LibraryThing: State of the Thing - May

LibraryThing: State of the Thing Dear {NAME}, Welcome to the May State of the Thing! This month we draw your attention to our new series charts, announce a special TinyCat Anniversary giveaway and highlight TinyCat’s Library of the Month, dish out lots of book world news, and offer 2,764 free books! You can like LibraryThing on [Facebook]( and follow [@LibraryThing]( on Twitter and [librarythingofficial]( on Instagram for news and updates. New Series Charts LibraryThing’s resident chart guru, [Lucy](, has added a cool new chart that tracks the popularity of different book series! Located at the bottom of the series page—the image above is from the [Rivers of London]( page—there is now a chart that displays the number of copies of each work that was added over a specific period of time. Check out some of these series pages and their cool charts! - [Bridgertons]( - [Dune]( - [Calvin and Hobbes]( - [Elephant and Piggie]( How popular are your favorite series on LibraryThing? Come take a look, and [join the conversation]( over in Talk. TinyCat Giveaway Last month was the sixth birthday of [TinyCat](—our catalog for tiny libraries—and we celebrated with a special sale on the merchandise in our [LibraryThing Store](. The party continues this month as we commemorate six years of TinyCat by giving out six of our beautiful new enamel pins—available in classic or rainbow design—to new and existing TinyCat subscribers. Come [join the conversation]( over in Talk, and find out how to enter to win! The giveaway runs until Monday, June 13, so be sure to get your entries in before then. We’ll announce our winners that week on [Twitter]( and [LibraryThing]( (winners will be emailed or contacted directly on [LibraryThing](). Library of the Month of the Month. TinyCat’s featured library this month is the Seattle-based [Michael C. Weidemann LGBTQ+ Library](—formerly known as Gay City—which does valuable work in their community amplifying marginalized voices. Library and Resource Coordinator Alayna S. Jasso sat down with Kristi this month to answer her questions about the organization and [their library](. Q. Who are you, and what is your mission—your “raison d’être”?: We are the Michael C. Weidemann LGBTQ+ Library located in Seattle’s LGBTQ+ Center. Our library’s mission is to promote the self-determination, liberation, and joy of LGBTQ+ communities through storytelling, information, and idea sharing while centering the stories and voices of Queer and Trans BIPOC individuals in an inclusive and welcoming space. You can find the [full interview on our blog](. TinyCat Webinars. To learn more about TinyCat, join Kristi for a live demo Wednesdays at 1pm Eastern. Webinars are now on Zoom, so make sure to use our new [link to attend](. You can also check out our playlists of Tiny Tutorials on [LibraryThing's YouTube channel](, where Kristi walks you through various features of TinyCat in 30 seconds or less. If you'd like to schedule a webinar at another time or if you have other questions about TinyCat, you can reach Kristi at tinycat@librarything.com. List of the Month May List of the Month. Inspired by Europe Day, which occurred on May 9th, our May List of the Month is devoted to contemporary EU fiction, written by authors from EU member states, and published subsequent to 1950. Head over to our list, [EU Fiction: 1950-2022](, and add your top ten picks. Check out other recent Lists of the Month: - April. [Favorite Recent Poetry: 1980-2022]( - March. [A Ukraine Reading List]( - February. ​​[Favorite Short Fiction]( - December. [Top Five Books of 2021]( - November. [Stories of War and Revolution]( See our [wiki page]( for a complete List of the Month list, and join us over in our [Talk group]( for further discussion of the project. The Talk of LibraryThing What conversations are going on in our groups? - The 15th round of the [Alphabet of Books You Have Read]( game—ongoing since 2011—is underway amongst members of [Playing Games and Solving Puzzles](. - A visit to West Virginia is in progress as part of the [Americana Series Monthly Challenge]( in the [Mystery and Suspense Extra!](21) group. - The question, [What’s Up With Hamlet?](, is under discussion in the [The Globe: Shakespeare, his Contemporaries, and Context](. - Members are sharing their [Current May 2022 Reading]( over in the [History Fans]( group. Speaking of Groups, if you’re new to LibraryThing, there’s a group for that: [Welcome to LibraryThing](21)! Hot on LibraryThing Here are some titles that have been particularly hot on LibraryThing in the last month: - [Theology for Ministry]( by [Chad van Dixhoorn]( - [Dream Town]( by [David Baldacci]( - [The Hacienda]( by [Isabel Canas]( - [Book Lovers]( by [Emily Henry]( - [The Investigator]( by [John Sandford]( - [Strange New World]( by [Carl R. Trueman]( - [Nettle and Bone]( by [T Kingfisher]( - [The New Reformation: Finding Hope in the Fight for Ethnic Unity]( by [Shai Linne]( - [Book of Night]( by [Holly Black]( - [Take My Hand]( by [Dolen Perkins-Valdez]( - [Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel]( by [Bonnie Garmus]( - [Amongst Our Weapons]( by [Ben Aaronovitch]( - [How to Build a Healthy Church]( by [Mark Dever]( - [Portrait of a Thief]( by [Grace D. Li]( - [True Biz]( by [Sara Nović]( - [What Happened to the Bennetts]( by [Lisa Scottoline]( - [The Path to Being a Pastor: A Guide for the Aspiring]( by [Bobby Jamieson]( - [Sea of Tranquility]( by [Emily St. John Mandel]( - [Kaikeyi]( by [Vaishnavi Patel]( - [The Candy House]( by [Jennifer Egan]( Hot in Libraries Here's what's hot in the last month across [thousands of public libraries]( in the United States: See the full list on the [Syndetics Unbound Blog](. This data was collected by Syndetics Unbound, a LibraryThing/ProQuest project to enrich the library catalog. The search data is fully anonymized the day it is collected. For more information about Syndetics Unbound, please visit [Syndetics.com](?utm_source=LT&utm_medium=sott&utm_id=main). Free Books! Our Early Reviewers program pairs publishers and authors looking for reviews and book buzz with readers looking for their next great read. This month we’re pleased to feature New Zealand author [Becky Manawatu’s]( multiple award-winning novel, [Auē](C4%93), from [Scribe Publications](; an exploration of international monetary policy ([The Mystic Hand]() from EU parliamentarian and former Belgian finance minister [Johan Van Overtveldt](, offered by first-time publisher participant [Agate Publishing](; and [Robert McGill’s]( absurd new take on the dystopian plague novel, [A Suitable Companion for the End of Your Life](, from [Coach House Books](. Explore the full list and [sign up to request books](. [Crossfire]( [The Mystic Hand: How Central Banks Shaped the 21st Century Global Economy]([Auē](C4%93) [Deception]( [A Suitable Companion for the End of Your Life]( [The Last Way Home]( [A Trillion Trees: Restoring Our Forests by Trusting in Nature]( [River of Ashes]( [The Carbon Footprint of Everything]( [Space Story]( [31 Paradiso]( [A Visit to Moscow]( [Are We Ever Our Own]( [Reading Black Books: How African American Literature Can Make Our Faith More Whole and Just]( [A Brush with Murder]( [The Perfect Neighborhood]( [What Goes Unsaid: A Memoir of Fathers Who Never Were]( [Buddha Was a Cowboy]( [Still Water: Poems]( [Beware of Railway-Journeys]( Our May batch of Early Reviewers has 2,764 copies of 139 books. The deadline to request a book is May 30th, 6pm Eastern time. Did you win a book recently? When you receive your book, make sure you head over to your [Books You've Won]( page to mark it received. After you've read your book, add your review to LibraryThing. First, add the book to your LibraryThing catalog. Then click the pencil-shaped "edit" icon next to the book, or click "edit book" from the work page. Type your review into the Review box, and click "submit" to save it. Reviewing your books gives you a greater chance of winning books in the future, while neglecting to review lowers your odds. For more information, visit the [Early Reviewers Help Page](. Book World News: In Memoriam Beloved American fantasy and science fiction author [Patricia A. McKillip]( has [died at the age of 74](. Writing for both children and adults, she published thirty-eight books over the course of her career, as well as numerous short stories. McKillip won the [World Fantasy Award](Fantasy+Award) for her 1974 YA novel, [The Forgotten Beasts of Eld](, as well as the [World Fantasy Award for Lifetime Achievement]( in 2008. She holds the record for both the most nominations and the most wins in the [Mythopoeic Fantasy Awards](Fantasy+Award). Discussing the significance of fantasy in a 1996 interview with [Locus Magazine](, she said “I think readers like faerieland because it is a source of power, a source of imagination which becomes a very powerful tool. Maybe that’s why I keep digging into it, because it is something that’s totally imaginative, and yet it’s also a very ancient way of looking at the world.” Award-winning Canadian poet and writer [Steven Heighton]( has [passed away]( at the age of 60. The author of nineteen books across a range of genres—poetry, novels, memoir, essays, short stories, children’s literature—he was also a singer-songwriter. Heighton’s debut, the poetry collection [Stalin’s Carnival](, won the [Gerald Lampert Memorial Award](Lampert+Memorial+Award) in 1990, while he more recently won the [Governor General’s Literary Award](General%27s+Literary+Award) for his 2006 [The Waking Comes Late](. [Rolando Hinojosa-Smith](, dubbed “the dean of Chicano authors” when he won the National Book Critics Circle’s [Ivan Sandrof Life Achievement Award]( in 2013, [has died at the age of 93](. Raised in Texas’ Rio Grande Valley by Hispanic and Anglo parents, he explored the relationship between these communities and the nature of living in a border region in his fifteen novels, many set in the fictional [Klail City](. In addition to his writing career, he taught in the English Department at the University of Texas at Austin. Two notable figures in the world of comic books died this past month. [Neal Adams](, known for his realistic style and for his role in revitalizing the [Batman](5BTitan-Books%5D) franchise, [has passed away]( at the age of 80. Adams was an advocate for other comic creators, and is particularly remembered for the help he gave to [Superman]( creators [Jerry Siegel]( and [Joe Schuster](. Comic book author and illustrator [George Pérez](, known for his work on [Wonder Woman]( and [The New Teen Titans](5B1982%5D), has also [passed away]( at the age of 67. Book World News: Ukraine In the [March]( and [April]( issues of State of the Thing we highlighted some of the ways in which the book world has been responding to the war in Ukraine. News of the war continues to be a topic of conversation and concern. The book world in Ukraine itself has been [drastically affected by the Russian invasion](, with publishers and booksellers often having to flee, or to take shelter under extraordinary circumstances. The CEO of [Vivat](, one of Ukraine’s largest publishing companies, has described how [her company has carried on](, despite the war having scattered her staff. The eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, once the center of Ukrainian publishing, has seen an exodus of booksellers, and books, [some ending up in Lviv](, a city in the western part of the country. As of late April, the [German Publishers and Booksellers Association](—the organization behind the [Frankfurt Book Fair](—had [raised some $22,000]( for Ukrainians who have been affected by the war, and their fundraising continues. The fair is also offering support to the Ukrainian publishing industry, giving the [Ukrainian Book Institute]( a free booth at the fair, and preparing a [collection of Ukrainian books]( to be displayed at the upcoming [Warsaw]( and [Prague]( book fairs. In the UK, the [Waterstones]( bookstore chain [has launched a campaign](, in partnership with publishers and authors, that aims to raise £1m for Ukraine. [Bernardine Evaristo](, [Marina Lewycka]( and [Jasper Fforde]( are among the authors whose books will be included in the chain’s “[Read for Ukraine](” displays. LibraryThing chose to dedicate our March List of the Month to [A Ukraine Reading List](, and we also want to continue to highlight the Ukrainian resources available on our site for readers interested in learning more. - [🇺🇦]( [Books tagged "Ukraine"]( - [🇺🇦](+non-fiction) [Tag mash of "Ukraine" and "Non-Fiction"](+non-fiction) - [🇺🇦]( [LC Classification DK508-508.95]( - [🇺🇦 Dewey 947.7]( - [🇺🇦]( [Dewey 914.77]( Book World News: Freedom of Expression [PEN America]( has announced that Ukrainian journalist Vladyslav Yesypenko, imprisoned since March of 2021, [will be the recipient]( of its 2022 [PEN/Barbey Freedom to Write Award](. As Yesypenko is currently serving a six-year sentence in a Russian labor camp, the award will be presented to his wife at the upcoming [PEN America Literary Gala](. PEN America [will also honor]( Florida high school student and activist Jack Petocz for his role in organizing protests against his state’s Parental Rights in Education bill, known to critics as the “Don’t Say Gay” bill. Petocz will be given the [PEN/Benenson Freedom of Expression Courage Award](. The battle in the United States over school libraries and curricula continues, and here too PEN America [had something to say](, releasing their [Banned in the USA]( report, which chronicles the rising number of challenges to books in US schools and libraries across 26 states. The [ALA](, in the meantime, has announced that they will be [joining with over 25 other organizations]( in a “[Unite Against Book Bans](” campaign, intended to highlight rising levels of book challenges and bans, nationwide. The campaign also aims to fight against new laws being implemented to allow politicians greater control over library curation decisions, such as the recent bill in Tennessee that has given state lawmakers [the power to veto books]( in school library collections, or the one in Kentucky that has given state politicians [control over local library boards](. The decision by a school board in Rapid City, South Dakota [to remove and destroy copies of five books]( from school libraries has led author [Dave Eggers](, whose own [The Circle]( (a "One-Book-One-LibraryThing [pick]( back in 2013) was amongst the titles targeted, to [offer free copies of all of the books in question]( to any high school student in the state who wishes to request them. In a similar vein, the [New York Public Library]( has announced that it is [making banned books available digitally]( to all readers nationwide, while the [Brooklyn Public Library]( is offering a free out-of-state ecard—something that normally costs $50—to all teens who request it. Book World News: Awards Awards and Prizes. The winners of the 2022 [Pulitzer Prizes](Prize), given out in a variety of categories, [have been announced](. The New York Times has offered [comprehensive coverage]( of the winners in the various journalism categories. In the book categories, the winner for Fiction was [The Netanyahus]( by [Joshua Cohen](, and for General Nonfiction it was [Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City]( by [Andrea Elliott](. There were two winners in the History category: [Covered with Night: A Story of Murder and Indigenous Justice in Early America]( by [Nicole Eustace]( and [Cuba: An American History]( by [Ada Ferrer](. In the Biography category the winner was [Chasing Me to My Grave: An Artist’s Memoir of the Jim Crow South]( by [Winfred Rembert]( and [Erin I. Kelly](, while in the Poetry category the winner was [frank: sonnets]( by [Diane Seuss](. The 2022 [Royal Society of Literature Ondaatje Prize](20Prize), given annually to a work of fiction, nonfiction or poetry that evokes the “spirit of a place,” and that is written by a resident of one of the British Commonwealth countries, or of the Republic of Ireland, [has been awarded]( to [Lea Ypi]( for her [Free: A Child and a Country at the End of History](. A memoir of growing up in Albania during the fall of Communism, the book was praised by the judges for being both “darkly humorous and deeply serious,” provoking reflection “on the need for truthfulness about the stories we are told and how we negotiate our own lives within them.” The [OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature](20Bocas%20Prize%20for%20Caribbean%20Literature), given annually at the [Bocas Lit Fest]( in Trinidad and Tabago, [has been awarded]( this year to [Celeste Mohammed]( for her novel, [Pleasantview](. The Bocas shortlist, which always includes a fiction, nonfiction and poetry selection, from which the overall winner is chosen, also included [Thinking with Trees]( by [Jason Allen-Paisant]( (Poetry), and [Things I Have Withheld]( by [Kei Miller]( (Nonfiction). [Lauren Groff]( has [been announced as the winner]( of the 2022 [Joyce Carol Oates Literary Prize](20Carol%20Oates%20Literary%20Prize) for her novel, [Matrix](. Named for celebrated American author [Joyce Carol Oates](, the prize is awarded to mid-career authors of fiction by the [New Literary Project](, a collaboration between the [English Department]( of the University of California at Berkeley, and the [Lafayette Library and Learning Center Foundation](. Prize chair [Joseph Di Prisco]( praised Groff for her willingness to take risks, and for the “heartfelt compassion and integrity” that informs her work. The winners of the 2022 [Ockham New Zealand Book Awards](New+Zealand+Book+Award), given annually in multiple categories to New Zealand authors, [have been named](. The Jann Medlicott Acorn Prize for Fiction has gone to [Whiti Hereaka]( for [Kurangaituku](, while the General Nonfiction Award has gone to [Vincent O’Malley]( for [Voices from the New Zealand Wars | He Reo nō ngā Pakanga o Aotearoa](. The Mary and Peter Biggs Award for Poetry has gone to [Joanna Preston]( for [tumble](, while the Booksellers Aotearoa New Zealand Award for Illustrated Nonfiction has gone to [Claire Regnault]( for [Dressed: Fashionable Dress in Aotearoa New Zealand 1840 to 1910](. Four first-time authors—one in each of these four categories—were also chosen as winners. See the complete list of winners on the [New Zealand Book Awards Trust]( site. Australia’s [Stella Prize](20Prize), an annual literary award for women writers in all genres, [has been given]( to [Evelyn Araluen]( this year for her debut poetry collection, [Dropbear](. This is the first year that works of poetry have been eligible for the award, with the judges describing Araluen’s book as “a breathtaking collection of poetry and short prose which arrests key icons of mainstream Australian culture and turns them inside out, with malice aforethought.” Also in Australia, [Audrey Molloy]( has [been named as the winner]( of the 2021 [Anne Elder Award](20Elder%20Award) for her [The Important Things](. Administered by [Australian Poetry](, the prize recognizes the best first book of poetry published in Australia. The judges praised Molloy’s “mature and grounded voice, unafraid to expose the fragility and vulnerability that come with life’s experiences.” Poet and professor [Sonia Sanchez]( has [been named the winner]( of this year’s [Jackson Poetry Prize](, given out annually by [Poets & Writers]( to an “American poet of exceptional talent.” The award committee stated that Sanchez’ “vast and commanding oeuvre of published poetry invokes the power and revolutionary properties of language itself—intoning the struggles and joys of entire communities while reinvigorating traditional forms.” As reported in previous issues of SOTT, Sanchez [was awarded]( the [MacDowell Medal]( earlier in 2022, and [was announced]( as the winner of the [Dorothy and Lillian Gish Prize](, in October of 2021. The [Dylan Thomas Prize](20Thomas%20Prize), named for beloved Welsh author [Dylan Thomas](, and awarded annually by [Swansea University]( to a young writer in the English language, [has gone]() to American memoirist and poet [Patricia Lockwood]( for her debut novel, [No One Is Talking About This](. The chair of the judging panel, [Namita Gokhale](, described Lockwood as “the voice of a generation of new writers who grew up under the constant pressures of real-time news and social media.” The winners of the 2022 [New York City Awards](20York%20City%20Book%20Award), given annually by [The New York Society Library]( to “books of literary quality or historical importance that… evoke the spirit or enhance appreciation of New York City,” [have been announced](. Honorees include [Debby Applegate]( for [Madam: The Biography of Polly Adler, Icon of the Jazz Age](, [Colson Whitehead]( for [Harlem Shuffle](, [C.G. Esperanza]( for [Boogie Boogie Y'all](, and [Brian Merlis]( and [Clarence Taylor]( for [Historic Black Brooklyn: 400 Years of Struggle and Hope](. The Hornblower Award for a First Book has gone to [Ly Tran]( for [House of Sticks: A Memoir](. The [Gotham Book Prize](20Book%20Prize), first awarded in 2021, is also given to an outstanding New York-related book, one that is either about or set in the city. This year’s winner [has been announced]( as [Andrea Elliott]( for her [Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City](, which was also awarded the 2022 [Pulitzer Prize](Prize) in the Nonfiction category. In Oregon, the [Literary Arts]( organization [has named the 2022 winners]( of the [Oregon Book Awards](Book+Award), given each year to honor that state’s most accomplished writers. The Ken Kesey Award for Fiction has gone to [Omar El Akkad]( for [What Strange Paradise](, while the Stafford/Hall Award for Poetry has been given to [Dao Strom]( for [Instrument](. [Breena Bard]( has won the Award for Graphic Literature for her [Trespassers](, and [Jacob Darwin Hamblin]( has won the Frances Fuller Victor Award for General Nonfiction for [The Wretched Atom: America's Global Gamble with Peaceful Nuclear Technology](. The Sarah Winnemucca Award for Creative Nonfiction has gone to [Allison Cobb]( for [Plastic: An Autobiography](, while the Leslie Bradshaw Award for Young Adult Literature has gone to [Courtney Gould]( for [The Dead and the Dark](. [Jennie Englund]( has won the Eloise Jarvis McGraw Award for Children's Literature for [Taylor Before and After](, while [Cynthia Whitcomb]( has won the Stewart H. Holbrook Literary Legacy Award. The winners of the 2022 [Edgar Awards](Award), named after [Edgar Allen Poe]( and given annually by the [Mystery Writers of America]( to honor the best in mystery writing and the performing arts, [have been announced](. Best Novel has gone to [James Kestrel]( for his [Five Decembers](, and Best First Novel has gone to [Erin Flanagan]( for [Deer Season](. Best Paperback Original has been given to [Alan Parks]( for [Bloody March Will Live Forever](, while Best Fact Crime has been given to [Elon Green]( for [Last Call: A True Story of Love, Lust, and Murder in Queer New York](. Best Juvenile has gone to [Christina Diaz Gonzalez]( for [Concealed](, and Best Young Adult to [Angeline Boulley]( for [Firekeeper’s Daughter](. For a complete list of winners and nominees, see this [press release](. In the UK, the winners of the [Crimefest Awards](20Awards), given out annually at the [Crimefest Convention](, have [been announced](. The winner of the Specsavers Best Debut Crime Novel was [David Heska Wanbli Weiden]( for [Winter Counts](, while the Audible Sounds of Crime Award was given to the audiobook edition of [Richard Osman’s]( [The Man Who Died Twice](, narrated by [Lesley Manville](. The eDunnit Award for best crime fiction ebook has gone to [Abigail Dean]( for [Girl A](, while the H.R.F. Keating Award for best biographical or critical book related to crime fiction has gone to [Patricia Highsmith]( and editor [Anna von Planta]( for [Patricia Highsmith: Her Diaries and Notebooks, 1941-1995](. See [this announcement]( for a complete list of winners and nominees. The [Publishing Triangle](, an association of LGBTQ people in publishing, [have announced]( the winners of the 2022 [Publishing Triangle Awards](20Triangle). The Ferro-Grumley Award for LGBTQ Fiction has been given to [Anthony Veasna So]( for [Afterparties: Stories](, while the Edmund White Award for Debut Fiction has gone to [Robert Jones Jr.]( for [The Prophets](. The Thom Gunn Award for Gay Poetry has gone to [John Keene]( for [Punks: New & Selected Poems](, while the Audre Lorde Award for Lesbian Poetry has been given to [Cheryl Boyce-Taylor]( for [Mama Phife Represents: A Memoir](. For a complete list of winners, see [this announcement](. This year’s [Plutarch Award](20Award), named after the famous [ancient Greek biographer](, and awarded by the [Biographers International Organization]( to the best biography of the year, has been given to [A.N. Wilson]( for [The Mystery of Charles Dickens](. The 2022 winners of the [Christian Book Awards](20Book%20Award), given out annually in twelve categories by the [ECPA]( (Evangelical Christian Publishers Association) were [recently announced](. Book of the Year was given to [Prayer in the Night: For Those Who Work or Watch or Weep]( by [Tish Harrison Warren](, while [Douglas J. Moo]( won in the Bible Reference Works category for [A Theology of Paul and His Letters: The Gift of the New Realm in Christ](. In the Faith & Culture category, [Jemar Tisby]( has won for [How to Fight Racism: Courageous Christianity and the Journey Toward Racial Justice](, while [Todd Nettleton]( has won in the Biography & Memoir category for [When Faith Is Forbidden: 40 Days on the Frontlines with Persecuted Christians](. The complete list of winners can be found on [this page](. In the UK, the [Republic of Consciousness Prize for Small Presses](20of%20Consciousness%20Prize), awarded to the best work of fiction published by a small publisher with fewer than five employees, [has gone]( to Indonesian author [Norman Erikson Pasaribu]( and [Titled Access Press]( for [Happy Stories, Mostly](. The New York Public Library’s 2022 [Helen Bernstein Book Award for Excellence in Journalism](20Helen%20Bernstein%20Award) has [been given]( to [Andrea Elliott]( for her [Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City](, which has also won this year’s [Pulitzer Prize](Prize) for General Nonfiction and [Gotham Book Prize](Book+Prize) for New York City-centered work. Other Book World News COVID-19 Updates Although Covid-19 continues to be a factor in the book world, many book-related events have been returning to in-person attendance, and the outlook has recently been more hopeful. [Independent Bookstore Day]( returned to the United States and Canada on April 30th, after a hiatus of two years, with [booksellers reporting in]( on their many exciting and successful events to mark the day. The [Brooklyn Bookstore Crawl]( also recently returned after a hiatus, with [twenty-one bookstores across the borough participating](. The [Abu Dhabi International Book Fair]( is expected to return to full force in the last week of May, after a limited fair last year, with more than [450 events scheduled](. Meanwhile in the United States, Publishers Weekly reports that children’s publishers and authors are [getting back into live, in-person events](. In the [April issue]( of SOTT we reported on a [London outbreak of Covid-19](, possibly tied to the recent [London Book Fair](. Event leaders have subsequently offered a [defense of their Covid safety measures](. Bookselling & Publishing An odd mystery in the publishing world was solved earlier this year, when a mysterious thief of unpublished manuscripts was [apprehended by the FBI]( (see our coverage in the [February issue]( of SOTT). Now a new mystery has arisen, as reports have emerged of a con artist who has been [impersonating a HarperCollins editorial director]( offering hopeful authors fraudulent book deals. Hopefully this new book-world villain will also be caught! The past two years has seen a number of important consolidations in the publishing industry, from [the sale of Houghton Mifflin’s trade division]( to HarperCollins (reported on in the [April 2021 issue]( of SOTT), to the [proposed purchase of Simon & Schuster]( by Penguin Random House (reported on in the [December 2020]( issue). In a recent pair of articles, Publishers Weekly has outlined the history of [publisher consolidation over the last twenty-five years](, and has examined the [“Big Five” publishers]( which currently dominate the industry. The second annual [US Book Show](, a virtual publishing conference organized and hosted by [Publishers Weekly](, will be [returning in the final week of May](. Events will include author appearances from [featured speakers]( such as [Andrey Kurkov](, [Celeste Ng](, [John Grisham](, [Kwame Alexander](, [Mo Willems](, and [Chris Finan](. On that note, that's all I have for the Thing this month! Happy reading, Abigail PS: If you'd rather receive a plain-text version, [edit your email preferences](. You can also read it [online](. This message was sent to {NAME}. Click to [edit your email preferences or unsubscribe from future emails](.