Point Reyes Books in Point Reyes Station, Calif., is opening a new location in nearby Fairfax, Calif., this fall. 

Store owners Molly Parent and Stephen Sparks plan to have the new store open by November 1. It will be smaller than the original store in Point Reyes Station, which Sparks and Parent purchased in 2017, and will be located at 9 Bolinas Rd. in downtown Fairfax. Given the store's smaller size, the owners don't plan to host events there on a regular basis, but they do intend to bring "some of the Point Reyes Books vision and curation" to the new location, which is not yet officially named.

In a message to customers announcing the new store, Parent and Sparks explained that they've never been interested in expansion for expansion's sake, but when they saw a "small, charming, and centrally located space for rent in Fairfax," they couldn't help but dream "of how we could apply what we've learned and built here in West Marin to a second store."

The original store, they noted, won't be "going anywhere or changing." They're currently looking for booksellers for the Fairfax store, and they plan to announce more details in the coming months.

Happy Medium Books Cafe, a coffee shop and bookstore with a mix of new and used titles, opened last month in Jacksonville, Fla., Resident News reported. 

Owner Annie Pagett, who runs the store with her mother and her daughter, welcomed customers for the first time on August 12. Happy Medium's book inventory is about 80% used and 20% new, with an emphasis on diverse and underrepresented authors. Every quarter, Pagett will donate a portion of the shop's new book sales to a local charity.

Pagett also plans to host three book clubs at the store. One will cater to young readers, another will be a general-interest book club, and the third will be a wine book club hosted in partnership with a neighboring wine store.

"I'm really excited, and I really hope that the community embraces us and they continue to follow along," Pagett told Resident News.

Starting in its Southeast and Midwest markets, Books-A-Million is introducing same-day and next-day delivery at its 231 stores by teaming up with Walmart GoLocal, Walmart's delivery service. Under the program, when customers select the "same-day delivery" option for orders placed online at booksamillion.com, the order will be picked up by a delivery driver and dropped off at the customer's requested location. Orders placed before 3 p.m. will be delivered the same day, and orders placed after 3 p.m. will be delivered the next day. The option is available for products that are in stock in a nearby store, including books, toys, games, and collectibles.

Olivia McDaniel, v-p of marketing at Books-A-Million, said, "As retail and consumer preferences continue to evolve, we're thrilled to be bringing our customers this added convenience and serve them in new ways."

Pete Zophy, senior v-p of e-commerce at Books-A-Million, added, "Ahead of the holidays, there's no better time to introduce this offering and make it easier than ever for our customers to shop with us."

Walmart launched GoLocal in October 2021, basing it on the "express delivery" same-day delivery service it started in 2020, according to Chain Store Age. Other partner companies that have used GoLocal include the Home Depot and Chico's FAS. On the delivery side, Walmart has partnered with Cogentry Labs, which provides an e-commerce delivery solution to mid-sized and independent grocery retailers, and Delivery Solutions, a last-mile delivery service provider.

Pan Macmillan has acquired Harriman House, publishers of finance, investing and business books. The Bookseller reported that the publisher will retain its name as an imprint within Pan Macmillan under the continuing leadership of managing director Myles Hunt. Philip Jenks and Stephen Eckett, who founded Harriman House in 1992, have left the business. The 12-member Harriman team will remain in the Petersfield offices and their books will continue to be distributed by Macmillan Distribution. Macmillan Business and Harriman House will remain separate imprints within Pan Macmillan. 

Harriman House is already represented by Macmillan in the U.S. and South Africa. Noting that Pan Mac plans to extend this arrangement to other international markets, CEO Joanna Prior told the Bookseller the company hopes to be able to bring Harriman House titles to Australia, as "Harriman hasn't had full representation in that market to date" and "that feels like a quick win for us all. We have a really strong international sales team, we're well resourced. And we've got an office in Hong Kong and someone in China. So we have a bit more of an infrastructure internationally that Myles's team will be able to plug into straight away." 

Prior added that the company had "no plans to make any immediate changes. We admire the list and the team's expertise and market knowledge. We feel privileged to be Harriman House's new home and we look forward to supporting Myles and publishing director Sally Tickner and the rest of the team to continue doing what they already do so well.... My plan is to let Harriman carry on doing what they're doing and continue to work in the nimble and entrepreneurial way they do. And for us to be able to help and support where we can without interfering with what makes them really successful and makes them unique."

Hunt agreed: "I think we can hopefully meld the best of both worlds. I think we'll have the benefits of a big company and then also being able to be nimble and agile and provide our authors with this service that I think is one of the things that wins us over with them, [our] partnership with them. They're not worried [about the deal] as long as we can carry on doing what we're doing now, which is very much the plan. So I think they're excited too."  

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The Booker Prize Foundation has created a new competition to "showcase and celebrate six indie bookshops from across the U.K. and Ireland who are handselling the prize's nominated books to their customers." 

The Booker Prize will select independent bookshops that have, in their opinion, "used their POS to create particularly creative and original displays." Winners will be notified by October 12 to arrange a time to be interviewed by the editorial team for the Indie Bookshop Spotlight feature, which, along with social media posts, will be published at thebookerprizes.com and on the prize's social channels ahead of the Booker winner announcement on November 26. 

One of the six booksellers chosen will be selected at random to receive two tickets to the award ceremony and dinner at Old Billingsgate in London, including an overnight stay and travel expenses.

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A "highly detailed" replica of Canadian bookseller Munro's Books, Victoria, B.C., has been on display in the shop to help celebrate its 60th anniversary. CHEK News reported that the store had commissioned 12-year-old Casper Larmon-Speers to make the LEGO replica of the 1909 heritage building. The project took more than a year and a half to complete, and includes more than 5,000 bricks.

"It was mainly the designing process that took a while because it's quite a complex bookstore with all the books and walls," Larmon-Speers said. "But actually building it doesn't take as long as designing the different details." --Robert Gray

Sarah Young

Sarah Young, author of Jesus Calling, has died. She was 77.

Originally published in 2004, Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence is a 365-day devotional featuring Scripture and personal reflections, and has sold more than 45 million copies in 35 languages, according to HarperCollins Christian Publishing.

Mark Schoenwald, president and CEO of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, said, "It has been a joy and an honor to have Sarah Young as part of our publishing family. Sarah was a remarkable woman who deeply loved God. Her words have resonated with people from all walks of life, and the global impact of her work is unparalleled."

Laura Minchew, senior v-p and group publisher of the Children's and Gift Book Group at HarperCollins Christian Publishing, added: "Sarah was a dear friend who will be deeply missed. Through nearly 20 years of publishing with Sarah, I had a firsthand seat at seeing millions of lives changed through the Jesus Calling books. Her books have met people in their darkest hours, taught children about Jesus, and changed lives for eternity. Knowing Sarah professionally and personally has been the privilege of a lifetime."

Christianity Today wrote: "The wife of a Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) missionary to Japanese people, Young suffered from Lyme disease and other chronic illnesses that sometimes forced her to stay in her room for 20 hours a day. In her isolation, she started to practice 'listening prayer' and journaling what she felt the Spirit tell her.

" 'Messages began to flow... and I bought a special notebook to record these words,' Young later wrote. 'I have continued to receive personal messages from God as I meditate on Him.'

"A few pages from her journal found their way to a women's prayer group in Nashville in the early 2000s. One of the women shared them with her husband, who was vice president of marketing at Integrity Publishers, and Integrity asked Young if she could write one message from God to the reader for every day of the year. She agreed, and they published Jesus Calling in 2004." The company was absorbed by Thomas Nelson, which was bought by HarperCollins in 2011.

Thunder Road Books, Spring Lake, N.J., hosted Joe Posnanski in conversation with Bob Costas at the nearby Spring Lake Theatre. More than 175 fans attended. It was the first stop on Posnanski's tour for Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments (Dutton). Pictured: (from l.) Posnanski, store manager Kate Czyzewski, and Costas.

Paul Yamazaki

Special congratulations to Paul Yamazaki, principal buyer at City Lights Booksellers & Publishers, San Francisco, Calif.--and one of our favorite booksellers--who will receive the 2023 Literarian Award for Outstanding Service to the American Literary Community from the National Book Foundation at the National Book Awards November 15 in New York City.

The Foundation wrote, "Starting out as a part-time clerk at City Lights in 1970, Yamazaki has mentored generations of booksellers, and his collaborative approach to bookselling has elevated countless authors, shaping the United States' literary landscape for over 50 years. [He is] a champion for books, writers, publishers, and independent bookstores."

Fittingly, Yamazaki will be presented with the Literarian Award by another of our favorite booksellers, Mitchell Kaplan, who is the owner of Books & Books in southern Florida and co-founder of the Miami Book Fair. He also served as president of the American Booksellers Association and received the Literarian Award in 2011.

In connection with the announcement, the Los Angeles Times has a long profile of Yamazaki that includes wonderful stories about his background, how he came to join City Lights, his development as a reader and bookseller, and the interesting fact that the first recipient of the Literarian Award, in 2005, was the late Lawrence Ferlinghetti, who co-founded City Lights. "I am really, really honored to follow in his footsteps," Yamazaki told the Times. "City Lights has been my university."

Amanda Gorman

Poet Amanda Gorman has been named Indie Bookstore Ambassador for the American Booksellers Association for 2023-2024. She will be "a champion for independent bookstores" year round, including for Banned Books Week (October 1-7), Indies First on Small Business Saturday (November 25), and Independent Bookstore Day (April 27, 2024).

Gorman said she was "incredibly honored.... Independent bookstores are vital parts of our communities and bastions of literature. We must work together to support local booksellers everywhere so that they can continue to thrive and champion books on a local level with the personal touch and human connection that we all need, now more than ever."

The youngest presidential inaugural poet in U.S. history--she spoke at President Biden's inauguration in 2021--Gorman is the author of The Hill We Climb, Call Us What We Carry, the children's picture book Change Sings, illustrated by Loren Long, as well as the upcoming picture book Something, Someday, illustrated by Christian Robinson. She also read from Change Sings in the poetry theater interludes during the ABA's 2021 virtual Winter Institute.

The ABA called Gorman "a committed advocate for the environment, racial equality, and gender justice." And it noted that Gorman's words in May after The Hill We Climb was banned at a Florida school--"Together, this is a hill we won't just climb, but a hill we will conquer"--are "inspiring and speak to the importance of finding our voices and ourselves on bookstore shelves, and the importance of working as a community--a goal indie bookstores also share."

Women Life Freedom: Voices and Art from the Women's Protests in Iran, edited by Malu Halasa (SAQI Books).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Alex Guarnaschelli, co-author of Cook It Up: Bold Moves for Family Foods (Clarkson Potter, $30, 9780593577981).

Tamron Hall: Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It (Harvard Business Review Press, $30, 9781647820367).

Book TV airs on C-Span 2 this weekend from 8 a.m. Saturday to 8 a.m. Monday and focuses on political and historical books as well as the book industry. The following are highlights for this coming weekend. For more information, go to Book TV's website.

Saturday, September 9
5:25 p.m. Chris Serb, author of War Football: World War I and the Birth of the NFL (Rowman & Littlefield, $41, 9781538124840).

Sunday, September 10
8 a.m. Franklin Foer, author of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden's White House and the Struggle for America's Future (‎Penguin Press, $30, 9781101981146). (Re-airs Sunday at 8 p.m.)

9 a.m. Mike Pence, author of So Help Me God (Simon & Schuster, $35, 9781982190330). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m.)

10 a.m. Cara Fitzpatrick, author of The Death of Public School: How Conservatives Won the War Over Education in America (Basic Books, $32, 9781541646773). (Re-airs Sunday at 10 p.m.)

2:30 p.m. Susan Crawford, author of Charleston: Race, Water, and the Coming Storm (‎Pegasus, $28.95, 9781639363575).

3:25 p.m. Peter Gleick, author of The Three Ages of Water: Prehistoric Past, Imperiled Present, and a Hope for the Future (‎PublicAffairs, $30, 9781541702271).

4:20 p.m. Harold Hamm, author of Game Changer: Our Fifty-Year Mission to Secure America's Energy Independence (‎Forefront Books, $28, 9781637631850).

5:25 p.m. Christina Gerhardt, author of Sea Change: An Atlas of Islands in a Rising Ocean (University of California Press, $34.95, 9780520304826).

6:50 p.m. Henry Grabar, author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World (Penguin Press, $30, 9781984881137).

The longlist has been announced for the C$100,000 (about US$73,300) 2023 Scotiabank Giller Prize, honoring "the best Canadian novel, graphic novel or short story collection published in English." The winner will be announced on October 11. See the dozen titles on the longlist here.

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The longlist has been chosen for the 2023 Baillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction. The shortlist will be announced October 8 and winner November 16. See the longlist here.

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, September 12:

The Enchanters: A Novel by James Ellroy (Knopf, $30, 9780593320440) follows a freewheeling former cop in 1962 Los Angeles.

The Vaster Wilds: A Novel by Lauren Groff (Riverhead, $28, 9780593418390) follows a servant girl fleeing a settlement in Colonial Virginia.

Normal Rules Don't Apply: Stories by Kate Atkinson (Doubleday, $28, 9780385549509) includes 11 interconnected short stories.

Sing a Black Girl's Song: The Unpublished Work of Ntozake Shange by Ntozake Shange, edited by Imani Perry (Legacy Lit, $30, 9780306828515) contains previously unpublished essays, plays and poems.

To Infinity and Beyond: A Journey of Cosmic Discovery by Neil deGrasse Tyson and Lindsey Nyx Walker (National Geographic, $30, 9781426223303) is an illustrated guide to this universe.

Nineteen Steps by Millie Bobby Brown (Morrow, $28.99, 9780063335776) is historical fiction set in London during World War II.

Rouge: A Novel by Mona Awad (S&S/Marysue Rucci, $28, 9781982169695) follows a woman whose late mother frequented a cult-like spa.

Code Red: A Mitch Rapp Novel by Vince Flynn and Kyle Mills (Atria/Emily Bestler, $29.99, 9781982164997) is the 22nd Mitch Rapp thriller.

Once a Giant: A Story of Victory, Tragedy, and Life After Football by Gary Myers (PublicAffairs, $30, 9781541702394) chronicles the Super Bowl-winning 1986 New York Giants.

Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur C. Brooks and Oprah Winfrey (Portfolio, $30, 9780593545409) explores ways to create more happiness.

Counting the Cost by Jill Duggar with Derick Dillard and Craig Borlase (Gallery, $28.99, 9781668024447) reveals grim realities behind the TLC show 19 Kids and Counting.

The Enchanted Symphony by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton, illus. by Elly MacKay (Abrams, $19.99, 9781419763199) is a picture book fairy tale about the power of music.

Just Because by Matthew McConaughey, illus. by Renée Kurilla (Viking, $19.99, 9780593622032) is the actor's first children's book and features a series of entertaining contradictions.

Paperbacks:
You, Again: A Novel by Kate Goldbeck (The Dial Press, $18, 9780593448120).

The Last Real World Champion: The Legacy of "Nature Boy" Ric Flair by Tim Hornbaker (ECW Press, $22.95, 9781770416260).

Wildflower Falls by Denise Hunter (Thomas Nelson, $17.99, 9780840716620).

The Best Short Stories 2023: The O. Henry Prize Winners, edited by Lauren Groff (Anchor, $18, 9780593470596).

Secret Garden: 10th Anniversary Special Edition by Johanna Basford (Laurence King, $16.99, 9781399616362).

From last week's Indie bestseller lists, available at IndieBound.org, here are the recommended titles, which are also Indie Next Great Reads:

Hardcover
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck (S&S/Marysue Rucci Books, $28, 9781668006498). "Shark Heart is fascinating. The premise--some people genetically mutate into wild animal species--is told through stunning, poetic prose. Wholly original, heartbreaking yet hopeful, it explores how one woman meets loss with love." --Alana Haley, Schuler Books, Grand Rapids, Mich.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (Tor, $19.99, 9781250244093). "A rare, precious, perfect book. A retelling that understands the meaning of the word retelling, that twists and turns so new facets get to shine. I love Toadling with my whole heart--this might be my very favorite Sleeping Beauty ever." --Nicole Szmyd, Old Firehouse Books, Fort Collins, Colo.

Paperback
Cruel Seduction (Dark Olympus) by Katee Robert (Sourcebooks Casablanca, $16.99, 9781728262765). "Another sexy tale from within the walls of Olympus, with even more political scheming and toe-curling intimate moments. This poly-knot romance has so many moving parts, but Katee hits the mark every time." --Sam Butler, Bright Side Bookshop, Flagstaff, Ariz.

For Ages 0 to 8
It's Fall! (Celebrate the Seasons #1) by Renée Kurilla (Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, $18.99, 9780316363990). "This is my favorite leafy-pumpkiny-autumny book to date. The glasses alone make this book a delight, but the story is just as sweet and engaging." --Hannah Oxley, Mystery to Me, Madison, Wis.

For Ages 10+
Things in the Basement by Ben Hatke (First Second, $22.99, 9781250836618). "Atmospheric and spooky, but full of adventure, this near-wordless graphic novel is the perfect blend of action and heart. Perfect for fans of the Amulet series, Coraline, and Jon Klassen's The Skull." --Emily Gilbow, House of Books, Kent, Conn.

For Teen Readers
Bring Me Your Midnight by Rachel Griffin (Sourcebooks Fire, $18.99, 9781728256153). "Griffin does it again: A perfectly-mixed potion of the modern and the magical. Bring Me Your Midnight is the fast-paced, witchy reading-slump antidote we need!" --Sophie Robinson, The Briar Patch, Bangor, Maine

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

In Class, Stephanie Land offers a moving rumination on higher education, work, and motherhood--and how the experiences of each, and the striving for each, sit within the classist systems of the United States and its social safety net.

In her bestselling debut memoir, Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive--which President Obama named a favorite book of 2019 and Netflix adapted to a miniseries--Land chronicled her experience as a single mother working to clean houses for what amounted to less than a living wage. In Class, she examines the subsequent chapter of her life, and her continued experiences of poverty and motherhood as she strives to earn her bachelor's degree and pursue work as a writer. She breaks down the constant judgment heaped upon her--and others--for daring to dream of a life beyond that of the "deserving poor," constantly proving her worthiness and value as a mother and as an individual via her dedication to work. Her experience navigating the complex, demoralizing systems of higher education and social safety net programs led her to the "sense that not only did work have the greatest value, but I, too, only had value if I was working." She equates her pursuit of higher education and dream of being a writer to the purchase of a "fresh-off-the-lot, overpriced car" that is "extravagant to the point of absurdity." These extravagant dreams, however, are never questioned when held by those with more wealth and opportunities: higher education, a meaningful career, the opportunity to grow a family. "Resilience as a virtue is assigned, especially to marginalized groups, when systemic structures have created countless invisible barriers to living what the privileged consider a normal life."

Who gets to write? Who gets to make art? Who gets to strive for a different way of being, living, doing, and who is expected to be grateful for whatever bits come their way? These questions form the crux of Land's incredible and heart-wrenching memoir in which she explores her experiences in higher education, work, and single motherhood. Class is as infuriating as it is inspiring, and it should be considered required reading for anyone with even a passing interest in narratives of wealth and work, the lived experience of prejudicial U.S. safety net systems, or social justice. --Kerry McHugh, freelance writer

Shelf Talker: The author of Maid returns with an incredible and heart-wrenching memoir that ruminates on higher education, class, and single motherhood.