As the holiday season approaches, several cities are getting in the book spirit with celebrations, including Miami, site of the week-long 31st annual Miami Book Fair International, and New Orleans, which is holding its fifth annual book festival. Also this weekend is the first Florida Bookstore Day to highlight indies.

Several stores changed hands this week, including six-year-old Green Toad Bookstore in Oneonta, N.Y., and Monkey See, Monkey Read in Northfield, Minn., which moved to a larger location and was renamed Content Bookstore.

Events
Miami Book Fair International (Nov. 16-23): Not one to rest on its laurels, the 31st annual book fair, produced by the Center for Literature and Theatre @ Miami Dade College, will feature 600 authors, an inaugural event with Ira Glass of This American Life, and a three-day street festival. Plus, for the first time, PBS will offer livestream coverage.

Florida Bookstore Day (Nov. 15): The first celebration of indie bookstores in the Sunshine State takes place on the eve of the Miami Book Festival International.

Nola Book Festival (Nov. 15): New Orleans kicks off a celebration of books and literacy tonight with music inspired by literature, followed on Saturday by a day-long festival with author talks and activities.

Moby-Dick Marathon NYC (Nov. 14-16): The second biennial three-day marathon-style reading of Herman Melville’s masterpiece, begins tonight at the Ace Hotel, moves to the South Street Seaport Museum on Saturday, and finishes at Housing Works Bookstore Cafe on Sunday.

Openings & Closings
Harbor Books to Open in Sag Harbor: A 2,200 sq. ft. bookstore will open on Long Island on November 22 in the space formerly occupied by BookHampton.

Williams Considers Opening College Bookstore: At a time when many college bookstores have taken the “book” out of their name, Williams College in Williamstown, Mass., is feeling the lack of a bookstore of its own.

Breathe Books to Close: After putting her ten-year-old Baltimore, Md., bookstore up for sale in August, Susan Weis-Bohlen will begin a going out of business sale on Saturday and will close the store on December 31.

December 31 Closing for B&N in Norwalk: The latest Barnes & Noble to announce that it will close at year's end when it loses its lease is located at the ShopRite Plaza in Norwalk, Ct.

Other News
His and Hers Bookstores: One way to make a marriage work is to have separate bookstores. Claire Benedict runs Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, Vt., and husband Ron Kasow, Rivendell Books across the street.

Green Toad Bookstore Changes Hands: After six years, this Oneonta, N.Y., bookstore has a new owner, longtime customer Jim Havener.

Christian Bookstore Total Loss after Fire: After a fire destroyed the Libreria Ebenezer in the West Lake section of Los Angeles, owner Jaime Flores, who also owns a bookstore in other section of the city, vowed to return.

Book Auction to Benefit Binc: The Book Industry Charitable Foundation is auctioning autographed books on eBay through December 1.

New Owners for Monkey See, Monkey Read: Earlier this week Nate White and Jessica Peterson White, former employees of Monkey See, Monkey Read in Northfield, Minn., purchased the store, which they reopened in a slightly larger space a few blocks away under the name Content Bookstore.

Homer Bookstore Turns 40: Originally begun as a spinner rack of books in 1974 in Homer, Alaska, the 2,100 sq. ft. bookstore has found success through partnerships with the community.

AIB Relaunches #eFairnessNow Campaign: Advocates for Independent Business, http://indiebizadvocates.orga coalition of trade associations cofounded by the American Booksellers Association, restarted its #efairnessnow social media campaign this week to push for passage of an e-fairness law before the end of the lame-duck Congress.