Local Publishing & Books: Barnes & Noble is expanding its Florida footprint by acquiring Delray Beach-based lifestyle brand Levenger, bringing its writing instruments, stationery, and Circa discbound notebooks into select stores and Paper Source locations. Florida Reading Culture: WUCF and VyStar Credit Union kick off their annual Preschool Book Drive with the PBS Kids Book Bash on Oct. 3, aiming to collect 6,000 books for Central Florida Head Start programs. Cozy Mysteries (Florida): Lucy Burdette talks through major changes in her Key West Food Critic series with A Delicious Deception, including moving characters off Houseboat Row and continuing Hayley Snow’s pregnancy storyline. Horror & Comics (Florida setting): IDW Publishing unveils A Quiet Place: Rising Tides #2, set in the Florida Keys with Grace trapped on a houseboat as a hurricane closes in. Crime Fiction: Kellye Garrett discusses her suspense novel Missing White Woman, inspired by the media attention around a neighborhood missing-person case. Libraries Under Pressure: Nassau County budget talks include cuts that would reduce library hours and services, including a Bryceville closure and reduced time at Yulee and Fernandina Beach branches. Publishing Industry & Legal: A Florida federal court filing says the New York Times and a book publisher’s response to Trump’s defamation suit still falls short of showing actual malice. Media Ethics (Local news funding): Poynter launches a free course for news funders on ethically supporting local journalism and protecting independence.