Between the Covers Bookstore & Cafe in Telluride, Colo., had a soft opening yesterday in its new home, the Telluride News reported.

Located at 212-214 W. Colorado Ave., the new space spans 2,289 square feet and is more than twice the size of Between the Covers' previous home. Co-owners Jennifer and Brad Ball, who purchased the bookstore and cafe from former owners Daiva Chesonis and Bobbi T. Smith last year, have put that extra square footage to use by adding a hangout/reading area, more books and more sidelines, including toys, games, puzzles and store-branded merchandise.

Between the Covers owners Jennifer and Brad Ball at the old location.

The cafe side of the business, called Bruno, has yet to open, with Jennifer Ball noting that the espresso machine "was delayed a few days out of Italy," which necessitated a little extra time for "bean sampling and training." In addition to coffee drinks, Bruno will serve a selection of food sourced from a local business called Thorneycroft, and Bruno has a liquor license hearing scheduled for December.

The bookstore's new building, which at different times was a Conoco garage and livery stable, underwent extensive renovations over the summer that combined two adjacent spaces. The space has wood floors, exposed brick walls and its original tin ceilings, and the restrooms were remade to be ADA compliant. Between the Covers was able to stay open in its previous home while work was underway.

"We're grateful to our previous space's owner for allowing us to stay until this new bookstore and coffeeshop were ready," Ball told the News.

Today the Book Industry Charitable Foundation is launching the Read, Love, Support year-end campaign that aims to raise $100,000 by December 31 so that the organization reaches its budgeted fundraising goal and ensures no one in need is turned away. (Binc notes that in the past four months, requests for help have doubled.) For more information and to donate, click here.

As part of the #readlovesupport campaign, Penguin Random House will match the value of every gift up to a total of $15,000.

Jaci Updike, president of sales, PRH US, said, "We are proud to again partner with Binc on what has become a resonant holiday tradition: supporting and uplifting booksellers and comic shops, who do so much for their communities. In this year of challenges, we believe this campaign can make a meaningful difference."

Libro.fm is also helping out. For every gift between $100-$499, Libro.fm will give a free one-month membership. For a gift of $500 or more, it will give a free three-month membership.

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Binc also recently announced the recipients of the George Keating Memorial Scholarship, the Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarship, the Carla Gray Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists, the Diamond Summit Scholarship and the scholarship for the Denver Publishing Institute. In total, $16,250 has been awarded to 15 booksellers and comic retailers across the U.S. this year.

The George Keating Memorial Scholarship, which provides $250 to a bookseller from the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance and New England Independent Booksellers Association for the purpose of professional development, went to Alicia Michielli of Talking Leaves Books in Buffalo, N.Y.; Rachel Ford, of the Bookshop in Nashville, Tenn.; and Katya D'Angelo of Bridgeside Books in Waterbury, Vt.

The Macmillan Booksellers Professional Development Scholarship, which provides funds to booksellers traditionally underrepresented within the industry so they can attend the fall show of their regional association, was awarded to: Abby Rice, of Title IX: A Bookstore in New London, Conn.; Andrea Garcia of Cellar Door Books in Riverside, Calif.; Charles Hannah of Third Eye Books in Portland, Ore.; Sav Fields of Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor, Mich.; Veronica Johnson of Libros Bookmobile in Taylor, Tex.; Krystle Dandridge of the Book Bar in Richmond, Va.; Rachel Ramirez of Storyhouse Bookpub in Des Moines, Iowa; and Kaila Boulware of Hidden Gems Literary Emporium in New Brunswick, N.J.

The Carla Gray Scholarship for Emerging Bookseller-Activists, which provides an independent bookseller with a $1,000 grant and the opportunity to attend Winter Institute and a regional fall trade show, went to Kay Kerimian of Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y.

The inaugural Diamond Summit Scholarship, which gives two comic retailers the opportunity to attend the Diamond Retailer Summit gathering, was awarded to Kristen Parraz of Hi De Ho Comics in Santa Monica, Calif., and Stevie Rowe of Vault of Midnight in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Denver Publishing Institute scholarship, which covers tuition, room and board, as well as up to $2,000 for travel costs and lost wages, for Denver University's publishing-focused summer program went to Hannah Amorollahi of the Bookworm in Omaha, Neb.

Barnes & Noble has bought Paper Source, the stationery and gift store retailer with 123 locations across 25 states.

Starting immediately, customers will be able to redeem B&N and Paper Source gift cards at either store; this applies to future gift cards as well as currently held gift cards. Many B&N locations will also start carrying a wider array of paper products, including some Paper Source exclusives, and next year the company plans to merge the Paper Source and B&N membership programs.

Dagny Corcoran

Dagny Corcoran, an influential arts book dealer and fixture of the Los Angeles art scene, died November 9. She was 77. Corcoran's death was announced by Marian Goodman Gallery, where she had been director of books and multiples. The gallery wrote: "A force of the Los Angeles art scene, Dagny gained recognition for her entrepreneurship behind the independent bookstore Art Catalogues, specializing in current and out-of-print exhibition catalogues and publications on modern art, architecture, and photography. In the early 1970s, Dagny worked for the L.A. branch of Marian's art publishing company Multiples, Inc., where she and Marian formed a longstanding relationship over their shared commitment to quality.⁠"

The Art Newspaper noted that in 1977, after being tipped off that the Pasadena Art Museum, which was in the process of becoming the Norton Simon Museum, was getting rid of all its old catalogues, Corcoran "swooped in to purchase what she estimated to be about 750 books for $1 each. She then used these books as the seed to open the Los Angeles bookstore Art Catalogues, which specializes in exhibition catalogues and other art publications and which remains open to this day."

Art Catalogues began on the second-floor of a storefront on Santa Monica Boulevard in West Hollywood, above her then-husband James Corcoran's gallery. From 2005 to 2009, it operated out of the Museum of Contemporary Art; and from 2010 to 2019 was based at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. It now has its own location in Culver City.

In a tribute, Los Angeles Times art critic Christopher Knight wrote: "Art Catalogues is her unique legacy, an extraordinary compendium of gallery and museum monographs and other books on hundreds, and maybe thousands, of artists. (Her stock grew to about 10,000 items.) Some were rare, others were signed by the artist or writer, and all were worth having. She considered art books to be cousins to art objects.... 

"The future of the business has yet to be determined. Since Dagny was Art Catalogues, it will likely unwind. Her physical shops were art world gathering places as much as businesses, and she ran them as a kind of deeply informed hostess. She was great at that.... Corcoran was a bibliophile who didn't hoard books but who delighted in knowing what she could about those within her sphere of Modern art interests and making them available to others. She did the same with people. It's a vital mix that doesn't come along often, and one that will be sorely missed."

BMG Books hosted a q&a and book signing aboard the inaugural Outlaw Country West cruise from Los Angeles to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, featuring musicians, authors and cruise performers Deke Dickerson (Sixteen Tons: The Merle Travis Story) and Dave Alvin (New Highway: Selected Lyrics, Poems, Prose, Essays, Eulogies and Blues). Pictured: (l.-r.) Dave Alvin; Scott B. Bomar, publisher & senior director of BMG Books; Deke Dickerson. (photo: Will Byington)

At Subterranean Books

November is Native American Heritage Month, and indie booksellers are celebrating in many ways. Here's a sampling:

Green Feather Book Company, Norman, Okla.: "Celebrating Native American Heritage month with our first ever store window display. We are proud to be Chikashsha woman owned! Chikashsha Saya!"

Sausalito Books by the Bay, Sausalito, Calif.: "Please join us for a very important tribute to The First People next Friday, November 18th. We will be celebrating Native American Heritage month with a panel of writers, poets, artists & activists. Come hear their stories, experience their literature and art; be a part of the conversation as we discuss relevant issues that impact us all."

Subterranean Books, St. Louis, Mo.: "November is National Native American Heritage Month and we join in highlighting the rich ancestry and traditions of Native Americans and the vital issues faced today. We are highlighting a large selection of Indigenous books including history, current events, activism, nature, fiction, poetry and children's literature in our stories. We hope you will come check out our displays, and the books we stock all year long. We are also featuring book recommendations in our stories all month, which will be saved in our highlights for reference."

YA suggestions from Four Pine Bookstore

Four Pines Bookstore, Bemidji, Minn.: "November is Native American Heritage Month! Here are some of our local Native American authors! Check out our website for more Native American authors!" And: "Here are some of our favorite Indigenous pictures books! These books have beautiful artwork and tell important stories by Native American authors!" And: "Here are some of our YA Indigenous book suggestions!"

BookBar, Denver, Colo.: "Come celebrate Native American Heritage Month with these fantastic, relevant reads--plus many more!"

Fables Books, Goshen, Ind.: "Are you reading Indigenous authors this month? Be sure to tag us in a post about your reading with the #FablesReadingChallenge2022 to join our monthly challenge."

Two Birds Books, Santa Cruz, Calif.: "Some book recommendations for Native American Heritage Month...."

Powell's Books, Portland, Ore.: "November is #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth! If you're visiting us downtown, make sure you check out this display of bookseller-recommended non-fiction including history, activism, memoir, art, environmentalism, and more."

NDN Book Nerd, (Quiet Quail Books), Los Angeles, Calif.: "Our stories deserve to be read every month, not just during #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth. this is something that even I, as a California Indian (Maara’yam & Kumeyaay desc) girl didn’t understand growing up.... it was never encouraged in my classroom, in the library, or in my personal life! but since starting my bookstagram and my bookstore @quietquailbooks, i have beyond expanded my familiarity with stories like mine & completely different to mine! Indigenous peoples are certainly not a monolith, sometimes a month like this can enable that misconception. Our tribes certainly have similarities, but sooooo many aspects of our tribal identities are unique! i still believe in seizing the opportunity for a month like this to have critical conversations about Indigenous realities!! this stack of books are some of the books i’ve read as a result of my 2 1/2 years in the book community & i even got to recommend them for @librofm. thanks for spending this #NAHMTour day 2 with me & i challenge you that on december 1st and every 1st of the month here after that Native authors are always considered for your TBR."

HarperCollins will handle sales and distribution of Usborne books to the trade and specialty retailers, schools, and libraries in the U.S., effective with the fall 2023 season. Usborne's backlist catalog will begin to become available from HarperCollins in February 2023, and increasing over time. As of February 1, all trade back-office functions, including customer service, warehousing, billing, and credit, will be performed by HarperCollins.

Usborne, with headquarters in London, England, is an independent, family-run children's publisher that was founded in 1973 by current chairman Peter Usborne. The company has 3,000 titles in print in English and publishes 350 new titles per year for children of all ages, in all genres, about all topics.

HarperCollins president and CEO Brian Murray said, "We've worked with Usborne for many years in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India, and the U.K., and know first-hand how their mix of creativity, extraordinary care, and fierce determination has made them one of the world's leading children's publishers. I've personally long been an admirer of Peter and Nicola Usborne, and what they and their team have accomplished. I look forward to deepening our relationship and completing our global English language partnership."

Managing director Nicola Usborne said, “Usborne and the HarperCollins' lists have a natural synergy, and we look forward to the very experienced HarperCollins sales force selling our bestselling books into the U.S. trade market. We aim to have an Usborne book to answer every question that a child might have and are delighted to expand our reach into the vibrant U.S. market."

The Future Is Analog: How to Create a More Human World by David Sax (PublicAffairs).

Tomorrow:
Drew Barrymore Show: Ina Garten, author of Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook (Clarkson Potter, $35, 9781984822789).

Tonight Show: Patti Smith, author of A Book of Days (Random House, $28.99, 9780593448540).

The BBC and A24 are partnering for an adaptation of Douglas Stuart's 2020 Booker Prize-winning novel Shuggie Bain, Deadline reported, adding that A24 will produce for BBC One. The project is Stuart's first television series.

"I am deeply grateful to the BBC and A24 for their belief in Shuggie Bain," he said. "I'm thrilled to bring the Bain family to the screen and the opportunity to expand on my novel and to bring new threads to the story, exploring hardships and struggles as well as the compassion, humour and resilience that is so central to the Scottish spirit."

Gaynor Holmes, BBC drama commissioning editor, added: "Shuggie Bain is an extraordinary novel, with all the makings of extraordinary television. It's a real honor to be working with the immensely talented Douglas Stuart to bring his vision to the BBC."

Winners were named for the 2022 Books Are My Bag Readers Awards, which are curated by bookshops, voted for by readers across the U.K. and Ireland, and sponsored by National Book Tokens. The winning titles, announced at an awards ceremony held at Foyles Charing Cross Road, are:

Fiction: Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson 
Nonfiction: The Transgender Issue by Shon Faye 
Poetry: The Fire People by Lemn Sissay 
YA fiction: All That's Left in the World by Erik J. Brown 
Children's fiction: Loki: A Bad God's Guide to Being Good by Louie Stowell 
Breakthrough Author: Alice Oseman, author of the Heartstopper series 
Readers' Choice: Heartstopper by Alice Oseman 

PEN/Faulkner finalist Matthew Salesses, a transracial Korean adoptee, again distills his own experiences with race and (e)masculinity for laudable literary inspiration in The Sense of Wonder. His intricate novel spotlights three basketball players at different points of their careers--starting out, at the pinnacle, and over--along with a Korean American television producer who's dating the rookie.

Won Lee is a Princeton-educated, all-Ivy conference MVP point guard now with the New York Knicks. Perhaps his name was prescient: he's won enough to be the one and only Asian American in the NBA. He's playing with his idol "Powerball!" (né Paul Burton), who's Black--but then Powerball! gets hurt. While Powerball! is out, Won dominates for seven straight victories. Powerball!'s return might be great for the fans, not so for "the Wonderboy."

Watching Won and Powerball! from the stands is ESPN reporter Robert Sung. He's a Korean adoptee whose white mother abandoned him, then his white father discarded him. Sung "had grown up wanting to be the first Asian American superstar"; his hopes weren't far off--he was Powerball!'s notable high school sidekick, destined for a Division I scholarship until a career-ending knee injury. Sung is now the "biggest advocate, his press cheerleader" for Powerball!

Off the court, Sung introduces Won to Carrie Kang, who doesn't actually love basketball. She's a Korean American TV producer working to bring K-dramas to U.S. masses, and more Asian American screen representation overall. Their relationship might be open but Won quickly moves in with her--for practical reasons. Between living in New York and shooting episodes in Seoul, Carrie starts mourning her sister who's dying of cancer.

Won's career hinges on an elusive contract his bigoted coach dangles but won't produce. Won and Powerball! get caught in the media's Asian/Black divides. Sung is never quite trustworthy about safeguarding what is on and off the record. Carrie's newest baller series pitch might ruin careers. Power plays loom. An irreparable implosion is inevitable--who survives is an intense gamechanger to anticipate.

Salesses (Disappear, Doppelgänger, Disappear; Craft in the Real World) moves, fakes and pivots his narrative with practiced, sly expertise. He cracks inappropriate jokes, waxes philosophical, details (biological and adopted) family dysfunction, confronts cultural history, deciphers the tropes and plots complex dramas, all while deftly exposing pervasive racism and sexism in two of the worst, inequitable industries. And yet, he also manages to impart an easy, welcoming bluntness: "What Won made Asian Americans feel was mimetic wonder." Social ills notwithstanding, who can argue with that? --Terry Hong, BookDragon

Shelf Talker: In this intricate novel, Matthew Salesses slyly exposes the rise--and pivot--of the only Asian American player in the NBA.  

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

1. Cain's Jawbone by Edward Powys Mathers
2. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
3. Nobody Cares Unless You're Pretty by Lani Lynn Vale
4. Niching Up by Chris Dreyer
5. Let's Get Naughty by Various
6. Mine to Love by Natasha Madison
7. Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki with Sharon L. Lechter
8. Miss Dauntless by Grace Burrowes
9. Your Healing Has Already Happened by Sonya Fernandez
10. Another Christmas from Hell by R.L. Mathewson

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]