News from The Book Stall

August 20, 2025

Monday - Thursday: 9:30 am - 6:30 pm

Friday: 9:30 am - 5 pm

Saturday: 10 am - 5 pm

Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm

Today's the First Day of School (for Many) and We Wish You All the Best!

Today--Wednesday, August 20--is the first day of class for many local schools: at New Trier Township High School and Wilmette public schools, for example. Many others will start soon! So, to all of you out there--and your parents and caretakers, too, of course--The Book Stall wishes you an excellent and enjoyable year! And know you'll always find just the right book to enhance your learning right here at 811 Elm Street!

An Author Talk at Highland Park Public Library

494 Laurel Avenue

CHARLIE DONLEA

Guess Again

Thursday, August 21, 7 pm

Chicago author Charlie Donlea speaks about his twisty new psychological suspense novel Guess Again. On the 10th anniversary of a teenage girl’s disappearance, her cold case breaks open in dangerous ways…and threatens to tear apart her small Wisconsin town all over again.


Books will be for sale and the event will conclude with a book signing. Register here.


PAWS Chicago Presents

ANGELS WITH TAILS

Saturday, August 23, 12 noon - 3 pm

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PAWS Chicago sponsors Angels with Tails again this year, their big outdoor dog adoption day in Winnetka. Meet adorable, adoptable pets right in front of The Book Stall!  This is a fun-for-all event, so bring the whole household and enjoy an afternoon of puppy paws and kitten whiskers together. With luck, your family will be a little bigger when you leave. 

A Humorous Discussion

MIKE WALTHER

It's Okay to Laugh

Tuesday, August 26, 6 pm

We host a a humorous discussion featuring Oak Wealth Advisors’ founder and president, Mike Walther, author of It's Okay to Laugh: Humorous Stories from the Disability Community.  Through heartwarming, hilarious, and deeply human stories, this uplifting collection celebrates the joy, resilience, and unexpected comedy that families and individuals with disabilities experience every day. A must-read for anyone who believes in humor as healing. Mike will be in-conversation with Randi Gillespie, Director of Special Needs Services, Oak Wealth Advisors LLC. 


This event is free. Register here.

Every Saturday from 10:30 - 11 am, we host our Saturday Storytime hosted by staffer Linda Diekman, who features our store's best picture books--some brand new, some old favorites! It's perfect for picture book fans of all ages! 


New Releases

Fiction

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People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry ($35)

Henry’s NYT bestselling novel now in this special hardcover collector’s edition with a gleaming redesigned cover, a stunning illustrated endpapers and matching sprayed edges that will take readers to a poolside in sunny Palm Springs, a copper foil–stamped case, and a new letter from the author and exclusive postcard art

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Ruth by Kate Riley ($29)

Ruth is raised in a snow globe of Christian communism, a world without private property, television, or tolerance for idle questions. Every morning she braids her hair and wears the same costume, sings the same breakfast song in a family room identical to every other family room in the community; every one of these moments is meant to be a prayer, but to Ruth they remain puzzles. Her life is seen in glimpses through childhood, marriage, and motherhood, as she tries to manage her own perilous curiosity in a community built on holy mystery. Is she happy?

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Leverage by Amran Gowani ($28.99)

Ali “Al” Jafar is a rising star at notorious hedge fund Prism Capital, but fortunes change fast on Wall Street. He's a hotshot hedge fund employee who must risk everything to save his job—and his life—in this timely and darkly funny thriller about race, power, and the corrupting influence of the almighty dollar.

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The Dragon Wake with Thunder by K.X. Song ($30)

A young woman who wields the unimaginable power of a dragon spirit must decide where her loyalties lie—and where her heart belongs—in this fantasy that reimagines the legend of Mulan. The special first edition hardcover includes a shimmering jacket with effects, brilliantly illustrated endpapers, striking and detailed stenciled edges, and a beautiful foil-stamped case.

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The Possession of Alba Díaz by Isabel Canas ($29)

When a demonic presence awakens deep in a Mexican silver mine, the young woman it seizes must turn to the one man she shouldn’t trust. "Chilling.... the richly layered narrative offers much to hold readers' interest as it probes themes of colonialism, patriarchy, and autonomy. Cañas's fans will not be disappointed." —Publishers Weekly


Nonfiction

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In for Dinner: 101 Delicious, Affordable Recipes to Share by Rosie Kellett ($35)

Supper club host Kellett has learned that making delicious food is possible on any budget. Rosie and her housemates cook and eat most of their meals communally: each person pays just about $30 per week to cover grocery costs and they take turns cooking each night, with everyone coming together to share a meal at the end of the day.

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Deadwood: Gold, Guns, and Greed in the American West by Peter Cozzens ($35)

The true story of the Black Hills gold rush settlement once described as “the most diabolical town on earth” and of its most colorful cast of characters, from Wild Bill Hickok to Calamity Jane to Al Swearingen and Sheriff Seth Bullock.

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Parklands: America's National Parks and Public Lands by Jacob W. Frank 

($40)

A visual odyssey through America's most spectacular national parks and public lands--from iconic parks like Yosemite, Glacier Bay, Denali, the Everglades, and the Grand Tetons, to the lesser-known gems of the Dry Tortugas, Congaree, Black Canyon, and the John Day Fossil Beds.


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Baldwin: A Love Story by Nicholas Boggs ($35)

Drawing on new archival material, original research, and interviews, this spellbinding book is the first major biography of James Baldwin in three decades, revealing how profoundly his personal relationships shaped his life and work.


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Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization by Bill McKibben ($29.99)

Our climate, and our democracy, are melting down. But McKibben, one of the first to sound the alarm about the climate crisis, insists the moment is also full of possibility. Energy from the sun and wind is suddenly the cheapest power on the planet and growing faster than any energy source in history—if we can keep accelerating the pace, we have a chance.

Children/Young Adult

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Squirrel and Bird by Laura Baker, illustrated by Stacey Thomas ($18.99)

Squirrel and Bird are best friends, but they're very different. Squirrel is LOUD. Bird is quiet. Squirrel is confident. Bird is shy. And that’s all there is to know about them...or is it? This eye-opening book celebrates the wonderful variety of traits that make us who we are. Ages 3 - 7

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It’s Taco Knight! by Megan Maynor, illustrated by Estrela Lourenço ($19.99)

In this hilarious picture book about teamwork and accountability, a lovable but self-absorbed knight tries to turn every night into Taco Night, to his entire village's dismay. Ages 4- 8

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Aggie and the Ghost by Matthew Forsythe ($19.99)

Aggie is very excited to live on her own—until she finds out her new house is haunted. But no fear, the situation is nothing that can’t be fixed with a carefully considered list of rules: No haunting after dark. No stealing socks. No eating all the food. But the ghost doesn’t like playing by the rules and challenges Aggie to an epic game of tic-tac-toe—winner gets the house. Ages 4 - 8

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Dive by John David Anderson ($19.99)

From the moment Kassandra Conner leaps from the diving board to the moment she hits the water, everything feels in control. The rest of her life does not. St. Lawrence Academy is supposed to have everything Kass's old school didn’t: safe hallways, small classes, and, most important, a chance to dive. But since transferring, all Kass can think about is what’s missing.

Ages 8 - 12

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All the Tomorrows After by Joanne Yi ($19.99)

A heartrending novel about a Korean American teen navigating grief and first love who agrees to accept money from her estranged father in exchange for letting him get to know her. Ages 14 and up

The Book Stall's Bestsellers

for the week ending August 17

  1. The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
  2. Culpability by Bruce Holsinger
  3. Mission: The CIA in the 21st Century by Tim Weiner
  4. My Friends by Fredrik Bachman
  5. The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
  6. The Wedding People by Alison Espach
  7. Broken Country by Claire Leslie Hall
  8. Frozen River by Ariel Lawson
  9. An Inside Job by Daniel Silva
  10. Peggy by Rebecca Godfrey

Indie Bestsellers Across the Country

Every week, independent booksellers across America report their bestsellers, providing the most current snapshot of what's selling in indie bookstores nationwide. Click here to reach the American Booksellers Association (ABA) website, where the latest lists are posted every Wednesday afternoon.


New York Times Bestsellers, August 24

Click here for an advance look at the hardcover fiction and here for the hardcover nonfiction bestsellers that will appear in the New York Times book section on August 24. You can see these NYT fiction bestsellers and nonfiction bestsellers on our website, where you can order them directly from The Book Stall.

Our Literary Community Bulletin Board

The Book Stall is pleased to host this Literary Community Bulletin Board. Any news of interest to readers and writers? Send your information to events@thebookstall.com with "Literary Community Bulletin Board" in the subject line. Note: The Book Stall reserves editorial privilege.

 
Be sure to check our website for the latest Book Stall information.