Vivian Irving has purchased Book Larder, a cookbook store in Seattle, Wash., from founder Lara Hamilton.

Book Larder founder Lara Hamilton (l.) and new owner Vivian Irving

Irving moved to Seattle in 2009 and spent a decade in tech before joining Book Larder as its operations manager two years ago. In an Instagram post announcing the change she wrote: "I'm deeply grateful to Lara, who founded and led Book Larder for 14 years with vision, warmth, and care.

"She built more than a bookstore; she created a vibrant community and a true gathering place for people who love food. Her legacy lives on in the shelves, the kitchen, the events, and the people who make this space what it is. I'm truly honored to steward what she so lovingly built."

Looking ahead, Irving said the "heart of Book Larder remains the same. You'll see the same familiar faces and the same thoughtful curation and programming, with a few fresh ideas along the way."

Hamilton opened Book Larder in 2011. Prior to that, she took over Kim Ricketts Book Events before its founder, Kim Ricketts, passed away.

Haven Booksellers, a new and used bookstore in Kingsport, Tenn., will host a grand opening on Saturday, July 12, the TimesNews reported.

Located at 1880 N. Eastman Rd., Suite 250, Haven Booksellers will carry general-interest titles for all ages, with about 75% of the inventory consisting of used books at opening. Owner William Wight, a former teacher, told the TimesNews the store is in a "great spot," with good foot traffic and nearby businesses like breweries and coffee shops.

"I started to go back to school to be a librarian when I got some encouragement, including a little bit of financial encouragement which was nice, to follow one of my lifelong dreams, which was this--opening a bookstore," Wight said.

The grand opening festivities will run from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and include sign-ups for the store's monthly reader club and loyalty rewards program, with opportunities to win prizes.  

"I love books, and I love talking to people about books," Wight added. "Even if people want to come in and just, don't even necessarily know what they're looking for, I love to talk to people about books and figure out what's a good fit. I feel like that's where small bookstores and independent bookstores really excel."

An integral part of New York University's Summer Publishing Institute is visiting independent bookstores in New York City. This year, four students wrote about their impressions of bookstores they visited, which they kindly have shared with Shelf Awareness. We will publish each report, starting today with Mallory Stock's on The Ripped Bodice. In succeeding days, we'll run reports about three other city bookstores.

photos: Mallory Stock

Upon being welcomed by two lovely staff members, I immediately felt at home in The Ripped Bodice, the celebrated romance bookstore in Park Slope in Brooklyn. In this whimsical book haven, vintage books decorated the walls, chandeliers hung from the ceiling, and pink hearts were painted the floor, making it feel like we were walking into a fairy tale. The store also had cute merch for purchase near the front, including a packet of "Trope Tea" and a hat proclaiming "Rockstar Romance."

The Ripped Bodice is a romance-only bookstore founded in Culver City, Calif., in 2016 by sisters Bea and Leah Koch. They recognized that even though romance is the highest-grossing genre in the book industry, romance sections were often hidden away in the back corner of a bookstore. The genre was taken less seriously because the primary audience is women. The sisters wanted to combat this bias by creating a fun and welcoming bookstore that celebrated romance readers. After the success of their California location, they opened their Brooklyn store almost two years ago to immediate success.

The Ripped Bodice works with publishers and authors to host events almost every weeknight. Bestselling author Emily Henry, author of such hits such as Funny Story and Beach Read, thrilled fans at a midnight book release signing event. The store also does off-site events, for example, selling books at a live recording of Fated Mates, a popular romance podcast.

Selling especially well at the store right now are romantasy titles, such as Rebecca Yarros's Fourth Wing series. Manager Katherine Zofrea also mentioned that dark romances tend to sell better at the Brooklyn location, whereas customers at the California store prefer YA and sweeter stories.

After our info session, we had some time to explore. The Ripped Bodice purposefully sets up aesthetic photo op areas throughout the store, encouraging visitors to take pictures and share them on social media. With so much activity on BookTok, cute decor provides a great marketing opportunity! The store is split into multiple subgenre sections, including fantasy/paranormal, contemporary, historical, erotica, LGBTQ+, and YA. There is also a small section of romance-adjacent titles, including nonfiction about relationships and love. A new release table in the center of the store showcases exciting new books. During my visit, some of the newcomers were Plus Size Player by Danielle Allen, Slow Burn Summer by Josie Silver, Winging It with You by Chip Pons, and Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid.

It was really fun getting to explore a new bookstore in such a dynamic city, especially with other aspiring publishing professionals. You could just feel the excitement and buzz in my group as we talked about our favorite romance books and gave each other recommendations. My TBR list has grown significantly after this visit, but I'm not complaining. I ended up leaving with the new Carley Fortune book, One Golden Summer, and some free bookmarks from the front counter. Overall, it was a lovely afternoon spent with other romance book lovers, and I can't wait to go back. But this time with a larger budget. And a tote bag.

Mallory Stock is a recent graduate of NYU's Summer Publishing Institute and hopes to get a marketing role in publishing. She enjoys meditating, going on hikes, and reading (shocker) in her free time. She currently resides in Minnesota and plans to move to New York City soon, where she can't wait to go on bookstore crawls around the city.

Half Price Books will close its location in downtown Berkeley, Calif., later this year, Berkeleyside reported.

The store's last day in business will be November 30; a spokesperson for Half Price Books told Berkeleyside that the company was unable to come to a lease agreement with that store's landlord.

The Berkeley Half Price Books, which opened in 2005, is located in the landmark Kress Building. Its 13 employees have been encouraged to apply for jobs at other Half Price Books locations.

Berkeleyside notes that this closure announcement comes not long after Books, Inc. closed its own Berkeley location.

Nosy Crow publisher Katie Cunningham, who championed representation in children's books, died July 4. She was 43. Cunningham joined Nosy Crow as publisher in March 2025, following a celebrated career at Candlewick Press.

Katie Cunningham (photo: Erin Cunningham)

She began her career at Candlewick as an intern in 2003, and rose to become senior v-p, editorial, and associate publisher. Among the debut works she identified and developed were the award-winning Julián Is a Mermaid by Jessica Love; Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes, illustrated by Scott Magoonwhich; and Kenneth M. Cadow's Gather. She also acquired and edited books by author-illustrator Matt Tavares, poet Charles R. Smith Jr., and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among many others.

"Every child deserves a favorite book," Cunningham once said, summing up her child-first editorial philosophy.

"It's difficult to convey not only Katie's extraordinary talent as an editor and publisher, but also the light she brought into every room and every interaction," said Nosy Crow president John Mendelson. "Her energy, vision, and profound empathy were unique. She was kind and funny. She was a good friend. Her passing is an enormous loss, not only to us at Nosy Crow, but to the entire industry and to future readers. I am heartbroken for us all."

Kate Wilson, group CEO of Nosy Crow, commented: "Every one of us who had anything to do with Katie knows how magnificent she was. Her integrity, careful thought, and shining vitality leave a profound mark. I count it a privilege and inspiration to have shared as much time as I did with her."

Liz Bicknell, former executive v-p, executive editorial director, and associate publisher at Candlewick and Cunningham's mentor, observed: "Having worked with Katie for more than two decades, I knew her to be a brilliant editor of vision and integrity as well as a generous, caring colleague impossible not to respect and love. While the majority of her career was at Candlewick Press, I know she would have gone on to even greater heights as publisher at Nosy Crow. I'm personally devastated to lose her, and I am heartbroken for the world of children's literature that her daring and passion for the best books has been cut short far, far too soon."

"Katie and I started at Candlewick more than 20 years ago," Candlewick editorial director Kate Fletcher recalled, "and I was lucky enough to call her a dear friend as well as a colleague. Katie was kind, generous, and always eager to jump in and offer support. Her gift for connecting with creators and bringing out their best work was truly remarkable. I know she will be missed by co-workers, creators, and anyone lucky enough to have known her."

Belinda Rasmussen, president and publisher of Walker Books Group, parent company of Candlewick Press, said, "Katie was an extraordinary publisher--the books she leaves behind are a testament to her talent and vision. But it was her wisdom, warmth, and empathy that made her presence a gift to us all--and her absence all the more deeply felt. The world is a lesser place without her."

Cunningham was also beloved by the creators whose work and careers she fostered. Gather author Cadow said, "There was simply nothing like being believed in by Katie. She made the hard work of writing, of addressing 3,500 edits, of painstaking page break design fun. I knew I was a part of something beautiful and energetic and good, working with her. I also really appreciated her permission to take off my uncomfortable shoes at the National Book Awards and wear clogs. (This was because Katie was wearing sneakers.) Who could make you laugh so hard, and also be so effective at calling people, systems, governments on their BS?"

Tavares noted that Cunningham "was my editor for 17 years. She was a brilliant editor, and more importantly, a dear friend. During those years, I watched her rise to senior vice-president. But I don't think she ever cared much about her job title. Her only professional ambition was to make great books. She will be missed by so many people who loved her, but I know her legacy will live on in all the books she helped put into the world, and in her son, and in all the lives she made better. I know that to so many of us in the children's book world who knew her, Katie wasn't just a coworker, or an editor. She was family."

In the years following her diagnosis, Cunningham worked to bring attention to ovarian cancer research and fundraising. Two months ago, she wrote: "I hope you have never had a cancer diagnosis touch your life, but if you have or if you will, I want you to have every piece of weaponry humanity can dream up. I want you to have every tool to fight like hell to get to the other side. I don't know if I'm on the other side, but I know where I am is absolutely beautiful."

A funeral will be held at Unitarian Church at 80 Main Street in Hudson, Mass., at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 11. In lieu of flowers, her family has suggested donations in her memory to the Pan Mass Challenge: Katie's Ride, Team Ovarian Cancer, MGH Cancer Center, or the Center for Coastline Studies. Memories of Cunningham, which are being compiled to share with her family, friends, and colleagues, may be e-mailed to phoebe@nosycrow.com.

Sydney Lynn's Little Bookshop and Vinyl in Taylorville, Ill., hosted Frederic Durbin, whose supernatural western, The Country Under Heaven, was recently published by Melville House. With Durbin (r.) is store owner Doug Cowell.

Oprah Winfrey has chosen Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (Spiegel & Grau) as the July Oprah's Book Club Pick, Oprah Daily reported, noting that Winfrey described it as "the 'tale of our times'--a gripping, emotionally charged story that explores the explosive rise of AI, self-driving cars, and drones, all seen through the intimate lens of one family's summer retreat following a devastating tragedy."

"I appreciated the prescience of this story," Winfrey said. "It's where we are right now in our appreciation and dilemmas surrounding artificial intelligence, centered on an American family we can relate to. I was riveted until the very last shocking sentence!"

Holsinger, who finished graduate school the same year Oprah launched her book club, said that it was "like a thunderbolt" to receive her call. "For nearly 30 years, as I've taught great books to college students in the classroom and the lecture hall, she has shared great books with the world. I am deeply honored and profoundly grateful that she found Culpability worthy of her time, praise, and recognition."

Winfrey interviewed Holsinger for the most recent Oprah's Book Club podcast, available here.

In a new partnership, Inner Traditions is making Grupo Gaia's Spanish-language titles available in the U.S. and Canada. The titles will be distributed by Simon & Schuster, Inner Traditions' distributor.

Both companies specialize in spiritual and holistic knowledge. Inner Traditions, with more than 2,000 books in print, has been a resource for spiritual seekers and holistic health practitioners for the last 50 years. Grupo Gaia, a leader in Spanish-language mind-body-spirit publishing, has a distinguished catalog that will now reach a broader audience. Bestselling Grupo Gaia titles include La liberación del alma (The Untethered Soul), La bruja verde (The Green Witch), Este dolor no es mío (It Didn't Start with You), Señales (Signs), and Cuando el cuerpo dice NO (When the Body Says No).

Bruno Fuente and Manuel Mardones, directors of Grupo Gaia, said, "After years of seeking the right partner in the U.S. market, we are pleased to have found Inner Traditions, the ideal collaborator for growing our catalog--a company and publisher with whom we share a philosophy and vision to put out the message of our publications into the world to make it a better place. We are honored to be able to embark on this journey with them and begin this new adventure. We hope that readers in the USA will appreciate and enjoy our books."

Inner Traditions publishes 20 Spanish-language books each year, including both original works and translations. Alfaomega distributes Inner Traditions en Español in Spain and Editorial Océano throughout Latin America.

Mahar Sperling, director of Inner Traditions en Español, said, "What attracted Inner Traditions and Grupo Gaia is how much we have in common. We're both family-owned businesses, both leaders in our niche, and both doing what we do out of a deep love and appreciation for the subject matter. So when Grupo Gaia was looking for a partner to help it enter the U.S. market, we recognized the same core values in one another and instantly knew it would be a good fit."

Maria Loftus, director of sales at Inner Traditions, added, "Books are personal. The trust that authors instill in their publishers is a responsibility that none of us take lightly. The same can be said of the publisher-to-publisher relationship. Mahar and I are both first-generation Americans with strong Latin roots. To serve Spanish readers in the U.S. is not only an honor but a personal dedication. As Mahar remarked, this partnership is a perfect fit--our publishing houses mirror each other, just as our authors do, serving as colleagues, students, and teachers in a vibrant, interconnected community."

Tiffani Ren has joined Zando as marketing manager. Ren was previously at One World.

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Frankie Karnedy has joined Steerforth & Pushkin Press as marketing and sales operations manager.

The Hard Work of Hope: A Memoir by Michael Ansara (ILR Press/Cornell University Press).

Today:
Fresh Air: Leila Mottley, author of The Girls Who Grew Big (Knopf, $28, 9780593801123).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Adriana Trigiani, author of The View From Lake Como: A Novel (Dutton, $29, 9780593183359).

Live with Kelly and Mark: Matt Groark, author of The Meat Teacher Cookbook: The Ultimate Backyard BBQ Guide for an A+ in Pitmastery (Harper Influence, $36, 9780063288416).

Apple has acquired for development a TV series based on Elissa Sussman's bestselling 2022 novel, Funny You Should Ask, with Regé-Jean Page (Bridgerton, Black Bag) and his producing partner Emily Brown executive producing through their A Mighty Stranger Production company, Deadline reported. 

Page will star in the project, which is now in early stages, with Rachel Alter writing the adaptation. Deadline noted that "in an element of art imitating life, the movie star in the book--the role Page is poised to play--is the latest James Bond. Brit Page himself has been a popular fan pick to play 007 since his breakout starring turn in the first season of Netflix/Shondaland's Bridgerton."

Alter will also executive produce, as will Robin Schwartz and Carolyn Daucher, along with Marty Adelstein, Becky Clements and Alissa Bachner of Tomorrow Studios, which is the studio. 

Elly Griffiths was named this year's winner of the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution Award, in recognition of her crime fiction writing career and "unwavering commitment to the genre." The award will be presented at the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on July 17, alongside the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and the McDermid Debut Award for new writers. 

Griffiths is shortlisted for the 2025 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year for The Last Word (Quercus Books.)

Simon Theakston, chairman of T&R Theakston, said: "Elly Griffiths has been awarded the Theakston Old Peculier Outstanding Contribution award in recognition of her exceptional contribution to crime fiction, captivating readers with her distinctive characters, rich sense of place, and unwavering commitment to the genre over a remarkable career. Beloved by readers around the world, Elly Griffiths has an amazing ability to combine tough subjects with the greatest warmth. Her characters may have their eccentricities, but they are all believable and their dilemmas as easy to share."    

Griffiths commented: "It means the world to me to receive this award. Sixteen years ago, when I wrote my first crime novel, I received such a warm welcome from the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival and from other, more established, authors. Now, 32 books later, I'm thrilled to be honored in this way and humbled to join the ranks of previous winners. I hope to continue the tradition of welcoming new writers and giving back to the crime-writing community."

photo: Alex Petrovitch

Katherine Wood is the author of the novel Ladykiller, and has published books under the name Katherine St. John (The Lion's Den, The Siren, The Vicious Circle). A native of Mississippi and a graduate of the University of Southern California, she now lives in Atlanta, Ga., with her husband, two children, a naughty pug, and a ferocious kitty. Her new novel is Sunburned (Bantam Books, July 1, 2025), a thriller in which a woman, trapped on a yacht, must figure out who the killer is.

Handsell readers your book in about 25 words:

In this fun, twisty murder mystery, a woman trapped on an eccentric billionaire's yacht with seven suspects must uncover a killer before she becomes the next victim.

On your nightstand now:

On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Vuong's prose is so beautiful, this book is like reading poetry.

What Happy Women Know by Dan Baker and Cathy Greenberg. As a working mom always looking for ways to better balance my life, I'll take all the advice I can get!

All Fours by Miranda July. This brilliant, visceral, uncomfortable book about a woman going through perimenopause reads like a fever dream and will leave you feeling normal, no matter your kink.

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty. This novel poses the question of whether you would want to know when and how you will die, and explores all the ways one woman's predictions upend lives. A fascinating character study that really makes you think.

Favorite book when you were a child:

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien. My dad read the entire trilogy aloud to my siblings and me as kids, and we couldn't wait to hear the next installment every night.

Your top five authors:

Ernest Hemingway
Ann Patchett
Amor Towles
Jennifer Egan
Oscar Wilde

Book you've faked reading:

Moby-Dick by Herman Melville. My mom is a former English teacher who refers to this book constantly, and I just nod along. She would be mortified if she knew her own daughter hadn't read what she calls "one of the most important books in the entire canon of English literature." I've always intended to actually read it, but there have always been other books I would rather read more. Perhaps someday I'll get to the end of my tbr and pick it up (ha!).

Book you're an evangelist for:

The Creative Act by Rick Rubin. I have gifted this book to so many creative friends! I find his take on the creative process so inspiring that I have to read this book in small sips to savor each nugget.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo. I was perusing my local bookstore just before Halloween, looking for something spooky and atmospheric to read, and that iridescent snake on the black cover struck me immediately. I'm glad I picked it up; I was totally immersed by the world and tore through it and the sequel, Hell Bent, in rapid succession.

Book you hid from your parents:

I hid my first book, The Lion's Den (which I wrote under the pen name Katherine St. John), from my parents until it went on sale because I was so embarrassed for them to read all the sex, drugs, and foul language that came out of my brain! Fortunately, they were not as scandalized as I'd thought they'd be; when I told my mom she might want to warn her friends it was a little spicy, that made them just want to pick it up all the more.

Book that changed your life:

This is going to sound so trite, but The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I'm fascinated by the effect money has on perspective and relationships, and Fitzgerald does such a good job of exploring this within a timeless, tragic love story. When I read it in school, I was blown away by how current it still feels, and I loved all the symbolism. The green light across the bay! The eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg! That yellow Rolls! It never gets old to me.

Favorite line from a book:

"This above all, to thine own self be true,/ And it must follow, as the night the day,/ Thou canst not then be false to any man." --William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Okay, it's not a book, it's a play, but what can I say, I'm a former actress from a Shakespeare-obsessed family. To me, this goes hand in hand with another great quote, attributed to Socrates, "Know thyself." You have to know yourself to be true to yourself--and if you're not true to yourself, you can't be true to anyone else.

Five books you'll never part with:

The Garden of Eden by Ernest Hemingway. Hemingway's last book was way ahead of its time, but what I love most about it is the imagery. I can read a page and be instantly transported to the Mediterranean Sea on a hot summer day.

Circe by Madeline Miller. Such great inspiration for thinking outside the box! Miller's twist on a classic myth absolutely blew me away.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin. I didn't know whether a book about video games would be up my alley, and this book got so much hype that I was almost afraid to read it, but it absolutely lived up to its reputation and gave me a new respect for video games!

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Another hyped book that was everything it was cracked up to be. What Kingsolver pulls off with this David Copperfield adaptation is truly stunning.

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. As a thriller writer, this is a book I return to again and again. Amy Dunne remains the best unreliable narrator I've ever met.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. This book was so out there and such a wild ride. As a writer, I can't even imagine how difficult it must have been to keep up with all the different moving parts across the different timelines, but the result is an absolutely original and unputdownable classic.

Cartoonist Ngozi Ukazu (Check, Please!; Bunt!) combines introspective discussions of identity inspired by The Bluest Eye with Freaky Friday-style body swapping to create Flip, an earnest, contemplative graphic novel about two teens who suddenly switch bodies.

Brown-skinned Mission Springs Prep senior Chi-Chi plucks up the courage to ask her "rich white boy" crush, Flip, to the senior festival. She creates an elaborate promposal and e-mails it to him the day before presentations in their AP English class. Flip mistakes the video for his class presentation and plays it in front of the whole class--"Oh my gosh!" a student yells, "Chi-Chi's asking him out!" Flip's rejection is kind ("I'm sorry Chi-Chi. I just... don't know you that well") but public. Embarrassed Chi-chi runs out of the classroom and silently excoriates herself, wishing Flip Henderson liked her. While outside, she slips, hits her head, and envisions herself taking a doll-sized Chi-Chi apart. She takes a nap later in the day and, when she wakes, she's in Flip Henderson's body--and, of course, Flip is in hers.

Ukazu writes in an author's note that "the harried circumstances of the Black girl's existence has left many of us with the notion, whether conscious or unconscious, that our worth is something to be earned, or is bestowed upon us by others." Like Pecola Breedlove's belief she will be beautiful if she has blue eyes, Chi-Chi believes she will have value if Flip loves her. Ukazu includes a visual cue to the reality of the situation: any time Flip is inhabiting Chi-Chi's body, her eyes are blue. This image clearly identifies body-swap scenes while also highlighting what Chi-Chi actually needs to find her worth.

Thickly lined panels zig-zag across the page or overlap in moments of action and intense emotion. Both Chi-Chi and Flip are forced into self-reflection: Chi-Chi calls out Flip for his unconscious bias around race and sexuality; Flip forces Chi-Chi to recognize the violence in how she speaks to herself. Ukazu develops teens who feel natural and authentic, who are allowed to make mistakes, to learn from them, and to offer themselves space to grow and be emotionally vulnerable. Chi-Chi and Flip being in each other's bodies gives them each the ability to see themselves, an experience that ultimately brings out the best in both kids. Flip is a rare graphic novel that should please readers of literary fiction and comics. --Kharissa Kenner, school media specialist, Churchill School and Center

Shelf Talker: Ngozi Ukazu remarkably brings The Bluest Eye and Freaky Friday together in this humorous yet weighty graphic novel about two teens--a white boy and a Black girl--switching bodies.