Sundrop Books will soon relocate from Durant, Okla., to Denison, Tex., about 20 miles away, the Herald Democrat reported.

The bookstore will close its Durant location at the end of this month and reopen in a larger location in downtown Denison in August. Owner Tayler Batton did not give a specific reopening date but expected the move to be complete by the middle of next month.

Batton noted that prior to opening in Durant in 2022, she had actually "tried really hard" to open in Denison. At the time, however, she hit "roadblock after roadblock," and elected to open in Durant instead. Now, with her lease in Durant nearing its end, she found a larger location in Denison that had comparable rent.

Prior to opening Sundrop Books, Batton had bookselling experience at the Book Rack, a community store in Denison that closed in 2022 when its owner retired. Batton told the Herald Democrat that she'd tried to buy the Book Rack before it closed, but it never worked out.

"Bookstores are important to communities," Batton added. "Having independent bookstores accessible is more than just selling books. There are events to be had. There's a place to meet people and share book clubs and reading clubs with friends."

A Sanctuary Cafe, a cat cafe with a micro-bookstore, has opened in Boston, Mass., Boston.com reported.

Located at 80 Charles St. in the city's Beacon Hill neighborhood, the cat cafe and bookstore spans 1,300 square feet and is divided into two rooms. One contains the cafe and micro-bookstore, which has a small, highly curated selection of new titles, and the other features the cat lounge. The cafe sells coffee, tea, espresso drinks, and a variety of baked goods, and every book purchased at the store is matched with a book donation to a Boston Public Schools student.

The cat cafe and bookstore opened on a limited basis earlier this month. Currently it is open Wednesday through Sunday, with owner Brittany Baker looking to expand hours in the near future. At the moment there are seven rescue cats in attendance, and customers will be able to enter the lounge once the cats are settled into their new environment. A window wall separates the lounge from the cafe and bookstore, and the space has a split HVAC system to keep cat hair and dander from spreading out of the lounge.

Half of U.K. adults do not regularly read and 24% of young people 16 to 24 say they have never been readers, according to a new Reading Agency survey, the Bookseller reported. The State of the Nation's Adult Reading, conducted with 2,003 U.K. "nationally representative consumers," also noted that more than 27 million U.K. adults are missing out on the benefits of reading more, including reduced stress levels and improved focus.

The survey found that 15% of U.K. adults have never read regularly for pleasure, and 35% used to read but have stopped, with young adults facing the most barriers to reading. Lack of time (33%) and social media distraction (20%) were cited as two of the primary obstacles to reading. In addition, 11% of adults report finding reading difficult--a figure that doubles among young people aged 16 to 24--and 30% of U.K. adults say that they struggle to finish what they are reading. Attention is an issue overall, with 28% of U.K. adults saying they have difficulty focusing on reading for more than a few minutes.

Despite these findings, 59% of respondents said that there are things they want to read. Karen Napier, CEO of the Reading Agency, said, "Lack of time is the biggest barrier to U.K. adults reading more, which makes the summer holidays the perfect opportunity to take time out and read. We would encourage anyone who hasn't picked up a book or audiobook in a while, or who may have lost their confidence, to use this summer break to kickstart their reading habit."

Lorraine Kelly, broadcaster and ambassador for the Reading Agency, commented: "The Reading Agency's new research shows a worrying trend: fewer and fewer adults are reading for pleasure. As an author, I've seen firsthand how stories can change lives, spark imaginations and create connections. The Reading Agency is dedicated to helping every adult access these benefits to create a society where everyone can thrive."

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Fernand Ernster, who has run the Luxembourg bookshop chain Librairie Ernster since 1989, is stepping down as the CEO of the company and handing the reins to one of his sons, 30-year-old Paul Ernster, who will become the fifth generation to head the family business, the Luxembourg Times reported.

"I'll be 65 next March. It seems like a good time to take a step back. The idea is to retire within a year," said Fernand Ernster, who took over the company from his own father. 

The transition to handing over the day-to-day running of the company to Paul Ernster was implemented over the past few months. He has been active in the Ernster group for six years, becoming increasingly independent, the Luxembourg Times noted.

Fernand Ernster recalled that his great-grandfather Pierre opened the first bookshop in 1889: "He was a teacher who wrote books for his pupils. He opened the shop in order to sell these as well as other books." 

The company operates nine bookstores and a stationery shop. "We regularly receive offers to open new locations. We're always on the lookout for the right opportunity," Fernand Ernster said. "But our ambition is not to open 100 stores, or to stifle the competition as some people have tried to do in the past.... The business has changed a lot over the years."

Paul Ernster noted that the business also runs a wholesale bookshop, an e-commerce site, a distributor for certain publishers, and a publisher of other works, particularly children's books in Luxembourgish. The family has just bought Domino, the only toy shop in Luxembourg city center. 

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A bookseller dog haiku from Patch at the Bookshop at Queenscliff in Queenscliff, Victoria, Australia:

I'll be bookshop dog!
I'll never be bookshop dog. 
I can't help yapping.

--Robert Gray

Peter Jovanovich

Peter Jovanovich, longtime educational and academic publisher, died on July 15 at age 75, as reported by MyRye.

Jovanovich began his career in 1972 at Macmillan, where he started as a textbook salesperson and rose to v-p of the general books division. He then joined Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, run by his father, William Jovanovich, where he was director of the trade department, then executive vice president. In 1988, he became president and CEO after helping defend the company from a hostile takeover attempt by Robert Maxwell.

In 1992, the company was sold, and Jovanovich eventually joined Macmillan/McGraw-Hill, the school publishing company. He became president of McGraw-Hill's educational and professional publishing group. He then joined Pearson and oversaw the creation of Pearson Education. During Jovanovich's tenure, both companies successively became the world's largest educational publisher.

Jovanovich served as a director and chair of the Association of American Publishers, and in 2007, he was elected to the Educational Publishers Hall of Fame. For many years, he was on the board of the Alfred Harcourt Foundation, which provides college scholarships to students of need in the New York metropolitan area.

In 2003, Jovanovich was diagnosed with bronchiolitis obliterans. The next year he received a double-lung transplant. He retired in 2005.

In retirement, he was a consultant to several educational companies and was involved in the local community, serving on the Rye City Council and as Deputy Mayor.

A service will be held Wednesday, July 31, at 11 a.m. at the Rye Presbyterian Church, Rye, N.Y. A reception will follow at 12:30 p.m. at Westchester Country Club.

Carol and Glenn Drumgoole at Texas Star Trading Co.

Congratulations to Texas Star Trading Co., Abilene, Tex., which celebrated its 20th anniversary on Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, refreshments, and a prize wheel. Glenn and Carol Dromgoole opened the store in 2004 in a small space next to the historic Paramount Theatre in an old hotel that was being renovated into upscale apartments. Three years later, the Dromgooles moved the store up the street to a much larger space.

During the birthday festivities, customers could spin the wheel to win a free gift--no purchase required. Many of the prizes were donated by the University of Texas Press, Texas A&M University Press, as well as by gift and gourmet vendors and showrooms at the Dallas Market Center.

In a Facebook post, the owners noted: "We've met new friends along the way and have had super employees help us on this journey. We couldn't have done it without you!"

"Summer forecast: staying inside with a book." That was the sound seasonal advice offered by the sidewalk chalkboard at the Bookworm, Bernardsville, N.J., which noted: "For the days when it’s just too hot to enjoy the outdoors, let books take you on an adventure instead!"

Andrea Rosen is joining the Hachette Book Group sales team as v-p, special markets, effective on July 29. Rosen has most recently headed sales and strategy for the Disney Publishing Group. Before that, for 19 years, she led HarperCollins's special markets efforts.

The Neurodivergence Skills Workbook for Autism and ADHD: Cultivate Self-Compassion, Live Authentically, and Be Your Own Advocate by Jennifer Kemp and Monique Mitchelson (New Harbinger).

Tomorrow:
Tamron Hall repeat: Crystal Hefner, author of Only Say Good Things: Surviving Playboy and Finding Myself (Grand Central, $30, 9781538765678).

Apple TV+ released the trailer for season two of Pachinko, the award-winning series from creator and executive producer Soo Hugh, based on Min Jin Lee's 2017 novel, Variety reported. The eight-episode second season premieres August 23, with one episode, followed by an episode weekly every Friday through October 11.

In season two of Pachinko, parallel stories pick up in 1945 in Osaka, where matriarch Sunja is forced to make dangerous decisions concerning her family's survival during World War II, and in 1989 in Tokyo, where Solomon explores new, humble beginnings. 

The first season received 11 international awards. Season two stars Lee Minho, Yuh-Jung Youn, Minha Kim, Jin Ha, Anna Sawai, Eunchae Jung, Soji Arai, Junwoo Han, and Sungkyu Kim.

Produced for Apple TV+ by the studio Media Res, the series is executive produced by Hugh, Media Res' Michael Ellenberg and Lindsey Springer, and Blue Marble Pictures' Theresa Kang. Season two is directed by Leanne Welham, Arvin Chen, and Sang-il Lee.

The longlist for the 2024 Ngaio Marsh Award for Best Novel has been released and includes a mix of past winners and finalists, some first-time entrants and new voices, and several authors who have won a variety of other major awards. Check out the longlisted titles here.

"Fifteen years ago we launched the Ngaio Marsh Awards, in association with our friends at what's now WORD Christchurch, to celebrate Kiwi excellence in one of the world's most popular storytelling forms," said prize founder Craig Sisterson. "Over the years we've celebrated some world-class storytelling, and seen our local take on crime writing, aka #yeahnoir, really flourish. There were many books our judges really loved this year, beyond those that have made the longlist, and the strength and variety of this year's longlist is going to make it another tough decision for our international panel."

The longlist is currently being considered by crime and thriller writing experts from the U.S., U.K., Australia, South Africa, and New Zealand. Finalists for best novel, best first novel, and best kids/YA will be named in early August, with finalists celebrated and winners announced during WORD Christchurch Festival in late August.

Kelly Murashige, the author of The Lost Souls of Benzaiten (Soho Teen, July 23, 2024), was born and raised in Hawai'i. She primarily writes contemporary fiction rooted in Japanese mythology and culture that includes fantastical twists. At this very moment, she is likely writing, reading, playing games, or inadvertently putting her foot in her mouth.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

A girl who stops speaking after a friendship breakup wishes to become a robot vacuum cleaner and accidentally summons a quirky Japanese deity.

On your nightstand now:

I just finished Funny Story by Emily Henry and have a whole list of books I'm about to start.

Favorite book when you were a child:

When I was really little, I loved Marcus Pfister's The Rainbow Fish and essentially anything from Kevin Henkes, especially Wemberly Worried (I worried all the time--and still do to this day). From there, it was Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking books and Barbara Park's Junie B. Jones series. Come middle school, it was Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series and Suzanne Collins's the Hunger Games.

Your top five authors:

Rick Riordan, Suzanne Collins, Sarah Dessen, Sylvia Plath, and Zack Smedley. I would list at least five more if I could. I discovered Rick Riordan, Suzanne Collins, and Sarah Dessen in elementary and middle school, and they all helped shape me into the reader I am today. I started reading Sylvia Plath in college and fell in love with her honesty. And Zack Smedley crafts these stories that just stick with you. I want to reread his work all the time.

Book you've faked reading:

This is embarrassing, but in elementary school, I pretended I knew the Harry Potter series like the back of my hand. I never actually read any of them. I'm so sorry for lying all these years.

Book you're an evangelist for:

I begged my mom to read Real Americans by Rachel Khong. Considering she's now trying to get her friends to read it, I think it's safe to say I converted her.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Cinder by Marissa Meyer. Middle school me was intrigued. The cover is stunning enough at first glance, with that bright red, definitely-hurts-your-feet heel, but when I saw the strange, robotic anatomy in the leg, I had to know more.

Book you hid from your parents:

Probably a Riley Sager thriller. My mom isn't a big thriller fan, especially when it's gory or scary, but thrillers always get me out of reading slumps. Sometimes, either when I have a lot going on or after I finish a great book, I basically forget how to read. Thrillers have a way of pulling me back in. I usually end up staying up past midnight to finish reading, even though that's just about the worst time to read books like that.

Book that changed your life:

Honestly, what book hasn't changed my life? I think I have to give this one to either Sarah Dessen's Just Listen or The Truth About Forever, which served as my introductions to YA fiction. My older cousins gave me their copies--along with a lot of their clothes, which is the only reason I had any sense of style whatsoever--and though I think I was a little younger than the target audience, I immediately fell in love with Dessen's writing style, characterization, and quiet yet beautiful metaphors. From then on, I started scanning shelves for books like hers.

Favorite line from a book:

"We accept the love we think we deserve." --from Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower.

I have come back to this quote over and over. Its meaning has evolved for me over time, but I have never forgotten it. A lot of us had that phase in life where we told ourselves something was love when everyone around us could tell it wasn't. More than that, though, I think we've all been that person trying to tell the people we love that they deserve so much better.

Five books you'll never part with:

Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You the Sun; Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar; my original copy of Suzanne Collins's Mockingjay; my gifted copy of Jojo Moyes's Me Before You; and my incredibly old hand-me-down copy of The Truth About Forever.

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

Lisabeth Posthuma's Baby & Solo. At the same time, though, I think I read it right when I needed to. There's one part near the end that made me put my head down and weep. So read it. Just maybe not in public.

The Night Market is a beautifully wrought, atmospheric tale of a child who takes in the many wonders of a Nigerian market held under a full moon.

The child, holding a bag of golden coins, is amazed by the market, "wide awake" under a dark sky. The protagonist sees "marvelous objects and strange relics" as well as glow-in-the-dark jellyfish; hears traders hollering and drummers drumming; tastes plump tomatoes and roasted nuts; smells fresh primroses and perfumed oils; and feels the texture of "sparkly" fabrics and colorful beads. The details delight and the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the market include "home-grown spices," African stone games, a "freshly baked mooncake," a parade of peacocks, painted storytellers, paper kites, and more.

Seina Wedlick (Naming Ceremony) crafts a second-person point of view that pulls the reader into the story without drifting into repetition; the text flows with a gentle rhythm, making this an enticing read-aloud: "The night market shimmers and shakes to the sound of music and laughter." John Steptoe New Talent Illustrator Award winner Briana Mukodiri Uchendu (We Could Fly illustrator) digitally captures the adventure taking place under the watchful eye of the full moon through saturated purples, warm roses, and nearly every variation of blue. Sparkling golden lights punctuate the artist's spectacular nightly palette which slowly brightens with each page turn as the sun starts rising in the sky. She captures music and movement with swirling, beguiling lines, and she fills the market with traditionally clad Nigerians and Yoruba architecture. Full-bleed illustrations take up every bit of space: it is as if there's so much to see in the night market, it can't all fit. Amid all the visually rich and eye-catching details (like "the wall of strange-looking keys that open interesting locks"), Uchendu keeps the wide-eyed, eager child the central focus.   

Best of all, the protagonist, after securing the bag of gold coins and receiving parental reminders that the market closes at dawn, wanders independently and freely, which many American children (often closely supervised) might find thrilling. In a closing note, the author, originally from Nigeria, writes about visiting Lagos and its night markets as a child. The illustrator also notes having visited a night market at a young age: "Entering the market," she writes, "was like stepping into another world." This deftly sophisticated and exquisitely illustrated book does the same: it invites readers into a world that demands close inspection. And it's well worth the trip. --Julie Danielson, reviewer

Shelf Talker: This visually rich story features a Nigerian night market and the child who explores its wonders.