Copperfield's Books in Sebastopol

Sheryl Cotleur, head buyer of Copperfield's Books, with nine stores in Northern California, said the store "did very well this season" and better than expected, given the worries "about what's happening in our country affecting folks' buying habits." 

Major titles included The Correspondent by Virginia Evans, The Gales of November: the Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon, What We Can Know by Ian McEwan, and The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny by Kiran Desai. Cotleur was "heartened" to notice that price did not seem to be a huge issue for customers, as there were "very good sales" of hardcovers as well as trade paperbacks.

Cotleur said she and the Copperfield's team were calling 2025 "the year of the supply-side issues." For both books and sidelines, things were "off all over." The team "chased orders and ETAs constantly," and getting deliveries in a timely fashion was "awful."

Overall, though, "it was a better-than-expected and heartening end of 2025, book-wise," said Cotleur.

In Petoskey, Mich., the team at McLean & Eakin Booksellers was pleasantly surprised to see "robust holiday sales, despite predicted economic uncertainties," reported co-owner Jessilynn Norcross. 

John U. Bacon's The Gales of November ended up as one of the store's top sellers, and there were "unexpected December sales pops" for Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid and 1929: Inside the Greatest Crash in Wall Street History--and How It Shattered a Nation by Andrew Ross Sorkin. 

Asked about the supply chain, Norcross said this year brought the "earliest and most delayed order fulfillment we've ever seen," and as of New Year's Eve, orders were still running two weeks behind.

For Books Are Magic in Brooklyn, N.Y., this holiday season "ended up exceeding expectations," said co-owner Michael Fusco-Straub. Going into the season, he assumed it was "going to be pretty quiet," but the season "ended up really taking off."

The store's top seller over the holidays was Alison Roman's new cookbook Something from Nothing; Fusco-Straub noted that the author is a friend of the store. The books on the New York Times' Top 10 list did "pretty well for us this year when we had them," while Audition by Katie Kitamura and Flesh by David Szalay were also big.

Fusco-Straub said supply chain issues were "really frustrating" this year, with one particular publisher being especially "unreliable and backed up this holiday season." The issues "really hurt us in a lot of ways," and he wished booksellers had a clearer picture of what happened.

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Reached for comment shortly before Christmas, an Ingram spokesperson said, "Ingram Content Group is experiencing a robust holiday season with sales growth at independent bookstores and general retail, including dot-com sellers and, of course, at public libraries. Sales above expectations have caused sporadic timing challenges at our Eastern and Southern distribution centers, but primarily for secondary shipments. Ingram has prioritized indie store and retail shipments from December 15th and is now largely caught up at all distribution points. Over the holidays, as retail demand wanes, the public library business is expected to continue with strong shipments, keeping seasonal workers employed through January."

As for some of the large publishers' supply-chain problems, sources indicated that many suppliers were affected by large replenishment orders around Thanksgiving that were more than some warehouses could handle. Like Ingram, publishers said they began catching up on orders in the week or so before Christmas. --Alex Mutter and John Mutter

Pages & Parchment, a new and used bookstore located at 4010 W. Skippack Pike in Skippack, Pa., has been put up for sale. Owner Becky Fuhry opened the shop in the fall of 2024 when the opportunity arose to purchase the inventory from the Old Village Barn bookstore. She moved the business to a larger space in Green Wolf's Village Barn Shoppes.

In a message on Pages & Parchment's website and social media pages, Fuhry noted: "After much thought and consideration, we have made the decision to sell the shop. This community has been the heart of our business, and it's important to us that the next chapter is written by someone who will love and care for this space as much as we have. If you--or someone you know--might be interested in purchasing the bookstore, we would be grateful if you reached out.

"I never dreamed that I would have the privilege to own a bookstore. If I'm being honest, all the stars aligned for this dream to happen. I truly feel that we were meant to build this business in order to pass the baton to the next owner who can make this indie bookstore thrive in Skippack Village.

"Lastly, and most importantly, we want to say thank you. Your support, your conversations, your curiosity, and your love of books have made this place what it is. Serving this community has been a privilege, and I'm deeply appreciative of every visit, every recommendation, and every moment you’ve spent with us. We hope that 2026 is your best year yet and that Pages & Parchment continues to be a part of your story."

Ed Spade has been named senior v-p, commercial operations, at Hachette Book Group. He was most recently president of sales at HarperCollins and earlier held a variety of positions at Houghton Mifflin Harcourt's Books & Media division, including interim president, leading the trade business during its sale to HarperCollins in 2021. He had joined HMH in 2017 and later served as v-p of sales and led the audio division. Before that, he held senior sales leadership roles at Ingram Content Group and Viacom and began his career at Penguin Young Readers Group.

Richard Kitson, Hachette Book Group deputy CEO, to whom Spade will report, said, "I look forward to partnering with Ed on HBG's commercial operations roadmap. As a senior advisor to the executive management board, his expertise will positively impact the company's growth. Enhancing HBG's forecasting, pricing and revenue, Ed's extensive experience partnering with authors and agents to thoughtfully position books in the marketplace, will strengthen business analytics, sales, operations, distribution models, and digital content ecosystems."

Spade said, "I'm excited to join Hachette at such a pivotal moment. [HBG CEO] David [Shelley] and Richard have clearly built a culture defined by understanding consumers, with a deep commitment to readers, as well as growth mindset. I look forward to partnering with colleagues across the organization to support Hachette's continued growth and long-term strategic direction."

Andrew Richard Albanese, a former editor at Publishers Weekly and Library Journal and co-founder of the media site Words & Money, has been named editor-in-chief of Publishing Perspectives. Albanese continues as editor of Words & Money, which is focused on the role of libraries in the business of publishing. He succeeds Porter Anderson, who died late last year.

Andrew Richard Albanese

Albanese was a senior writer and then executive editor at PW, known for his in-depth coverage of many major industry stories, including e-book price fixing, copyright issues, the open access movement, protection of intellectual property, the recent surge in book bans, and the ongoing impact of politics on the U.S. and global book market. 

"I'm humbled by the opportunity to join the team at Publishing Perspectives and energized to return to the international publishing stage," he said. "Over my three decades covering the book business--including 10 years managing Publishers Weekly's show dailies in Frankfurt and London--I've learned so much from so many outstanding publishing professionals from all over the globe. And it is that experience that will guide my work. For me, the name says it all--Publishing Perspectives. It will be my mission to seek out and share the widest array of perspectives as we all, together, embrace the challenges and opportunities of a 21st century book business."

He added, "I'm deeply saddened that I won't have the chance to do this work alongside Porter Anderson. Porter carved out a singular niche. Porter is, in a word, irreplaceable. But I promise that I will do my very best to carry forward his commitment to the global publishing community."

Canadian author Brian Doyle, who "developed his own knack for spinning a tale, a talent that served him well during a long career as a writer and teacher," died January 1, the Ottawa Citizen reported. He was 90. Doyle was best known "for vivid, award-winning young-adult novels about growing up in Lowertown and adventuring along the Gatineau River."

After university, marriage, and two children, Doyle wrote his first children's book, Hey Dad! (1978), hoping to encourage his daughter to read. A second book, You Can Pick Me Up at Peggy's Cove (1979), was written for his son. His first YA novel was Up to Low (1982), which was later adapted for the stage by Janet Irwin. 

Doyle's other books include Angel Square (1984), Easy Avenue (1988), Covered Bridge (1990), Uncle Ronald (1996), Mary Ann Alice (2001), Pure Spring (2007), and Picking Berries (2019).

Charles Gordon, the former Citizen columnist for whom Doyle was both a friend and mentor, described him as not only a great writer, but also a "legend" of a teacher. As head of the English department at Glebe Collegiate Institute, Doyle established a writing program "where there had been none, and inspired many to become writers." 

His books for younger people were "wise, screamingly funny at times, poignant at others," Gordon added. "He was always on the kids' side, and his books never lectured at them. I'm sure he created thousands of readers." 

In a 2008 Citizen article, Doyle was asked what he would like to see on his epitaph. "I'm going to make a plaque," he replied. "There's a big rock up at our cabin where we always go... and I've always wanted to put there, 'Brian Doyle lied here. Now here he lies.' "

East End Books, Provincetown, Mass., welcomed "our dear friend, (iconic filmmaker, author, artist) John Waters," who was in town for an off-season visit. Signed copies of Waters's books and other merchandise are available in East End's Provincetown and Boston Seaport stores.

It's a post-holiday season retail tradition: "They use their fingers, they use their toes, and sometimes have to count on their nose! Inventory fun!" Janke Book Store, Wausau, Wis., posted on Facebook.

"We're keeping things fresh around here, even when our content creator is taking a break! Stop by and see what's new!" Once Upon a Time Books, Bentonville, Ark., noted on Facebook while sharing its latest back-to-basics socials content, created while "our social media manager is on vacation." 

Sloomoo: Making Friends by Melissa de la Cruz and Mike Johnston (Encantos/Sloomoo Ink).

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Laura Dave, author of The First Time I Saw Him (Scribner, $29, 9781668002964).

Sherri Shepherd Show: Mitch Albom, author of Twice (Harper, $29.99, 9780063453128).

Bookish, a new six-part murder mystery series created, starring, and written by Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, The League of Gentlemen), will premiere January 11 on PBS, with new episodes released every Sunday through February 15. Directed by Carolina Giammetta, the series is co-written by Gatiss and Matthew Sweet.

PBS noted that Gatiss and director Carolina Giammetta take viewers "into the chaotic and dangerous shadows of post-war 1946 London, where Gabriel Book's [Gatiss] encyclopedic knowledge of literature and history makes him an invaluable--if unconventional--consultant to the local police. With razor-sharp wit and an entourage of charming social misfits, Book helps unravel London's most puzzling mysteries by turning to the thousands of books lining his shelves."

Polly Walker (Bridgerton, Line of Duty) stars as Trottie Book; Connor Finch (Everything I Know About Love) as Jack; Elliot Levey (We Were the Lucky Ones, Quiz) as Inspector Bliss; Blake Harrison (World on Fire, Still Up) as Sergeant Morris; and Buket Kömür (Our House) as Nora. 

Bookish is a production of Eagle Eye Drama (an ITV Studios Company) and Happy Duck Films produced in association with UKTV and Beta Film for PBS.

Alexis Hall (Confounding Oaths) dives deep into adventure and introspection in Hell's Heart, an expansive, sexy, and vibrant retelling of Moby-Dick set in the atmosphere of Jupiter.

"There's... days when my whole life feels like a prison and my body feels like the jailer and something inside me wants to tear out through my chest... That's when I figure it's time to go voyaging," says the narrator, who declines to give the reader a firm name for herself other than "I." Flat broke and in danger of having her expensively modified body repossessed by her debtors, she decides to join an expedition to hunt Leviathans, the "Jovian beasts whose cerebrospinal fluid powered every ship, lamp, relativistic damper, and oxygen diffuser in the system." She meets a harpooner she calls "Q," a woman from a devastated Earth the narrator has heard described as the home of cannibals and criminals. Q speaks primarily by quoting the Bible in Latin, and has glowing tattoos and an "idol" readers will recognize as similar to a tablet or smartphone. The narrator, who was raised in a church that holds consumerism as next to godliness, is both drawn to Q and unable to understand her. The two women find employment on a ship called Pequod whose hull is fashioned of Leviathan bones. The eerie craft is captained by a one-legged woman referred to only as "A." She carries a burning obsession with taking revenge on the Möbius Beast, the vast white Leviathan she claims took her leg. Some call the creature a myth, but A quickly gains sway over the narrator and the entire crew through "the inescapable, neutron-star gravity of her," the promise of possible wealth, and to some extent through being "extraordinarily hot." The voyage brings the narrator up against terrifying beasts, dangerous people with perilous beliefs, and the deepest hells of the human heart.

Hall imbues an American classic with sharp British wit, delivering an update to Melville by way of Wilde with a modern, frequently erotic sensibility. The narrative alternates between propulsive action, uncanny world-building, and the narrator's own soul-searching, but always maintains a constant seeking ferocity at its core. Familiarity with Moby-Dick is certainly not required to enjoy this futuristic revision, but brushing up on the major plot points will enrich the reading experience. This catastrophic prophecy of humanity's spacefaring future marries with scenes of feverish beauty for an imaginative and unforgettable adventure. --Jaclyn Fulwood, blogger at Infinite Reads

Shelf Talker: Alexis Hall delivers a sexy, expansive, and vibrant adventure in this sapphic, futuristic retelling of Moby-Dick.

The following were the most popular book club books during December based on votes from book club readers in more than 94,000 book clubs registered at Bookmovement.com:

1. The Correspondent: A Novel by Virginia Evans (Crown)
2. The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (Doubleday)
3. The Wedding People: A Novel by Alison Espach (Holt)
4. Theo of Golden by Allen Levi (Atria)
5. The Names: A Novel by Florence Knapp (Pamela Dorman Books)
6. Atmosphere: A Love Story by Taylor Jenkins Reid (Ballantine)
7. Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan (Grove Press)
8. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick (Harper Muse)
9. All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Crown)
10. The Housemaid by Freida McFadden (Grand Central) 

Rising Stars:
Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre (Knopf)
Christmas Presents by Lisa Unger (Mysterious Press)