Shelf Awareness for Tuesday, October 31, 2023


Quarry Books: Yes, Boys Can!: Inspiring Stories of Men Who Changed the World - He Can H.E.A.L. by Richard V Reeves and Jonathan Juravich, illustrated by Chris King

Simon & Schuster: Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall

Little, Brown Books for Young Readers: Nightweaver by RM Gray

G.P. Putnam's Sons Books for Young Readers: The Meadowbrook Murders by Jessica Goodman

Overlook Press: Hotel Lucky Seven (Assassins) by Kotaro Isaka, translated by Brian Bergstrom

News

KKR Purchase of S&S Completed

 

As of yesterday, the KKR purchase of Simon & Schuster from Paramount Global has been officially completed. With the $1.62 billion all‐cash transaction, S&S is now a standalone private limited liability company, and the only independent major trade publisher in the U.S.

"This marks the first time since 1975, when Simon & Schuster was sold to Gulf + Western, that we will stand on our own and not as part of a larger media conglomerate," S&S president and CEO Jonathan Karp said in a letter to staff. "With KKR's resources and support, we intend to become an even stronger company and a more dynamic force in our industry, while still maintaining our well-established record of editorial excellence and independence....

"There is no question that this is an exciting moment for us--both a return to our roots as an independent, standalone company and an opportunity for all of us to forge a new path together. We have arrived here because of your unceasing focus and dedication to doing the best for our authors and their books, and I know that we will build on that legacy going forward."

Karp also emphasized that KKR is instituting employee ownership, which he said will help make the company "a magnet for the best publishing talent" and lead to staff having "more of a voice in charting our collective future."

Karp added that the process S&S is undergoing is "called a 'carveout,' in which part of a company is separated and 'stood up' on its own, apart from its previous parent company--with separate technology, systems and processes. KKR are experts in creating these transitions with minimal disruption to the day-to-day life of employees. Most of these changes will not even be noticeable."

In the official announcement about the completion of the deal, Ted Oberwager, a partner who leads the gaming, entertainment, media and sports departments in KKR's Americas private equity business, said, "Today Simon & Schuster and KKR are officially one family. The company is in a strong position to capture the opportunity ahead, and we look forward to building on Simon & Schuster's reputation for delivering engaging and compelling books to readers all over the world."

Richard Sarnoff, chairman of media at KKR, added: "In recent years, Simon & Schuster has built an impressive track record of commercial success to go along with its 100‐year legacy of publishing excellence. We are thrilled to work on the next phase of Simon & Schuster's growth with Jon and the entire Simon & Schuster team. As part of that we are delighted employees will now have the opportunity to participate in the benefits of ownership in the company."


BINC: Your donation can help rebuild lives and businesses in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee and beyond. Donate Today!


Unnameable Books Opens in Turners Falls, Mass.

A new and used bookstore called Unnameable Books has opened in the village of Turners Falls in Montague, Mass., the Recorder reported.

Store owners Adam Tobin and Penelope Bloodworth officially opened the bookstore on Saturday, October 21, with an eight-hour poetry marathon. Located in a former tavern, Unnameable Books has a selection of new books at the front and used books at the back.

At present store hours are sporadic, but in the coming weeks Unnameable Books will start operating with a regular schedule. Tobin and Bloodworth plan to host more poetry readings, as well as book signings, movie nights, and other events going forward. He told the Recorder that he wants the bookstore "to be a place where lots of different people talk to each other, and if they don't talk, their interactions are mediated through books here."

Tobin is also the owner of Unnameable Books in Prospect Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y., which he opened 17 years ago. Roughly six years ago he left New York and began managing the bookstore remotely. Once he realized the Brooklyn store could run just fine without him, he said, "I decided I should have a bookstore closer to home."

He noted that while there are bookstores in nearby towns, there are no others in Turners Falls itself, and he hopes he is "part of helping to bring more commerce downtown to make Turners a thriving place to live and be."


GLOW: Berkley Books: The Seven O'Clock Club by Amelia Ireland


New Owner for Page After Page Bookstore, Elizabeth City, N.C.

Jennifer Beach and Susan Hinkle

Jennifer Beach became the new owner of Page After Page Bookstore, Elizabeth City, N.C., during the summer, purchasing the business from Susan Hinkle, who retired "from owner to mentor." The 30-plus-years-old bookstore had been located on Water Street for years and then moved to Kenyon Bailey for a short time, before finding its current home on McMorrine Street.

Beach said she had fond memories "of taking her young son to the bookstore when it was located on Water Street years ago and letting him play with the store's toy train," the Daily Advance reported, adding: "When Beach took over the bookstore she knew there was one thing she wanted to bring back. She found a toy train similar to the one the bookstore had when Hinkle operated it on Water Street, so now parents can bring their children in and create those same lasting memories."

"I watch the kids when they grab their book choice and that makes me happy," she said.

Planning to continue to use the same business model as Hinkle at Page After Page while also bringing in some new items to the store, Beach said, "The bookstore gives me the opportunity to introduce people to new things." She also noted that the shop is a good place for people who are new to the area to meet other residents, as well as for busy parents to have a conversation while looking for a book for their kids.

"The bookstore is everyone's home away from home," Beach said.


B&N Opening Stores in Georgia, Oregon

Barnes & Noble is opening two stores tomorrow, Wednesday, November 1, in Marietta, Ga., and Salem, Ore.

The Marietta store is located in The Avenue at East Cobb on Roswell Road and will officially open at 10 a.m. with Mary Kay Andrews cutting the ribbon and signing copies of her newest book, Bright Lights, Big Christmas (St. Martin's Press). Store manager Rolena Bynoe has been with B&N for 20 years.

The Salem store is in Willamette Town Center on Lancaster Drive NE and will officially open at 9 a.m. with Chuck Palahniuk cutting the ribbon and signing copies of his books. Store manager Crystal Saldana has been a B&N bookseller for 12 years.

Citing plans to open some 30 stores this year, B&N CEO James Daunt said, "The ongoing growth in book sales as a whole--and particularly for Barnes & Noble--allows us to open new bookstores at a pace we have not achieved in decades."


Obituary Note: Hillel Stavis 

Hillel Stavis

Hillel Stavis, former proprietor of WordsWorth Books in Harvard Square, Cambridge, Mass., died October 20. He was 78. For nearly 30 years, WordsWorth was a destination for book lovers. At its peak in the 1980s, Wordsworth was one of the highest-grossing bookstores per square foot in the nation. 

Stavis was born in Boston. After graduating from Brookline High School, he earned his college degree in political science at McGill University in Montreal. He joined the newly formed Peace Corp following college, teaching science in Kenya as part of the first generation of volunteers. Before returning to the U.S., he spent a year in Paris, studying medicine. By the time Stavis returned to Boston, he spoke both French and Swahili.

Several years of apprenticeship at bookstores in Boston and New York led Stavis to open his own store in Cambridge. In 1975, he found the site he would occupy for the next three decades, at 30 Brattle Street in Harvard Square. During the store's best years, WordsWorth averaged selling 3,000 books per day. Donna T. Friedman, Stavis's wife and the store's long-time principal buyer, estimated that he was responsible for selling more than 20 million books over his career.

Other ventures followed his success. Because of a close relationship with Margret Rey, the creator of Curious George, Stavis and Friedman opened Curious George Goes to WordsWorth, which operated from 1996 to 2011, featuring children's books and toys.

In 1985, Stavis and partner Glen Legere designed WordStock, the inventory control and point of sale system for bookstores that was marketed nationwide. Many bookstores still use the system.

Ultimately, however, the spread of large national chain stores, along with the rise of Amazon, upended the entire industry, and led to WordsWorth's closing in 2004. Curious George closed in 2011. 


Notes

Halloween Bookseller Cat: Mabel at Mabel's Fables Bookstore

Canadian bookseller Mabel's Fables Bookstore, Toronto, Ont., shared a photo of Mabel, "our hard working bookseller cat on her special spot in the Halloween display."


Halloween Bookstore Event: The Great Pumpkin Hunt

Posted on Instagram by Copperfish Books, Punta Gorda, Fla.: "Thank you so much to everyone who joined in on the fun during this year’s Great Pumpkin Hunt! We had an absolute blast at the wrap party and were thrilled to see everyone’s amazing costumes. Stay tuned for more exciting events to come!"


Media and Movies

Media Heat: Adam Kinzinger on Fresh Air, the View, Colbert's Late Show

Tomorrow:
Today Show: Jeff Kinney, author of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: No Brainer (Abrams, $14.99, 9781419766947).

The Talk: Reggie Watts, author of Great Falls, MT: Fast Times, Post-Punk Weirdos, and a Tale of Coming Home Again (Tiny Reparations Books, $29, 9780593472460).

Tamron Hall: Henry Winkler, author of Being Henry: The Fonz... and Beyond (Celadon, $30, 9781250888099).

Kelly Clarkson Show: José Andrés, author of The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope (Clarkson Potter, $35, 9780593579077).

Fresh Air: Adam Kinzinger, author of Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country (The Open Field, $30, 9780593654163). He will also appear on the View and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert.


TV: Fourth Wing

Michael B. Jordan's Outlier Society and Amazon MGM Studios have acquired the rights to Rebecca Yarros' novel Fourth Wing and its follow-up Iron Flame--which will be released November 7--as well as the three remaining planned books in the Empyrean fantasy book series, Variety reported.

Yarros is a non-writing executive producer on the project alongside Liz Pelletier for Entangled Publishing. Variety noted that "no additional details regarding writers or cast are currently available. If ordered to series, the Fourth Wing adaptation will stream on Prime Video."

The official logline for the TV series: "Enter the brutal world of Basgiath War College where there is only one rule: Graduate or Die. Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail expected to live a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general--her tough-as-talons mother--has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders. If the fire-breathing beasts don't kill her, one of her fellow riders just might. Suspense, action, romance, and dragons blend together in a propulsive fantasy adventure from New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Yarros."



Books & Authors

Awards: William Hill Sports Book of the Year Shortlist

A shortlist has been released for the £30,000 (about $36,465) William Hill Sports Book of the Year award, which celebrates excellence in the field of sports writing. The Bookseller reported that, for the first time in the prize's history, books by female authors dominate the shortlist, which was selected by a panel of experts in sports and journalism. The winner will be named November 30 in London. Each of the shortlisted authors receives £3,000 (about $3,645) and a leather-bound copy of their book. This year's finalists are:

Good for a Girl by Lauren Fleshman
Kick the Latch by Kathryn Scanlan
Althea by Sally H Jacobs
Concussed by Sam Peters
Unbreakable by Ronnie O'Sullivan 
Unfair Play by Sharron Davies, with Craig Lord 


Rebecca Pitts on Jane Jacobs: Champion of Cities, Champion of People

Rebecca Pitts
(Photo: © Arielle Joffe Photography)

Rebecca Pitts writes for and makes things with young people. She is a freelance writer who has published in the New York Times for Kids, Teen Vogue, Highlights magazine, and elsewhere. She runs in-person and online workshops in the Lower Hudson Valley River Towns for young writers and artists, and is the founder and publishing advisor of The Little Newspaper Club. Her book, Jane Jacobs: Champion of Cities, Champion of People, is being published today by Triangle Square, the children's imprint of Seven Stories Press.

How did you become interested in Jane Jacobs?

I first read Jane's famous book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (published in 1961) in a history of architecture class at Boston University. I was living in an urban environment for the first time and reading Jane's words--her observations on city life and running thoughts on the magic of cities. It was the late '90s, so there was an enormous construction project happening in downtown Boston called the Big Dig. Downtown Boston was a construction site. The city was busy tearing down the highways and sinking them underground. Of course, now we see that it had been a mistake to bulldoze neighborhoods to build a highway in the first place. But when Jane wrote her breakout book on this, few people were critical of the very popular city planning fad called "urban renewal." She was an outlier. After college, I worked on a project at her archive at the Burns Library at Boston College for a graduate school assignment. It felt as though I kept bumping into her!

How would you describe Jane Jacobs and her work?

Jane was a writer, a public intellectual, a New York celebrity, and probably best known today for successfully taking down Robert Moses's harmful schemes that disproportionately targeted economically disadvantaged and immigrant communities. She wrote about cities, architecture, urban planning, and was deeply critical of the men who were, in her opinion, ruining cities. She was an intuitive organizer--she joined the fight to save Washington Square park (led by Edith Lyons and Shirley Hayes). This was her first taste of community activism. Robert Moses wanted to expand the road around this storied park and run a highway through it. Jane, Edith, and Shirley not only fought him and won but closed the existing roadway in the park. Jane did other things, too. She helped build 400 units of affordable housing in her downtown New York neighborhood. She stopped the developers who were planning on clearing 14 blocks of the West Village and successfully defeated Robert Moses's plan to build "Lomex"--the Lower Manhattan Expressway that would have obliterated sections of iconic New York neighborhoods, then immigrant neighborhoods deemed worthless by developers and politicians.

How is Jane Jacobs's work and activism relevant today?

After spending so much time with Jane's work and accounts of her life, I'm most struck by her character. She was relentless. Some of these fights were a decade long. That's exhausting. It's boring, even. She kept at it. One of the things I think we miss when we read about historical events like a new law getting passed is that behind a moment in history captured as a line in a textbook or a headline in a newspaper is a long, sustained, and sometimes exasperating effort on behalf of a lot of people. It sounds trite but she never gave up. Today, activists have so many reasons to feel discouraged, but I hope we push through our cynicism, remain hopeful, and keep going. We have so many pressing issues to tackle--our climate crisis, gun violence, human rights issues, and deep inequality affecting everything from access to housing to education and healthcare.

How influential and popular is Jane Jacobs today?

It depends on who you ask! A lot of New Yorkers seem to know about the legend of Jane Jacobs. But maybe less so as time goes on and new generations move into the city. Some of her ideas in her bestselling book don't hold up today--she talked around a genuine discussion of gentrification and her eyes on the street theory is based on a narrow worldview, one that fails to see how race and surveillance intersect. Today, many of her observations and arguments still resonate. A through-line that permeates her writing work and approach to activism is her belief that ordinary people are the best equipped to re-envision their communities and reclaim them from a few men in power. Her legacy as an organizer is significant, too. Jane's activism worked so well because it was transparent and inclusive. It was even bipartisan. Citizens have the most power and influence when working in concert toward a shared vision. I think we have a lot we can still learn from Jane Jacobs today.

Why will young adults be interested in Jane Jacobs?

Young adults will appreciate her sincerity and her inability to tolerate a politician's long-winded excuse for not doing the right thing. Her spirit is childlike--and I say that as a compliment, with great admiration. Her seemingly limitless energy, her idealism--she carries these qualities with her throughout her life. While researching this book for young adults, I was stunned to stumble upon this quote from Jane, written at age 77: "I'm not all that different as far as I can see from when I was 13 years old."

How did this book come about?

I found a wonderful champion (ha) for the concept with my former agent Bibi Lewis, a New Yorker with a personal connection to architecture and someone who truly embodies the word feminist. We pitched it, and I was thrilled that Dan Simon at Seven Stories was interested. Both of my editors, Lauren Hooker and Tal Mancini, contributed so much to the shape of the book and pushed me to engage critically with Jane's work and legacy.

What kind of promotions will you be doing for the book?

Features like these! My publisher, Triangle Square, the children's imprint of Seven Stories Press, and my local bookstore, Picture Book in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y., will be hosting a book launch party in early November. Shelf Awareness readers can join my e-mail list for information on how to attend this event and book news.

Tell us a little about your work life outside of this book.

I feel very lucky that so much of my life involves and revolves around kids. I am a parent to amazing children, ages 11 and 8. I'm currently working on a new project--a picture book about a pioneer of journalism who set ground-breaking standards for ethics in reporting. I also run workshops in the Lower Hudson Valley Rivertowns for young writers and artists, guiding children in visual storytelling in comics, zines, and newspaper-making.

One last thought about Jane Jacobs:

Jane was a bit of a rabble-rouser as a kid--mostly because she was so bored in school. She got in trouble for disrupting class and even got expelled in grade school for refusing to make a promise to her teacher. Her anti-authoritarian streak started early!


Book Review

Review: Inverno

Inverno by Cynthia Zarin (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, $25 hardcover, 144p., 9780374610135, January 9, 2024)

Some books feel as though readers must swallow them whole, absorbing the story as part of their being. Other books force readers to hold them apart, to stand back from them as at a gallery, facing a confounding but insistent work of art. Inverno, a work of fiction from poet Cynthia Zarin (Orbit; An Enlarged Heart), is the second kind. It is a cord pulled taut and fraying, an ambitious piece of prose that tangles the past and the present, layering allusions to movies, novels, song lyrics, and fairy tales.

Inverno opens with Caroline, standing in Central Park as snow falls around her, waiting for Alastair to call. In fact, the entirety of this slim novel's fractured narrative spins around this moment, as 30 years of connection and love and brokenness and pain are concentrated in this one unresolved moment. Ostensibly about Caroline and Alastair's decades-long love, Inverno glances off the occasional facts of their relationship before turning readers down otherwise unmarked paths. The novel is an entirely oblique construction, looking sideways at grief and trauma and the ways memory can distort the truth even as humans try to pin it down: "The truth changes as she gets hold of it, like a kite or a snake; it does not like to be held, it thrashes." Inverno also resists being held, but in its various permutations, the book reveals much about human longing.

Their story is told by an omniscient narrator who occasionally shifts into a first-person voice to address directly an unnamed "you." Readers might puzzle over this choice, but Zarin's use of a stream-of-consciousness style will please fans of Virginia Woolf: "Once in Montalcino the fireflies were on one side of the road, but not the other (was it the grapes they liked, or olives, she couldn't remember) and then, there they were again, twenty years later, last summer, like spawn lighting the pasture, as she looked out the window past the lilacs." With the poet's eye for detail, Zarin takes an image and turns it over and over, but rather than granting more clarity, these recursive efforts only prove the frailty of memory and the inconstancy of truth. Inverno is a brief but powerful novel, and readers will appreciate the emotional breadth on display in this kaleidoscopic story. --Sara Beth West, freelance reviewer and librarian

Shelf Talker: Inverno is an entirely oblique construction, looking sideways at grief and trauma and the ways memory can distort the truth even as we try to pin it down.


The Bestsellers

Top-Selling Self-Published Titles

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

1. Hunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
2. Twisted Love by Ana Huang
3. Things We Left Behind by Lucy Score
4. Twisted Games by Ana Huang
5. Hooked by Emily McIntire
6. The Joy of Costco: A Treasure Hunt from A to Z by David and Susan Schwartz
7. King of Greed by Ana Huang
8. Caught Up (Windy City Book 3) by Liz Tomforde
9. Hopeless (Chestnut Springs Book 5) by Elsie Silver
10. Tempted by the Devil by Michelle Heard

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]


Powered by: Xtenit