The American Booksellers Association has announced that membership increased last year, from 1,401 stores to 1,410. Nine new members doesn't necessarily mean nine new bookstores in America (a lot of bookstores aren't members of the ABA—Bailey/Coy wasn't, and most used bookstores in town aren't), but it's still a little bit of good news before Book Expo America, the annual convention where the publishing industry takes a look at itself and figures out what to do next.

I'm not going to BEA this year. I went in 2006, 2008, and 2009, and I'll definitely go next year, but I think I'm going to enjoy sitting back and watching the announcements and Slogging about them from the (relative) comfort of The Stranger's offices this year.