Palomino Books & Music opened July 1 in Tulsa, Okla., the Cherokee Phoenix reported. Located at 2411 E. Admiral Blvd. in Tulsa's Kendall-Whittier District, Palomino Books & Music sells new and used books with an emphasis on work by Indigenous authors and about Indigenous topics, along with bestsellers, classics, and bilingual titles. The store also offers new and used vinyl. 

Palomino Books & Music is the brainchild of owners and married couple Paloma Lopez and Agalisiga Mackey. Lopez is the author of the children's book Popo the Xolo, which is based on Indigenous Mexican culture, while Mackey is a country singer and citizen of the Cherokee Nation. Lopez explained that Mackey is the "music man" while she is the "book lady."

"We both kind of had the thought of what could we do as artists, as creatives in our respective areas, what can we do on our own," Lopez told the Cherokee Phoenix.

Both co-owners are passionate about language education, and they plan to offer Cherokee-language courses at Palomino Books & Music. The store also has a listening room, complete with a performance area, seating, and a mural painted by Cherokee artist Kindra Swafford. Mackey did the first live performance in that listening room on July 3, and a song swap featuring Mackey and three other artists is scheduled for July 17.

Lopez noted that they chose to open a store in Tulsa despite living some 50 miles outside of it because it is "such a hub for Indigenous creators and really just creators in general that are putting Tulsa on the map," she told the Cherokee Phoenix. "We’ve got it all, and we’ve got the best, and I say that coming from the West Coast. There are people who know what’s up and are doing really cool things, and we're excited to be a part of it."

Wild Meadows Books & Cafe held its soft opening recently at 27 Market St. in Williston, Vt., featuring books for all ages alongside local artwork, WCAX reported, adding that a cafe on-site will offer drinks and treats from Mirabelle's Bakery. A grand opening celebration is scheduled for July 11 and 12.

Owners Rick and Susan Cote, who also publish the Williston Observer, said, "There's a trend of people returning to physical books, and wanting to buy those physical books in a bookstore, and not online. I think that the community in Williston also wants a place to gather, and celebrate community."

After its soft opening, Wild Meadows posted on social media: "Dreams do come true. Wild Meadows Books & Café is now open! As we count down to our Grand Opening celebration... we're thrilled to invite you to come in and experience the magic. Step into our cozy haven, indulge in a cup of inspiration, and get lost in our shelves of wonder. Stay tuned for updates and details on our grand opening weekend and share your thoughts with us. Thank you for believing in us, and we can't wait to connect with you soon!"

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation has named this year's winners of two scholarships managed by the foundation. The Macmillan scholarship allows booksellers from underrepresented groups to attend their region's independent booksellers association trade show. Each scholarship covers the cost of travel, lodging, and meals up to $750. This year's winners are: 

Renee Joyce of Moonstone & Mist Bookshop, Redondo Beach, Calif. (CALIBA)
Nahin Cano of Seminary Co-op Bookstore, Chicago, Ill. (GLIBA)
Jasmine Baker of Black Garnet Books, St. Paul, Minn. (MIBA)
Diana Garibay of Cardinal Books, Coppell, Tex. (MPIBA)
Priscilla Martinez of West Side Stories, Purcellville, Va. (NAIBA)
Kailey Barrows of Belonging Books, Hyannis, Mass. (NEIBA)
Georgia Sprague of Country Bookshelf, Bozeman, Mont. (PNBA)
Tamara Olmedo of Cuentos Café Books, Asheville, N.C. (SIBA)

The Keating scholarship provides $750 to a bookseller in the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association, Southern Independent Booksellers Alliance, and New England Independent Booksellers Association, for the purpose of professional development. The winners, chosen by each regional association, are:

Patrick Flaherty, Community Bookstore, Brooklyn, N.Y. (NAIBA)
Finley Walker, Inklings Book Shoppe, Lakeland, Fla. (SIBA)
NEIBA recipient to be named at a later date

"Binc is proud to play a role in helping book people expand their knowledge and grow in their roles," said Binc CEO Pam French. "Partnering with Macmillan Publishers, the friends of publishing sales rep George Keating, and the regional associations allows us to support booksellers across the country. Congratulations to all the recipients."

Haunted Burrow Books, which opened in 2025 at 430 15th Ave. E in Seattle, Wash., with a focus on horror, fantasy, science fiction, and occult titles, closed its storefront last month, but will continue doing pop-ups and vendor fairs throughout the city. 

In an Instagram post, owner Roxanne Guiney thanked the community for its support and noted: "The brick-and-mortar space was always meant to be a temporary venture for Haunted Burrow, as both an experiment and a chance to run a real bookstore for a little bit before getting back to regular life. Like a bunny, we were here for a good time, not a long time. And it turned out to be a great time. A solidly amazing time.

"Thank you for your support, your kindness, your generosity, your love for reading, your friendship, and all of your book recommendations! We'll be lurking around Seattle's markets and vendor fairs soon, slinging books and chatting about our new favorites. Until then, continue being kind, and enjoy your next read."

Katharine Trowbridge, the U.S. publicity director for Titan Publishing Group--known professionally as Katharine T. Carroll--died June 28, the Bookseller reported. She was 68.

Katharine Trowbridge

Trowbridge worked with the company's Titan Books, Titan Comics, and Hard Case Crime imprints for nearly two decades. She was described by the publisher as "a force of nature at the helm of the company's publicity in the U.S., bringing a career of media expertise to her work across a changing landscape, while championing authors with support and guidance.... She was dearly beloved by her colleagues within Titan and around the world."

She began her publicity career with Time Inc. in 1980 before launching her own publicity company, KTCommunication, in 1990, working with magazines, authors, and publishing companies. In 2008, she joined Titan Publishing as U.S. publicity director. "She was the native New Yorker heart of Titan's New York Comic Con booth over the years and brought her warm, lively personality to interactions with countless fans and readers," the publisher said.

Titan Entertainment Group co-owners Nick Landau and Vivian Cheung said: "We are devastated by the loss of Katharine. She had the warmest of personalities and cared deeply for all her authors as well as her colleagues on both sides of the Atlantic. She glowed whenever she discussed any aspect of publishing and had a phenomenal knowledge of all facets of publishing. Her contribution to Titan enabled us to grow far faster in the U.S. than we ever thought possible. We will miss her dearly."

Congratulations to Dick Hermans, co-founder and co-owner of Oblong Books, Millerton and Rhinebeck, N.Y., who is being honored with the 2026 Estabrook Community Leadership Award for outstanding leadership in community service. Sponsored by the Lakeville Journal and the Millerton News, the award will be presented October 11 at the papers' annual Jubilee fundraising celebration.

Dick Hermans with Suzanna Hermans at Oblong Books

James Clark, publisher and CEO of the two newspapers, said, "Dick's community leadership is a model for us all. For decades, he has devoted his time, energy, and resources to causes that improve the quality of life in our region. He has done so with humility, generosity, and a deep belief in the value of community. We are delighted to honor Dick with the Estabrook Community Leadership Award and to celebrate his remarkable contributions."

The newspapers added, "A co-founder and longtime steward of Oblong Books, Dick has spent decades championing writers, readers, and independent bookselling. Equally important, he has generously--and often quietly--devoted his time, energy, and leadership to strengthening Millerton and the surrounding communities. His contributions have included leadership roles and active involvement with the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, the Millerton Business Alliance, the Irondale Schoolhouse, and his long-running New Harmony radio program on WKZE."

Hermans said, "I feel lucky to live in a region with so many remarkable nonprofit organizations and civic leaders working every day to strengthen our communities. Any contributions I have made have been possible because I have had the privilege of working alongside generous, committed people who care deeply about where we live."

Joan Osofsky and Dick Hermans's daughter Suzanna Hermans are serving as co-chairs of the award presentation's host committee, which has attracted more than 50 community members.

"Psst. Nash. Don't tell Dad that I'm up here," Cupboard Maker Books in Enola, Pa., posted on Instagram.

Caroline Noll has joined the Simon & Schuster Digital & Online Sales team as national account manager. She was previously national account manager at Scholastic.

Today:
Here & Now: Susanna Kaysen, author of Girl, Interrupted, the 1993 memoir that is the basis of an off-Broadway musical .

Tomorrow:
Good Morning America: Justin Halpern, author of Get Lost (Cardinal, $29, 9781538778029).

Today: Jayson Tatum, co-author of Baby Dunks-a-Lot: The Day the Basketballs Stopped Bouncing (Abrams Books for Young Readers, $19.99, 9781419771477).

Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Mary Oliver's life and career are explored in the new documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World, directed by Sasha Waters. Deadline reported that the film has opened at IFC Center in New York City and will debut on July 11 at Laemmle theaters in Los Angeles before expanding to select theaters nationwide.

"She's a poet for people who love poetry, but she's also a poet for people who might think they don't really like poetry or might not really know about poetry or might feel intimidated or bored by poetry," Waters said. "She invites people into the work at every level, and she's not interested in playing with language for the sake of playing with language.... I think she's interested in asking the viewer to share an experience or to reflect on their own experience."

Noting that there is "pressure, I think, to put celebrities in documentaries," Waters observed: "So, for me, it was really important that if we were going to do that, there needed to be a real connection, like why are they in the film? Helena Bonham Carter, there's a TikTok of her reading a Mary Oliver poem. So that's how I found out she was a Mary Oliver fan. Stephen Colbert told a guest on his show that he sent the poem 'The Summer Day' to his children on the first day of summer every year."

The Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association has named three new inductees into its Hall of Fame:

• Kelley Armstrong, bestselling and award-winning author of more than 50 books.
• James Alan Gardner, Aurora Award-winner, Seiun Award-winner, Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner; Hugo and Nebula finalist.
• Mike Glicksohn, First Fandom posthumous Hall of Fame inductee (2024); past president of the Fanzine Writers of America; Hugo winner.

The CSFFA Hall of Fame celebrates "the best Canadian writers, editors, publishers, artists, musicians, scientists, organizers, and fans who have, over the decades, made a significant contribution to the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror." Inductees receive a plaque and have their names engraved on the permanent trophy, which has been frequently displayed at conventions and other events across the country.

In his melancholy World War II novel, The Barman of the Ritz, French writer Philippe Collin brings readers into the life of Frank Meier, longtime barman at the Petit Bar in the Ritz Paris hotel. Collin explores Frank's inner struggles relating to the complicated decisions he made during the war, and also gives a detailed inside look at the hotel's clientele--including a number of high-ranking German officers--during those difficult years.

Translated from the French by Frank Wynne, Collin's taut narrative takes place during the occupation of Paris, from the Nazis' 1940 conquering march into the city to their surrender to Allied forces in August 1944. Frank, meticulous in crafting cocktails and managing the particulars of his bar, hides his loneliness and worry behind an impeccably groomed facade. He makes sure his right-hand man, Georges, and their young apprentice, Luciano, maintain the high standards he has set for the Petit Bar. Privately, though, Frank is terrified: he has long hidden his Jewish heritage, and he is determined to protect his secret, along with that of Luciano (also a Jew) and Blanche, the American Jewish wife of Ritz manager Claude Auzello.

As the war drags on, Frank must maintain an elegant front for the German officers who patronize the Ritz bar, while also working with a clandestine network to secure forged papers for Jewish families to leave France. The unexpected appearance of Frank's son, Jean-Jacques, and his niece, Pauline, provides some surprise joy, but also adds another layer of worry. Night after night, Frank mixes drinks at the Ritz while navigating shifting alliances among his clients and colleagues; worrying that his fragile protections will collapse; and wondering if his choices make him an unofficial Resistance fighter or a collaborator with the Nazi regime.

Collin, known for his "Facing History" podcast, draws on extensive research into the lives of Frank and other historical characters, including well-known figures such as designer Coco Chanel; the hotel's senior staff, such as owner Marie-Louise Ritz and the Auzellos; and several prominent Nazi officers, whose patronage ensures the Ritz continues to flourish during the war. Readers also get a window into Frank's inner life through excerpts from his diary, where he muses on his past life, his tangled present, and the precarious future of Paris and the Ritz. As complex as one of Frank's signature cocktails, The Barman of the Ritz presents a multifaceted account of life under Nazi rule and a sensitive portrait of a man forced to make impossible choices. --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams

Shelf Talker: Philippe Collin's melancholy novel takes readers deep into Nazi-occupied Paris through the eyes of Ritz bartender Frank Meier.