"Indie bookstores are the gateway to the story drug for a lot of people, myself included. I remember going to the local bookstore when I was growing up, which was probably 30 minutes away, and feeling like I was visiting some mythical landscape (shout out to Bartleby's Books in Wilmington, Vt.). Sometimes we just went to look, but sometimes I got to take something home.

"Bringing a new book home will never stop feeling special. It's a sacred tradition! I have to introduce it to my other books, find the right spot for it, make sure it's comfortable, offer it tea, etc. Independent booksellers are so dear to me--for their passion, for their thoughtful recommendations, for putting on such special events. When I heard that The Light Pirate had been chosen for the Indie Next List I'm not even a little embarrassed to say that I wept. Seeing the responses to the story from the booksellers I am so in awe of already was truly extraordinary, so thank you."

Semicolon's past (and future) location

Semicolon Bookstore in Chicago, Ill., is returning to its original home at 515 N. Halsted St. in River West, Block Club Chicago reported, and store owner Danielle Mullen is purchasing the building.

Mullen and her team will be moving inventory this week and plan to reopen the store in River West this Friday. The bookstore debuted in River West in 2019; in 2021 Mullen moved to a larger space at 1714 W. Division St. in Wicker Park that included a cafe and dedicated children's area. Mullen plans to close that Wicker Park location early next year.

Mullen was still leasing the River West space when she moved the bookstore to Wicker Park and used the original spot for storage and pop-up shops. She told Block Club Chicago that the Wicker Park location had frequent plumbing problems, which led to lots of unplanned closures.

As a result of those difficulties, Mullen "jumped" at the opportunity to buy the Halsted St. building. She placed an offer last month and hopes to close the deal in January. She noted that because of the plumbing and flooding problems, her Wicker Park landlord is letting her get out of that lease early.

Looking ahead, Mullen plans to make the entrance to the Halsted St. building handicap accessible, turn the basement into a used book section and convert the apartments above the bookstore into literary-themed AirBnBs.

"That was our one thing that we hated about the space," Mullen said of the building's entrance. "The doors are not handicap accessible. But since we’re in the process of purchasing, we will now be able to change those doors so that it is handicap-accessible."

Remarking that the past year was a financially difficult one at the Wicker Park location, Mullen told Block Club that she is happy to be purchasing the original building. "Permanence is necessary. So many bookstores closed this year. We are doing everything we can to not take that route."

Total net book sales in September in the U.S. dropped 1.4%, to $1.4 billion, compared to September 2021, representing sales of 1,368 publishers and distributed clients as reported to the Association of American Publishers. (Figures do not include pre-K-12, because of delays in data collection.) For the year to date, total net book sales were down 4.5%, to $9.3 billion.

During September, trade sales dropped 2.6%, to $917.5 million. Adult paperbacks and mass markets were among the few positive categories, with sales up 19.8% and 13.7%, respectively, and downloaded audio was up yet again, by 13.6%.

Sales by category in September 2022 compared to September 2021:

Several indie booksellers in the U.K. are expressing concern that the rising cost of hardcover fiction, increasingly priced as high as £25 (about $30.45, with the current strong dollar), is leaving them unable to compete with major retailers, the Bookseller reported.

At Village Books, Dulwich

"I think a good novel at £25 still represents excellent value and somehow we, as the book industry, need to find a better way to communicate that to our market," said Booksellers Association president Hazel Broadfoot, owner of Village Books in Dulwich, adding, however, that "it doesn't help that our very best products go on sale at half price immediately on publication, which conveys an impression that books are not worth the full price."

Jess Allan, manager at Queen's Park Books in London, observed: "I think people are accepting of the increase in costs which have slowly been creeping up for a while now. Will it affect whether people buy the books? Definitely, but I also think many will just pay more. As an indie we worry it will drive people to Amazon or Waterstones who will not sell the titles at this increased price. Realistically we will be the ones that lose out from this increase (in my opinion) because it won't stop people buying books, it will just make them shop around."

Jo Coldwell, shop manager at Red Lion Books in Colchester, agreed: "The increase is noticeable and for the first time in a long time, customers are shying away. Our customers generally don't question the price of books because they believe it to be a fair price with good value but the recent hike has been noticeable because it is in stark contrast to the slashed prices with other retailers. They are still willing to pay the price for academic and/or non-fiction work but the price isn't as palatable for fiction. For the first time ever, I feel embarrassed asking for £25 for a novel."

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Hachette UK has acquired independent Welbeck Publishing Group for an undisclosed sum, the Bookseller reported. Welbeck's gift, illustrated and adult trade publishing will become part of Headline Publishing Group and Welbeck's children's list will become part of Hachette Children's Group. Mark Smith and Marcus Leaver, who co-founded Welbeck in 2019 and are its executive directors, will be stepping down. 

David Shelley, CEO of Hachette UK, said: "Welbeck's creativity, dynamism and consumer focus is inspiring, the company is exceptionally strong in a wide range of fields, and we're excited to welcome them to our business. I'm really looking forward to learning from and working with Welbeck's brilliant team and to welcoming their fantastic list of authors. I know we'll be able to help the company to go from strength to strength in the years to come and to honour Welbeck's ambitious publishing vision."

Mental health and wellbeing imprint Trigger is not part of the deal and will once again operate as Trigger Publishing Ltd., and will be under full ownership and control of the Trigger Group.

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U.K. indie booksellers are in full holiday season mode with their shop window displays. Here's a sampling:

Booka Bookshop, Oswestry: "Christmas Window Reveal. Welcome to Booka's Christmas Department store. We love this book so much we decided to use it for our Christmas window theme. Thanks for the inspiration @maudiept & @littletigerbooks and to @marthaclark.art for creating such a magical window. Come and see what delights we have this festive season for readers from 0-99. It looks beautiful during the day, but extra special at night."

Simply Books, Bramhall: "What a busy week we've had! Starting with the lovely Alex T Smith creating our Christmas window with us and signing copies of his gorgeous new book THE GRUMPUS." 

Ivybridge Bookshop, Ivybridge: "Thank you to Richard Jones and Laura for the wonderful Christmassy painting today--Through the North Pole Snow. Love the artic fox, and try to spot the little mouse!"

Gloucester Road Books, Bristol: "Right, that's it. We're not messing around anymore. The decorations are up. Twinkly lights in the window, hand-marbled baubles (yeah, we're classy) and a gorgeous wreath.... It's books for *everyone* this year. At least from me it is. No change there though tbh." --Robert Gray

Aline Kominsky-Crumb (Richard Drew/AP)

Aline Kominsky-Crumb, "who in the early 1970s used a self-deprecating and sexualized confessional style to create what is believed to be the first autobiographical work by a woman in underground comics--and who continued to explore her life after her marriage to Robert Crumb," died November 29, the New York Times reported. She was 74.

"I have stayed out of the mainstream my entire life," she told Artforum earlier this year, "partially because the work itself determines that it's not mainstream work. We started our comics off in the revolutionary underground. I was a painter with a degree in fine art, and I chose to do stuff that could be read on a toilet."

In the male-dominated world of underground comics, Kominsky-Crumb "established the tone for her idiosyncratic career as a member of a collective of female artists in San Francisco," the Times noted. Her first autobiographical story, "Goldie: A Neurotic Woman," appeared in the inaugural issue of the collective's Wimmen's Comix, published in 1972. She left the Wimmen's Comix collective with Diane Noomin (who also died this year) to create the one-shot comic Twisted Sisters. 

Phoebe Gloeckner, who wrote and illustrated the 2002 graphic novel The Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures, recalled finding underground comics hidden in her house by her parents and, at 15, memorizing the entire Twisted Sisters comic. "Aline was telling the story of her adolescence, and I said, 'This is what I want to do,' " Gloeckner recalled. "I started doing comics in my diary about my life. She just lit the bulb. She and Diane were my heroes."
 
Cartoonist Roz Chast said Kominsky-Crumb's influence is visible in "every woman who creates her own cartoon voice."

Kominsky-Crumb and Crumb "began collaborating shortly after they met in 1971, working on a serial autobiography, published first in two issues of Dirty Laundry Comics, in 1974 and 1978, and later in various other publications over the years," the Times wrote. The entire saga was anthologized in a book in 1992. They married in 1978.

In 1981 the Crumbs started a comics anthology, Weirdo, which Kominsky-Crumb later edited for several years. While Crumb was acclaimed for years, Kominsky-Crumb "did not receive comparable praise until 2007, when her graphic memoir Need More Love was published and an exhibition of her work was held at the Adam Baumgold Gallery in Manhattan," the Times noted.

Hillary Chute, author of Graphic Women: Life Narrative and Contemporary Comics, said that the burst in Kominsky-Crumb's renown after years of doing work that "no one was noticing" was attributable to the surging popularity of graphic memoirs and to "an intense interest from young people in different forms of feminism, not just about power and attaining perfection but the whole scope of being a woman."

Last week, authors Carol Weston and Amy Poeppel, and visiting bookseller Pamela Klinger-Horn (Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, Minn., and host of Literature Lovers Night Out), held a literary soirée at Weston's Upper West Side apartment in New York City. Twenty-one authors attended: (floor, l.-r.) Marie Myung-Ok Lee, Laurie Lico Albanese, Pamela Klinger-Horn, Jillian Medoff; (second row) Patty Dann, Bridgett Davis, Toni Halleen, Alyson Richman, Nikki Erlick, Leslie Garis, Alice Elliott Dark; (back row) Sally Koslow, Lauren Willig, Lauren Belfer, Annabel Monaghan, Amy Poeppel, Roxie Munro, Sally Cook, Carol Weston, Phil Lerman, Ingrid Rosellini. (photo: Rob Ackerman)

"The only thing better than finding books under the Christmas tree is a Christmas tree made of books!" Thunder Road Books, Spring Lake, N.J., posted on Instagram. "A huge thank you to our gal pal @katieneedsabiggerbookshelf for helping us create the best bookish window! Happy Holidays Spring Lake!"

"Is there anywhere cozier than a bookstore? Bookstore dogs Rocco and Mickey curled up for a midday nap earlier this week," Explore Booksellers, Aspen, Colo., posted on Facebook.

Amaris Mang has joined Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing as marketing associate at Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, Atheneum Books for Young Readers, Beach Lane Books, and Paula Wiseman Books. She was most recently a digital marketing coordinator at Starry Forest Books.

Zamboni Stories on Ice: Roll & Go Interactive Book Slipcase Set (Cottage Door Press).

Today:
Fresh Air: Michael Cecchi-Azzolina, author of Your Table Is Ready: Tales of a New York City Maître D' (St. Martin's Press, $29.99, 9781250281982).

Tomorrow:
Rachael Ray: Molly Yeh, author of Home Is Where the Eggs Are (Morrow, $32.50, 9780063052413).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Mariah Carey, co-author of The Christmas Princess (Holt, $18.99, 9781250837110).

The first international trailer has been released for Pietro Marcello's Scarlet (L'Envol), the film adaptation of Russian author Alexander Grin's 1923 novella Scarlet Sails, the Film Stage reported. 

Directed by Pietro Marcello (Martin Eden), the Cannes selection stars Juliette Jouan, Raphaël Thierry, Louis Garrel, Noémie Lvovsky, Ernst Umhauer, François Négret and Yolande Moreau. The film arrives in France this January, and will be released in the U.S. by Kino Lorber in 2023. 

Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology by Chris Miller (published in the U.S. by Scribner) has won the £30,000 (about $36,625) 2022 Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award, honoring a work that offers "the most compelling and enjoyable insight into modern business issues."

Organizers said that Chip War "unpicks the long supply chains that make up the complex and increasingly fragile network that builds and assembles semiconductors, and examines the implications of our global dependency on a few vast manufacturers."

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Jeremy Wilson won the £30,000 (about $36,625) William Hill Sports Book of the Year for Beryl: In Search of Britain's Greatest Athlete, Beryl Burton. In addition to the cash prize, the winner receives a leather-bound copy of his book.

Chair of judges Alyson Rudd said: "Too few biographies focus on sports women, but this book helps to alter the balance. It is quite simply a tour de force and leaves the reader emotionally drained but also uplifted. Beryl deserved for her story to be told in style and Jeremy Wilson achieves that while also charting the more controversial elements of her extraordinary life."

Wilson commented: "I followed this award in the 1980s and '90s and must have half the previous winners on my book shelves. It's inspired me to read sports books and write one.  I felt such a responsibility to tell this story. Beryl made history and delivered this incredible story and I was fortunate to tell it. I share this award with her."

For some 40 years, Pico Iyer has traveled the globe, introducing readers to some of the world's most exotic locales. In The Half Known Life: In Search of Paradise, he does so again, deploying his observant eye and elegant prose in search of the answer to the plaintive, provocative question, "What kind of paradise can ever be found in a world of unceasing conflict--and whether the very search for it might not simply aggravate our differences."

Iyer (Autumn Light: Season of Fire and Farewells) begins his episodic journey through several countries in an unlikely place--Iran, "the culture that had given us both our word for paradise and some of our most soulful images of it," and a land he admits that had "dazzled me from afar since boyhood with its jeweled verses and the flat visions of paradise magicked into being on its carpets." Throughout his visit, he's dogged by the tension between the repressive regime and the efforts of ordinary Iranians to escape its restrictions and live in freedom and peace.

From there he's reporting on a stop in Belfast, Northern Ireland, on what he thinks of as a "kind of pilgrimage" to the country that produced singer-songwriter Van Morrison and the music that's provided some of the soundtrack of Iyer's life. It's also the place where Morrison had sought to "retrieve some ancient vision that had been lost." In Belfast, Iyer reveals the source of his book's title, a line from Moby-Dick about the "horrors of the half known life," but he differs from Melville, noting: "On a deeper level, however, it's everything half known, from love to faith to wonder and terror, that determines the course of our lives."

Other stops on Iyer's tour--one whose sequence and timing is not clearly defined and that encompasses some visits that occurred more than a decade ago--include a small town on the coast of Western Australia, Jerusalem (a city that contains a "riot of views of paradise," especially in and around the Church of the Holy Sepulchre) and the region of Ladakh in Kashmir.

He lingers on the island of Sri Lanka, an "earthly paradise" that's been ravaged by civil war for decades. There he experiences some of his most perilous moments on his visit to its Buddhist capital of Kandy. He concludes with a stop at Varanasi, India, a city steeped in death that "transfixed me as only a cataclysm can." With its polluted Ganges River and perpetually burning funeral pyres, the city's one attraction for him was that he was "unlikely to mistake it for paradise."

Everywhere Pico Iyer travels his keen vision allows him to see both ravishing beauty and profound flaws. He never truly discovers his metaphorical paradise, but his wide-ranging quest is a useful reminder that the journey often is more absorbing than any destination. --Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: Pico Iyer elegantly recounts some of his exotic travels and reflects on the search for an elusive land of bliss.

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

1. Things We Never Got Over by Lucy Score
2. A Light in the Flame by Jennifer L. Armentrout
3. The Gravity of Up by Brent Yates
4. Confetti Moments by Amy Jamrog
5. The Perfect Marriage by Jeneva Rose
6. Untying the Knot by Meghan Quinn
7. How the Grump Saved Christmas by Claire Kingsley
8. Tis the Season for Revenge by Morgan Elizabeth
9. Tempt (Cloverleigh Farms Next Generation Book 4) by Melanie Harlow
10. Corrupted Chaos by Shain Rose

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]