Hachette rep Julie Isgrigg has been named the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association's 2026 Kristin Keith Sales Rep of the Year. She will receive the award at the NVNR awards dinner on August 4 in Baltimore, Md.

Julie Isgrigg

Isgrigg wrote, "Technically, I started in books in 1976, but I started getting paid for it in 1999. I began at the Borders corporate headquarters in Ann Arbor, Mich., where I spent nearly 12 years and where, among other lessons, I learned the most important one that has lasted throughout my career: Book people are the best people. I moved to Charlotte in 2011 to join the team at Baker & Taylor, where I ultimately managed the indie bookstore telephone sales crew and learned so much about indies and how they do business. In 2019, Hachette hired me to serve the territory previously held by 2018 NAIBA Rep of the Year winner Judy DeBerry. In a career that has always been satisfying, I discovered that even more richness awaited.

"I feel most useful when I'm operating as a modern switchboard operator, connecting my stores to my authors, to each other, to my publishers, to the knowledge I've accumulated over my career, and naturally, to books. I also can't overlook my own connections with the colleagues inside and outside of Hachette who bolster me. With each connection, my little heart grows. The work feels sacred. I get to help good people--the best people!--spread more connections all built on books. We know what that can mean in a life. It touches me deeply to be honored in this way by the booksellers--the people I revere--at the stores I've served. Just... thank you."

The King's English Bookshop, Salt Lake City, Utah, has opened two neighborhood pocket locations in local coffee shop/cafés, a move that will "let us stay connected with the readers who have supported us for decades while introducing ourselves to entirely new readers who may discover us over a cup of coffee or a fresh loaf of bread," said Cal Crosby, chief bookseller at the King's English.

One of the store's neighborhood locations is at Post in Holladay. Post has 85-100 titles offering "a taste of TKE, with staff picks, Rewriting the West titles, romance, literary fiction, nature, local authors and local interest, as well as a robust kids section." Readers can also order titles from the main shop online and pick them up at the pocket location, called TKE Outpost.

The King's English at Post

Post is also home to Blind Date with a Book, a program benefiting Brain Food Books, a nonprofit dedicated to uplifting communities one book at a time. Through donations and community support, Brain Food Books provides books to under-recognized and underserved communities of all ages, expanding access to books and empowering the freedom to choose them.

The other King's English Neighborhood Pocket Location, at Leavity Bread & Coffee, features titles devoted to coffee, bread, baking, cooking, and the joy of gathering around a table.

"Books belong wherever people gather," Crosby observed. "At Leavity, that means celebrating food, coffee, craftsmanship, and conversation. At Post, it means honoring a space with a rich community history while creating new opportunities for discovery. I love the idea that someone can stop in for a loaf of bread or a cup of coffee and leave with exactly the book they didn't know they needed. If we're lucky, they'll come back to the bookshop next time--and bring a friend." The King's English will do programming at both Post and Leavity. TKE also has two locations at Salt Lake City International Airport.

Crosby also noted that "across the country, we're seeing wonderfully creative new bookshop models opening every day. I love that. Experimentation is healthy. It keeps our industry vibrant. But why should the new kids have all the fun? Legacy bookshops should get to play, too.... Just because you've been around for nearly 50 years doesn't mean you stop experimenting. In fact, I think that's exactly when you should."

Following a preview weekend late last month, Elderberry & Plumb Bookstore officially opened in Springfield, Ill., on July 1, the State Journal-Register reported.

Located at 926 S. Seventh St., in the historic Cranmer Cook House in Springfield's Old Aristocracy Hill neighborhood, Elderberry & Plumb sells general-interest titles for all ages, along with games, towels, perfumes, tote bags, and gifts. The inventory is all new, and though there are no plans to add used titles, the bookstore may add a communal library eventually. 

The bookstore is owned by and named after Lisa Plumb and her brother Tom Elder; the store shares the building with Plumb's insurance agency. Sarah Beth Kiliman serves as bookstore director; she has previous bookselling experience at Barnes & Noble and earned a master's degree in literature and cultural theory from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

The Springfield Business Journal reported that the store features multiple intimate rooms; each has its "own theme, vibe and décor. With tall ceilings and windows and colorful decorations, it has a welcoming atmosphere with what Plumb describes as a French-boutique touch." 

Looking ahead, Elderberry and Plumb plans to expand its event offerings and add an outdoor patio. "We are really excited for book clubs and things like that to host in the future," Kiliman told the Journal-Register. "The skies are the limit. My dream is to have a literary festival here."

Barnes & Noble will open a new store in Atlanta, Ga., this coming Wednesday, July 8. Located at 1205 Caroline St. NE in the Edgewood Retail District, the store will span 15,000 square feet and include a B&N Cafe. Author Tayari Jones will be on hand July 8 to preside over the ribbon cutting and will sign copies of her book Kin (Knopf).

The new store replaces a B&N that closed in the Edgewood Retail District in 2022. It is one of two new B&Ns to open this month, and it is the first B&N store to open in Atlanta this year. Two more will open in the coming months, one in Toco Hills and one in Peachtree Corners, and B&N plans to open more than 60 new stores nationwide this year.

Marilyn Crouser, an educator and businesswoman who in 1972 co-founded the Book Shop (now Third Street Books), "one of the first solely female-owned and operated businesses," in McMinnville, Ore., died June 16, the News-Register reported. She was 90. Crouser continued to own and help run the bookstore until 1994.

She graduated from high school in Portland and worked for a phone company before earning her bachelor's degree in English and a master's in Education at Linfield College. She worked as a teacher before starting the bookstore.

She also served on the McMinnville School Board in the 1980s, as well as the Chemeketa Community College board, and was active in community affairs with Linfield and the McMinnville Public Library, the News-Register wrote.

The Book Shop "became a fixture in downtown McMinnville," Crouser's obituary noted, describing her as a "determined, independent woman" who "wanted the best for everyone." 

Talya Jankovits (right) celebrated the launch of her debut novel, The Very Unremarkable Life of Mrs. Etty Bloom (Running Wild Press), with her former MFA mentor, author Gayle Brandeis (left), at Secret World Books in Highland Park, Ill., the bookstore Brandeis owns with her husband, Michael.

Deadtime Stories Books & Gifts in Lansing, Mich., celebrated this past weekend's high-profile wedding of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce at Madison Square Garden with their own Tayvis wedding party, inviting customers to "feel free to dress up in your Swiftie gear, or even your honorary bridesmaid dress! (Lol)."

The next day, the bookshop posted: "We had a good little turnout for our Tayvis wedding party last night, especially considering the tornado sirens were going off when it started! Got so busy for a while there, I wasn't able to get many pics, so drop yours below! Huge thanks to Not So Bland Cakes for the gorgeous (and delicious) cake, and to everyone who came out for a little Swiftie fun!"

"Lucas is here and today he's bringing you some new deals from our yellow bargain cart," Sunshine Book Nook in Urbana, Ohio, posted on Facebook.

At Candlewick Press, Holiday House, and Peachtree:

Jordan Sahley has joined the company as marketing assistant, education and library. She previously worked for Trident Booksellers & Café, Boston, Mass., as events/marketing manager.

Caroline Atherton has joined the company as sales assistant, Amazon. She previously worked for Nosy Crow as contracts assistant.

Today:
Good Morning America: Jessica Knoll, author of Helpless: A Novel (Scribner, $28, 9781668062302).

Today: John Searles, author of Single Girls (Mariner, $30, 9780063485631).

Drew Barrymore Show repeat: Tom Colicchio, author of Think Like a Chef: 25th Anniversary Edition (Clarkson Potter, $38, 9798217034888).

Fresh Air: Rachel Aviv, author of You Won't Get Free of It: Stories of Mothers and Daughters (Knopf, $30, 9780525657057). 

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Anna Francese Gass, author of Italian Snacking: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Hour of the Day (Union Square & Co., $35, 9781454949756).

Late Night with Seth Meyers repeat: Mike Schur and Joe Posnanski, authors of Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love (Dutton, $35, 9798217045112).

The upcoming film adaptation of Suzanne Collins's prequel The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping has a new "Meet Haymitch" promo featuring Joseph Zada as the Second Quarter Quell victor, in celebration of the character's birthday and Reaping Day, Deadline reported. The movie will be released November 20. 

The featurette "includes Zada discussing the character, which was originated onscreen by Woody Harrelson, along with director Francis Lawrence, producer Nina Jacobson and co-stars Elle Fanning, McKenna Grace, Ben Wang, and Jesse Plemons," Deadline noted. 

Billy Ray wrote the prequel, which also stars Glenn Close, Billy Porter, Maya Hawke, Kieran Culkin, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lili Taylor, and Ralph Fiennes, among others.

The Crime Writers' Association has announced the winners of its 2026 Dagger Awards. Among the many winners:

Diamond Dagger: Mark Billingham
Gold Dagger: The Death of Us by Abigail Dean
Steel Dagger: King of Ashes by S.A. Cosby
Emerging Author Dagger: Blind Side of the Sun by Michael Nikitin
Best Crime & Mystery Publisher: Bitter Lemon Press

To see all the winners, click here.

Keith Stahl's first novel, Dear Future Occupants, relates the poignant, madcap adventures of a dysfunctional but essentially loving family. In March of 1979, Bud Sommer moves his family back to Greenhill, Conn., having inherited his childhood home, a massive, crumbling 17th-century estate. Bud, a sometimes painter and aspiring restaurateur, has also used his wife Rebecca's inheritance to purchase a nearby diner. Joining Bud and Rebecca are their middle-school-aged sons, Victor and Wade; their eldest son, Herman, who has spent recent years hitchhiking around the nation; and the family dog, named The Dog. Victor, who has been bullied at school, begins running around with the "lav rat" kids, who smoke in the restrooms. Meanwhile, his little brother, Wade, a piano prodigy, experiences one accidental injury too many and chooses to wrap himself in bubble wrap around the clock. Long-haired Herman likes to wear women's clothing, to the great distress of his parents. A literal skeleton is discovered in the basement of their dilapidated home, and a local adjunct professor moves in to study it. One absurdity after another plagues this motley household, until it seems that something will have to give.

The Sommers experiment with church, rehab, open mic nights, therapy, and a new business scheme that involves hiding buds of high-grade marijuana in boiled liver, thyme, and wheat-germ sandwiches. Stahl's narrative shifts perspectives: Bud and Victor tell their first-person stories in alternating chapters, interspersed with Herman's ventures in creative writing, which include short stories, poetry, and satirical news articles. Wade and Rebecca, as well as other colorful characters like Bud's beautiful young waitress, Cassandra, and Victor's school ally, Strom Luger, remain observed rather than observers. Stahl's background in poetry colors his detail-rich descriptions of such zany episodes as family Wiffle ball tournaments, their visit from Child Protective Services, and Bud's imaginative game of gruesome food-service deaths. The personalities of Stahl's outlandish characters engender often surprising humor.

Against the backdrop of conservative small-town Connecticut in 1979, the Sommers grapple with concepts of family, sexual identity, counterculture, and drug and alcohol use. With pathos, humor, compassion, and great energy, this novel offers a moving examination of the meaning and acceptability of Herman's cross-dressing and the value of family--in general and in this sweet, troubled individual case. The title of Dear Future Occupants refers to the marks left on the Sommer home; its story is arguably about the tension between conformity and authenticity in the Sommers' impact on a larger world. The result is preposterous, exuberant, and tender. --Julia Kastner, blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: An unusual family navigates small-town Connecticut in 1979 with wacky adventures, conflict, and love in this funny, affecting debut novel.