- 2025 Jul 11
Dobby Gibson Wins Four Quartets Prize
Gibson’s poem Hold Everything has won this year’s Four Quartets Prize, presented by the T. S. Eliot Foundation and the Poetry Society of America.
Romance Bookshop to Land in Iowa
Shelf Love DSM is opening in Des Moines later this month, and will be the city’s first romance bookshop.
Black-Owned Bookshop to Shutter in K.C.
Willa’s Books & Vinyl, Kansas City’s oldest Black-owned bookstore, is closing this weekend as its owner heads into retirement.
Inside Literary Prize Winner
Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah’s Chain-Gang All-Stars has won this year’s Inside Literary Prize, presented by Freedom Reads.
Children’s Bookshop Comes to N.C.
Dad Suggests Books has opened in Fayetteville.
Arizona’s Newest Bookstore
The Scribbled Hollow pop-up has opened a brick-and-mortar location in Glendale.
Ohio Bookshop Closes After 50 Years
Appletree Books has shuttered in Cleveland Heights due to its owner retiring.
Romance Bookstore Opens in Seattle
Lovestruck in Seattle, the city’s only romance bookstore, is hosting its grand opening this weekend.
- 2025 Jul 10
Leila Aboulela Wins PEN Pinter Prize
The novelist, playwright, and short story writer has won English PEN’s 2025 PEN Pinter Prize.
Spotlight on the U.S.’s Oldest Bookshop
Andover Bookstore in Andover, Mass., opened in 1809 and is the country’s oldest indie bookstore.
Russian Bookshop Faces Propaganda Case
A St. Petersburg court announced a case against the bookstore Subscription Editions on charges of “LGBTQ+ propaganda.”
- 2025 Jul 09
From Vox
The truth behind the endless "kids can’t read" discourse.
From The Local Voice
Young Adult Literature Is Not as Young as It Used to Be.
Bookshop Soft Launches in Washington
Page & Pine held its soft opening in Puyallup last week.
David Thompson Award Winners
Lucinda Surber and Stan Ulrich have won this year’s David Thompson Memorial Special Service Award, presented by the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention.
- 2025 Jul 08
Silver Falchion Award Finalists
The Killer Nashville International Writers’ Conference has announced the finalists across 17 categories for its Silver Falchion Award.
Indie Bookshop to Open in Ohio
Bound by Books is slated to open in Columbus in the coming months.
Atlanta Nonprofit to Launch Bookstore
Literary nonprofit Lostintheletters is opening its first brick-and-mortar space in Candler Park.
Indiana Home Transforms Into Bookshop
A couple has renovated their historic home in Carmel into Stella House Books, opening next spring.
- 2025 Jul 07
From the Guardian
'Chipping away at democracy': authors fear outcome of U.S. Supreme Court's LGBTQ+ book ruling.
From NPR
From caterpillar to butterfly, Papilio grows up in a new picture book.
From McSweeney's
Short Imagined Monologues: Sal from Blueberries for Sal Breaks Her Silence.
Bay Area Bookshop to Shutter
Half Price Books is closing in downtown Berkeley after 20 years.
Romance Bookstore Lands in California
Mystic Box has opened its first brick-and-mortar location in Huntington Beach.
N.Y. Bookshop Temporarily Closes
Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs has shuttered due to recent flooding.
Arizona’s Newest Bookstore
Beyond Words Bookshop opened in East Valley this past weekend.
Minnesota Bookshop Is Born Again
Good News Bookstore in Fairmont will begin a new chapter as Goodnews Collective, a faith-centered shop operated by Action169.
- 2025 Jul 03
Oregon’s Salon-Bookshop Combo
The Black-owned B3: Beauty, Beverages, and Books in Salem offers haircuts, used books, and non-alcoholic refreshments.
N.Y. Indie Bookshop Cultivates Community
Vanishing Ink Books in Hastings-on-Hudson opened this past May and regularly hosts community events with local businesses.
New Oregon Bookstore Makes a Splash
Octopus Bookshop opened in downtown Kennebunk last month.
B&N to Open Location in New Hampshire
Barnes & Noble will open a new store in Keene on July 9.
- 2025 Jul 02
From EdSurge
Large Public Libraries Give Young Adults Across U.S. Access to Banned Books.
From HuffPost
"I Wrote One of the Books at the Center of SCOTUS' Scary Ruling. Here's What They Don't Want You to See" by Katherine Locke.
From the APA
Taking a stand against book bans: how psychologists are fighting censorship to keep culturally diverse books available to everyone.
From the New York Times
He Searched for His Past in Children's Books. He Found His Wife's.
From People
How the Pandemic Inspired Meg Medina's First Foray into Fantasy.
From the New York Times
By the Book: How to Train Your Dragon Author Cressida Cowell Loves to Peruse Recipes Before Bed.
From Brightly
Globe Trotting Adventure Books for Middle Grade Readers.
From Book Riot
The Perfect Gifts for Alice in Wonderland Fans.
Indie Bookshop to Land in Tennessee
Haven Booksellers will host its grand opening in Kingsport later this month.
Colorado Bookshop’s New Owner
Christopher Green is the new owner of Bookworm of Edwards in Eagle County.
- 2025 Jul 01
Fundraiser for South Dakota Bookshop
After the owners of Outside of a Dog Books and Games in Sioux Falls announced they were selling the store and leaving the state due to its anti-trans laws, a trans couple launched a fundraiser to buy the store.
Former Lawyer Buys Denver Bookshop
The Bookies, which has been open for half a century, has been bought by Kristin Gulling.
Bookshop-Gallery to Land in Illinois
The Diana is set to open in Winchester this August and will specialize in books, artwork, and social events.
- 2025 Jun 30
From the Washington Post
Supreme Court sides with religious parents seeking to opt out of lessons with LGBTQ storybooks.
From the Baltimore Banner
It just got tougher to ban books in Maryland school libraries.
From Deadline
San Francisco Bookstore Pulls Harry Potter Books Over J.K. Rowling's Anti-Trans Views.
From Upworthy
New dads explain why they still love the 'creepy, unhinged' children's book Love You Forever.
From the New York Times
Review: A New Wrinkle in Time Production Needs to Iron Out Some Problems.
From Brightly
Books to Get Kids Out of a Reading Slump.
Bookshop’s Pride Display Targeted
Pink Couch Books in Wilmette, Ill., has faced harassment due to its storefront window’s Pride display.
Indie Bookstore to Open in California
Scrawl, Scribble & Smirch Bookshop is set to open in downtown Gustine later this summer.
New Bookshop Coming to New York
The Sparkle Bookstore will open in Sparkill in mid July.
Texas Indie Hosts Grand Opening
The Chapter Bookstore recently celebrated its grand opening in Lufkin.
- 2025 Jun 27
Local Newspaper Saves Missouri Bookshop
The Kansas City Defender has campaigned to keep open the state’s oldest Black-owned bookshop, Willa’s Books & Vinyl in Kansas City.
Scott W. Berg Wins Chicago Book Award
Berg’s The Burning of the World won this year’s Chicago Book Award, presented by the Newberry Library and the Pattis Family Foundation.
Manhattan Bookshop Seeks More Books
Bluestockings Cooperative on the Lower East Side is raising money to buy more books.
Bookshop-Wine Bar Combo Comes to N.C.
Bound & Vine, a new indie bookshop and wine bar, will open in Fayetteville later this year.
Second S.F. Bookshop Axes Harry Potter
Fabulosa Books in the Castro has stopped selling books by J.K. Rowling, following in the footsteps of fellow San Francisco bookseller Booksmith.
- 2025 Jun 26
Oxbelly Announces 2025 Fiction Fellows
The Oxbelly Fiction Writers program has selected 10 emerging writers to attend its 10th annual retreat, slated for June 28–July 6 in Messinia, Greece. Featured guests and advisors include Katie Kitamura and Namwali Serpell.
Spotlight on Alaska Bookstore
Hearthside Books in Juneau is celebrating its 50th anniversary and its inclusion in USA Today’s top 10 best independent bookstores in the country.
Idaho Bookshop Turns the Page
Rediscovered Books in Boise will relocate after 14 years.
Indie Bookshop Launches in Texas
Recluse Books recently opened in Fort Worth.
Publisher Trio Reteam on Poetry Prize
The Poetry in Translation Prize will include a $5,000 advance and a simultaneous book deal with New Directions, the U.K.’s Fitzcarraldo, and Australia’s Giramondo. The program will run alongside the three publishers’ other joint award, the biennial Novel Prize.
Orwell Prizes Announced
Ukrainian war crimes investigator Victoria Amelina posthumously won the Orwell Prize for Political Writing for Looking at Women, Looking at War, and Irish author Donal Ryan’s Heart, Be at Peace won the Orwell Prize for Political Fiction.
- 2025 Jun 25
From the New York Times
Author Susan Beth Pfeffer, who wrote complex stories for young adults, including Life as We Knew It and The Year Without Michael, has died at 77.
From the Guardian
'One kid at a time': How children's books on male friendship could combat toxic masculinity.
From BuzzFeed
Major Ways the We Were Liars TV Series Differs from the Book, and Behind-the-Scenes Details E. Lockhart Spilled About the Show.
From People
A Game Show Is Struck by a Hefty Dose of Murder in The Escape Game, a YA thriller due out next year by Marissa Meyer and Tamara Moss.
From the Bridge
Katherine Paterson: Prolific, Celebrated, Beloved, and Never Speechless.
From People
Raj Tawney on sharing his success as an author with his immigrant father.
From Book Riot
Magical Meals: 7 YA Fantasy Reads for Foodies.
‘Air Mail’ Rolls Out Tom Wolfe Prize
The weekly magazine will launch the Tom Wolfe Prize for Fiction and Reportage, with the help of Montblanc.
Bay Area Bookshop to Axe Harry Potter
Booksmith in San Francisco will stop carrying the Harry Potter series over J.K. Rowling’s politics.
Margaret Bryant Wins ACP Award
The former sales director at Orca Book Publishers won this year’s President’s Award, presented by the Association of Canadian Publishers.
New Bookshop to Land in Wisconsin
The Rogue Bookshop will open in Beloit this July, making it the first indie bookstore in the area since 2020.
- 2025 Jun 24
Amazon Gets a New Comics Competitor
Neon Ichiban, the new digital comics store from two Comixology veterans, is looking to compete with Amazon, reports the New York Times.
A Trail of Drama at Diamond
The bankrupt Diamond Comic Distributors’ acquisition has been anything but smooth, and Comics Journal offers an in-depth report on all the drama to befall the company over the last few months.
Plus, Fresh Intel on the Diamond Mess
The Beat has yet another update on the latest legal wrangling and complaints at the comic distributor.
Adrian Tomine Talks Shop
The cartoonist and graphic novelist reflects on his life in comics for Alta.
Mister Miracle Comes for TV
An animated series focused on Mister Miracle is currently in development at DC Studios, reports the Verge.
‘Steven Universe’ Returns
Cartoon Network is expanding the beloved franchise with a new series, Lars of the Stars, on Prime Video, according to Variety.
Tartakovsky Sets Next Project
Animator Genndy Tartakovsky is developing a new action-comedy series, Heist Safari, at Adult Swim, per Animation.
Studio Ghibli’s Enduring Appeal
The New York Times catalogs the many recent video games inspired by the animation studio’s iconic style.
Rediscovering Long-Lost French Sci-Fi
Aeon explores the “merveilleux-scientifique” genre that gripped 20th-century France with its stories of mad scientists.
IRL Anime Pilgrimages
Growing numbers of fans are visiting real locations featured in popular anime series, per Anime News Network.
Bookstore-Coffee Shop to Land in Texas
Lit Brews is set to open in Lubbock this September.
Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards Winners
Hilary Horder Hippely, Randy Ribay, and Candace Fleming are the three winners of this year’s Boston Globe–Horn Book Awards, which celebrate excellence in children’s and young adult literature.
LGBTQ+ Bookshop Vandalized in Austin
BookWoman had a piece of concrete thrown through its window directly below a pride flag display.
Inclusive Bookshop to Open in Florida
Moonstruck Market, which will focus on LGBTQ+ inclusivity, will open in Melbourne this July.
Book Vending Machine to Open in Airport
The Lynx Bookstore will launch a book vending machine in Florida’s Gainesville Regional Airport.
Student Group Supports Missouri Bookshop
A Nixa-based student group will demonstrate at BookMarx in Springfield this weekend, raising awareness about book bans across the state.
L.A.’s Newest Black-Owned Bookshop
Lore recently opened in Leimert Park, and centers Black design, art, and literature.
Community Rallies Behind Philly Bookshop
An influx of donations have prevented Iffy Books in Center City from having to close.
- 2025 Jun 23
From the Bookseller
Authors are being hit by bad reviews on Goodreads before review copies are even circulated.
From the Bookseller
Margaret McDonald on the shock of winning the Carnegie Medal for Glasgow Boys.
From the Bookseller
Carnegie Medal-winning illustrator Olivia Lomenech Gill on the importance of not talking down to children.
From Literary Hub
Why America Can't Get Enough of The Wizard of Oz.
From TEDxPadova
The Stories That Hurt Boys: Francesca Cavallo on Reclaiming Masculinity from Shame.
Locus Awards Winners
Alexander Boldizar, Chuck Tingle, and Isabel J. Kim are among the 16 winners of this year’s Locus Awards, presented by the Locus Science Fiction Foundation.
