- 2020 Dec 03
U.K. Allows Bookstores to Reopen
Bookstores in the U.K. have reopened after lockdown and are hoping for robust holiday sales.
Chicago Says Goodbye to a Bookstore
The 'Chicago Tribune' offers a tribute to City Lit, a bookstore that closed this week after 8 years in business.
Waterstones Announces Book of the Year
Waterstones picked 'Hamnet' by Maggie O'Farrell as its book of the year, as chosen by booksellers.
Europeans Urged to Buy Local
The European and International Booksellers Federation is running a buy local campaign this holiday season.
- 2020 Dec 02
From the Guardian
A third of U.K. children do not see themselves reflected in books, survey finds.
From the New York Times
Meet Chloe Gong, One of the Year’s Youngest Best-Selling Authors.
From NPR
Finding a Voice and Coming to Terms with a Stutter in I Talk Like a River
From Book Riot
“Is That All You Do?” Self-Promotion as a School Librarian.
From the New York Times
Gift Books for Children (That Adults Will Also Love).
From Book Riot
Nancy Drew Wasn’t the Only Girl Detective: Learn About 8 Other Classic Teen Sleuths.
From Book Riot
8 Middle Grade and YA Fantasy Novels by Indian Writers.
From NYC Food Policy
15 Children’s Books for Young Food Activists.
From Book Riot
10 Great Ancient Mythology and Folktale Books for Kids.
From Book Riot
All in the Family: 8 YA Domestic Thrillers.
- 2020 Dec 01
Florida Loses a Bookstore
Hawsey's Book Index in Pensacola is closing after 53 years in business.
New Store Promotes Therapy Through Books
Oh Hello Again is a new bookstore in Seattle organized to help people address problems with "bibliotherapy."
North Dakota Chain Opens New Location
Ferguson Books & More has soft-opened a new location in West Fargo, its third store in North Dakota.
New California Store Looking Ahead
The owners of Arvida Book Co., who recently opened the store in Tustin, remain undaunted by the many challenges of running a bookstore.
Singapore Bookseller Goes Digital
The owner of BooksActually, which closed earlier this year, reflects on turning to online bookselling.
Comfort Food For Thought
Literary publisher Catapult hosts a series of wonderfully inventive webcomics on its website and its most recent work, “Taste, Memory” by Sivan Piatigorsky-Roth starts with the quotation, “I can tell I love you because I want to give you a bite of whatever I’m eating.” Indeed, this delightful comics work details a long list of the personal comfort food that has passed through Piatgorsky-Roth’s personal food orbit over the years, from the veggie patties in her childhood school lunches to cold macaroni in a thermos, her bubby’s matzo ball soup and brisket, to the brownie mix her college roommate would make when they got high.
The Pandemic in Black and White
Noted comics journalist Josh Neufeld has published a webcomic entitled “A Tale of Two Pandemics: Historical Insights on Persistent Racial Disparities,” a thoughtful examination of research into the racial disparities, myths and misinformation surrounding today’s Covid-19 pandemic and in the 1918 influenza pandemic. The webcomic takes a look the impact of the pandemic on African American communities and focuses on three doctors and their research into the topic and the comics’ speech bubbles feature direct quotes from interviews with them by Neufeld.
Animaniacs is Back to the Max
Our colleague John Maher has written a typically entertaining and informative story for Vulture about the revival of Animaniacs, the hilarious Fox/WB animated variety musical series known for its catchy tunes, irresistibly goofy lyrics, and such beloved characters as Yakko, Wakko, and Dot.
Comix On Kickstarter
Oriana Leckert, senior outreach and lead for publishing, comics and journalism at Kickstarter, is holding a virtual discussion entitled, “How Alternative Comics Found a Home on Kickstarter,” hosted online by the Society of Illustrators on December 18. The talk will also feature Egyptian comics artist Ganzeer who will talk about the history of alt-comix as well as his own works, and discuss such alternative publishing figures as Spike Trotman of Iron Circus Comics, Flame Con, the LGBTQ comics festival, and more.
Gifts for Geeks
One could make the point that all any of us want for this holiday season is the end of this awful year. But over at The Millions, Hannah Gersen has compiled a thoughtful holiday gift guide for the year to end all years that features an adjustable laptop stand for all those zoom calls, literary facemasks for, you know, and a very comfortable chair to be used for reading, the aforementioned zoom calls, or endlessly staring out the window because, well, what else to do during this endless pandemic.
- 2020 Nov 30
From Austin 360
Virtual Latinx Kidlit Book Fest delivers diverse stories, a bit of joy.
From the Chicago Tribune
Barack Obama surprises Chicago high school students with free copies of new memoir ‘A Promised Land’ and a virtual visit.
From the Associated Press
Books by bike: Sri Lankan man runs mobile library for kids.
From the Washington Post
Author Jason Reynolds: Racism hasn’t changed ‘because we still haven’t talked about it.’
From the New York Times
The Rich, Literary Life of Louise Fitzhugh, the Creator of America’s Favorite Girl Spy.
Washington Loses a Bookstore
Tri-City Bible Bookstore in Richland is closing this December after nearly 80 years in business.
From Literary Hub
The kids are all right: these teenagers are writing children’s books about racial justice.
Kiwi Stores Face Supply Chain Issues
Booksellers in New Zealand are having trouble getting enough books to stock up for the holiday shopping season.
From Time
The 10 Best YA and Children's Books of 2020.
Spain's Booksellers Battle Amazon
Booksellers are banding together and have launched a new online store, TodosTusLibros.com, to fight off Amazon.
From Literary Hub
Look inside a new series of Jane Austen novels, rewritten and illustrated for children.
From the Hollywood Reporter
Turtle in Paradise Graphic Novel in the Works at Random House.
From Book Riot
20 Must-Read Picture Books from 2020.
- 2020 Nov 25
Wisconsin Gets a New Bookstore
Lion's Tooth, a bookstore focusing on graphic novels and small press titles, is opening in Milwaukee.
Minnesota Bookstore Struggles
Sales at the Red Balloon in St. Paul are down 20% for the year, and the owner is concerned about the future.
- 2020 Nov 23
From the Guardian
Jason Reynolds: "I’m looking forward to the day that I read a newspaper, and someone says: ‘I grew up reading Jason Reynolds and that’s why I knew I could do this.’ Then I’ll know, I’ve done my job.”
From the Hollywood Reporter
Netflix Chooses Settlement with Chooseco to End Trademark Lawsuit Over Black Mirror.
From Bucks County Courier Times
Children's book illustrator Harry McNaught, creator of 500 Words to Grow On, has died at 97.
From Brightly
Books That Celebrate Diverse Holidays and Traditions.
From the New York Times
Trying to Keep It Together in Zoom School: When a children’s book tour goes virtual, high jinks ensue, by Steven Weinberg.
From Book Riot
Book Lovers Unite: YA Novels Set in Bookstores.
From Electric Literature
The 7 Best Feasts from the Redwall Books.
From Book Riot
Angst All the Way Down: Where to Get Started with John Green Books.
Boxes of Obama Book Flood Stores
Copies of Barack Obama's memoir 'A Promised Land' are taking up valuable sales floor real estate in indie bookstores.
Lockdown Hurts Manitoba Store's Finances
The owner of Winnipeg's Whodunit Mystery Bookstore says the current lockdown may cost him 25% of his annual revenue.
Merger of Two German Chains Approved
The German government has approved the merger of Thalia, which has 312 bookstores, with Osiander, which has 72.
- 2020 Nov 20
North Carolina to Get a New Bookstore
Rofhiwa Book Café will open next year in East Durham, N.C. The store will focus on Black books and culture.
Black-Owned Store in Oklahoma Celebrates
Belle Books Boutique & More in Oklahoma City is hosting a drive-thru Thanksgiving food give-away.
Virginia Loses a Bookstore
Mermaid Books in Williamsburg is closing, citing sales losses due to the pandemic as the reason.
Canadian Bookstore Hits Milestone
A Different Drummer Books in Burlington, Ontario, is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Beirut's Bookstores Are Recovering
Following the port explosion in Beirut earlier this year, numerous bookstores were damaged. Only now are they coming back.
- 2020 Nov 19
Dan Rather Gives Booksellers an Assist
Dan Rather will serve as spokesperson for the American Booksellers Association's Small Business Saturday promotion.
California Booksellers Look Ahead
Booksellers in northern California are hoping for big sales this holiday season.
- 2020 Nov 18
From Entertainment Weekly
Six top YA authors are collaborating on Blackout, a novel made up of interlinked stories celebrating Black love.
From Brightly
Author-Illustrator Lincoln Peirce on Max & the Midknights and Big Nate.
From Broadway World
Houston Grand Opera Presents The Making of The Snowy Day: An Opera for All.
From Romper
The Beloved Children's Book Eloise Is Getting Made into a Live-Action Movie.
From She Knows
The Best Children’s Books by Native and Indigenous Authors and Illustrators.
From Brightly
Books That Celebrate Transgender and Gender-Nonconforming Kids and Teens.
From Scary Mommy
My Kids Begged Me to Read the Wings of Fire Series with Them, and Now I’m a Superfan Too.
From Literary Hub
7 of the Year’s Best Debut Novelists on Their First Literary Loves.
From Book Riot
5 South Asian Children’s Books That Showcase South Asian Identity.
- 2020 Nov 17
North Carolina Store Closes Due to Covid
Park Road Books in Charlotte has closed temporarily due to an employee testing positive for Covid-19.
Los Angeles Black Bookstore Is Thriving
Eso Won bookstore in Los Angeles is thriving because of the surge of interest in books on race and social justice.
Publisher Says Draw Your Bookstore
The U.K.'s SelfMadeHero has a social media campaign calling for artists to draw their favorite bookstore.
Art, Africa, and Abstraction
Nigerian American abstract painter Odili Donald Odita will be interviewed by Nigerian art curator Ugochukwu-Smooth C. Nzewi online on November 20 at 6:30pm EST as part of BOMB magazine’s Oral History Project, an ongoing series of one-on-one interviews with visual artists of African descent. Follow the link to RSVP for the livestream.
We Need Diverse Superheroes
WNDB communications manager Alaina Lavoie interviews French cartoonist Mirion Malle about her new YA graphic novel, The League of Super Feminists (D&Q), a clever guide to understanding key tenets of feminism, consent, media literacy, intersectionality, body image and much more, wonderfully disguised as a funny superhero graphic novel for tweens and teens.
Talking Gender and Race in Comics
Professor LatinX, aka pop culture scholar Frederick Luis Aldama’s YouTube video series, interviews fellow academic Francesca Lyn, associate professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, about her research into the comics works of such women of color creators as MariNaomi, Lynda Barry, and Belle Yang, and talks with Lyn about her love of the comics of such creators as Gabrielle Bell and much more.
Wakanda In Outer Space
Acclaimed author and comics writer Ta-Nehisi Coates’ is back to writing Black Panther and his new run on the series (with art by Daniel Acuña and Ryan Bodenheim) will be released in February 2021. In the new series, T-Challa The Black Panther returns to earth after discovering a war-like alternate Wakanda empire in the far reaches of the galaxy and joining a rebellion against it.
The Price of Existing
The Millions’s Marie Myung-Ok Lee examines three novels and a volume of poetry by four contemporary Korean women authors and connects their literary evocation of unrelenting sexism, predatory males, and a culture of pervasive misogyny to the recent Jeffrey Toobin “incident” on a zoom call. “These novels share a depressing commonality of women ground down or driven “crazy” by an unescapable patriarchy where misogyny is not just baked in, but baked into older women’s (i.e., the in-laws) non-support of the younger.”
- 2020 Nov 16
From the New York Times
Mo Willems Has a Message for Parents: He’s Not on Your Side.
From the Los Angeles Times
In Burbank schools, a book-banning debate over how to teach antiracism.
From Albawaba
No to Racism: public libraries in the Netherlands have removed children's books depicting St Nicholas's sidekick 'Black Pete.'
Texas Loses a Bookstore
River Oaks Bookstore in Houston is closing at the end of the year after 47 years in business.
From CBS This Morning
Diary of a Wimpy Kid author Jeff Kinney on middle school and making kids laugh.
Pennsylvania Gets a New Pop-up Store
Cousins' Books in New Castle is a new pop-up bookstore inside a sandwich shop.
From the New York Times
On TikTok, Gen Z Harry Potter fans edit themselves into the movies in a quest for escapism, representation and community.
Rhode Island Stores Need More Sales
Riffraff in Providence is among the Rhode Island bookstores looking for a strong holiday season to finish the year.
From Pop Sugar
Watch the Trailer for Stillwater, a New Apple TV+ Show based on author Jon J Muth's Zen Shorts.
From the Nerd Daily
5 Reasons Why Children’s Literature Is Not Just for children.
From Cake Wrecks
This is what happens when Peppa Pig takes on cake form.
- 2020 Nov 13
South Carolina Stores Fight to Survive
Several booksellers in Columbia discuss the negative impact of the pandemic on their businesses.
- 2020 Nov 12
Texas Bookstore Hits Milestone
Austin's BookPeople is celebrating its 50th anniversary.
Idaho Gets a New Bookstore
Half Price Books is opening a new store in Meridian, its first store in Idaho.
London Bookshop Saved by Crowdfunding
Stanfords, a travel bookstore founded in 1853, has raised £95,000, and is seeking £120,000 to stay open through March.
W.H. Smith Sees Big Loss in 2020
Retailer W.H. Smith lost £68m in the year to end August 2020, with 27% lower revenue reported for the period.
- 2020 Nov 11
From Literary Hub
Eudora Welty: How My Parents Built a Childhood of Books.
From Entertainment Weekly
Dash & Lily cast celebrates the show's true star: The Strand bookstore.
From Catapult
Sex, Lies, and Vampires: Rethinking Twilight and Purity Rings.
From Woman’s Day
20 Children's Books by Black Authors Every Family Should Own.
From Moms.com
Explaining Democracy to Children, and 8 Books That Help.
From Book Riot
12 YA Thrillers for Any Time of Year.
From Book Riot
12 Snow Picture Books to Read on Winter Snow Days.
From Patch
The Best Thanksgiving Books for Children of All Ages.
From Book Riot
9 Great Books About Teens with Supernatural Abilities.
French Authors to Pay Bookstore Fines
A group of French authors say they will pay fines for bookstores that want to stay open amid a coronavirus lockdown.
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