PNBA president Christine Longmuir

PNBA executive director Brian Juenemann

"We are about community, not competition," Christine Longmuir, Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association president and owner of Two Rivers Bookstore, Portland, Ore., said at the association's annual meeting yesterday, which kicked off the 2026 PNBA Fall Tradeshow in Portland. She announced that 25 new stores have joined PNBA in the past year.

PNBA executive director Brian Juenemann built on the message of growth, reporting that this year's 176 attending stores exceeds the 171 stores--a 12-year high--that attended last year's show in Spokane, Wash. 

Despite member growth, the PNBA financial picture remains challenging. Citing increasing costs and "the shift in advertising dollar allocation," PNBA's 2026 Treasurer Report noted that 2025 marked the fourth consecutive year of a net loss in PNBA revenue: the total 2025 income of $608,458 was offset by $650,298 in costs, resulting in a year-end net loss of $41,840. 

Financial bright spots for the organization included member events; last year's tradeshow, which yielded $89,480 in net profit and was the association's primary revenue generator; and its Pacific Northwest Book Awards, which earned $11,429. --Neil Strandberg

We'll have more from the PNBA Tradeshow this week.

In the first quarter of fiscal year 2027 ending August 31, revenues at Scholastic fell 4%, to $216.8 million, and the operating loss of $92.2 million was identical to the same period a year earlier. The company noted that the summer quarter is traditionally slow.

Children's Book Publishing and Distribution revenues fell $3.6 million, to $105.8 million, with book fairs revenues down $900,000, to $33.2 million, and book clubs revenues up $300,000, to $2.1 million. Consolidated trade revenues fell $3 million, to $70.5 million, "primarily reflecting higher international co-edition sales in the prior year period that did not recur in the quarter."

Education revenues fell $9.7 million, to $30.4 million, "reflecting continued pressure on school and district funding and spending on supplemental curriculum materials."

International revenues increased $1.1 million, to $60.5 million. Excluding favorable foreign currency exchange of $1.2 million, revenues were approximately in line with the prior-year period.

President and CEO Peter Warwick said that "strong early indicators across our businesses [are] reinforcing our confidence entering the important back-to-school and fall season. As we indicated in July, our operating loss for the quarter included the full-period impact of the sale-leaseback transactions," related to the sale last year of Scholastic property, including its New York City headquarters, that it is leasing back. "During the quarter, we also sustained investments to support our growth priorities in the quarters ahead."

"In Children's Books, we begin the second quarter with positive momentum, with Book Fair bookings ahead of prior year and a publishing and franchise schedule that positions us well for the year ahead, both domestically and internationally. During the first quarter, Entertainment's production activity and pipeline continued to grow strongly, as we expanded capabilities to extend Scholastic IP across formats and platforms. In Education, though increased pressure on school and district budgets impacted sales, we continued to make progress aligning the cost structure and advancing the business's transformation to support improved performance and long-term growth."

Bridget's Bookshelf had its grand opening last weekend at 148 West Broadway in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Owner Mary Aney posted on social media after Friday's launch: "THANK YOU Book Lovers! Tonight was beyond amazing. And I am so grateful for each of you. I loved seeing so many friends, former students and their families as well as meeting new friends.  I'm looking forward to tomorrow!... Thank you everyone for coming out in the rain and making this evening so wonderful!"

On Saturday, she posted: "I'm afraid I’m going to sound redundant if I try to describe today. Fantastic! Amazing! Wonderful! These words just can't begin to explain how I feel after opening Bridget's Bookshelf.  Seeing and meeting so many old and new friends feels so good. Thank you everyone for coming! I look forward to seeing you again!!! Now I have to put in an order of great new books!"

In an interview with KMTV before the opening, Aney said, "I just felt like it was a real need, that Council Bluffs should have a bookstore. I have people stopping every day to thank me for opening a bookstore." People have also expressed excitement on social media. "I was floored, I'm still floored every day."

Bridget's Bookshelf is "filled with personal touches, including quilts made by Aney's sister and book reviews written by her granddaughter," KMTV reported. "The shop is named after a baby girl Aney lost and a painting on the wall is a tribute to her mother."

After 35 years as a public school teacher and librarian, Aney is ready for the next chapter. "I just want people to feel good and happy and comfortable and know that they can come," she said.

Off Planet Books and Puzzles, a bookstore focused on science fiction and fantasy, opened September 19 in Pleasant Hill, Iowa, the Des Moines Register reported. 

Located at 1225 Copper Creek Dr., Suite F, the bookstore carries a wide array of speculative fiction along with horror, nonfiction, and children's titles; there is also a selection of roughly 500 puzzles, with a few having 18,000 pieces and even 24,000 pieces. 

The book inventory is a mix of new titles and remainders, and owner Bill Claman has priced everything to end in 84 cents ($19.84 instead of $19.99, for example), which he says is an homage to the year he graduated high school. The shop's decor is themed around outer space and includes murals, lighting arrangements, and a green alien figure on the front counter.

"I just think the experience is really what it should be about," Claman, an Air Force veteran, told the Des Moines Register. A self-published author, he described himself as having a lifelong obsession with outer space and UFOs.

Prior to opening Off Planet, Claman began selling books, puzzles, and space-themed merchandise at flea markets, state fairs, and other events. Two years ago he bought a trailer to hold all of his inventory, and eventually he decided to open a bricks-and-mortar store. While he still works a full-time job, he would like to one day retire from that and focus on the bookstore, which he called "the fun part."

Claman said the grand opening was a success: there was a steady stream of business throughout the day, and around 20 people were in attendance for the ribbon cutting.

Rose Friedman, an editor and reporter who helped shape NPR's arts and cultural coverage, died on September 17. She was 38. Friedman was one of the co-creators of the Books We Love reading guide and, most recently, helped lead NPR's America 250 series.

Rose Friedman (photo: Beth Novey/NPR)

She joined the organization in 2010 as an editorial assistant at NPR Books, where she "became deeply sourced in the publishing industry and seemed to have read everything," NPR noted. Friedman edited book reviews and features like This Week's Must Read. She also wrote many appreciations of influential book people, including Herman Wouk and Sonny Mehta. For the Book Concierge (later renamed Books We Love), she "helped pore over hundreds of titles nominated by NPR staff and critics, and whittle them down into a robust reader's guide."

"She was voracious," said author Meg Wolitzer, who worked with Friedman on a number of NPR reviews and features. "What a gifted, delightful, brilliant, deeply kind person. And I would say a true enthusiast. I got so much working with Rose."

"She had so much integrity," said Theo Balcomb, a former supervising editor for All Things Considered and now a senior editor at the Atlantic. The two had met early in their careers at NPR and became close friends. "She would care more about 'Was this true?' or as holistic as we could get than, 'Is it buzzy?' She had a strong sense of purpose."

NPR wrote: "We will miss her wisdom, generosity, infectious humor and, above all, her voice."

Kepler's Books, Menlo Park. Calif., hosted actor and author Ke Huy Quan for his memoir Never Say Die (Grand Central), which tells the story of his journey "from Vietnamese refugee to '80s child star to the most inspiring comeback in Hollywood history"--his Oscar-winning performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. The event took place at the Santa Clara Convention Center, where he was in conversation with cartoonist and educator Gene Luen Yang. Pictured: (from left) booksellers Nathan Cha and Erica Fischer, program manager Heather Birchall, author Ke Huy Quan, booksellers Donna Liu, Kyra Cronin. 

"Mums, crisp autumn weather, a rainy morning, and shelves full of reads--Fall is officially here!" As the Page Turns bookstore in Travelers Rest, S.C., posted.

"Jump into reading!" That was the skeletal, foliage season pre-Halloween message on the sidewalk chalkboard in front of Shared Stories Books in Caldwell, Idaho, which noted: "We're jumping into our Tuesday feet first!! Stop by and check out some new cutie things on the shelves."

Look! A Bear! by Elisa Kleven (Tiny Torch Books/the Book Collective).

Today:
Good Morning America: Fran Hauser, author of Twenty Minutes Is the New Hour: The Ambitious Woman's Guide to Doing Less and Achieving More (Crown Currency, $30, 9798217087143).

Also on GMA: Evan Gershkovich, author of This Cursed Beautiful Land: A Russian-American Story (Crown, $34, 9798217087266). He will also appear tomorrow on the View.

CBS Mornings: Charles Spencer, author of Swan Song: Diana, My Sister (Penguin Press, $35, 9798217379743). 

Today: Alice Hoffman, author of The Witches of Cambridge (Scribner, $29, 9781668074640).

Also on Today: Kate McKinnon, author of The Jungle of Carabanana (Alvina Ling Books, $17.99, 9780316555814). She will also appear on the View and Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Fresh Air: Kyle MacLachlan, author of Fictional Selves: A Memoir (Crown, $34, 9798217086320).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Amber Lewis, author of Interiors: A Home Renovation and Interior Design Book: Curated Spaces from Start to Finish (Clarkson Potter, $45, 9780593797143). 

Also on GMA: Tomi Adeyemi, author of The Siren (Holt, $24.99, 9781250404756).

CBS Mornings: John Grisham, author of The French Illusion: A Novel (Doubleday, $35, 9780385550543).

Today: Malcolm Gladwell, author of The American Way of Killing: The Invention of an Epidemic (Little, Brown, $34, 9780316603782). 

Also on Today: Danny Meyer, author of What Could Possibly Go Right?: The Essential Journey to Scale an Enduring Culture (Random House, $31.99, 9780593731772). He will also appear on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Live with Kelly and Mark: Carleigh Bodrug, author of PlantYou Quickies: 140+ Nourishing Plant-Based Recipes for Busy People (Balance, $35, 9780306837517).

Adeel Akhtar (Sherwood) and Ciarán Hinds (Belfast) have joined the cast of A24's BBC drama series Ministry of Time, based on Kaliane Bradley's debut novel, Deadline reported. Also joining the cast are Hong Chau (The Whale), Tamara Lawrance (Get Millie Black), Emily Fairn (The Responder), Josh Finan (Say Nothing), Aisling Loftus (Sherwood), Tawfeek Barhom (Cairo Conspiracy), Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (120 Beats Per Minute), and Hélène Patarot (Paris, Je T'aime).

Starring Aoife Hinds and Billy Howle, the six-part series is being adapted by Alice Birch, with Aneil Karia (Top Boy) as lead director. Ministry of Time "follows the professional friendship between Sophy (Hinds) and Graham (Howle), which 'develops into an intense forbidden romance that reveals the transporting power of love across centuries, just as the sinister nature of the Ministry's true intentions increasingly puts them in danger,' " Deadline wrote.

Filming is taking place in and around London. A24 is executive producing alongside Birch, Bradley, Karia, and Jo McClellan for the BBC. Frances du Pille is the producer, and A24 has international distribution rights.

A longlist has been released for the Australian Fiction Prize, given annually for an unpublished, book-length work of fiction, Books+Publishing reported. Open to all Australian writers, regardless of age or publishing history, the award's winner receives an advance of A$15,000 (about US$10,540) and publication by HarperCollins Australia. The shortlist will be announced on October 1 and the winner named October 12. This year's longlisted titles are:

Black Hibiscus by Matcham Caine
The Callahan Sisters by Azra Berberovic
The Child Bride and the Spanish Dancer by Andrew Murphy
In the Shape of a Heart by Amanda Callahan
The Lyrebirds by Dani Ringrose
The Music Teacher by Annette Higgs
The Orchard Lines by Kelly McWilliam
Shadow City by May Ngo
A Thief Among Spies by Hannah Armitage.

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

Top Pick
The Memory of Borrowed Books: A Novel by Meg Anderson (Sourcebooks Landmark, $18.99, 9781464278372). "An ode to how much libraries mean to those who need them. Hometown librarian Claire's beloved library is in danger, as the board has deemed it irrelevant, and developers are waving money around. Anxious about the library's fate, Claire discovers a door that leads her to books containing patrons' forgotten memories. As she pieces together a mystery of a broken friendship, she will also rediscover her own memories that the library has kept safe. With a whimsical yet compassionate storyline, this will appeal to library lovers as well as readers of deeply emotional stories." --Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, Tex.

Dive Bar at the End of the Road: A Novel by Kelley Armstrong (St. Martin's Press, $29, 9781250360595). "After an unavoidable accident, five strangers gather in a nearby bar to nurse their injuries and wait out the storm until morning. Soon they realize that the bar and surrounding woods are not as they seem, and they must work together to survive. An edge-of-your-seat horror tale by a beloved multi-genre author, this is a supernatural story not to be missed." --Bree Dumont, Cleveland County Library System, Ohio

Monstera by Delilah S. Dawson (Titan Books, $25.99, 9781835416013). "When Lucy, a somewhat naïve young woman, moves into her dream apartment in Savannah, she is excited to be away from the iron rule of her grandfather and start a new life. What she does not expect is to become intrigued by her weightlifting, plant-loving neighbor, Saskia, a woman with a secret. Part horror, part romance, all intrigue, this is a sweet and sinister read." --Terri Smith, Cornelia Library, Ga.

Peck & Peck: A Novel by Bonnie Garmus (Scribner, $30, 9781668251065). "Landing a job at a prestigious poetry quarterly seems like a dream come true for Batter Gray, a recent graduate with an ear for poetry, until he becomes privy to the secrets of the Peck brothers and their editors. A gorgeous, empathetic novel following a character seeking his place in the world." --Jennifer Winberry, Hunterdon County Library, N.J.

Once, Again, Always: A Novel by Amanda Gayle (Avon, $18.99, 9780063488359). "Molly's having a bad day. She wakes up in the hospital and discovers she's forgotten six years of her life. And she's married to her high school nemesis. Molly's horrified by this but her friends convince her to try. The couple grows closer again, but Molly may never regain her memory. Can they build a new life?" --Maddelyn Vanicell, Chicago Public Library, Ill.

Queen of Lombard Street: A Novel by Lisa Kleypas (Avon, $30, 9780063247635). "With the help of a powerful British banker, Rena is determined to build a women-only bank where women can have control of their money. A novel, interesting plot make it worth a read, but it's the nuanced and intriguing characters, based on real-life women, who really help this book shine. You will want to do more reading about these historic figures." --Judy G Sebastian, Eastham Public Library, Mass.

Solace House by Will Maclean (Grove Press, $28, 9780802168689). "A group of university students spending a summer fixing up an abandoned asylum are tasked with cleaning up an imposing house nearby. After they find the journals of the eccentric and reclusive previous owner, odd things begin to happen. An intricate story that reflects the concept of time existing all at once." --Grace Kranz, Blue Earth County Library, Minn.

Life Out of Order by Audrey Niffenegger (Hanover Square Press, $33, 9781335003225). "Alba's life is definitely out of order as she journeys into the future. She is the daughter of Henry of The Time Traveler's Wife fame, but this book does not rely on your reading of the previous book. The premise has the same internal logic as before and will send your mind spinning. Pro tip: Keep an eye on the dates and ages!" --Clare Etheridge, Brentwood Public Library, Pa.

Bad Words: A Novel by Rioghnach Robinson (St. Martin's Press, $30, 9781250431295). "A feud between an author and the literary critic who wrote devastating pans of his novels goes viral, but their animosity and banter starts to take on a flirtatious tone. This bookish tale takes a nuanced look at criticism, online culture, and intention versus impact, all grounded in rich, real emotions. A swoony, enemies-to-lovers slow-burn romance set amid a snowy NYC." --Jenna Friebel, Oak Park Public Library, Ill.

Public Access Afterworld: A Novel by Jane Schoenbrun (Hogarth, $33, 9780593978382). "A relentlessly strange but totally compelling journey into 'Public Access Afterworld,' the source of peculiar TV broadcasts that foster dangerous obsessions in all who see them. Readers who like their horror with a SF twist will devour this one." --Mara Bandy Fass, Champaign Public Library, Ill.

Peter Markus's serene second poetry collection, The River at the End of the River, memorializes a lost father and celebrates the nature of the Detroit River region of Michigan.

These 91 free verse poems hymn the beauty of ordinary things. As "Praise Song in Search of Its Something" signals, a reverential attitude can render the everyday miraculous. The river and woods are sacred places for Markus (When Our Fathers Return to Us as Birds). It's clear that he's happiest outside: walking with his dog, Moonshine, fishing from a small boat, throwing stones, watching birds, or just staring at the sky. He charts the turning of the seasons as the mud freezes and April brings unexpected snow. In a turbulent world, nature is a reliable comfort: "this is all we have left to fall back on,/ this small patch of earth holding us up."

Bereavement casts a shadow over the whole collection, which opens with the titular poem and closes with a reprise. The first line reads, "My father is waiting for me/ down at the river," a peaceful spot that his house overlooked. Although the poet still converses with his dead father and, eight years on, wishes he remembered his last words, he rejects sentimental symbolism; "an eagle is/ just an eagle. It's not my father/ returning to earth in the form of a bird." Instead, Markus realizes that "what is left of my father is what I carry/ inside me."

Death is inescapable here, even--or especially--in the natural world. Wildlife scampers all through the collection, while Markus dedicates several poems to dead animals he encounters on his tramps. Of a coyote, he writes, "Now it lives here in the afterlife/ of this poem. May it find a small bit of grace." Likewise, a heron "lives now in this poem where I can resurrect it/ with language and imagine how it used to fly."

The poetry swells with philosophical musings and rhetorical questions. Often, a phrase from one poem steals its way into the next. The moon is a rich source of metaphors. Allusions to Henry David Thoreau and Robert Frost place Markus in the tradition of thoughtful outdoorsmen. He prizes simplicity and admires the integrity of creatures who "only want to be what they are."

This calm collection battles grief but finds contentment in wildness. It's recommended to fans of the late Wendell Berry. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader, and blogger at Bookish Beck

Shelf Talker: Michigan's wildlife and natural landscapes are a balm to Peter Markus, whose second poetry collection is a philosophical reckoning with the death of his father.