Across Minnesota on Friday, hundreds of businesses closed to protest the surge of federal immigration enforcement action in the state, with labor unions, community activists, and faith leaders organizing an economic blackout, "ICE Out of Minnesota: Day of Truth and Freedom." The stakes were tragically raised on Saturday when Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse, was killed in Minneapolis by federal agents, sparking intensified protests as well as memorial services and vigils. 

Vigil at Big Hill Books

Beth Thompson, owner of Big Hill Books in Minneapolis, noted on Sunday that the bookstore "stayed open late on January 24 to host a candlelight vigil for grieving residents of Bryn Mawr, Harrison, and Near North neighborhoods in the Twin Cities. Hundreds of vigils sprung up in neighborhoods across the metro area to show support for one another. On nights like this, independent bookstores are more than just bookstores."

In anticipation of Friday's protest, Eric Plumb, owner of Amazing Alonzo Bookstore in Duluth, told the News Tribune last week: "I think the hope is to bring some awareness of what's going on in the (Twin) Cities and other states in the country. It's dangerous, for one. It's unjust. It's bringing a lot of fear to the communities--not only for immigrant families but for entire neighborhoods."

And Anna Smith, owner of Garden Party Books in Rochester, told MPR News: "We're saying we are not doing business as usual. So many of our neighbors are immigrant neighbors who have businesses--they can't come to work right now because they're scared. So for me to say, 'Oh, but I can keep doing business,' just feels so wrong."

Independent booksellers throughout the state were active participants in the unfolding events over the weekend, including Zenith Bookstore in Duluth, Black Garnet Books in Saint Paul, Well Read Books in Elk River, Valley Bookseller in Stillwater, Lake Country Booksellers in White Bear Lake, the Thinking Spot in Wayzata,  Content Bookstore in Northfield, Excelsior Bay Books in Excelsior, Buffalo Books & Coffee in Buffalo, and Minneapolis indies Birchbark Books & Native Arts, Milkweed Books, Wild Rumpus, Inkwell Booksellers Company, SubText: A Bookstore, the Irreverent Bookworm, Eat My Words Books, Tropes & Trifles, and the Book House in Dinkytown. 

During the weekend, indies have been posting updates on social media, including:

Friday
Scout & Morgan Books, Cambridge: "Our bookstore's doors are open today to offer a community space for warmth, conversation, and togetherness. We've shared meaningful conversations, and yes, tears, with many of you over the past month and that doesn't stop today. If you are choosing to honor the economic blackout being held today across our state, we support that wholeheartedly. The mission of our store has never been just about sales. We will be donating 100% of our profits today to Safe Havens MN."

Anti-ICE supplies at Next Chapter Booksellers

Saturday
Next Chapter Booksellers, Saint Paul: "We have no words at this time. We're so inspired by yesterday's proof of Minnesota pride, community, and solidarity; and heartbroken by another unnecessary death of a fellow Minnesotan and human being today. We are here. We have space to warm-up, to rest, and to just be. We have anti-ice supplies. We have each other. Stay Warm. Stay Safe. Let's get ICE out."

Comma, a Bookshop, Minneapolis: "Federal agents shot and killed another Minnesotan today. 50% of profits from all sales today (in store and online) will be donated to Unidos MN. Unidos is the nonprofit organization behind the Monarca Rapid Response Line and was one of the organizers behind yesterday's general strike. Everyone has their own breaking point. Today is mine. We're going to close the shop at 2:30 so our team can participate in vigils, protests, self care, and other actions across the city this afternoon and evening."

Sunday
Storyline Bookshop, Saint Paul: "We are closing early January 24 to attend the vigil being held in Mears Park to honor Alex Pretti and Renee Good. There is no reforming this. Abolish ICE."

Bookstore at Fitger's, Duluth: "Hearts are heavy today all across the country and all across the state of Minnesota. We don't know what you need today, but we will be open from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.--ready to be the good thing."

Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery in Seattle, Wash., noted that during Saturday's coverage of the killing in Minneapolis, "news cameras captured this protester courageously confronting the heavily armed goons, shouting at them to leave. He was assaulted with toxic gas, retreating only briefly to rinse his eyes. He was eventually enveloped in the chemical clouds. This fierce man is our colleague Greg Ketter, owner of DreamHaven Books. Next time you're in Minneapolis please patronize his wonderful comix shop in support. Resist!!!" An MS Now TikTok of the moment has since gone viral. 

Yesterday, Ketter posted on DreamHaven's Facebook page: "I'm overwhelmed... would be an understatement. I truly appreciate all the words and actions of support people have shown. DreamHaven is a small operation; we're closed on Sundays (I rest sometimes) and our website is not used to handling so many orders. We'll be back in the store on Monday morning and we'll be happy to sort out everyone's orders, questions and comments then. Until then, I'm resting up a bit and calming myself down from my anger and sadness. Be well and safe everyone."

Troy Chatterton, who has worked at Three Lives & Company, New York City, for 14 years, the last 10 of them as manager, is leaving the bookstore to open his own bookstore this spring, Wild Sorrel Cookbooks. Located in the East Village, Wild Sorrel will sell mostly new cookbooks, along with a selection of well-chosen used and rare books. The store will also carry books on gardening, travel, and other culinary topics. The store's aim is to be "a cookbook shop devoted to the home cook, its community, and the joy of cooking." (At Three Lives & Company, Ryan Murphy has been promoted to manager, succeeding Chatterton. See Notes below.)

Troy Chatterton

Chatterton's Kickstarter campaign to help launch the store runs until February 1 and so far has raised more than $56,000 toward its goal of $70,000. "What a humbling experience to be on this side of so much generosity, support, and excitement," he commented. "All for a cookbook shop!"

In his wonderful "Story" for the Kickstarter, Chatterton wrote that after he became manager of Three Lives & Company in 2015, owner Toby Cox "noticed my passion for cookbooks and asked if I'd be interested in writing a column for the shop's newsletter devoted to the new cookbooks of the season. So began my Cookbook Corner column, which I've written twice a year since 2018. Little did either of us know what path this would help set me on.

"How could I have anticipated that so many of the cooks and people in the food world that I admire and read would be passing through Three Lives or that they'd become friends of the shop? In 2017 we did our first cookbook event with Melissa Clark for her new cookbook Dinner and it was a huge success (And so much fun!). After I had been to Chez Panisse in Berkeley one summer, I was helping a woman at the counter and--like an apparition--it was Alice Waters! She had long been coming to Three Lives but that encounter (and our conversation about her corn soup!) would be the beginning of getting to know each other. The list of cooks, bakers and food writers who come through our door goes on and on--Diana Henry, Claudia Fleming, Deb Perelman, Ruth Reichl, Rita & Jody from Via Carota, Kevin West, Tamar Adler, Bee Wilson, Alison Roman and many more. Meeting the people behind the cookbooks that have meant so much to me has deepened my appreciation for them. And it's fun to share those experiences with the customers who are in search of their own cookbooks....

"In 2024 I helped out at Bonnie Slotnick's cookbook shop on 2nd Street, while she dealt with health issues (from which she has recovered and is doing very well!). Bonnie has created a space that is deeply personal. People know they are someplace special from the moment they step through her door. She's put her whole life into the creation of Bonnie Slotnick Cookbooks, making cookbooks of the past available in a unique setting. Over the course of many days between April and December, I saw with my own eyes the way people responded delightedly to Bonnie's magical room filled with antiquarian and out-of-print culinary books. It was a privilege to see it from her side of the counter, and tap into that magic....

"I want [Wild Sorrel] to be a place where people find what they need, and discover something unexpected; a place where people feel welcomed, seen, comforted; a place people leave feeling better and brighter than they arrived. I want Wild Sorrel to inspire people to cook more often, with more confidence, more freedom, and with joy. I want people to feel like Wild Sorrel was made for them."

The American Booksellers Association board of directors has appointed Donya Craddock of the Dock Bookshop in Fort Worth, Tex., to the board, filling a vacant seat, Bookselling This Week reported. The board has also recommended Craddock for a three-year term (2026-2029) in the board elections that take place this spring. 

Donya Craddock

In addition, the board recommended John Cavalier of Cavalier House Books, Denham Springs and Lafayette, La., for a three-year term, which would fill the vacancy created by the end of the second term of former president Tegan Tigani of Queen Anne Book Company, Seattle, Wash. 

Directors on the current board who are up for re-election are Diane Capriola, Little Shop of Stories, Decatur, Ga.; Jessica Stockton Bagnulo, Greenlight Bookstores, Brooklyn, N.Y.; Lisa Swayze, Buffalo Street Books, Ithaca, N.Y.; and Holly Weinkauf, Red Balloon Bookshop, St. Paul, Minn.

ABA members will receive ballots for the board elections via e-mail in March. Members can petition to have booksellers added to the ballot; the ballots will include space for write-in candidates. When voting ends, results will be announced in Bookselling This Week. The ABA's annual membership meeting will be held virtually on May 28 at 2 p.m. Eastern.

The board said that new board member Donya Craddock is "the co-owner of The Dock Bookshop, one of Texas' longest-running independent bookstores, alongside her business partner Donna Craddock, and is a respected leader of multiple reading and community-based initiatives. She has served as a member of the American Booksellers Association Advisory Board and is a committee member for Reading the West with the Mountain & Plains Independent Booksellers Association. Donya is also a Certified Professional Bookseller in Event Management, having completed her certification through Professional Booksellers School. 

"In addition to her work in bookselling and community engagement, Donya has an extensive professional background in mortgage banking and real estate. She earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and History from Iowa State University, followed by a Master of Business Administration. Donya spent more than 30 years in the mortgage industry, where she received numerous awards and accolades and earned the Accredited Mortgage Professional (AMP) certification from the Mortgage Bankers Association. Her career also included serving as a real estate broker, during which she incorporated real estate strategy books into her client services." 

The board said that board nominee John Cavalier is "the co-owner of Cavalier House Books with his wife, Michelle. Together, they run two independent bookstores rooted in Louisiana culture and guided by a belief in books as vital community anchors. John is deeply committed to supporting regional voices, independent publishing, and Louisiana's literary culture.

"John has been a bookseller for 23 years and is also the owner of Looziana Book Co., a small regional-interest wholesaler and distributor focused on amplifying Louisiana-based authors and publishers. Through both retail and distribution, his work centers on strengthening the local literary landscape and expanding access to independent and local publishing.

"He currently serves on the American Booksellers Association's Booksellers Advisory Council and previously served as board president of the Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance. Locally, John serves on the Denham Springs Historic Commission as well as the Denham Springs Planning and Zoning Commissions."

Behrman House, the Jewish educational publisher whose Apples & Honey Press imprint publishes children's books with an emphasis on social and emotional skills and character development, has been sold by longtime owners David Behrman and Vicki Weber to Derek Stordahl. Stordahl was most recently general manager at Holiday House and Peachtree and he has held leadership positions at McGraw-Hill and Bloomsbury. Behrman and Weber are retiring.

Derek Stordahl

Founded in 1921 as Behrman's Jewish Book Shop, Behrman House, Millburn, N.J., has more than 800 titles in print and serves K-12 students and schools in North America covering subjects such as history, holidays, values, the Bible, and Hebrew. It also publishes adult trade books for readers seeking to explore Jewish thought and learning by authors such as Rachel Cowan, David Wolpe, Laura Geller, and Milton Steinberg. In 2015, Behrman House launched Apples & Honey Press. Its notable authors include David Adler, Barbara Diamond Goldin, Eric Kimmel, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, Jane Yolen, among others.

Weber said that Stordahl "understands the education side of the business and has a vision for building the children's trade list."

Behrman noted that "after three generations as our family's business, this is a poignant moment. We're so very pleased that Behrman House will continue as an independent press, and that Derek will keep the team together so they can continue to serve the readers and educators who have come to trust our work."

Stordahl commented: "I've known David and Vicki for years and long admired their intelligence, dedication, and the joy they've brought to their work at Behrman House. I'm thrilled to build on their extraordinary legacy. Throughout my career, I've believed in the power of books to make a difference--to educate, transform, entertain, and enlighten--whether through exploring spirituality, developing professional skills, learning new languages, or building connections within families and communities. As I go forward with the dedicated and talented team at Behrman House, I'm committed to serving the needs of the Jewish community as Behrman House has done for more than 100 years. At the same time, this is an opportunity for the House to explore new markets and go from strength to strength in expanding our publishing reach."

"The snow is coming down heavily across our city," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Sunday in a winter storm update that also included a book recommendation: "And I can think of no better excuse for New Yorkers to stay home, take a long nap, or take advantage of our public library's offer of free access to Heated Rivalry on e-book or audiobook for anyone with a library card."

Here's the New York Public Library's offer: "If you're in line for Heated Rivalry and other books in the Game Changers series--GET OUT OF LINE. Starting today, and through Valentine's Day on February 14, e-book and audiobook copies of Heated Rivalry--currently the most popular romance novel in the U.S.--and all five other books in the Game Changers series are immediately available (no wait!) to anyone with an NYPL library card. Read or listen to one or all of the books through the Libby app."

"Thank you for helping us celebrate our first Twilight Prom!" Bromley's Books in Marquette, Mich., posted on Instagram. "We had so much fun and are always delighted by your creativity and enthusiasm (your outfits and costumes were incredible!). You all made this a sparkly night to remember, we can't wait to do it again."

Described as "a sparkly night out," the Twilight Book Prom was held earlier this month, with the bookstore hosting a pre-prom event from 5-8 p.m., followed by music & dancing at Ore Dock Brewing Co.

Ryan Murphy has been promoted to manager at Three Lives & Company, New York City. Murphy has worked at the shop for 14 years, including moonlighting on Saturday evenings during his five years in the marketing department at Penguin Books.

Reach by Celesta Rimington (Nancy Paulsen Books).

Today:
CBS Mornings: Spencer Pratt, author of The Guy You Loved to Hate: Confessions from a Reality TV Villain (Gallery, $30, 9781668211762).

Tamron Hall: Chris Appleton, author of Your Roots Don't Define You: Transform Your Life. Create Your Comeback. (Hanover Square Press, $30, 9781335001429).

Also on Tamron Hall: Sarah Vacchiano, author of Soft Launch: A Coming-of-Adulthood Novel (Little A, $16.99, 9781662536885).

Fresh Air: Heather Ann Thompson, author of Fear and Fury: The Reagan Eighties, the Bernie Goetz Shootings, and the Rebirth of White Rage (Pantheon, $35, 9780593702093).

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: Governor Josh Shapiro, author of Where We Keep the Light: Stories from a Life of Service (Harper, $30, 9780063463905). He will also appear tomorrow on CBS Mornings and the View.

Late Night with Seth Meyers: Chris Hayes, author of The Sirens' Call: How Attention Became the World's Most Endangered Resource (Penguin Books, $20, 9780593653135). 

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Beatrice Dixon, author of The Soul Instinct (Gallery, $30, 9781668049730).

The View: Marc Shaiman, author of Never Mind the Happy: Showbiz Stories from a Sore Winner (Regalo Press, $30, 9798895652244). He will also appear on Late Night with Seth Meyers.

Late Show with Stephen Colbert: George Saunders, author of Vigil: A Novel (Random House, $28, 9780525509622).

Lionsgate announced that Paul Feig's film The Housemaid, which was adapted from Freida McFadden's bestselling novel and has made more than $133 million worldwide in its first 17 days of release, is getting a sequel. IndieWire reported that a 2026 production start is planned for the author's second book in the series, The Housemaid's Secret.

The Housemaid stars Amanda Seyfried, Sydney Sweeney, Brandon Sklenar, and Michele Morrone. Lionsgate said the sequel has been in development for the past few months, with screenwriter Rebecca Sonnenshine returning to adapt The Housemaid's Secret. Also back are producers Todd Lieberman of Hidden Pictures, as well as Feig and Laura Fischer of Feig's Pretty Dangerous Pictures. Exec producers include Hidden Pictures' Carly Elter and Alex Young, along with Sweeney and McFadden.

"It's clear from both the global box office and from the outpouring on social media that audiences have responded strongly--and audibly--to the totally unique and truly theatrical experience of The Housemaid and want to know what happens next," said Lionsgate Motion Picture Group chair Adam Fogelson. "The Housemaid's Secret is another wildly thrilling book in Freida's series that has captivated readers worldwide, and we look forward to translating it into a similarly rousing and riotous moviegoing experience."

Kaplan's Plot by Jason Diamond (Flatiron Books) has won the $1,000 2026 Association of Jewish Libraries (AJL) Jewish Fiction Award, honoring "works of fiction originally written in or translated into English with significant Jewish thematic content published in the U.S. in 2025."

The AJL commented: "A bracing and intellectually alive work of contemporary Jewish fiction, Kaplan's Plot announces Diamond as a novelist of uncommon precision and insight. The novel moves deftly between irony and earnestness, tracing a protagonist caught between the stories he has inherited and the one he is struggling to write for himself. With a voice at once restless and reflective, Diamond interrogates ambition, memory, and moral responsibility in a world where personal reinvention is never fully disentangled from communal history." 

Three honor books were also recognized:
Sisters of Fortune by Esther Chehebar (Random House)
Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein (Doubleday)
The Maiden and Her Monster by Maddie Martinez (Tor Books)

Anyone picking up The Life You Want seeking easily digestible guidance on how to meet life's challenges is in for something of a surprise. In these seven concise, erudite, but frequently dense essays, British psychoanalyst Adam Phillips (On Wanting to Change) is less interested in dispensing advice about how to do that than he is in plumbing some of the depths of human consciousness explored by Sigmund Freud, his followers, and his critics.

Beginning with the opening essay, "On Getting the Life You Want," Phillips introduces the book's central theme: the contrast between Freud's theory of the unconscious, a "different, alien, unlearned, instinct-driven form of thinking," and the "certainly novel" view that American pragmatist philosopher Richard Rorty espoused. Rorty, as Phillips characterizes his view, describes the unconscious (or as he calls it, "unconscious selves") as "potentially good company, a group of selves more than able to keep our best interests in mind. Really useful, helpful and informed."

Phillips returns to this theme in the essay "On Not Being Taught," where he writes most accessibly about the book's ostensible subject. In it, he expands his investigation to focus on the work of prominent British pediatrician and psychoanalyst Donald Winnicott, best known for his theory of "good enough" parenting, and the subject of one of Phillips's earlier books. After discussing Winnicott's affinity for Freud's determinism, he nonetheless recognizes a commonality with Rorty, as "both describe us as picking out and pulling out of this tangle, this chaos, what matters to us, what works for us, what we find ourselves affected by in the cultural fields that we find ourselves in." That view contrasts with the psychoanalytic perspective that "believes in the unconscious, instinctual life and the Oedipus complex, and therefore has a greatly attenuated sense of human agency, all underwritten by an ineluctable biological determinism and a consequent belief in objective scientific truth."

The Life You Want clearly presumes a grounding in psychoanalytic theory and might have benefited from some explanatory notes and a list of titles for further reading to provide help for those not already versed in the concepts and controversies Phillips addresses. That includes his frequent references to some of the lesser known psychoanalysts (at least to general readers) like Jean Laplanche and Sándor Ferenczi whose work he alludes to. Though it's likely to be a challenging undertaking, anyone interested in taking a deep dive into theories of the unconscious and its impact on how we live our lives will find it intriguing and may be inspired to go further in their own investigation. ---Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: In seven challenging essays, psychoanalyst Adam Phillips contrasts Freudian psychoanalysis and Rortyan pragmatism in describing the formation of human identity.