- 2020 Aug 06
Florida Store in a Fight for Survival
Brant's Used Books in Sarasota is struggling to stay in business during the pandemic.
California Store Offers SF Award
Space Cowboy Books in Joshua Tree awarded its inaugural award for support and excellence in the field of science fiction.
U.K. Loses Another Waterstones
Waterstones is closing its branch in Milton Keynes after a rent dispute.
- 2020 Aug 05
ABA to Offer Health Insurance Option
The American Booksellers Association has joined several affiliated organizations in launching a health insurance program.
D.C. Booksellers On This Crazy Time
The owners of Solid State Books in Washington, D.C., reflect on bookselling in the pandemic and the fight for racial justice.
Texas Store On Black Lives Matter
The owner of the Dock Bookshop, a Black-owned bookstore in Fort Worth, calls this moment "the great awakening."
Powell's Books Reopens One Location
The Oregon chain has reopened its store in Beaverton.
W.H. Smith May Cut 1,500 Jobs
The U.K. retailer has seen a huge drop in sales due to the pandemic and is likely to cull staff to save costs.
- 2020 Aug 04
Iconic D.C. Store Is Staying Put
Kramerbooks, soon to be renamed Kramers, is staying in its current location for another three years.
Maryland B&N Moves, Reopens
A Barnes & Noble in Rockville has moved and is reopening this week.
Washington State Loses a Bookstore
Shakespeare & Co. Coffee and Used Books in Chehalis has permanently closed.
U.K. Sales Bolstered by Staycationers
Britons staying at home through their summer holidays have bolstered sales at indie bookshops.
African Chain Uses Uber to Deliver Books
South African bookstore chain Exclusive Books has adapted to the pandemic and set up a delivery service through Uber Eats.
Black is Queen
A 69 year-old grandmother from Nigeria got to appear in Beyoncé's much anticipated visual album Black is King and talks to CNN all about it.
More Women and Comics
The Women in Comics Collective International (or WinC) is an online site supporting the work of women, queer folk, and other marginalized folk working in comics and multimedia
Women and Comics
Women Write About Comics is an Eisner Award-winning online journal (go to the site for some background on it's 2020 Eisner Award) that offers wide-ranging commentary on the comics medium and the comics industry by a diverse group of intersectional and international feminist writers.
Bird Lives
The 92nd St. Y Kicks off of a weekend tribute to the great Charlie Parker, one of the most influential alto saxophonist/composers in the history of jazz, August 28-29, marking the centennial of his birth with a multidisciplinary celebration based around his life and music. There will be films (Clint Eastwood’s Bird among others), and discussions with critic Gary Giddins and such musicians as Joe Lovano, Charles McPherson, and much more.
Tomine Time
The Millions’s Alex Dueben talks with cartoonist Adrian Tomine about his new work of graphic memoir, The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Cartoonist, just published by Drawn and Quarterly.
- 2020 Aug 03
From the New York Times
Stephenie Meyer Is Telling Edward’s Story, Even if It Makes Her Anxious.
New York State Bookstore Is Moving
Off the Beaten Path in Lakewood is moving to a larger location that will open on August 10.
From Yahoo News
From 'Wild Horses' to 'Wild Things,' a window into Maurice Sendak's creative process.
Community Helps Black Bookstore Rebuild
Uncle Bobbie's in Philadelphia was damaged during two break-ins and forced to close, but is reopening this week.
From the Skanner
Barbara Bush Foundation partners with Barbershop Books and Penguin to provide child-friendly reading spaces in barbershops.
Confessions of a Jaded Kiwi Bookseller
An anonymous bookseller in New Zealand vividly describes the frustrations of her daily work.
From the Guardian
Goodnight Moon redrawn as Good Morning Zoom for Covid-era kids.
Waterstones Closes Two University Stores
Waterstones has permanently closed its branches at universities in Hull and Essex.
From Topher Payne
“The Tree Who Set Healthy Boundaries”: an alternate ending for Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree.
From Book Riot
8 Back-to-School Picture Books for Teaching Coronavirus Procedures.
- 2020 Jul 31
Iconic Washington, D.C., Store Rebrands
Kramerbooks has been renamed Kramers, and is adding a florist and a barbershop.
Indigenous Bookstore to Open in Toronto
Inuit-owned publishing and media company Inhabit Media is opening Inhabit Books next year.
Massachusetts Bookstore Expands
Copper Dog Books in Beverly will nearly double in size after a year in business.
- 2020 Jul 30
California Loses a Children's Bookstore
Charlie's Corner, a children's bookstore in San Francisco, has closed permanently after five years in business.
Picture Book Wins Waterstones Prize
'Look Up!' by Nathan Bryon and Dapo Adeola (Puffin) won the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize 2020.
Chicago's Store Commitment to Community
Chicago's Black-owned Semicolon bookstore fosters community both online and in real life.
How the Pandemic Changes Bookselling
The former owner of Fact and Fiction bookstore in Delhi explains why bookselling has changed forever.
- 2020 Jul 29
Waterstones Culls Staff, Delays Openings
Waterstones has laid off staff at its head office and will delay reopening several stores due to poor sales prospects.
From the Guardian
‘Utterly joyful’ Look Up! wins Waterstones children's book of the year.
Michigan Bookstore Moves
Bay Books in Suttons Bay has moved and reopened down the block from its previous location.
From the Atlantic
Will Kids Follow the New Pandemic Rules at School?
Pennsylvania Store Gets Burglarized
Uncle Bobbie's Coffee and Books, a BIPOC-owned store in Philadelphia, was burglarized.
From Book Riot
Lessons from the High School Library.
Romanian Online Store Orders Pop
Libris.ro has seen a 27% increase in the number of books ordered in the first seven months of 2020 over 2019.
From Screen Rant
The 5 Best Young Adult Dystopian Tropes (and 5 Worst).
French Booksellers See Sales Pop
After reopening, the French booksellers report a sales gain of 29% between May and July, but are still down 14% for the year.
From Book Riot
Explore These ’80s and ’90s Kids’ Book Series.
- 2020 Jul 28
Florida Store Lets Kids Pay with Reviews
Cultured Books in St. Petersburg has launched “The Book Report Project," which allows kids to pay with book reports.
Utah Store Needs Cash to Stay Open
Ken Sanders Rare Books in Salt Lake City is raising $250,000 on GoFundMe to remain in business.
Hong Kong Bookstore Closes
Swidon Book Company in Hong Kong is closing its retail store after 50 years to focus on online bookselling.
U.K. Considers New Online Tax
The U.K. is considering levying a new tax on online stores to protect retail stores.
- 2020 Jul 27
Upstate New York Stores Face the Future
Booksellers in upstate New York discuss their strategies for keeping customers safe, healthy and happy.
California Loses a Bookstore
Wolfman Books in Oakland is closing after six years in business.
From 10 Tampa Bay
A Florida children's bookstore says kids' book reports will pay for books.
U.K. BA to Publish 'Booktime' Magazine
The Booksellers Association in the U.K. is taking over production of 'Booktime' from Bertrams.
From the New York Times
An author reflects on her pre-pandemic pronouncements about children’s tech use and offers new advice.
A Bike-Powered Mobile Black Bookstore
The Niche Book Bar is a new bike-powered mobile bookstore in Milwaukee offering a selection of titles by Black authors.
From Forbes
How Freelance Book Cover Illustrator Rachelle Baker Gets Her Inspiration.
Small Ontario Town Gets a Bookstore
River Bookshop is opening in the town of Amherstburg within weeks.
From Book Riot
6 of the Most Popular Children’s and YA Series Published Since 2010.
From 100 Scope Notes
Streaming Children’s Lit: Recent Series Based on Kids’ Books.
- 2020 Jul 24
Indiana Gets a New Indie Bookstore
The Magic of Books will open in Seymour on August 1.
On Opening a Black Store in Wisconsin
A young man is collecting books and campaigning to open a Black bookstore in Milwaukee.
- 2020 Jul 23
Florida Loses a Bookstore
Books-A-Million is closing its Jacksonville Beach store after 25 years in business at that location.
Kansas Store Fights for Racial Justice
The Raven Bookstore in Lawrence has been a supporter of Black Lives Matter and affiliated organizations.
Three Stores Collab on Speaker Series
A trio of independent bookstores in the Pacific northwest have launched Books in Common, a virtual event series.
- 2020 Jul 22
From Literary Hub
YA superstar Jason Reynolds just sold his debut novel for adults.
From the Atlantic
What My Kids Learned When They Weren’t in School.
From Literary Hub
The BLM movement is inspiring a boom in diverse children’s literature.
From the Guardian
Four-year-old lands book deal for his 'astonishing' poetry.
Manhattan's Bluestockings to Move
The feminist bookstore collective has been in the same location for 21 years, but is now looking for a new home.
From NPR
Culture Wars and the Untold Story of Gail Shepherd’s Lyndie B. Hawkins.
New York Children's Store Goes Pop-Up
Monkey See, Monkey Do...Children’s Bookstore in Clarence is closing its storefront and converting to a pop-up.
From Brightly
Dan Santat on What The Little Engine That Could Means Right Now.
From Book Riot
Scary Books That Doomed Millennials as Kids.
From Brightly
10 Books About Mindfulness and Meditation for Younger Kids.
From Book Riot
Seven Diverse Jewish Children’s and YA Books.
- 2020 Jul 21
Virginia Is Getting a New Bookstore
The Company of Books is opening in Alexandria at the end of August.
California Loses a Bookstore
Randall House Rare Books in Santa Barbara is closing.
- 2020 Jul 20
Black-Owned Feminist Store for L.A.
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to fund the Salt Eaters, a new Black-owned feminist bookstore in Los Angeles.
From Variety
Netflix India announces YA romance Mismatched, an adaptation of Sandhya Menon’s novel When Dimple Met Rishi.
LGBTQ Bookstore Opens in Texas
The Little Gay Shop, which sells books and art, opened in Austin this month.
From Penn Live
Thief who gave judge a fake character letter can't beat forgery conviction, and is ordered to read and give a report on picture book Pig the Fibber.
From Entertainment Weekly
Henry Golding to lead voice cast for animated Tiger's Apprentice movie.
From Teen Vogue
Netflix's The Baby-Sitters Club Appeals to Millennials.
From Brightly
Happily Ever After: 21 Multicultural Fairy Tales for Children and Teens.
- 2020 Jul 17
How a New Jersey Store Has Survived
Sales of puzzles have helped Books & Greetings in Northvale survive the pandemic so far.
Pennsylvania Store Shifts Events Online
Jason Hafer of Reads & Company in Phoenixville said engaging with the local community is key to staying in business.
U.K. Stores Shift Strategies to Sell
U.K. bookstores are adapting to the pandemic in various ways.
Head Buyer of Foyle's Departs
He is among three executives who have left the London-based chain.
We Cannot Do Without Bookstores
The editor of the 'Bookseller' argues that we might be able to go without publishers, but booksellers are irreplaceable.
- 2020 Jul 16
Michigan Store to Stay Open
Horizon Books in Traverse City will now stay open after having announced plans to close.
Stores in Florida Find a Way to Thrive
Despite a huge surge in Covid-19 infections, several stores in St. Petersburg are seeing business boom.
Oregon Stores Are Coping with Corona
Bookstores in central Oregon say sales are slow, but they are adapting to new challenges from the pandemic.
Strand Owner Discusses Expansion
Nancy Bass Wyden, owner of the Strand Book Store in New York, discusses opening a new store on the Upper West Side of Manhattan.
Irish Chain Closes Shops in the North
Eason is permanently closing its seven bookstores in Northern Ireland.
- 2020 Jul 15
From NPR
With a Glug of Potion and a New Translation, Asterix Aims to Conquer America.
From Entertainment Weekly
What's in a Page: Newbery Honor author Derrick Barnes started writing thanks to Stevie Wonder's Hotter Than July.
From People
Joanna Gaines Announces Her Second Children’s Book, Inspired by Her Five Kids.
From IndieWire
Matthew Cherry’s Oscar-winning Hair Love short and picture book to become HBO Max Series.
From the New York Times
Opinion: America Needs an Emergency Meeting of the Baby-Sitters Club.
From Vice
An Ode to Claudia Kishi, the Coolest Kid in The Baby-Sitters Club.
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