In Florida--which has more cases of book bannings than any other state in the country, where Moms for Liberty started, and where "Don't Say Gay" is state law--Books & Books is showing how a bookstore can creatively and effectively fight the book bans and rally others in the fight. Its inspiring efforts have included events, displays, a parade, book donations, a press conference, and more, all of which have rallied book ban opponents and received a lot of positive media attention. And now, to provide the right underpinning for and to expand these activities, Books & Books has created the Books & Books Literary Foundation, which launched officially on Small Business Saturday.

With the tagline "Inspiring Community, One Story at a Time," the Foundation allows the store to receive donations and grants and "do more of what we do and extend our reach in other ways," Books & Books owner Mitchell Kaplan told Shelf Awareness.

Mitchell Kaplan

The Foundation intends, it states, "to use the power of literary culture to inspire our community by providing books and their authors to kids and communities hungry for stories that reflect their lives but for whom access is out of reach; presenting events where Miami can come together to read, discuss and think together; standing up for free expression and other issues critical to our literary culture."

The response to the Foundation's launch has been "overwhelming," Kaplan said, with "lots of people donating and sending letters and e-mails of support." That support has included a Miami Herald editorial that lauded Books & Books, "a homegrown beacon of literacy," for creating the Foundation, which "will be doing important work--critical really--[that will] demonstrate the value of free speech right in our back yards, one book or writer at a time."

The Herald also noted that the Books & Books' programs "aren't simply community events; they're also a way to bridge the widening gaps of our society.... [Books & Books] has been one of the few consistent forces to bring people together to read, discuss and find common ground, no matter our differences. And, with this new foundation, maybe books can serve, yet again, to bring us together, not divide us."

The hybrid bookstore-for-profit/nonprofit events foundation model is key to this effort, and Kaplan praised the pioneering work in this area done by Kepler's Books, Menlo Park, Calif., and the Seminary Co-op, Chicago, Ill., both of which have hybrid business models. Books & Books' foundation operates under the aegis of the Coral Gables Community Foundation, which provides legal and administrative services.

As Kaplan explained to the Miami Herald in a news article, "The work that we're doing in general, all our community-based work, doesn't really generate revenue. One epiphany I had during the pandemic, particularly during all these virtual events that we had, was that we were pretty much acting already as a nonprofit. We were funding ourselves through selling books, which is hard anyway. I thought I could do so much more if I could garner contributions."

Among the programs that Books & Books has done this year to fight book bannings:

• In June, at an event at a local church with representatives from a range of anti-book ban groups, the store distributed 1,200 free copies of three titles that had been removed from schools in Miami-Dade County and featured readings from the three books.
• During Pride Month, Books & Books made donations of LGBTQ+ books and hosted Chasten Buttigieg, husband of U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, for an event for the YA edition of his memoir, I Have Something to Tell You.
• At the beginning of Banned Books Week in October, Books & Books co-sponsored a "Walk for FREADOM," in which 500 people marched through Coral Gables and ended at the flagship Books & Books store for a rally.
• Also during Banned Books Week, the store hosted comedy sketches, stories, and jokes by comics whose work has been censored; held Banned Book Trivia and Banned Book Bingo nights; and hosted "Un-Ban Words," which highlighted favorite banned words being imprinted on Moleskin journals.

Among the projects Kaplan would like to begin through the new Foundation:

• In association with Exchange for Change, a writing class program and libraries in local jails.
• A mentorship program for people who want to open bookstores.
• An internship program in publishing for minority students.
• Book clubs as part of youth basketball leagues.

With these and other activities, Books & Books hopes to promote free expression and literary culture--and inspire others to do the same.

Union workers at Powell's Books, Portland, Ore., have voted to ratify a new union contract, with 93% of Powell's workers voting yes. The vote ends a long, contentious process that has run for most of the year and included a one-day strike on Labor Day and the rejection of a tentative contract agreement last month.

The new contract will last for four years; per International Longshore and Warehouse Union Local 5, it includes: increases to the minimums for the lowest-paid job groups in the first year, and increases to the minimums for all job groups throughout the contract; annual wage increases totaling $5.20 over the life of the contract for every union worker; expedited promotions for entry-level positions; broader access to holiday pay; a healthcare plan that decreases costs for the most common claims; and more.

Prior to this vote, Powell's workers had been without a contract since June, when the previous contract expired. The contract rejection last month was the first of its kind since Powell's workers unionized in 2000. According to ILWU Local 5, the union and Powell's came to a tentative agreement on November 22, which was then put to a vote, and the votes were tallied on December 15.

The Stacks Bookstore will open January 5 at 2409 Waters Ave., Savannah, Ga. Owner and author Cindy Otis said the bookstore sits at the intersection of four different neighborhoods and the shop's selection will be carefully curated by locals for locals.

The future home of The Stacks.

The Stacks will feature new fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and children's titles. In-store events will focus on building and supporting the community, both among readers and local writers. Events will include author talks, book signings, writing groups, book clubs, and other book-themed community meet-ups.

"Our singular mission is to serve local readers and writers within our wonderfully diverse city by providing access to compelling reads, inclusive and unique events, and community. There is magic in connecting people with stories," Otis said.

As part of its focus on the local community, the Stacks has collaborated with other Savannah small businesses to host numerous events for readers and writers since September, including a pop-up at Lite Foot Company, a Grown-Up Book Fair at Late Air, and an Author Write-In and a Holiday Market at Troupial.

Otis is the author of At the Speed of Lies (Scholastic) and True or False: A CIA Analyst's Guide to Spotting Fake News (Macmillan).

Lerner Publishing Group has bought Gecko Press, Wellington, New Zealand, which publishes picture books, board books, and chapter books for children.

Founded in 2005, Gecko Press will operate as an international imprint of Lerner and will launch 18-20 titles in 2024. Current Gecko Press associate publisher Rachel Lawson will oversee acquisitions at Lerner as the new publisher-at-large, Gecko Press. Gecko Press founder and CEO Julia Marshall will continue in a consulting role.

Marshall commented: "Lerner Publishing Group is the best home and now the future of Gecko Press. Lerner is an independent company with great vision and integrity and with Rachel Lawson at the helm, Gecko Press will continue its brand of curiously good international books for children."

Adam Lerner, publisher and CEO of Lerner Publishing Group, said, "Gecko Press is known around the world for the award-winning, unique, and beautifully designed children's books. Those of us who know Julia know what a special person she is and we know she has an incredible eye for a good book. We are honored to continue her vision with Rachel as Gecko Press publisher."

Gecko Press has been distributed in the U.S. by Lerner for 13 years. Lerner will take over all fulfillment, customer service, and general publishing and business management for Gecko Press in all territories, effective January 1, from Lerner's headquarters in the U.S. Acquisitions will remain based in New Zealand. Sales and distribution partnerships with Bounce (U.K.) and Walker Books (Australia and New Zealand) will continue.

Author and scholar Joan DeJean, who "was recognized with numerous honors and awards for her work on women's writing, the history of sexuality, the development of the novel, and material culture," died December 2, the University of Pennsylvania's Almanac reported. She was 75. DeJean was Trustee Professor Emerita of Romance Languages in the School of Arts & Sciences at Penn, and a renowned scholar of 17th- and 18th-century French literature. 

Her 12 books include The Age of Comfort: When Paris Discovered Casual and the Modern Home Began, which was named one of 2009's top art and architecture books by the New York Times. She received the 2002 Modern Language Association's Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize for French and Francophone Studies for her book The Reinvention of Obscenity: Sex, Lies, and Tabloids in Early Modern France. 

DeJean was awarded fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the American Council of Learned Societies for her research. Her work on fashion and style in pre-Revolutionary France gained notice widely through interviews in venues such as NPR, the New York Times, and Rick Steves' Europe, the Almanac noted.

"Joan was a pioneer in the feminist readings of French texts, and in the feminist literary critical movement, a field that was neglected for many years," said Lance Donaldson-Evans, a former colleague in Penn's department of French and Francophone studies. "I know very few scholars who were as passionate about their scholarship as Joan."

Her other works include Scarron's Roman Comique (1977); Tender Geographies: Women and the Origins of the Novel in France (1991); Fictions of Sappho, 1546-1937 (1989); Literary Fortifications (1984); Libertine Strategies (1981); Ancients Against Moderns: Culture Wars and the Making of a Fin de Siècle (1997); The Essence of Style (2005); and How Paris Became Paris: The Invention of the Modern City (2014).

In 2020, DeJean was elected a fellow of the British Academy for the humanities and social sciences. In 2021, the American Association of Teachers of French (AATF) published a volume of essays in her honor: How to Do Things with Style: Essays in Honor of Joan, edited by Amy S. Wyngaard and Roland Racevskis. 

DeJean's book Mutinous Women: How French Convicts Became Founding Mothers of the Gulf Coast (2022) led to the creation of an interactive digitized map that situates these women's biographies in New Orleans settlements.

Split Rock Books, Cold Spring, N.Y., shared a photo of the shop's latest holiday-themed sidewalk chalkboard message, noting: "Here this rainy Monday with all your gifty needs."

Anna Gjesteby Abell has joined Holiday House, Peachtree, and Pixel+Ink as senior publicist. Abell previously worked for Candlewick Press as a publicist.

"We are festive today!" Roundabout Books, Greenfield, Mass., posted on Instagram. "And yes, that is tea from @camellia.sinensis and olive oil from @theolivetable! Both are delicious; come see for yourself! We've also just added some fresh vintage books to our displays, and I'll feature some pictures of these through the weekend. We're open for browsing and we hope you can find some great gifts here, or maybe something perfect to read, and tea to sip, on a chilly December night."

Tomorrow:
The View repeat: Holly Marie, author of Finding Baby Holly: Lost to a Cult, Surviving My Parents' Murders, and Saved by Prayer (Worthy Books, $29, 9781546006442).

The Talk repeat: Hilarie Burton Morgan, author of Grimoire Girl: A Memoir of Magic and Mischief (HarperOne, $29.99, 9780063222731).

A trailer has been released for a restored version of the film Household Saints, based on Francine Prose's novel. "One of the great restorations of the last year--in the sense that not only is it of pristine quality, but that it invites an underseen gem back into the conversation--is that of Nancy Savoca’s 1993 drama," the Film Stage reported.

Executive-produced by Jonathan Demme, the cast includes Tracey Ullman, Vincent D’Onofrio, Lili Taylor, Judith Malina, Illeana Douglas, and Michael Imperioli. Scripted by Savoca and Richard Guay, the new 4K restoration will open theatrically on January 12 at the IFC Center in New York before expanding to other theaters. 

Shortlists have been released for the 2023 Parliamentary Book Awards, which were launched in 2016 by the Publishers Association and Booksellers Association to recognize "excellent political writing" in three categories, the Bookseller reported.

Publishers were invited to nominate titles, and authors and booksellers selected the shortlists. Parliamentarians will vote to decide each category winner, who will be honored at the Houses of Parliament in February. This year's shortlisted titles are:

Nonfiction or fiction by a parliamentarian
Politics on the Edge by Rory Stewart
Code of Conduct by Chris Bryant
The Winding Stair by Jesse Norman 

Memoir or autobiography by a parliamentarian
Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad by Daniel Finkelstein 
One Boy, Two Bills & a Fry Up by Wes Streeting 
A Purposeful Life by Dawn Butler 

Political book by a non-parliamentarian
But What Can I Do? by Alastair Campbell
Normal Women by Philippa Gregory
An Uneasy Inheritance by Polly Toynbee 
Bust? by Robert Peston & Kishan Koria
Planes, Trains and Toilet Doors by Matt Chorley

"The Parliamentary Book Awards is such a unique event in the awards calendar and booksellers love being part of the shortlisting process," said Meryl Halls, managing director of the BA. "The awards highlight the huge range of opinions across the political spectrum and this year's shortlist is no exception. I'm looking forward to the ceremony in February and can't wait to see which titles parliamentarians pick as the winners."

PA CEO Dan Conway added: "The Parliamentary Book Awards aim to spotlight the very best in political writing, and the last year has offered some of the most influential books yet. This years' shortlist is really varied, with something for everyone. I look forward to seeing the results of the voting next year, and welcoming parliamentarians, authors, publishers, and booksellers to the House of Commons once again in February, to celebrate these important books."

In The Hunter, Tana French (The Searcher; The Witch Elm; The Trespasser), building on the success of eight previous novels, delivers the mystery, atmosphere, and feeling her fans have come to expect.

Following the events of The Searcher, French takes her readers back to the tiny Irish townland of Ardnakelty, where former Chicago Police Department detective Cal Hooper has settled to live a quiet, scenic life and repair furniture. He's already gotten more than he signed up for, including a lovely, levelheaded girlfriend named Lena; a surrogate teenaged daughter, Trey; and a place in the local social circles (and the pub). But when Trey's long-absent father resurfaces with a get-rich-quick scheme, he threatens the equilibrium of various village relationships, including those Cal holds most dear. The previous novel saw Cal struggle to find his role in a new place; in The Hunter, he knows what he has to lose and, even more importantly, what Trey does.

French is at her best in this novel, showcasing its sharp, scintillating sense of place (Ardnakelty is a character unto itself) and powerful mood of foreboding and that of secrets deeply held. "The overhead bulb isn't bright enough," she writes, "and the fringed lampshade gives its light a murky tinge; when the men stay still to listen, it smears deep, tricky shadows into their faces." Later, she writes: "The mountain is sly. From far off, its low, rounded curves look almost harmless.... It's a place whose dangers only come into focus when you're already engaged with them." This kind of ambience is cut by sudden, surprising bursts of laugh-out-loud humor.

Cal Hooper can be likened to a old western hero, with his staunch personal code; he equally recalls a hard-boiled detective: he's retired but, despite best efforts, he's not done investigating. The father-daughter dynamic so delicately established between Cal and Trey--who share no blood and met only two years ago in the previous novel--is heart-wrenching, gorgeously written, and under threat. He trusts her, but she's "much too young to have something the size of her future in her hands." Cal and Lena's relationship is equally engaging, quietly wholesome, and firm. French has never shied away from weighty themes, and here her protagonists wrestle with vulnerability, revenge, and the danger of letting the past determine the future. French masters beautiful descriptions, easy, natural dialogue, a darkly twisting plot, high stakes, and compelling characters. The Hunter is perhaps her finest work--and leaves readers thirsty for more of Cal's story. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia

Shelf Talker: Tana French is at her best with this character-focused sequel to The Searcher, featuring humor, angst, pathos, and mystery in a tiny Irish village.

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. Reckless by Elsie Silver
4. King of Wrath by Ana Huang
5. The Man Who Saved Cincinnati by Peter Bronson
6. He's Not My Type by Meghan Quinn
7. The Fake Out by Stephanie Archer
8. The Christmas Fix by Lucy Score
9. Midnight Purgatory by Nicole Fox
10. Gold by Raven Kennedy

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]