New Voices New Rooms, taking place in Arlington, Va., this week, had a packed second day of programming that included Rep Picks, Bookseller-to-Bookseller Genre Buzz, and multiple well-attended education sessions. As part of NAIBA and SIBA's effort to foster interaction, all sessions took place in the exhibition hall, allowing plenty of opportunity to browse publisher tables in between. In the evening, the reception also had a twist: the featured guests were editors rather than authors, giving booksellers a chance to meet the people responsible for some of their favorite books, and enjoy more mixing and mingling.

At the Editor Buzz reception: (from l.) Ibrahim Ahmad, executive editor, Viking; Jake Cumsky-Whitlock from Solid State Books in Washington, D.C.; Jordan Pavlin, Knopf editor-in-chief; and Andy Ward, publisher, Random House.

Suzanne Lucey of Page 158 Books in Wake Forest, N.C., with Martin Clark, author of The Plinko Bounce, out next month from Rare Bird Books.

K. Kerimian, Greenlight Bookstore, Brooklyn, N.Y., gathered queer books for the Nonbinarian Book Bike, a queer- and trans-led mobile initiative that distributes free books.

Bonding over books: (from l.) Kelly Justice and Kate Towery, Fountain Bookstore, Richmond, Va.; Tim O'Connell, v-p/editorial director, Simon & Schuster; and Judith Lafitte, Octavia Books, New Orleans, La.

Alison Reid and John Evans, owners of Diesel bookstores, are putting their Brentwood store, in Los Angeles, Calif., up for sale. Last year, they put their other store, in San Diego, up for sale. Since 1989, Reid and Evans have opened five bookstores, all in California. (In 2017, they sold the Oakland store to longtime manager Brad Johnson; it's now called East Bay Booksellers.)

In an e-mail announcement, Reid and Evans noted that they have spent "the past 34 years establishing and nurturing our bookstores. It has been deeply satisfying for the two of us to build a business together and to watch it take off." Beginning with the first store, "We wanted it to be fun, smart, helpful, engaging, accessible to everyone, discerning, and delightful. At the time, we were different than many other stores in the area--we were a bit more playful; our selection was a bit deeper than other general bookstores our size; and we were intensely reader-focused, providing excellent customer service, because we cared.

"We still do--about books, about people, about culture, and about our society. We brought our distinct, and distinctive, styles, knowledge, and sensibilities to it all. And people liked it. We still do all of that, and still have wonderful booksellers who believe in it....

"We've decided it is time to step back from bookselling and hopefully find a new engaged bookseller to keep the spirit alive, and the tradition going. We are excited to pass on our beautiful bookstore in Brentwood and put it in the hands of someone who will carry the store, and whose energy and vision will take it beyond what we have created. We are fortunate to have a knowledgeable, dedicated staff that have diverse reading interests, specialties, sensibilities, and histories....

"We hope to find new owners who will respect what we've built and carry on these valuable relationships--inevitably in their own way."

Interested people can contact Reid and Evans via e-mail.

The Booksellers Association of the U.K. & Ireland and Gardners have announced the program for the annual BA Conference and Gardners Trade Show, which will take place October 1-2 in Hinckley Island, Hinckley, Leicestershire. 

BA managing director Meryl Halls said: "It's often in challenging times that the benefits of gathering really pay off, and booksellers in the U.K. and Ireland have had an unpredictable year so far. This year's program has pulled together a topical and rich range of relevant topics, as well as building in time for booksellers to dwell together and chat between activities--key ways to help booksellers strategize through the current challenges, and gain mutual support and reassurance from each other. We're delighted to be working with Gardners again on delivering this unique joint event for our members, and are very appreciative of their ongoing support in bringing booksellers together."  

Nigel Wyman, sales & marketing director at Gardners, commented: "This year we celebrate 30 years of the Gardners Trade Show and have been working on a fantastic line up to celebrate this. We celebrate 30 years of supporting book sellers enabling them to network with likeminded people throughout the industry. This year's show has the highest number of exhibitors stands we have ever had, as well as an exciting line up of authors. We are delighted to be working with the BA on this cohesive event again in 2023, and to be sponsoring the conference to allow booksellers to attend for free. It's one of the most exciting events in our calendar and we are counting down the days!"

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The final episode of 2023 has been released of Let's Talk Bookselling, RISE Bookselling's podcast series showcasing themed conversations with experts in the field. Host Daniel Martín Brennan, the European & International Booksellers Federation's policy advisor, is joined by American bookseller Marianne Reiner of La Playa Books, San Diego, Calif., to discuss a "very pressing topic in the book world: the censorship and banning of books." 

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BookNet Canada's 5 Questions blog series featured Caleb Moss, owner of Bacchus Books & Café, Golden, B.C. Among the highlights: 

What attracted you to bookselling?
Bookselling offered me a life of portals. Aside from perhaps music, I can picture no other calling that provides so many gateways into looking at and experiencing lives, places, and ideas.

What is the most pressing issue facing bookselling today?
I have been at this game long enough to mostly shrug my shoulders at most of the issues. Like all retail, shipping rates, massive corporate centralization, and living wage requirements for staff with no appreciable way to offset via tax breaks or otherwise, all play a part in the landscape. The industry still feels resilient, strong, and essential.

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BookPeople, the association for Australian bookshops, spoke with Anna Funder, author of Wifedom, which explores the relationship between George Orwell and his first wife, Eileen O'Shaughnessy. Naturally, bookselling came up in the q&a:

As booksellers, we were wondering--who do you think would run a more successful bookshop, Eileen or Orwell?
Ha! Orwell admitted he was terrible at organizing things. He did work in a bookshop--a job arranged for him by a former lover, in a shop owned by friends of his Aunt Nellie. On the surface it was the perfect job--in the bookshop in the mornings, living just above it to write in the afternoons. Also, it worked as a honeytrap for likeminded literary soul--he met a couple of girlfriends there. But he managed to complain bitterly about it. I think he probably quite liked to view the world from a position of outsiderdom; he was uncomfortable being comfortable. Maybe the job was too perfect.

Where is your favorite bookshop in the world and why?
Oh so many! I visited an extraordinary bookshop in Tokyo this year, called Daikanyama T-Site. I could actually just move in there, live quietly in the whisky bar reading and come out as an old woman in 2050. I love Gleebooks, which is my local, it is etched into my heart. The opening pages of Wifedom take place in Sappho Books, next door. I love MacLeay Books in Potts Point, Berkelouw. Readings and the Hill of Content in Melbourne. Riverbend and Avid Reader in Brisbane. Fuller's in Hobart. They are all places of great beauty, excitement, possibility and peace for me. --Robert Gray

Alice Kahn Ladas

Alice Kahn Ladas, a psychologist and psychotherapist whose bestselling book, The G Spot and Other Recent Discoveries About Human Sexuality (1982), "created a tipping point for female sensual autonomy by introducing ways for women to experience greater sexual pleasure," died July 29, the New York Times reported. She was 102. Her daughter Robin Janis confirmed the death, adding that Dr. Ladas was still seeing patients at her home office the day before she died.

Written with researchers Beverly Whipple and John Perry, the book examined the existence of the G-spot. For their research, Dr. Whipple and Dr. Perry interviewed and tested some 400 women in Florida. The G Spot, which has been translated into multiple languages and has sold more than one million copies, "was revolutionary in helping women understand their sexual function," the Times noted, adding that the book "proved controversial within the medical community, as women flocked to doctors wondering if they were experiencing ejaculation or urinary incontinence during intercourse. Some doctors questioned the depth of the authors' research and whether the book was meant to be a medical tool or simply a 'how to' handbook for women."

Dr. Ladas had been a follower of the controversial Austrian psychologist Wilhelm Reich, developer of psychosexual theories centered on the orgasm, and joined his staff in New York in the early 1950s. In 1956, she helped Reich's student Alexander Lowen found the Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis, with its focus on the bodily underpinnings of mental health.

She soon went to France to study the Lamaze method of childbirth. Returning to the U.S., she became, in 1959, one of the first to teach Lamaze classes there. The Times noted that Ladas "received her doctorate in education from Teachers College at Columbia University in 1970. Her dissertation on breastfeeding had initially been refused by faculty members until she persuaded the anthropologist Margaret Mead to sit on her dissertation committee. Dr. Ladas's research was ultimately published in peer-reviewed journals in medicine and sociology."

"That's what I'm most proud of," she told a Smith alumnae magazine for a profile about her this year. "I believe it influenced--in the United States, at least--more women to breastfeed."

Authors Kathleen King and Lowey Sichol (front) pose with the Random House Children's Books team--director of publicity Kathy Dunn, senior executive director Sara Sargent, and president and publisher Barbara Marcus--at their launch event at Tate's Bake Shop in Southampton, N.Y., for their joint collaboration, Cookie Queen.

Yesterday was National Book Lovers Day. Among the indies celebrating what might be considered a day like every other day in their line of work:

IndieBound: "It’s #NationalBookLoversDay! Thank you to all the book lovers out there who help support indie bookstores! This day is for you. Welcome to the charming The Little BOHO Bookshop, located in Bayonne, New Jersey. Who else would like to spend all day here?"

Schuler Books, with stores in Grand Rapids, Okemos, Ann Arbor, & West Bloomfield, Mich.: "Best Day Ever! August 9 is National Book Lovers Day. That's right, a special day just for us! There's no better feeling than reading a book that you loved, were moved by, learned from. Books are a great way to throw yourself into different places and worlds, learn about new cultures, and they bring comfort during some of the tough times. We want to thank all of you for supporting this independent bookstore, whether that’s online, in stores, or on social media!... Happy Book Lovers Day to all you readers out there!"

Bravo's Book Nook, New York, N.Y.: "Today is National Book Lovers Day! One of my favorite times was when I did Storytime with Bravo--that's me! Take a look back at some of the great books I read!"

Paper Places Bookshop, Jasper, Ala.: "Happy National Book Lovers Day! Come by and pick up something new for yourself. After all... you deserve it!!"

Wild Geese Bookshop, Franklin, Ind.: "Happy National Book Lover’s Day! Thank you for having me FOX59 News! I cannot watch video of myself without wanting to enter witness protection, but I do love books and will try my hardest to get people to come see us in Franklin."

Two Birds Books, Santa Cruz, Calif.: "Happy Book Lovers Day! It's our day off, so we look forward to getting a lot of reading in today. Here are our current and upcoming reads (plus Denise is still wrapping up Crook Manifesto on Libro.fm). What's everybody else wrapping up/starting this week?"

The Island Bookshop, Venice, Fla.: "Hello book-loving friends! Today is National Book-lovers Day! Yes, it's a thing. We know a great little spot where you can find your favorite read. Wherever you are today, visit a local bookshop. We love being a part of our community!"

Page 158 Books, Wake forest, N.C.: "It’s #NationalBookLoversDay! We are so thankful for all the book lovers out there who support indie bookstores! This is our day. How do you plan to celebrate?"

Northshire Bookstore, Manchester Center, Vt.: "Happy National Book Lovers Day! We at Northshire love celebrating the wonderful world of books, especially with our local communities. We hope today you spend some time with your favorite titles, and if you’re in need of a new one, look no further than some of our current best sellers just waiting for a place on your shelf!"
 
4 Kids Books & Toys, Zionsville, Ind.: "Happy National Book Lovers Day! What are you reading today?"

Pelican Bookstore, Sunset Beach, N.C.: "Happy National Book Lovers' Day!! All of you book lovers make our job possible! We hope you're celebrating this special day with a great book!"

Monkey and Dog Books, Fort Worth, Tex.: "Thank you so much for the love Fort Worth Focused! Happy National Book Lover’s Day! We'd love to celebrate one of our favorite days with you!... If you haven't had a favorite summer read, it's not too late!"

Margaret "Maggie" Cannon has been promoted to publicist, James Patterson, at Little, Brown, and will now direct all of James Patterson's publicity efforts. She joined the Patterson team in 2020.

Healthy Conflict, Happy Couple: How to Let Go of Blame and Grow Stronger Together by Lisa Gray (New Harbinger).

Tomorrow:
Tamron Hall repeat: Deborah Roberts, author of Lessons Learned and Cherished: The Teacher Who Changed My Life (Andscape Books, $26.99, 9781368095051).

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.

Saturday, August 12
8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Live coverage of the National Book Festival in Washington, D.C. Highlights include:

• 8 a.m. Opening ceremonies with Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden.
• 9:30 a.m. Janet Wallach, author of Flirting with Danger: The Mysterious Life of Marguerite Harrison, Socialite Spy (‎Doubleday, $30, 9780385545082), and John Lisle, author of The Dirty Tricks Department: Stanley Lovell, the OSS, and the Masterminds of World War II Secret Warfare (St. Martin's Press, $29.99, 9781250280244).
• 10:30 a.m. R.K. Russell, author of The Yards Between Us: A Memoir of Life, Love and Football (Andscape Books, $26.99, 9781368081368).
• 10:45 a.m. Douglas Brinkley, author of Silent Spring Revolution: John F. Kennedy, Rachel Carson, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the Great Environmental Awakening (‎Harper, $40, 9780063212916), and David Lipsky, author of The Parrot and the Igloo: Climate and the Science of Denial (W.W. Norton, $32.50, 9780393866704).
• 1 p.m. Tahir Hamut Izgil, author of Waiting to Be Arrested at Night: A Uyghur Poet's Memoir of China's Genocide (‎Penguin Press, $28, 9780593491799), and Saket Soni, author of The Great Escape: A True Story of Forced Labor and Immigrant Dreams in America (Algonquin, $28, 9781643750088).
• 3:15 p.m. Chasten Buttigieg, author of I Have Something to Tell You--For Young Adults: A Memoir (Atheneum, $18.99, 9781665904377).
• 3:30 p.m. Camille Dungy and Tiphanie Yanique, contributors to How We Do It: Black Writers on Craft, Practice, and Skill (‎Amistad, $28.99, 9780063278196).
• 4:45 p.m. Cheuk Kwan, author of Have You Eaten Yet: Stories from Chinese Restaurants Around the World (Pegasus, $27.95, 9781639363346), and Anya von Bremzen, author of National Dish: Around the World in Search of Food, History, and the Meaning of Home (Penguin Press, $30, 9780735223165).
• 5:45 p.m. Neil Gross, author of Walk the Walk: How Three Police Chiefs Defied the Odds and Changed Cop Culture (‎Metropolitan, $27.99, 9781250777522).

Sunday, August 13
8 a.m. Garrett Neiman, author of Rich White Men: What It Takes to Uproot the Old Boys' Club and Transform America (Legacy Lit, $30, 9780306925566). (Re-airs Sunday at 8 p.m.)

9 a.m. Jack Cashill, author of Untenable: The True Story of White Ethnic Flight from America's Cities (‎Post Hill Press, $28, 9781637586464). (Re-airs Sunday at 9 p.m.)

2 p.m. David Chrisinger, author of The Soldier's Truth: Ernie Pyle and the Story of World War II (‎Penguin Press, $30, 9781984881311).

3:15 p.m. Shannon McKenna Schmidt, author of The First Lady of World War II: Eleanor Roosevelt's Daring Journey to the Frontlines and Back (Sourcebooks, $26.99, 9781728256610).

3:55 p.m. Craig Nelson, author of V Is for Victory: Franklin Roosevelt's American Revolution and the Triumph of World War II (Scribner, $32, 9781982122911).

5:15 p.m. Jill Watts, author of The Black Cabinet: The Untold Story of African Americans and Politics During the Age of Roosevelt (Grove, $20, 9780802148667).

6:15 p.m. Alex Mar, author of Seventy Times Seven: A True Story of Murder and Mercy (Penguin Press, $28, 9780525522157).

A 12-book longlist has been released for the 2023 Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. The list includes novels from Sweden (5), Denmark (2), Norway (2), Finland (1), Iceland (1), and Switzerland (1), with translators Don Bartlett and Tara F. Chace having translated two entries each. The shortlist will be announced on September 7. Check out the complete longlist here.

The Petrona Award, established to celebrate the work of Maxine Clarke, is open to crime fiction in translation, either written by a Scandinavian author or set in Scandinavia and published in the U.K. in the previous calendar year.

Selected new titles appearing next Tuesday, August 15:

The Invisible Hour: A Novel by Alice Hoffman (Atria, $27.99, 9781982175375) follows a girl in a cult who connects with Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Don't Let Them Bury My Story: The Oldest Living Survivor of the Tulsa Race Massacre in Her Own Words by Viola Ford Fletcher and Ike Howard (Mocha Media, $29.99, 9781737168409) is the testimony of a 109-year-old survivor of the 1921 massacre.

Schoenberg: Why He Matters by Harvey Sachs (Liveright, $29.95, 9781631497575) examines the life and legacy of the 20th-century composer.

August Wilson: A Life by Patti Hartigan (Simon & Schuster, $32.50, 9781501180668) is the biography of the American playwright.

Tides of Fire by James Rollins (Morrow, $32, 9780062893079) is the 17th Sigma Force thriller.

Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher (Tor, $19.99, 9781250244093) is a reimagining of the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale.

Lolth's Warrior: A Novel by R.A. Salvatore (Harper Voyager, $32, 9780063029873) concludes the Way of the Drow fantasy trilogy.

Make a Move, Sunny Park! by Jessica Kim (Kokila, $18.99, 9780525555001) features a seventh grader who joins her school dance team and loses her best friend in the process.

Messenger by Marc Bernardin, illus. by Ron Salas (First Second, $17.99, 9781250881632) is a young adult graphic novel about Muhammad Ali.

Paperbacks:
The Great American Recipe Cookbook Season 2 Edition: 100 Memorable Recipes to Celebrate the Diversity and Flavors of American Food by the Great American Recipe (BenBella, $39.95, 9781637743645).

Calm the Chaos: A Fail-Proof Road Map for Parenting Even the Most Challenging Kids by Dayna Abraham (S&S/Simon Element, $18.99, 9781668014288).

Made for People: Why We Drift into Loneliness and How to Fight for a Life of Friendship by Justin Whitmel Earley (Zondervan, $19.99, 9780310363002).

Sacred Self-Care: Daily Practices for Nurturing Our Whole Selves by Chanequa Walker-Barnes (HarperOne, $21.99, 9780063287136).

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

Hardcover
Ripe: A Novel by Sarah Rose Etter (Scribner, $25, 9781668011638). "Ripe is a delicious book--the Persephone myth retold amidst swirling anxieties in a Silicon Valley tech startup. Our lonely narrator is accompanied by a black hole. A literal one. Visceral and smart, Etter carefully chose every word." --Skylar Miklus, Still North Books & Bar, Hanover, N.H.

The Housekeepers: A Novel by Alex Hay (Graydon House, $30, 9781525805004). "It's Ocean's Eight meets Downton Abbey! The man of the household has died. His daughter plots her engagement as the 'downstairs' workers plot as well: clearing the house out from top to bottom. This novel is immensely satisfying. Enjoy!" --Victoria Ford, Comma, a Bookshop, Minneapolis, Minn.

Paperback
Mercury Pictures Presents: A Novel by Anthony Marra (Hogarth, $18, 9780451495211). "Mercury Pictures Presents is an utterly satisfying novel, full of rich characters and a beautifully choreographed plot told with wry humor, great love, and writing so smart you'll want to underline every paragraph. Read it!" --Kris Kleindienst, Left Bank Books, St. Louis, Mo.

For Ages 4 to 8
When Rubin Plays by Gracey Zhang (Orchard Books, $18.99, 9781338648263). "Beautiful music is in the ear of the beholder. In this stunning picture book from the author/illustrator of LaLa's Words, that ear is a chorus of cats! Both a celebration of music and of new musicians, this is sure to be a story time favorite." --Angie Tally, The Country Bookshop, Southern Pines, N.C.

For Ages 8 to 12
Into the Shadow Mist (Legends of Lotus Island #2) by Christina Soontornvat (Scholastic, $16.99, 9781338759174). "Another fun read from Christina Soontornvat. This series will delight early readers who have 'graduated' from Dragon Masters, but aren't ready for longer fantasy. I'm hooked on Plum's adventures and curious to see her powers develop." --Audrey I-Wei Huang, Belmont Books, Belmont, Mass.

For Teen Readers
All That's Left to Say by Emery Lord (Bloomsbury YA, $19.99, 9781681199412). "Struggling to move on after her cousin's opioid overdose death, Hannah transfers to an elite private school to uncover the truth. You'd Be Home Now meets One of Us Is Lying in this poignant examination of grief, addiction, and friendship." --Chris Schmidt, Main Street Books, St. Charles, Mo.

[Many thanks to IndieBound and the ABA!]

Ritu Mukerji's atmospheric debut novel, Murder by Degrees, follows a quick-witted female physician trying to solve a missing persons case--or is it murder?--in 19th-century Philadelphia. Dr. Lydia Weston has a full schedule: she instructs female medical students at the Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania and also treats working-class patients at a neighborhood clinic. Lydia is concerned when Anna, a young chambermaid with an interest in education whom Lydia has befriended, goes missing. But her concern turns to dread when a young woman's body is pulled out of the river, with Anna's clothing and possessions nearby. Determined to find the killer and feeling guilty that she didn't act sooner, Lydia joins the police investigation (to the chagrin of the sergeant assigned to the case) and is quickly drawn into a web of secrets and danger.

Mukerji, herself a physician, describes Lydia's anatomy lessons and her visits to various medical facilities in exacting detail. Her keen observational eye extends to her characters' habits: readers will learn much about the dress, architecture, and mores related to various social classes in 1870s Philadelphia. The cast of characters includes Lydia, her medical colleagues, the investigating police officers, several working-class women, and a group of wealthy benefactors involved in charity work in the rougher parts of the city. Mukerji's story examines the sharp divides in wealth and class, the moralizing attitude of many well-off people in regard to poor people's medical troubles, and the constant sexism leveled at Lydia and her female comrades by men--physicians and otherwise. Lydia, resourceful and pragmatic, is nevertheless not immune to irritation or the occasional blind spot, making her a sympathetic amateur sleuth. Even Sergeant Davies, at first reluctant to see Lydia involved, finds himself asking her advice--and growing concerned when it seems she might be the killer's next target.

As the case grows more complicated, Lydia turns to trusted sources for advice, including an elderly local bookseller who shares Lydia's penchant for poetry. The words of several contemporary poets, including Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson, aid Lydia's musings as she tries to find the killer. A dramatic turn of events leads both Lydia and readers to a surprising conclusion. 

This engaging, incisive, and well-plotted historical mystery introduces readers to an unforgettable protagonist and her place in a rapidly changing world. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Shelf Talker: Ritu Mukerji's debut novel follows a female physician trying to solve the murder of a young woman in 1870s Philadelphia.