The Griffin Bookstore in Cañon City, Colo., is hosting a grand opening celebration tomorrow, February 7, the Cañon City Daily Record reported.

Whitney Copas

Located at 605 Main St. within Luna Grace Wellness and Rejuvenation Spa, the Griffin carries all new titles. Bestsellers, banned books, and BookTok favorites are represented, and store owner Whitney Copas plans to adjust the selection based on customer feedback. Copas told the Record she wants to be "completely inclusive for everybody and all readers."

In addition to the titles available at 605 Main St., Copas has smaller selections of books for sale at two other local businesses: the Suite Life and Facade Beauty. She explained that she wanted to make the books "as accessible to everybody as possible," and added that "both of those owners are great people."

Copas also offers two tiers of store memberships. The Everyday Reader membership costs $14.99 per month and includes perks like 5% off all purchases, 40% off one book each month, and access to members-only deals. The Page & Pamper membership, meanwhile, costs $34.99 per month and includes perks like a free book each month, 10% of all purchases, and deals at other local businesses.

Copas described herself as a lifelong reader and said opening a bookstore of her own was a long-held dream. She also wanted to bring a new bookstore to Cañon City: "I wanted to start small and kinda learn the community and what their literacy wants are, and build from there."

Nest & Nook bookstore, coffee shop, gift store and more in Purcellville, Va., will be closing its physical store at 140 21st St., with plans to launch an online platform. The business opened last spring.

"Although there is good news coming in the future, for right now, I would like to share that we will no longer occupy our current location," owner Danielle Renken posted on Facebook. "There are so many pros and cons to being a small business in a historic area. And I have loved and focused on all of the things that have brought joy, not just to me, but to the community. And truthfully, though there is never a great time to make these very big changes the first couple months of the year are typically slow in sales and so this was a perfect time to close one door while I look to open another.

"In the gap between the closing of the store and the new opportunities ahead, we are still here and can answer your questions through messenger or e-mail. We also will be launching our online platform for customers very soon!!!"

Sara Munjack

Sara Munjack has joined Hachette Book Group as director of diversity, equity and inclusion, a new position, and will "play a key role in advancing our mission by ensuring the successful execution of our Changing the Story pillar and DEI strategy," chief human resources officer Carrie Bloxson wrote in a memo to staff. "Sara will collaborate closely with the HR team, publishing divisions, DEI Advisory Board, and Employee Resource Group leaders to impactfully embed our Changing the Story pillar into our operations and culture.... Sara will also help shape HBG's ongoing DEI strategic initiatives, build strategic partnerships throughout the publishing and reading community, and help us reach more readers through our Changing the Story efforts."

She was formerly inaugural director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Jazz at Lincoln Center, and earlier was director of diversity, equity, and inclusion strategy & content at Consciously Unbiased, a DEI consulting and media firm, and served at the Academy of American Poets and Four Way Books in development and publicity roles. She is the founder of Jersey City Reads Poems, a poetry series that works to center marginalized voices.

Brian Murray

Brian Murray, president and CEO of HarperCollins, has been elected chair of the board of directors of the Association of American Publishers. He has been on the board since 2008 and served as an officer from 2014 to 2017--and was elected chair in 2015. He also served on the executive committee of the International Publishers Association for the AAP from 2011 to 2018.

Tyrrell Mahoney, president of Chronicle Books, has been elected vice chair of the AAP. She has served on the board since 2019.

Jeremy North, managing director, books, Taylor & Francis, who has served on the board since 2015, was re-elected as treasurer.

Y.S. Chi, chairman of Elsevier and director of corporate affairs for the RELX Group, will remain an officer as immediate past chair.

Maria A. Pallante, president and CEO of the AAP, said, "What a privilege to welcome Brian back to the role of board chair at this pivotal time for publishing. He is a highly respected leader within our community and the global publishing industry, and his deep understanding of policy issues will be of great help in the year ahead.

"We also thank outgoing chair Y.S. Chi for his experienced leadership during the past year. With Y.S. at the helm, we celebrated significant wins on copyright and freedom of expression, and robustly represented publishers of world-renown literature, cutting edge scientific research, and innovative course materials."

Murray commented: "I am honored to step into the role of chair and work alongside the exceptional AAP team and board. Our dynamic and rapidly evolving industry faces complex challenges, from addressing AI copyright issues to safeguarding freedom of expression. Now more than ever, the AAP's mission to champion outcomes that protect and incentivize creative works is critical. I am eager to work together to navigate these challenges and uphold the values we as publishers--and a society--hold dear."

Millicent Dillon, a novelist and prizewinning short story writer "who was best known for nonfiction that chronicled the eccentric, expatriate American literary couple Jane and Paul Bowles," died January 27, the New York Times reported. She was 99.

Dillon won the O. Henry Award five times for her stories, but devoted most of her writing career to chronicling the Bowleses, focusing particularly on Jane Bowles, the neglected wife of the famous author of The Sheltering Sky (1949). Dillon's efforts "enhanced the status of Jane Bowles as a 'literary cult figure,' as critic Susan Jacoby described her in a 1981 New York Times Book Review piece on Dillon's A Little Original Sin: The Life and Work of Jane Bowles."

Over the next two decades, Dillon edited Out in the World: Selected Letters of Jane Bowles, 1935-1970 (1985); The Portable Paul and Jane Bowles (1994); and, for the Library of America, Jane Bowles: Collected Writings (2017). She also wrote the biography You Are Not I: A Portrait of Paul Bowles (1998).

Noting that she felt a special bond with Jane Bowles, who died in 1973, Dillon said in a 2017 interview with Library of America: "From her first words something about what she told, something about what she withheld, her unique style and language, moved me deeply. The notion of time in the work has as much to do with the evasion of time as with time passing. Even as her characters talk about food and plain pleasures, they are obsessed with thoughts of sin and salvation." 

Dillon's involvement with Jane and Paul Bowles came after years in which she had concentrated on her own fiction, including the novels The One in the Back Is Medea (1973), The Dance of the Mothers (1991), A Version of Love (2003), and Harry Gold (2000). 

In her Library of America interview, Dillon recalled returning to Jane Bowles's work after a number of years away from it: "I was stunned, as I had been in my first reading, by the originality and emotional power of her work. In my rereading I came upon passages where there would be an unexpected turn in thought that would make me laugh out loud. Once again I was reminded of the remarkable alternation in her work between the ludicrous and the mystical."

Freda Epum (at left) presented her debut memoir, The Gloomy Girl Variety Show (Feminist Press), at Call & Response Books, a Black woman-owned bookstore in Chicago; she was in conversation with Jami Nakamura Lin, author of The Night Parade. Part of the evening included a read-along from the book. On Instagram, Epum wrote: "I would describe last night's Gloomy Girl reading @callandresponsechi as a balm. It was a reading I haven't quite experienced before. To have a group of black, immigrant, and disabled folks gathered for an intimate read along (and for them to call *me* inspiring??!) is truly an experience I'll never forget.❤️"

Isola by Allegra Goodman (The Dial Press) is the February pick for Reese's Book Club, which described the book this way: "Marguerite is destined for a life of prosperity and gentility, but when her guardian abandons her on a small island on their voyage to New France, she must learn how to survive alone. Inspired by the real life of a sixteenth-century heroine, Isola brings Marguerite's story to life in this epic saga of love, faith, and defiance."

Reese wrote: "Isola by Allegra Goodman has it all: love, resilience, defiance... I mean, she even fights a bear! This is easily one of my favorite historical fiction reads yet."

Irene Harris is joining the Simon & Schuster Distribution Client team as associate national accounts manager, Amazon. She was previously sales account coordinator for Amazon at Candlewick Press.

The Intuitive Eating Workbook: Ten Principles for Nourishing a Healthy Relationship with Food by Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch (New Harbinger).

Today:
Fresh Air: Brittany Newell, author of Soft Core: A Novel (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $28, 9780374613891).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Rebecca St. James and Cubbie Fink, authors of Lasting Ever: Faith, Music, Family, and Being Found by True Love (David C. Cook, $22.99, 9780830787852).

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.

Sunday, February 9
10 a.m. Omo Moses, author of The White Peril: A Family Memoir (Beacon Press, $27.95, 9780807004821). (Re-airs Sunday at 10 p.m.)

2 p.m. Alan Lightman, author of The Miraculous from the Material: Understanding the Wonders of Nature (Pantheon, $36, 9780593701485), at Brookline Booksmith in Brookline, Mass.

3 p.m. Kristen Martin, author of The Sun Won't Come Out Tomorrow: The Dark History of American Orphanhood (Bold Type Books, $32, 9781645030348), at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C.

3:55 p.m. Nathan Robinson, co-author, with Noam Chomsky, of The Myth of American Idealism: How U.S. Foreign Policy Endangers the World (Penguin Press, $32, 9780593656327).

5:20 p.m. Eric Dezenhall, author of Wiseguys and the White House: Gangsters, Presidents, and the Deals They Made (Harper, $32, 9780063390614), at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D.C.

Books from 17 regions and 13 languages are among the 19 winners of English PEN's translation awards, which are selected "on the basis of outstanding literary quality, the strength of the publishing project, and their contribution to U.K. bibliodiversity." The winners include--for the first time--a title from Somaliland. 

Nichola Smalley, English PEN translation advisory co-chair and chair of the PEN Translates selection panel, said: "We're thrilled to see such a diversity of voices coming through the PEN Translates project, with strong applications and innovative thinking from so many publishers, big and small. The awarded titles are evidence of the continued vitality of the translation sector, and it was a privilege to be party to the considered and in-depth deliberations of the selection panel."

Preti Taneja, co-chair of the English PEN Translation advisory group and chair of the PEN Translates x SALT selection panel, commented: "We are delighted to support two such different but equally vital projects--vital in the sense of their contribution to literature in translation and to bibliodiversity, and in the perfect match of project with publisher. Anglophone readers will be enriched and inspired by these works for generations to come."

Nadia Saeed, translation and international manager at English PEN, added that the winning titles "show the continued resilience of literature in translation amid international and sectorial shifts. The standard of this round is testament to the commitment of publishers--particularly of independent presses--to bringing works into translation that challenge and engage readers across linguistic borders. From graphic novels to non-fiction reportage, from themes such as the environmental crisis to the legacy of conflict, we're delighted to be supporting such a fantastic range of titles."

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, February 11:

Three Days in June: A Novel by Anne Tyler (Knopf, $27, 9780593803486) is darkly humorous fiction revolving around a complicated wedding.

Blood Ties: A Novel by Jo Nesbø, trans. by Robert Ferguson (Knopf, $30, 9780593803615) follows two brothers in a threatened small town.

We All Live Here: A Novel by Jojo Moyes (Pamela Dorman, $21, 9781984879325) follows a struggling mother whose long-lost father reappears.

Nemesis by Gregg Hurwitz (Minotaur, $30, 9781250871749) is the 10th Orphan X thriller.

The Medici Return by Steve Berry (Grand Central, $30, 9781538770566) is the 19th Cotton Malone thriller.

You Didn't Hear This From Me: (Mostly) True Notes on Gossip by Kelsey McKinney (Grand Central, $30, 9781538757406) explores the cultural role of gossip.

Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism by Eve L. Ewing (One World, $32, 9780593243701) examines the history of American education being used to enforce racial hierarchy.

Summer of Fire and Blood: The German Peasants' War by Lyndal Roper (Basic Books, $35, 9781541647053) chronicles a massive peasant uprising in 1524.

It's All or Nothing, Vale by Andrea Beatriz Arango (Random House Books for Young Readers, $17.99, 9780593810927) is a novel-in-verse about a girl coping with a life-changing injury.

What Fell from the Sky by Adrianna Cuevas (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $17.99, 9780374390457) features a Cuban American boy attempting to reunite an alien with her parents.

Paperbacks:
Perfect Victims: And the Politics of Appeal by Mohammed El-Kurd (Haymarket Books, $17.95, 9798888903155).

Looking for You: A Novel by Alexander McCall Smith (Vintage, $17, 9798217006786).

Southern by Design by Grace Helena Walz (Harper Muse, $17.99, 9781400345632).

First-Time Caller by B.K. Borison (Berkley, $19, 9780593641194).

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

Hardcover
The Naming of the Birds: A Novel by Paraic O'Donnell (Tin House Books, $28.95, 9781963108033). "Soulfully Sherlockian, with skillfully delineated characters, The Naming of the Birds susurrates easefully into deeper mystery like an enchanted spool of thread through a darkling wood. This is mesmerizing, transporting historical fiction." --Amanda Qassar, Warwick's, La Jolla, Calif.

Hello Stranger: Musings on Modern Intimacies by Manuel Betancourt (Catapult, $27, 9781646222292). "This examination of belonging, vulnerability, privacy, and modern courtship puts into words those feelings that can be too painful to voice. Betancourt's expansive definition of friendship and intimacy is salient in this time of division and loss." --Viktor Hughes, Loudmouth Books, Indianapolis, Ind.

Paperback
The Perfect Home: A Novel by Daniel Kenitz (Scribner, $17.99, 9781668063873). "The Perfect Home delivers two characters with seemingly perfect lives, then upends the story in the most diabolical fashion. If you are looking for an addictive novel, you have found the perfect prescription for a thriller that delivers!" --Pamela Klinger-Horn, Valley Bookseller, Stillwater, Minn.

Ages 4-8
To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell (Random House Studio, $18.99, 9780593649893). "Janie is a young birdwatcher who especially loves owls, but they're very hard to spot. Fortunately, Janie has a lot of determination and is not giving up! An inspiring story accompanied with gorgeous illustrations, perfect for the nature-lover." --Andrew King, Ridgecrest Books, Shoreline, Wash.

Ages 8-12: An Indies Introduce Title
Kaya of the Ocean by Gloria L. Huang (Holiday House, $17.99, 9780823457885). "An absolutely gorgeous story, shining a light on the very real struggles of growing up and feeling different. With incredibly heartfelt writing and a vivid setting, Kaya's story can help young people that struggle with anxiety feel seen and heard." --Jonathan Pope, Prologue Bookshop, Columbus, Ohio

Teen Readers
Everything Is Poison by Joy McCullough (Dutton Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9780593855874). "A captivating young adult historical novel told both in prose and in verse. Carmela has been patiently waiting for years for her mother to finally let her work in and learn the mysteries of the apothecary. She's soon learning all she can to help the people of Rome." --Jennifer Jones, Bookmiser, Marietta, Ga.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

Esther Lin's poems are filled with stories: those of Odysseus and Emma Bovary and Anna Karenina, and those of the author's father, her grandfather, and her mother. In Cold Thief Place, 2023 Alice James Award winner Lin offers a haunting collection that draws upon memory and history, both her own and her ancestors'. In early poems like "I See Her Best," the details of her mother--"Hair glossy as a catfish flank./ A lone woman released from China/ to join her fiancé in Vietnam"--stand out more clearly than those of Lin herself, whose name, the poem tells us, "means hidden one."

Lin is a champion for undocumented writers, and several poems trace her experience as a child born in Brazil to Chinese immigrants living undocumented in the United States. "The Real Thing" describes a trip from New York to Virginia, where they visit a lawyer and the DMV. She is asked, laughingly, "Your English is so good. How can you/ be illegal?" The rhythmic poem makes skilled use of repetition, sometimes of single words, sometimes long phrases that layer meaning on each iteration. Similarly, in the series of poems focused on Lin's green card marriage, the repeated use of the terms "petitioner" and "beneficiary" makes clear the difficulty knit into a marriage resulting from "three thousand dollars,/ the market rate for men/ who petition for illegal women." In later poems, when Lin uses the word "husband," there is a different tone, a warmth absent from the legal terms.

Marriage, and the many reasons behind it, is a recurrent element in these poems. In "The Ghost Wife," Lin uses short, sharp lines to emphasize a certain violence inherent in the lack of choice many women face, women who might believe: "You are not nothing/ before you marry./ Rather, you are simply/ one without a story./ Become a wife./ That is a metamorphosis/ worthy of legend." So many of the poems that look closely at her mother's life, before she became a wife and mother, have a searching quality, as if Lin is looking for herself in them. She keeps finding these commonalities, although other poems chronicle the many ways her mother was difficult or even abusive. She asks, "did we share/ this too/ our bodies/ houses for our/ best stories." Despite their varied subjects, each poem tells Lin's story, documenting her history and creating space for other voices like her own. --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian

Shelf Talker: Cold Thief Place is a perceptive collection from a poet with a powerful voice, unafraid to name injustice or face raw truths as she probes a complicated family history.