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Welcome to Today in Books, our daily round-up of literary headlines at the intersection of politics, culture, media, and more.
Independent bookstores make quiet comeback as big chains dominate retail
The past couple of years have felt like Big Business is winning, so I’m pleasantly surprised to see that indie stores are the ones actually having a moment. The American Booksellers Association reported that 422 new indie bookstores opened in 2025, a 31% increase from 2024. There are probably a few things we can point to as the reason for this. One of them is the shrinking of third places and the realization that going into a physical book store is more fun than buying books online from major retailers. Then there’s also the support that indie bookstores have been getting from organizations like Bookshop.org since the pandemic. More on that below.
Bookshop.org’s Sales Grew 55% in 2025, Sparked by Romance and E-books
Speaking of indie bookstores, Bookshop.org is killing it. The nonprofit platform has raised more than $40 million for indie bookstores since launching in January 2020. During the pandemic, Bookshop.org became vital to the survival of booksellers without an online presence, according to CEO Andy Hunter, and it has thrived ever since. Its revenue for 2025 was almost $70 million, which is 55% more than in 2024, and twice a year, it gives 10% of all of its profits to participating bookstores (last year, it gave a record $9.5 million total). Romance book sales account for a good chunk of Bookshop.org’s earnings, as they are within the top three sales categories every month. Another big sales driver is ebooks. The company started offering ebooks in 2025, and they now account for more than 5% of its revenue.
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The People Are Not Feeling Patrick Schwarzenegger as the Lead in the Adaptation of Beach Read by Emily Henry
Okay, I have to admit that this one’s a little funny (it’s because I love mess). Essentially, Patrick Schwarzenegger has been cast opposite Bridgerton’s Phoebe Dynevor to star as Beach Read’s Gus, and fans of the book are not having it. This Substack post by Alyssa Morris does a great job of rounding up different people’s reactions to the casting choice, which are, as I mentioned, mostly negative. One of the biggest complaints seems to be that Schwarzenegger is a nepo baby with Republican ties—the very opposite of Beach Read’s Universal Internet BoyfriendTM, Gus. People were also disappointed that Dev Patel was not chosen, which honestly would have pretty much guaranteed I bought a ticket. Just leaving money on the table…
These Were The Most Challenged Books in the US Last Year, According to the American Library Association
Since 1990, the American Library Association (ALA) has tracked the books being challenged across the United States. These are documented and recorded challenges, either cataloged by staff or shared with staff by library workers. Challenges, as opposed to book bans, are complaints about materials; challenges can result in a book being banned, but they can as easily result in books being relocated, redacted, or restricted. They can also result in no action being taken at all. —Kelly Jensen
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