University Book Store, Seattle, Wash., and Barnes & Noble have offered more details about the arrangement under which B&N is taking over the general books department at the University of Washington's bookstore.

The partnership will lead to an expansion of the trade book department to two floors, significantly expanding its inventory and selection, University Book Store said in a statement. This will enable the store "to remain the preeminent general books provider in the college industry." The Daily, the university's student newspaper, said the move will double the space devoted to trade books to 17,000 square feet.

UBS CEO Trevor Peterson commented, "Pairing the expertise, supply chain efficiency, and IT infrastructure of B&N with UBS's robust events program, knowledgeable staff, and locally curated focus will take the department to new heights."

The store emphasized that it will "stay independent and concentrate on the core of our mission: providing textbooks and student supplies for the university community, promoting UW through insignia products, and supporting students."

Under the agreement with B&N, all University Book Store staff who work in the trade book department will be retained by B&N and "remain in charge of curating the selection of books and programming to keep the local Seattle flair of the University Book Store." The store and B&N said they will work together on "this completely new store model that differs from Barnes & Noble's conventional stores." They pointed to B&N CEO James Daunt's efforts to give B&N stores more autonomy, saying that the partnership will represent "an apotheosis of that philosophy."

The Daily reported that talks between the store and B&N began more than two years ago, when Peterson approached B&N. He also spoke with other bookstores, "including independent operators," but found B&N to be "the strongest partner."

The agreement is to run for 10 years, with the possibility of a reevaluation after four years, the Daily added. The trade department will be "co-branded," and B&N will pay rent and a percentage of sales.

Founded in 1900 by University of Washington students, the store is independent from the university and operates as a corporate trust for the benefit of UW students, faculty, and staff. It is one of the oldest bookstores in the country, and at one point had nine stores, some at UW campuses and others in Seattle suburbs and nearby cities that resembled general trade bookstores, but with a strong UW section. In the last decade, University Book Store closed its branches, including the ones in Bellevue, Tacoma, Mill Creek, and Bothell.

Among University Book Store's many talented alumni is Shelf Awareness's own Marilyn Dahl, who said, "I worked at University Book Store for 20 glorious years, when it was one of the biggest and best college bookstores in the country; in fact, as far as breadth and depth of inventory, it had become the most noteworthy single trade bookstore in the country. To me, it's heartbreaking that the general books department lost its indie status, but I'm glad that with B&N's partnership, it can keep on carrying on."

Main Street Midland's current location.

Main Squeeze Midland romance bookstore, which is currently located in downtown Midland, Tex., will be moving to the Ally Village shopping center at 200 Spring Park Drive in north Midland. The Midland Reporter-Telegram reported that on May 19, Planning and Zoning commissioners voted to recommend to City Council that Main Squeeze's request to sell alcohol, which is part of the shop's overall business plan, be approved.

The store predominantly "features a long table in the center where customers can wine and dine with others. The new location will allow for greater floor space and ease of access to the surrounding shopping, office and residential areas," the Reporter-Telegram noted.

"We're looking to expand into the community and offer wine and sodas and a place to sit and build community, specifically for females in the area," said Megan Dixon, co-owner of Main Squeeze.

Laurie's Books, located at 1678 Beavercreek Rd., Ste. T, in Oregon City, Ore., is closing and will be holding a liquidation sale of all inventory and fixtures through Portland Book Week, which ends June 14.

In a social media post, owner Rekha Burns noted: "We thought maybe by converting to nonprofit, we could keep the store open but a few days ago we got another increase in our rent. Due to increasing operating costs, we've made the difficult decision to wind down operations.... We're grateful for the community's support over the years and hope to see you one last time. Thank you for being part of our story."

Burns told the Clackamas Print that she came to the U.S. in her late 20s after spending years helping vulnerable children in her native India. Owning a bookstore had been a lifelong dream. "I feel terrible," she said. "The store survived Covid-19 but I'm not able to save it."

Burns and her husband, Louis Burns, had started fundraising, even creating a nonprofit Oregon City Literary Community, with the hope of selling the store in a way that wouldn't sacrifice the community's third place, the Clackamas Print wrote, adding that they "had big dreams for the store, including a coffee stand inside. But, these dreams were cut short."

Susan Brownmiller, the feminist author, journalist and activist whose book Against Our Will: Men, Women and Rape (1975) "helped define the modern view of rape, debunking it as an act of passion and reframing it as a crime of power and violence," died May 24, the New York Times reported. She was 90. Against Our Will was translated into a dozen languages and ranked by the New York Public Library as one of the 100 most important books of the 20th century.

Susan Brownmiller

"Chilling and monumental," the lawyer Mary Ellen Gale wrote in the New York Times Book Review. Time magazine called the book "the most rigorous and provocative piece of scholarship that has yet emerged from the feminist movement" and named Brownmiller one of its 12 women of the year.

Noting that the ascendant women's movement was already opening the public's eyes about sexual violence, the Times wrote that "it was the personal feminist ideology suffusing Against Our Will that catapulted the book to the top of bestseller lists and simultaneously infuriated critics, on the left as well as the right, who called it an anti-male polemic.... The early praise soon gave way to outrage over the book's feminist dogma. Even admirers squirmed at Ms. Brownmiller's assertion that 'all men' threatened 'all women' with sexual violence; the statement led to her being harassed on the lecture circuit for years."

In 2015, on the 40th anniversary of the book's publication, Brownmiller, then 80, said she stood by her work "but was highly critical of contemporary young women who, she said, seemed to think they could drink as much alcohol as men and dress provocatively but not take responsibility if they were sexually assaulted," the Times noted, adding that her "views stunned many a budding feminist."

Brownmiller's early writing career included stints as a researcher at Newsweek, a staff writer for the Village Voice, a news writer for ABC-TV, and freelancing for several magazines. She was mainly an activist, writing in the introduction to Against Our Will: "I have always considered myself a strong woman, although I understand that the strength I possess is a matter of style and, secretly, of theatrical bravura.... I am combative, wary and verbally aggressive."

Brownmiller wrote magazine articles and half a dozen books, including a children's book about Shirley Chisholm, the first Black woman elected to Congress; followed by Femininity (1984); a novel, Waverly Place (1989); Seeing Vietnam: Encounters of the Road and Heart (1994); and In Our Time: Memoir of a Revolution (1999).

In Against Our Will, she wrote that "fighting back" would be her ongoing battle cry. "On a multiplicity of levels, that is the activity we must engage in, together, if we--women--are to redress the imbalance and rid ourselves and men of the ideology of rape."

Former WNBA player and coach Dawn Staley appeared at Barnes & Noble Fifth Avenue in New York City for her book Uncommon Favor: Basketball, North Philly, My Mother, and the Life Lessons I Learned from All Three (Black Privilege Publishing/Atria). Pictured: Staley (3rd from l.) with B&N staff members Liz, Emily, Kydiesia, Helena, and Amanda. (photo: Jimmy Tu)

Posted on Facebook by Tsunami Books, Eugene, Ore.: "We had to work late replacing wheels on one of the carts, then, well...."

Liz Wetzel has launched Liz Wetzel PR, a boutique publicity firm focused on "bringing nonfiction authors and bold ideas into the spotlight.... I'll be supporting leading thinkers and influential voices with strategic campaigns that connect their books to the right audiences--through national media, podcasts, events, and more." Wetzel has more than 15 years of experience in book publicity, including recently as executive director of publicity at Basic Books.

The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram (Zibby Publishing).

Today:
CBS Mornings: Jenn Hildreth and Aimee Leone, authors of Tough as a Mother: Women in Sports, Working Moms, and the Shared Traits that Empower Us All (Triumph Books, $28, 9781637277201).

Today: Judy Joo, author of K-Quick: Korean Food in 30 Minutes or Less (White Lion Publishing, $35, 9780711297586).

Fresh Air: James Patterson, author most recently of The #1 Dad Book: Be the Best Dad You Can Be--In One Hour! (Little, Brown, $25, 9780316585071).

Here & Now: Randy Rainbow, author of Randy Rainbow and the Marvelously Magical Pink Glasses (Feiwel & Friends, $18.99, 9781250900777). Rainbow will also be on the Kelly Clarkson Show tomorrow.

Sherri Shepherd Show: Rebecca Minkoff, author of Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success (HarperCollins, $19.99, 9781400251650).

Jimmy Kimmel Live: Bono, author of Bono: Stories of Surrender (Vintage, $21, 9798217008230).

Tomorrow:
CBS Mornings: Jennifer Welch and Angie Sullivan, authors of Life Is a Lazy Susan of Sh*t Sandwiches: Advice, Inspiration and Laughter from the I've Had It Podcast Hosts (Hanover Square Press, $27.99, 9781335550989).

Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education, White Lotus) will star opposite Angelina Jolie in Anxious People, the Marc Forster film adaptation of Fredrik Backman's novel. Deadline reported that the film was being sold at Cannes for international distribution by Black Bear and for domestic distribution by WME Independent. 

The novel has been adapted for the screen by Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Magee (A Man Called Otto, Life of Pi, Finding Neverland). The project reunites some of the key players behind the 2022 movie adaptation of Backman's A Man Called Otto, with Hope Studios' Fredrik Wikström Nicastro and Renée Wolfe of 2DUX2 producing and director Forster, Magee, and Neda Backman exec producing.

Theory & Practice by Michelle de Kretser (published in the U.S. by Catapult) has won the A$60,000 (about US$39,000) 2025 Stella Prize, which honors "the most excellent, original and outstanding book written by an Australian woman or non-binary writer."

Organizers wrote about Theory & Practice, the author's seventh novel: "It's 1986, and 'beautiful, radical ideas' are in the air. A young woman arrives in Melbourne to research the novels of Virginia Woolf. In bohemian St Kilda she meets artists, activists, students--and Kit. He claims to be in a 'deconstructed' relationship, and they become lovers. Meanwhile, her work on the Woolfmother falls into disarray.

"Theory & Practice is a mesmerising account of desire and jealousy, truth and shame. It makes and unmakes fiction as we read, expanding our notion of what a novel can contain."

Judges added: "In her refusal to write a novel that reads like a novel, de Kretser instead gifts her reader a sharp examination of the complex pleasures and costs of living."

LibraryReads, the nationwide library staff-picks list, offers the top 10 June titles public library staff across the country love:

Top Pick
The Listeners: A Novel by Maggie Stiefvater (Viking, $30, 9780593655504). "Joan is the manager of a resort hotel in West Virginia. Life is good until the U.S. is pulled into World War II and the hotel's only guests are detained Axis diplomats. While Joan is very good at keeping secrets, this adds strain on the staff. Readers who adored Stiefvater's YA books will welcome this historical fiction that reads like a classic spy thriller." --Kimberly McGee, Lake Travis Community Library, Austin, Tex.

Battle of the Bookstores by Ali Brady (‎Berkley, $19, 9780593640845). "When their boss decides to merge their beloved bookstores, romance-reader Ryan and literary 'Ice Queen' Josie vie for the title of bookstore manager. Readers will enjoy the witty banter, loveable cast of characters, spicy scenes, literary references, and the representation of the romance genre and romance bookstores as inclusive stories and places for anyone and everyone to find themselves." --Dana Treichler, Princeton Public Library, N.J.

King of Ashes: A Novel by S.A. Cosby (‎Flatiron Books/Pine & Cedar, $28.99, 9781250832061). "The Carruthers are a family living with multiple secrets and the trauma of losing their mother while the siblings were still young. When Roman, the oldest brother, returns home after their father is in a terrible accident, he gets drawn into gang warfare trying to protect his family. This page-turner is full of secrets." --Linda Quinn, Eastham Public Library, Mass.

The Witch Roads by Kate Elliott (‎Tor, $29.99, 9781250338617). "Deputy courier Elen's journey across the Tranquil Empire in service to a haughty and haunted prince is a tale thick with political intrigue, family secrets, class hierarchy, dangerous escapes, and a deeply strange and touching friendship. Elliott captures the spirit of epic fantasy with a moving story, compelling characters, and a world full of ancient magic begging to be explored." --James Ludy, New Canaan Library, Conn.

The Poppy Fields: A Novel by Nikki Erlick (Morrow, $32, 9780063349339). "What if you could sleep your way through grief, but there was a chance you'd forget about the love you shared with a loved one? Four strangers make a trip to a remote sleep lab, each with a different reason for their journey. This touching novel is a tribute to the resilience of the human heart and the journeys we all must go through to heal." --Jennifer Winberry, LibraryReads Ambassador, N.J.

Meet Me at the Crossroads: A Novel by Megan Giddings (Amistad, $28.99, 9780063337978). "Seven mysterious doors suddenly appear in different places across the globe, and when they open, they appear to lead to new dimensions in the universe. Two Black twin sisters get caught in the mystery as one sees paradise while the other sees peril. A spellbinding story about the choices that can both bring us together and tear us apart." --Magan Szwarek, LibraryReads Ambassador, Ill.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau: A Novel by Kristin Harmel (Gallery, $28.99, 9781982191733). "This dual-timeline World War II saga tells the story of a feisty young Parisian woman learning the family legacy of jewel thievery, taking from the undeserving wealthy to help those in need. Harmel brilliantly creates absorbing characters, harrowing scenes, and, ultimately, goodness in a tale full of twists, moral dilemmas, and the enduring power of forgiveness." --Ron Block, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Ohio

The Summer We Ran: A Novel by Audrey Ingram (Zibby Publishing, $17.99, 9798989923069). "This compelling romance alternates between two timelines, propelling the story along and driving readers to find out how Grant and Tess go from teenagers in love to gubernatorial candidates with opposing political views who haven't seen each other for 25 years. Secrets and complicated family dynamics make this a page-turning summer read." --Amy Lapointe, Amherst Town Library, N.H.

The Phoenix Pencil Company: A Novel by Allison King (Morrow, $28.99, 9780063446236). "Monica is determined to reunite her beloved Grandmother Yun with her long-lost cousin after learning about her family's talent for imbuing ordinary pencils with extraordinary magic, capable of bringing memories to life. The way the author weaves together multiple generations and their intertwined stories creates a compelling saga spanning time and cultures." --Tamara English, Derby Public Library, Kan.

So Far Gone: A Novel by Jess Walter (Harper, $30, 9780062868145). "A zany thriller about a former journalist whose two grandchildren suddenly arrive at his door after their mother goes missing. He must then contend with the religious militia his son-in-law is involved in while tracking down his daughter. A heartfelt story about feeling lost and burnt out--and finding a way forward and re-connecting." --Julie Graham, Yakima Valley Libraries, Wash.

In each of his five previous novels, which include The Russian Debutante's Handbook and Lake Success, Gary Shteyngart has delivered consistently high-quality fiction while avoiding the curse of predictability. Vera, or Faith brilliantly inhabits the consciousness of a young girl to produce a story of family and friendship that pleasingly engages the mind as it slowly insinuates its way into the heart.

Shteyngart's protagonist, precocious, charming 10-year-old Vera Bradford-Shmulkin, lives with her Russian-born father, Igor, a magazine editor desperately trying to sell his publication to a "Rhodesian Billionaire"; her "Tradwife" stepmother, Anne Bradford (known to her as Anne Mom); and her annoying younger stepbrother, Dylan, in an unidentified city that feels undeniably like New York. There, she aches to reunite with her Korean birth mother, Mom Mom, who she's been told abandoned her and Igor and who she believes is dying of cancer.

Forced to navigate between "Daddy's famous sarcasm or Anne Mom's web of love and despair," Vera acts as something of a mediator, compiling heartbreaking "Marriage-Saving Lists" of "Great Things" about each parent and why they should stay together. She also must survive in the status-conscious hothouse that is her upscale elementary school, where she's tagged with the nickname "Facts Girl." Vera is an inveterate collector of words like "delectable" and "exquisite," frequently adds to her "Things I Still Need to Know Diary," and frets about any quiz grade below an "A," even as Anne Mom repeatedly insists that "grades don't matter." But above all, she longs for friendship with classmates like Yumi, the daughter of Japanese diplomats, who becomes her debate partner.

Though the setting of Vera, or Faith, is, on its surface, more identifiable than Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story, it takes place in a United States roughly a decade removed from the Covid-19 pandemic that has undergone some disturbing changes. The states are in the process of considering a constitutional amendment known as "Five-Three" that will grant an enhanced vote to Americans like Anne Mom whose ancestors arrived during or before the Revolutionary War (and were "exceptional enough not to arrive in chains"). A "merely rich" family like Vera's owns a self-driving car named Stella, but when crossing certain state lines in their vehicles, occupants may face questions about child trafficking, and women anywhere close to childbearing age must submit to intrusive questions and even blood tests according to the anti-abortion "Cycle Through" program.

What Vera discovers when she reaches the culmination of her search for her birth mother is a moving surprise that must be reserved for the experience of finishing this beguiling story. Combining deep humanity with Gary Shteyngart's customary intelligence and wit, Vera, or Faith is a reminder of why he's a writer whose works are good ones to keep close at hand in challenging times. ---Harvey Freedenberg, freelance reviewer

Shelf Talker: This is the charming story of a 10-year-old girl wise beyond her years and forced to grapple prematurely with some of the challenges of adult life.

The bestselling self-published books last week as compiled by IndieReader.com:

1. Rich Relationships by Selena Soo
2. Zodiac Academy 5 by Caroline Peckham and Susanne Valenti
3. Life of Your Dreams by Mark Pentecost
4. Den of Vipers by K.A. Knight
5. King of Envy by Ana Huang
6. The Boyfriend by Freida McFadden
7. Haunting Adeline by H.D. Carlton
8. The Pucking Wrong Rookie by C.R. Jane
9. Kiss of the Basilisk by Lindsay Straube
10. How to Work with Complicated People by Ryan Leak

[Many thanks to IndieReader.com!]