James Colvin and Bryan Dupree with new owners John and Michelle Cavalier.

John and Michelle Cavalier, owners of Cavalier House Books in Denham Springs, La., have purchased Beausoleil Books in Lafayette, La., from original owners and married couple James Colvin and Bryan Dupree, the Acadiana Advocate reported.

Beausoleil Books, which opened in 2020, will close next week for renovations. When it reopens on August 3, it will do so under the name Cavalier House Books, and the renovations will include removing an interior wall, moving the cashwrap to the middle of the store, and adding a new children's area. The space features a 500-square-foot kitchen, which the Cavaliers plan to use for cookbook events, and they will expand the inventory across the board.

Colvin and Dupree are moving away from Lafayette due to the latter's career, and prior to the sale, were considering closing the bookstore. Earlier this year, they posted in a Facebook group about their predicament, and the Cavaliers responded.

"They didn't know what they were going to do," John Cavalier told the Advocate. "They were just trying to figure it out. I mentioned to them that we've always wanted a second location and we've always loved their store. Everything they did here was quality."

"We had to make a tough decision," Colvin remarked. "We were in the process of going to start to close and were searching around for people to take our inventory. They [the Cavaliers] kind of fell in love with Lafayette and what we managed to build in just three years."

The Cavaliers opened their store in 2009, a year after they graduated from college. Beausoleil Books opened in late 2020, and until 2023 featured the Whisper Room, a lounge and wine bar with a small food menu. The general-interest inventory included a focus on French literature, regional culture and history, and diverse authors.

Read My Lips: A Romance Bookshop will host its grand opening this coming Saturday, July 20, at 131 W. Washington St. in downtown Marquette, Mich. The celebration includes an author signing, door prizes, giveaways throughout the day, and more.

Owner Nicole Odom spoke with WLUC TV6's Morning News about her plans for the new bookstore.

"I really want an inclusive space for anybody to come shop; not to be ashamed," she said. "Where typically in bookstores romance was always a corner in the back, we're just going to have a full selection for everybody. And we're going to have seating areas, grab-and-go coffee and snacks, and any bookish merch you can think of."  

Daniel Y. Mayer has joined the Seminary Co-op Bookstores, Chicago, Ill., as interim executive director. He was most recently president and CEO of the Chapman Cultural Center in Spartanburg, S.C., and previously was executive director for the ArtsCenter in Carrboro, N.C., for more than six years.

Daniel Y. Mayer

The Seminary Co-op board of directors said that, based on Mayer's "extensive experience leading arts and cultural nonprofit organizations," he is "the ideal candidate to lead the Seminary Co-op Bookstores in this period of transition.... Mayer brings a wealth of knowledge in all aspects of nonprofit organizations, including management, external partnerships, operations, and finances. With his talents and an impressive skill set developed over more than 20 years at the head of mission-driven organizations, the board is confident in Dan's ability to lead the Seminary Co-op as we continue to find our footing post-COVID as not-for-profit bookstores."

Mayer succeeds Noor Shawaf and Clancey D'Isa, who have been acting co-directors following the departure of Jeff Deutsch as executive director earlier this year. The Co-op said Shawaf and D'Isa "will be bringing their time at the stores to a close," and thanked them for "their dedication and years of leadership." Shawaf joined the Co-op in 2022 as director of events and finance; since joining the Co-op in 2018, D'Isa has held several positions, including store manager, marketing director, and managing director.

Annette Danek-Akey

Annette Danek-Akey, executive v-p, chief supply chain officer, at Penguin Random House, is joining Barnes & Noble as chief supply chain officer, effective in September. She will stay at PRH until the end of August to help with the transition and ongoing projects.

In related moves, Jeff Abraham has been promoted to chief operating officer, Penguin Random House US, and will assume Danek-Akey's fulfillment responsibilities in the U.S. as well as continue to head publishing operations, IT, bookmaking, strategic projects, Zeitgeist, and Penguin Random House Publisher Services. When Danek-Akey was made chief supply chain officer last year, she was given direct oversight of PRH UK distribution in addition to her U.S. responsibilities. Now Deborah Wright, newly appointed chief operating officer, Penguin Random House UK, will lead the U.K.'s distribution, technology, strategic projects, and facilities functions.

Danek-Akey joined Bantam Doubleday Dell in 1996 as an industrial engineer and has been with the company through the merger with Random House, and then with Penguin. PRH CEO Nihar Malaviya called Danek-Akey "a driving force behind our fulfillment advancements. Her leadership has been pivotal through integration projects, corporate mergers, and the establishment of industry-leading distribution networks. She and her team have advanced our supply chain capabilities to become the gold standard for the industry."

B&N echoed his sentiments, saying that Danek-Akey "brings a wealth of experience to Barnes & Noble... She has had a long career, [and PRH's] distribution efforts have significantly expanded during Annette's tenure to become recognized as the premier supply chain in the publishing industry."

B&N CEO James Daunt added, "Annette joins Barnes & Noble at a pivotal moment of growth in the business when the excellence of the supply chain is of central importance to our success. We are delighted to gain from her deep experience of book distribution and commitment to developing excellence in her teams."

Jeff Abraham

In 2006, Abraham joined Random House Distribution Services (now Penguin Random House Distribution Services) as president after serving as executive director of the Book Industry Study Group. Last year, he took on the additional role of PRH's president of publishing operations, technology, and services.

Malaviya noted that Abraham "has driven PRHPS's unprecedented growth to become the industry's leading service provider to more than 50 independent publishers. In addition to overseeing PRHPS's expansion, he has promoted many successful initiatives across our technology and production functions. Having collaborated closely with him for many years, I know firsthand Jeff's deep commitment to and appreciation of our fulfillment colleagues, at every turn championing their work in advancing PRHPS's distribution business. This expanded role is a natural progression of Jeff's advocacy of our fulfillment team's incredible contributions to the business."

Abraham also announced several appointments:

Alison Martin has been promoted to senior v-p, customer solutions, logistics & strategy, and will continue to work together with local management to build the strategy and partnerships expanding PRH's U.S. operations to the facility in Grantham, England. She has been with the company nearly 20 years.

Alyssa Oles has been promoted to senior v-p, distribution, engineering & systems. She started her career with Random House in 2006 as a summer intern in the industrial engineering department and in 2017 was a founder of PRH's Global Distribution and Logistics Council.

Abraham said that Martin and Oles "have been a dynamic team for years, and their collaboration will remain at the heart of our new structure. Together, they will work to meet all our objectives for our supply chain: strategic vision, efficient warehouse design, unwavering customer focus, and exceptional service. Each is bringing a unique perspective and skills to shape the future of our end-to-end supply chain sequence."

In an additional change, Erin DiNello will move to the human resources department as associate manager of HR programs, communications, and community relations. She has been with PRH for 10 years.

Barnes & Noble is opening new stores tomorrow in Lake Orion, Mich.; Denham Springs, La.; and Conroe, Tex.

The Lake Orion store is located in Baldwin Commons at 4852 South Baldwin Rd., in a space formerly occupied by Nordstrom Rack. The store will officially open 10 a.m. Wednesday morning with a ribbon cutting and signing featuring YouTuber and author Fritz, also known as Old Time Hawkey. Fritz will be signing copies of his cookbook Old Time Hawkey's Recipes from the Cedar Swamp.

The Denham Springs store resides in the Juban Crossing shopping center at 10129 Crossing Way, in a space that previously housed a Bed Bath & Beyond. Author Greg Iles and superintendent Jody Purvis will preside over the opening ceremony and ribbon cutting, scheduled for 10 a.m.

The Conroe location can be found in the Conroe Marketplace at 2920 Interstate 45N, in a space that once held a Bed Bath & Beyond. At 10 a.m., author Kacy Ritter will cut the ribbon before signing copies of her book The Great Texas Dragon Race.

All three of the new stores feature B&N's updated design as well as a B&N cafe. Five new B&N stores have opened in July, and the company expects to open more than 50 this year.

Posted on Instagram Monday by Rhythm & Co. Books, Glen Rose, Tex.: "Today is--National GIVE SOMETHING AWAY Day!!! So Rhythm & Co. is doing just that! Buy 2 books and get a 3rd book (less than $5 book) for FREE! YAY!!"

Selene Covarrubias has joined Simon & Schuster as sales development manager, Latinx market, a newly created role.

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Timothy Foszcz has joined Sourcebooks as sales associate.

The Incorruptibles: A True Story of Kingpins, Crime Busters, and the Birth of the American Underworld by Dan Slater (Little, Brown).

Tomorrow:
Today Show: Kathie Lee Gifford, author of Herod and Mary: The True Story of the Tyrant King and the Mother of the Risen Savior (Thomas Nelson, $29.99, 9781400336623).

Also on Today: Edy Massih, author of Keep It Zesty: A Celebration of Lebanese Flavors & Culture from Edy's Grocer (Harper, $39.99, 9780063280908).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Charlamagne Tha God, author of Get Honest or Die Lying: Why Small Talk Sucks (Atria/Black Privilege Publishing, $28.99, 9781982173791).

A trailer has been released for Lee, a film that "centers on a decade in the life of Lee Miller, who was formerly a model and muse for male artists before traveling to Europe to report from the frontline during World War II," IndieWire reported, noting that Kate Winslet "is embodying the iconic American war correspondent and photographer." The cast also includes Josh O'Connor, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Alexander Skarsgård, and Marion Cotillard. 

Ellen Kuras directed the film from a screenplay by Liz Hannah, John Collee, and Marion Hume, and story from Hume, Collee, and Lem Dobbs. The project is an adaptation of the 1985 biography The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose.

Winslet produced, along with Kate Solomon, Troy Lum, Andrew Mason, Marie Savare, and Lauren Hantz. Lee is distributed by Vertical Entertainment and Roadside Attractions. It was acquired after premiering at the 2023 Toronto International Film Festival.

Chidi Ebere won the £10,000 (about $12,990) Royal Society of Literature Christopher Bland Prize for Now I Am Here. The award honors the best debut by an author over 50 years old.

Chair of judges Shaparak Khorsandi commented: "The lightness of touch when telling such powerful, impactful stories is what made this our favorite. There were many really strong contenders for this award, and I am so happy we chose Chidi as our winner."

Ebere added: "The spiritual storm calms, the emotional dust settles, and I'm left feeling honoured to have had so much support on my literary journey.... And the judges, they took the time to consider Now I Am Here, and then blessed it with the 2024 Christopher Bland Prize. That one sent good vibrations through the blood and bones! Thank you.

"Later, having finally managed to control the spontaneous cartwheels, and with cheeks aching from the longest grin in modern human history, a voice speaks from deep within, 'It's all right to never give up; it's fine to follow one's own path; when it comes to writing, you're never too old to put pen to paper.' I can agree with that."

In his 40s, poet Jarod K. Anderson (Field Guide to the Haunted Forest; Love Notes from the Hollow Tree) left his job in academia to try to survive the debilitating depression he'd mostly hidden for decades. Early on in his memoir, he describes taking a walk in the woods, quietly observing nature as he had not in some time. He communes with a great blue heron and finds that there may be solace in a place where he'd forgotten to look.

Something in the Woods Loves You describes the slow and difficult process of seeking help and getting better, in increments, and with relapses. Anderson's journey to wellness is not and perhaps never will be complete, but he does progress, and with a poet's sensibility and attention to language and detail, this memoir relates not only his story but also philosophies and outlooks that will be helpful to many readers. While its subject matter is undeniably heavy, Something in the Woods Loves You is frequently light and positive.

There are notes of advice, but they're always couched within Anderson's personal experience, which he acknowledges will not be universal. The result is a memoir of the slow passage toward improved mental health, a deeply beautiful work of nature writing, and a treatise on the underestimated connections between the human and "natural" worlds. The setting is solidly grounded in Anderson's home landscapes in Ohio (and, briefly, Tacoma, Wash.).

Organized in a seasonal cycle, Something in the Woods Loves You opens in winter: "A white page. An elm scribbled on a snow hill. Empty space making each syllable of life more vital.... Winter is the deep breath before a song." In that stark season, not without effort, Anderson decides to seek help. In spring ("a gentle calamity of warmth and color"), he obtains access to antidepressant medication and, after a false start, finds a good fit in a counselor trained in cognitive behavioral therapy. In summer, the depression begins to lift. Fall brings a relapse, and the lesson that life will involve ups and downs.

Something in the Woods Loves You is also structured around 20 species, which include sugar maple, morel, eastern bluebird, lightning bug, raccoon, and human. "Fieldmouse" considers toxic masculinity in Western culture, including the unwillingness to ask for help. "Crow" contemplates a balance between science and magic. These are joined by many shining, glinting details, rendered in a poet's prose under a careful eye: great blue herons "are a mix of shaggy and angular, a blade of yellow stone dressed in flowing robes stitched from overcast skies." With these and other scintillating observations, Something in the Woods Loves You is revelatory. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: A profoundly depressed poet takes to the woods and delivers a lovely, moving memoir of nature writing and mental illness.

The bestselling self-published books last week as compiled by IndieReader.com:

1. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
2. Twisted Love by Ana Huang
3. If We Ever Meet Again by Ana Huang
4. The Inmate by Freida McFadden
5. If the Sun Never Sets by Ana Huang
6. Love Unwritten by Lauren Asher
7. Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
8. Twisted Games by Ana Huang
9. The Ritual by Shantel Tessier
10. Zodiac Academy by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]