls against the skrake; the roles of farmers and breeders are equally humble. Banshees work in pairs: Orpen has found a surreal closeness and loyalty with her partner: "I never saw a woman who wasn't sometimes beautiful, but Agata always is."  

The zombie apocalypse represents a possibly overdone subgenre, but Davis-Goff (Last Ones Left Alive) takes her readers into fresh territory here. Orpen's struggles are not merely survivalist; raised with only two human companions and little context for other relationships, she must learn to chart new loyalties, friendships, and partnerships against existential questions of right and wrong. The city claims to provide protection and sustenance but, in fact, uses the banshees to commit atrocities and to exercise control over a subdued population, frightened into total silence lest they excite the skrake. Orpen and the women she serves alongside--all guilty of cruelties under orders--must balance loyalty against justice. "Those who can still feel for another, we feel it. I have to believe we do. I have to believe there are enough of us to change the world."

Silent City is grim but hopeful, tackling questions of risk, trust, courage, morality, and sacrifice. Davis-Goff's prose is stark but lovely. A strong feminist voice, austere circumstances, and a resolute sense of integrity make this dystopia memorable and inspiring. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: In this darkly atmospheric novel set in a futuristic Dublin, a young woman fights for justice in an oppressive society ruled by fear during a zombie-like apocalypse.