Katherine Morgan, owner of Grand Gesture Books, a Black woman-owned romance bookstore that launched as an online operation last November, is planning to open a bricks-and-mortar store in Portland, Ore., in September. The Portland Business Journal reported that Morgan, who has run the romance section at Powell's Books, said she is looking at a space in Northwest, where she has lived for eight years. 

Katherine Morgan

Although she wasn't ready divulge the exact location yet, she said the space, which is about 1,400 square feet, including an office and has room enough for a few thousand books, looked promising.

"I walked in. I fell in love immediately," said Morgan, who recently launched a $100,000 GoFundMe campaign to help gather the funds for a physical location, as well as inventory, other merchandise and security systems. She said she has enough money at this point between her personal finances and the donations for the lease, with the possibility of taking possession of the space at the beginning of July. 

In a recent interview, Powell's CEO Patrick Bassett called his employee's venture "really exciting." 

In an Instagram post after launching her fundraiser, Morgan noted: "I figured that it was about time to announce this campaign since there's not a day that goes by without someone asking when/where the building will come to fruition. I know that the world is in dire straits right now, so please don't feel obligated to donate if you don't want to or can't. I'd love it if you'd shared it with other romance lovers to get the word out. I'm really crossing my fingers here and hoping for the best, so here we go. I promise to make you proud. I'd say 'Make myself proud,' but considering that I'm out here, taking this leap, I've already done that."

Kiss & Tale: A Romance Bookshop, will open later this summer at 688 Haddon Ave., Collingswood, N.J. Owner Katie Cunningham "will parlay her interest in the genre into a retail space, opening a Collingswood storefront dedicated exclusively to the romance novel in all its forms," NJ Pen reported, adding that the space "is cozy, and Cunningham said she intends the storefront to host reading events as well as retailing books and other merchandise."

Located in a community she describes as "the most charming small town in New Jersey," Kiss & Tale is another key component to its shopping district. "They have everything for everyone. I want to celebrate books and authors," she said.

Crediting a curious mind and a love of the genre's plot tropes with keeping her hooked, Cunningham said, "I love all books, but if it has romance in it, it's going to be a better read for me. If it exists, it's going to be in my store; every genre and category, all romance. If you want to read it, I'm going to find it for you."

After earning a degree in communications and marketing, Cunningham pivoted to the culinary field initially. NJ Pen noted that Cunningham had opened K&A Bagel Café in Cherry Hill with her husband, Andrew, but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit she stepped back from the business to be a full-time mother.

Eventually she began planning a return to the workforce around her love of reading. "Honestly, my passion is reading and telling people about it," she said. "No matter where I'm at in life, romance books have always been there."

Cunningham said she is immersing herself in as many subgenres as she can to better to serve her customers: "I delved deep into genres that weren't really mine so that I could be a person who's a safe spot for people to come up and ask for a recommendation. Sometimes you need a little drama or some dragons and aliens; I want some more action in mine. We're all looking for our characters to end up together.... I think it's helping people be more open-minded and accepting of different things; showing us there's other ways of living, other ways of romance."

Love Affair Bookstore, which will focus on romance books, gifts, and merchandise, will open in mid-July in Midland, Tex., the Midland Reporter-Telegram reported.

Located at 1000 N. Midkiff Road, the store will have a sofa, chairs, outdoor seating, and charging stations. Founder Heather Hall, who was born and raised in Midland, is encouraging local book clubs to meet at the store and plans to host book signings and author appearances. Besides books, Love Affair will offer sweatshirts, shirts, bracelets, house shoes, hats, book totes, coasters, book holders, and other gifts.

Hall described the store as "just somewhere for all the moms and women to come hang out and get books that they can't find anywhere, or they're not tucked back into the back of Barnes & Noble in that romance section that's so tiny and they don't have to be embarrassed that they read it. It's somewhere they can talk to everyone else about what they're reading and hang out."

She noted that while women are the store's target audience, men are welcome in the Love Affair Bookstore, too, and that she has received "an outpouring of support from men in the area."

Monica Ali, Joseph Coehlo, and Niall Ferguson were among the authors recognized on the King's Birthday Honors List in the U.K., the Bookseller reported. Ali, who was given a CBE for services to literature, said, "It was a huge surprise, totally unexpected, and it's great for authors to be recognized because it's a signal that literature matters, that reading is important, that we need novels and novelists. Now, perhaps more than ever, when opinions and attitudes are so polarized, we can look to fiction to provide nuance and complexity and help us see the world from other angles, other points of view."

Niall Ferguson, who was awarded a knighthood, told the Oxford Mail, "When an individual is honored by the King, implicitly his formative influences are the real recipients of the honor." 

Children's Laureate Coelho (OBE) was recognized for services to the arts, to children's reading and to literature. Other authors on the honors list include Susie Dent (MBE), Rory Cellan-Jones (OBE), and Jamila Gavin (MBE).

Richard Charkin (OBE for services to literature), a recent past president of the International Publishers Association, former CEO of Macmillan Publishers, executive director of Bloomsbury from 2007 to 2018, an executive at a range of other publishers, and author of the memoir, My Back Pages, said: "It's strange receiving such an honor. I am not sure what, if any, privileges it confers but so far the best thing about it is hearing from friends and colleagues in the books business worldwide. Thanks so much for the good wishes."

Other honorees include Jenny Brown, founder of literary agency Jenny Brown Associates, who was given an OBE for services to literature; Nicholas Poole, past CEO of the Chartered Institute of Library & Information Professionals (OBE for services to libraries, to the arts and to museums); and Di Speirs, audio executive editor for books at the BBC (MBE for services to broadcasting and to literature). 

Also honored were Sarah Hosking (MBE), who founded Hosking Houses Trust, as well as librarians Sally McInness and Julie Kay.

---

Matt Davis, Bookseller of the Year

BookPeople, the association of Australian bookshops, announced winners of the Bookseller of the Year and Book of the Year Awards on June 16 at the gala dinner and awards night during the 2024 BookPeople Conference in Melbourne, Books + Publishing reported. This year's winners are: 

Bookseller of the year: Matt Davis of the Bookshop at Queenscliff in Queenscliff, Victoria
Young bookseller of the year: Madeleine Delany of Fullers Bookshop in Hobart, Tasmania
Children's bookseller of the year: Katherine Matthews; Mary Martin Bookshop in Melbourne, Victoria.

Books of the Year:
Adult fiction: Edenglassie by Melissa Lucashenko
Adult nonfiction: Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
Children's: If I Was a Horse by Sophie Blackall

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Montréal Secret showcased "the seven most beautiful bookstores in Montreal," noting: "These literary havens offer an enchanted escape, where time seems to stretch and words dance between the shelves. In every corner of the city, these bookshops offer much more than just books. They are refuges, portals to infinite worlds, where Montrealers come to seek warmth and literary nuggets. Each, in its own way, helps weave the rich cultural fabric of Montreal, inviting lovers of words to explore and dream."

Among the bookshops highlighted were Drawn and Quarterly ("charms locals and visitors alike"), Le Port de Tête ("a literary hub for the Plateau's French-speaking community"), Gallimard ("a French-style literary experience"), The Word ("the ultimate haven for bibliophiles"), Appetite for Books Bookshop ("offers a delightful exchange of culinary reflections"), Argo Bookshop ("a literary hub for the Plateau's French-speaking community has survived with panache for over fifty years"), and Paragraph Bookstore ("the main supplier of English-language books to Quebec libraries"). --Robert Gray 

Lucia Heinold

Lucia Heinold, longtime buyer and merchandise manager at Waldenbooks and Borders, died February 10. She was 82.

Heinold began her career teaching middle and high school social studies in Yorktown Heights, N.Y., from 1963 until the late 1970s, and later earned an MBA from New York University, which led to her first buyer position at Walden.

Her final bookselling role was as the book buyer at Borders headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich., where she curated collections, including cookbooks, home & garden, crafts, and collectible titles. She was admired by colleagues and sales representatives alike, and retired from Borders in 2006. She remained passionate about free expression in the publishing industry, advocating for organizations like the ACLU and ABFFE.

Her family noted that Heinold was "an avid reader of fiction and nonfiction, a diligent and talented gardener, and a skilled cook. She enjoyed mysteries and thrillers in books, movies, and television... She was a lifelong advocate for equal rights and social justice."

Survivors include her niece, Jennifer Brunn, director of publicity at DK.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, July 6, at 1 p.m. at First Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Ann Arbor, 4001 Ann Arbor-Saline Road, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48103. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made in her memory to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Terrie Akers

Congratulations to Other Press marketing director Terrie Akers and designer Shawn Nicholls for creating the most clicked-on ad of 2023 with Shelf Awareness. Akers is shown holding the Golden Vik award for her ad in the pre-order e-blast for Ha Jin's The Woman Back From Moscow. The ad was the most clicked on from a pool of more than 3,400 last year. Want to have the most-clicked ad of 2024 and win the Golden Vik for you and your company? Reach out to sales@shelf-awareness.com and Matt and Hartley will help you with your dream!

Congratulations to Phinney Books, Seattle, Wash., which celebrated its 10th anniversary with a thank-you party for customers, staff, and book industry friends last Thursday, June 20. Guests were invited to write down the top 10 favorite books they read in the past decade (and submit them to win prizes, including a store gift certificate and a year of Phinney by Post book subscription). The party continued through the weekend with a 10% storewide discount. Tom Nissley and Laura Silverstein bought the bookshop in 2014 (previously Santoro's Books).

The Twig Book Shop, San Antonio, Tex, shared a photo of its Pride Month display, noting that the shop is featuring a colorful array of items. Bookseller and sidelines buyer Genevieve said, "We've switched up our display and are so happy with how it looks. Customers love it--and so do we!"

"Warning! Employees may be unable to shut up about books." That was the recent sidewalk chalkboard message in front of Byrd's Books, Bethel, Conn.

Shark Night by R.L. Stine (Blackstone Publishing).

Today:
Live with Kelly and Mark: Steve Guttenberg, author of Time to Thank: Caregiving for My Hero (Post Hill Press, $30, 9798888451465).

Jennifer Hudson Show repeat: Lorenzo Espada, author of Somethin' Outta Nothin': 100 Creative Comfort Food Recipes for Everyone (DK, $32, 9780744088366).

Fresh Air: Peter S. Goodman, author of How the World Ran Out of Everything: Inside the Global Supply Chain (Mariner Books, $30, 9780063257924).

Late Night with Seth Meyers repeat: Amor Towles, author of Table for Two: Fictions (Viking, $32, 9780593296370).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Tomi Adeyemi, author of Children of Anguish and Anarchy (Holt, $24.99, 9781250171016).

Also on GMA: Renato Poliafito, author of Dolci!: American Baking with an Italian Accent: A Cookbook (Knopf, $38, 9780593537183).

Tamron Hall repeat: Michael Todd, author of Damaged but Not Destroyed: From Trauma to Triumph (WaterBrook, $27, 9780593444887).

Laika has acquired the rights to Susanna Clarke's 2020 novel Piranesi and will make an animated adaptation directed by the studio's president and CEO Travis Knight, Variety reported. Knight (Kubo and the Two Strings; Bumblebee, from the Transformers franchise), said: "Piranesi is a treasure, and very dear to me. As a filmmaker, I can scarcely imagine a more joyful experience than wandering through the worlds Susanna dreamed into being. She's one of my all-time favorite authors, and with Piranesi, Susanna has created a beautiful, devastating and ultimately life-affirming work of art." 

Clarke added: "Animation is one of my favorite things. I've been inspired by so many animated movies, and Laika has produced such extraordinary work--movies like Coraline and Kubo and the Two Strings, full of beauty and wonder and weirdness." 

Jackie Wullschläger won the £5,000 (about $6,325) Elizabeth Longford Prize for Historical Biography for Monet: The Restless Vision (to be published in the U.S. by Knopf on September 24). The winner also receives a copy of Longford's memoir, The Pebbled Shore.

Chair of the judges Roy Foster commented: "Jackie Wullschläger's life of Claude Monet is not only an enthralling portrait of a powerful personality; she shows how the 'restlessness' pinpointed in her subtitle drove Monet to reformulate memory and time in his great serial paintings. The process culminated with the legendary water-lilies series, but Wullschläger's deeply-researched book traces the development of his vision back to its origins. She surveys and illuminates a complex and passionate personal life, and the networks of friendship and affinity which connected him to the worlds of Clemenceau, Bergson and Proust, as well as the fellowship of other Impressionists.

"Her biography not only shows the development of a revolutionary artistic vision and the slow process of understanding it; she sets the process against a brilliant evocation of the rich and multi-layered world of French culture in the late nineteenth century and Belle Époque. Historically insightful, psychologically perceptive, and consummately readable, Monet: The Restless Vision fulfilled everything the judges of the Elizabeth Longford Prize look for in ground-breaking historical biography."

LibraryReads, the nationwide library staff-picks list, offers the top 10 July titles public library staff across the country love:

Top Pick
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst (Bramble, $29.99, 9781250333971). "With her city and library under siege, Kiela and her sentient spider plant escape to the island of Caltrey with only the basic supplies and some magical books. Preferring her own company and books to people, she must learn to trust her new community as she rebuilds her family home and her life. This sweet cottagecore novel is pure delight." --Jennifer Winberry, Hunterdon County Library, N.J.

Business Casual by B.K. Borison (Berkley, $19, 9780593641170). "Nova and Charlie belong to each other--and for more than the single spicy night they agree to spend together. This cozy, small-town, friends-to-lovers story has so much warmth and love, making this final installment of the Lovelight Farm series sheer perfection. This is the warmest cuddle of a romance that readers will never want to end." --Laura Eckert, Clermont County Public Library, Ohio

The Game Changer by Lana Ferguson (‎Berkley, $19, 9780593816837). "Hockey player Ian is seeking to rehab a sullied reputation, so he teams up with his friend's little sister Delilah, who's seeking to boost viewership of her cooking show. Ian's never considered her a romantic partner, but Delilah's had a crush on him since she was a teenager. When they reconnect as adults, their relationship quickly heats up." --Rebecca Whalon, Lakeland Public Library, Fla.

The Next Best Fling by Gabriella Gamez (Forever, $17.99, 9781538726631). "Marcela's in love with her best friend Ben who's engaged to another woman (whom Ben's brother Theo adores). If this love square sounds messy, it is. When Marcela stops Theo from professing his love at Ben's engagement party, they stumble upon a fake dating predicament and decide to roll with it. This love story feels authentic, and the characters have palpable chemistry." --Taylor Banze, St. Charles City-County Library, Mo.

The Bright Sword: A Novel of King Arthur by Lev Grossman (‎Viking, $35, 9780735224049). "This mystical, action-oriented read delves into the story of King Arthur. Collum, a young knight traveling to Camelot in hopes of joining the Round Table, arrives to learn that King Arthur is dead. Adventure soon calls, and Collum and the knights set off on a quest to heal Britain. The multiple points of view and diverse characters will keep readers engrossed." --Kristin Skinner, Flat River Community Library, Mich.

The Ex Vows by Jessica Joyce (Berkley, $19, 9780593548424). "A sweet second chance romance, in which exes Georgia and Eli must cooperate to save their best friend's wedding. A satisfying story of two people finding their way back to each other, either as friends or something more. An incredibly well-written romance." --Erin Gordenier, Siuslaw Public Library District, Ore.

The Faculty Lounge: A Novel by Jennifer Mathieu (‎Dutton, $27.99, 9780593475393). "After the untimely demise of long-time teacher Mr. Lehrer, the lives of the school's faculty are explored through stories that include a book-banning controversy, a man's evolution from punk rock musician to principal, and a janitor's poignant friendship with Mr. Lehrer. Mathieu is a high school teacher, and this novel rings with authenticity and love for her subject." --Angela Strathman, Mid-Continent Public Library, Mo.

The Lost Story: A Novel by Meg Shaffer (Ballantine, $29, 9780593598870). "Jeremy and Rafe disappeared in a West Virginia state park only to reappear six months later without explanation. Jeremy remembers everything but can’t talk about it; Rafe remembers nothing. When a woman needs help to find her sister, the former friends are forced to work together. This character-driven story with intriguing magic should appeal to all fans of portal fantasy." --Beth Mills, New Rochelle Public Library, N.Y.

Not Another Love Song by Julie Soto (Forever, $17.99, 9781538740910). "Two rival musicians find love in this satisfying enemies-to-lovers story. Xander has everything Gwen wants, and he doesn't seem to appreciate it. When Gwen is unexpectedly given first-chair violin over him, their rivalry intensifies, reaching a crescendo that leaves Gwen wondering if this is a rivalry or an attraction. A sexy, lyrical romance." --Magan Szwarek, LibraryReads Ambassador, Ill.

Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle (Tor Nightfire, $26.99, 9781250874658). "TV writer Misha has just been given an ultimatum: straighten out his main characters, or let them be queer and kill them off immediately. He refuses, and the ghosts of his own horror-movie past come to haunt him. Highly recommended for any horror fan who's ever rooted for two queer-coded characters to 'just kiss already.' " --Sarah Howison, Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library, Ohio

Ruthvika Rao's ambitious and spellbinding debut novel, The Fertile Earth, is set during India's post-Partition years, from 1955 to 1990. It closely follows two families: the Deshmukhs, the zamindars of Irumi, "feudal landlords, rulers and administrators of law, taxation and cruelty"; and Pichamma, washerwoman to the Deshmukhs, and her two sons, Ranga and Krishna.

Rao makes the sweeping changes happening in India during those years feel personal and intimate through the friendship and blossoming romance of Vijaya Deshmukh and Krishna, who live in Irumi, "a remote Telangana hamlet." Rao's opening scene throws readers into the middle of the conflict: it's 1970, and Kanakam, a tanner living on the rim of Irumi, witnesses the execution of the Deshmukh family. What led to this moment, and its aftermath, forms the foundation of Rao's piercing novel.

When Krishna defends Vijaya from a bullying classmate at school, she spits at Krishna's feet. However, after school, outside her home, she thanks him by offering him a sweet kalakand, a sensuous scene in which they share it, bite by bite. Vijaya then asks Krishna if he will go with her to hunt the man-eating tiger threatening the village. In Vijaya, Rao convincingly creates a rebellious spirit, indifferent to her privilege. If their friendship is forbidden, the tiger hunt is unthinkable. Yet rule-abiding Krishna gets drawn into Vijaya's plans. He brings his older, risk-taking brother, Ranga, along on the excursion, and Vijaya brings her younger sister, Sree, to seal the girl's silence. The cataclysmic event of the tiger hunt and its fallout ripples through each of the quartet's individual paths, forever changing them and their families.

Rao beautifully renders the characters of Krishna and Ranga; the core of who they are as boys shapes who they become as young men, and readers will become deeply invested in their fates. Vijaya--strong, rebellious, complicated--allows herself to be opened up by her alliance with Krishna, so that the surprising twists in her future remain credible, and her likability grows. The author movingly writes of the scars of the caste system, as Pichamma tells Krishna, "he will never in life be given the things he deserves, but only the things he earned."

Through her fully realized characters, Rao gives readers a window into the complexities of a nation still defining itself. Rather than offering readers answers, she invites them into the hard questions, reminding them that even the cruelest people are capable of compassion, and even the most sympathetic can be selfish; sometimes it's hard to know which is worse. --Jennifer M. Brown, reviewer

Shelf Talker: In her ambitious and spellbinding debut novel set during the post-Partition years in India, Ruthvika Rao gives readers a window into the complexities of a nation still defining itself.