As the regional trade show season starts to come to a close, fall book festivals continue to abound. This weekend festivals are slated to be held in Las Vegas, Houston, and the Twin Cities. The Boston Book Festival opens a week later on October 23.
Events
Vegas Valley Book Festival (Oct. 15-17): The 14th annual festival, which is being held in downtown Las Vegas and the Clark County Library, features more than 120 authors and 50 events.
Texas Book Festival (Oct. 17-18): Now in its 20th year, the Austin-based festival continues to grow and features authors ranging from Avi to Houston’s first poet laureate, Gwendolyn Zepeda.
Twin Cities Book Festival (Oct. 17): The day-long book fair, sponsored by Rain Taxi, takes place at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.
Openings & Closings
New Incarnation for NYC’s Brazenhead: Michael Seidenberg’s eight-year-old Upper East Side apartment-bookstore, which was forced to close in July, is back just a few blocks away.
Sci-fi Junkie to Open Bookstore in Bothell, Wash.: Cancer survivor Annie Carl, who started her bookselling career at the age of 15 at Mr. B’s Bookery in Kingston, is opening a used bookstore, the Neverending Bookshop, on October 24. She hopes to raise $20,000 through gofundme.
Michael’s Books Closing after 32 Years: Michael Elmer is closing his Bellingham, Wash., used bookstore on December 31 to try something new.
Louisville’s Booknook Closing Its Physical Store: The four-year-old bookstore will sell books online, but close its bricks-and-mortar operation on October 23.
Other News
Oblong Books Marks 40 Years in Millerton, N.Y.: Earlier this week Dick Hermans and his daughter, Suzanna Hermans, celebrated the 40th anniversary of the opening of the bookstore, which has since expanded to a second location in Rhinebeck, N.Y.
Comics Store in Jaffrey, N.H., Starting to Succeed: Joe Bills describes how two years of working “insane hours” helped him and his brother make a go of their dream store, Escape Hatch Book, a hybrid comics shop/bookstore/game shop.
Bookstore Adds Four-Legged Tutors: Used bookstore Read It Again Books and Gifts in Grove City, Ohio, has begun partnering with Therapy Dog International to help children learn to read.
The Making of Mid-Town Scholar: Mayor Eric Papenfuse describes how he and Catherine Lawrence ended up opening what went on to become one of the leading indie bookstores in Harrisburg, Pa.—and in the process changed the neighborhood.
