Illinois
How Booked is building a community one stellar reading recommendation at a time
Independent bookstores are the heartbeats of their communities. They provide culture and community, generate local jobs and sales tax revenue, promote literacy and education, champion and center diverse and new authors, connect readers to books in a personal and authentic way, and actively support the right to read and access to books in their communities.
Each week we profile an independent bookstore, sharing what makes each one special and getting their expert and unique book recommendations.
This week we have Booked in Evanston, Illinois!
What’s your store’s story?
Chelsea Elward, a lifelong Evanstonian, opened Booked in 2018 as Chicagoland’s first children’s focused independent bookstore — and the only one with a tiny door just for kids. Today, the store is owned by two employees, Abby Dan and Betsy Haberl.
Recently, we’ve filled the shelves, launched weekly kids’ programming (including two trans and nonbinary Dungeons & Dragons Groups for tweens and teens), expanded the adult section, and added adult book clubs!
Our aim is to be a community space and a community asset, helping Evanston’s families, schools, congregations and businesses connect through books.
What makes your independent bookstore unique?
We’re the store with the tiny door! (Technically, our door is called a “wicket,” but Evanstonians and visitors know that we’ve got a little door within a door just for kids.)
We love to see them confidently (or nervously) striding through our tiny door to find a magical space with books at their level, a cozy rainbow rug, as well as puzzles and toys.
We’re a storytime spot for a fleet of toddler parents and caregivers, thanks to our musically talented and enthusiastic staff. We also host our trans and nonbinary Dungeons & Dragons group, began with four kids and has expanded to a weekly after-hours event for tweens and teens. And as we’ve grown and curated our adult shelves, we’ve built two enthusiastic, committed book clubs: Booked Club (which reads literary fiction and nonfiction) and Sunday Smut (which reads modern romance).
Many community members come in to talk books with us, and we love building these relationships. Most importantly, we are all hand-sellers. You tell us what you need, what you’re feeling, what you want to feel or communicate with a gift, and we can find you the right title.
What’s your favorite section in your store?
I love our Middle Grade section — there is just so much depth there! Middle Grade authors are doing everything from talking dogs to neurodivergent narrators in verse to dragon flights to dust bowl family sagas to elite private schools and everything in between.
I love it when parents or grandparents come in with a great idea of who their kid is but no idea what they should read next. We always have something new or different, and we love it when they come back to tell us we nailed it!
Why is shopping at local, independent bookstores important?
Evanston is everything to Abby and Betsy — we both live here, send our kids to schools here, employ fellow Evanstonians, spend our own money at local businesses.
Booked is a physical place where kids and adults can come to gather and shop, but we’re also a community entity that gets diverse books into classrooms, homes, shelters and other community spaces. We bring authors to the community and its schools, and we bring people of all ages together. Without customers, we can’t add this layer of richness to Evanston, enrich the lives we touch, and we can’t be a cool spot to pick out great stickers. We just won’t be here.
Check out these titles recommended by Booked owner, Abby Dan:
- “The Sentence” by Louise Erdrich
- “Shark Heart” by Emily Habeck
- “Finally Heard” by Kelly Yang
- “The Other Valley” by Scott Alexander Howard
- “Sheine Lende” by Darcie Little Badger
- “Funny Story” by Emily Henry
- “The Birchbark House” by Louise Erdrich
- “Pretty Ugly” by David Sedaris
The drought is over! We repeat, the drought is over! Montana State has won the FCS Championship for the first time since 1984, breaking a 41-year drought.
The Bobcats won the 2025-26 FCS Championship with a 35-34 win over Illinois State in overtime, holding off the Redbirds in the an overtime classic.
After Illinois State scored two fourth quarter touchdowns, the Redbirds had a shot at a game-winning field goal with just over one minute to play. That’s when the kick was blocked! The game proceeded to overtime.
MADNESS IN NASHVILLE, ARE YOU SERIOUS?!?! 🫨
The field goal kick gets blocked by @MSUBobcats_FB, scooped up, and returned back to the 45-yard line of Illinois State. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/apXWzNehjH
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
In overtime, Illinois State got the ball first and scored a touchdown to take the lead. That’s when the extra-point try was blocked as special teams miscues proved costly for Illinois State.
REDBIRDS STRIKE FIRST IN OVERTIME ⚡️
Dylan Lord scores his second touchdown of the game to give @RedbirdFB the lead. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/cE9621nX2Y
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
However, Montana State still had to respond with a touchdown of their own. Facing 4th-and-10, quarterback Justin Lamson hit wide receiver Taco Dowler for the game-tying score. To win the game, Colby Frokjer knocked in the game-winning PAT.
TACO DOWLER TOUCHDOWN 🚨🚨🚨
Lamson connects with Dowler in the end zone for an overtime @MSUBobcats_FB touchdown. #FCSChampionship x 🎥 ESPN pic.twitter.com/gBdNnha0PR
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
The game-winning touchdown earned Lamson Most Outstanding Player honors. He completed 67 percent of his passes for 287 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for 30 yards and two scores.
“There’s not many moments that are gonna be better than this.”@MSUBobcats_FB’s @justin_lamson10 reflects on bringing back the first title in 41 years back to Bozeman with @stan_becton 🏆 #FCSChampionship pic.twitter.com/2UQuvtKXO2
— NCAA FCS Football (@NCAA_FCS) January 6, 2026
It’s the first championship of the Brent Vigen era in Bozeman as the head coach lifts the trophy for the first in his third championship game appearance. The win is also the Big Sky’s first over the MVFC in a championship game, bringing the all time record to 4-1.
Full finish: CHAOTIC Q4 ending, FIRST-EVER FCS title game overtime
What to Know
- -Children between the ages of 5-17 are seeing the highest impact in the surge in cases in Illinois
- -COVID cases are also on the rise, with “moderate” levels reported by the CDC
- -Illinois health officials say just 22% of the state’s residents have received flu immunizations, while 6.8% have received COVID vaccine boosters
Hospital admissions and positive tests for influenza are soaring in Illinois, prompting warnings and concerns from health officials.
According to an update Monday from the Illinois Department of Public Health, flu activity in the state has climbed to “very high” levels in recent days, the most severe of five categories of respiratory illness activity used by the CDC.
Data available via the IDPH’s Seasonal Respiratory Illness Dashboard shows that more than 19% of emergency room visits in Illinois during the last reporting period were due to acute respiratory illness, with more than 18% of hospital admissions attributed to those illnesses.
Acute respiratory illnesses include the flu as well as COVID-19 and RSV, according to officials.
COVID-19 rates are also on the rise, increasing to “moderate” levels in the state according to the CDC.
The CDC uses wastewater monitoring to help detect viruses infecting people in a community, according to its website.
The bulk of hospital admissions and ER visits associated with respiratory illnesses were made because of flu symptoms, according to officials.
Health officials in Illinois are warning of a new and unexpected mutation that could make for a “more serious flu season.” Natalie Martinez has more.
Data shows that the spike in illnesses is having a serious impact on those residents under the age of 18. Children between the ages of 5 and 17 are most impacted by hospital admissions related to acute respiratory illnesses and the flu, while residents over the age of 65 are most impacted by COVID-19.
In the press release, Illinois also reported its first influenza death in a child this season.
“Illinois is facing a significant winter surge in seasonal respiratory illnesses with flu activity at very high levels,” Dr. Sameer Vohra, IDPH director, said. “Vaccinations remain the most effective tool to prevent severe illness from flu, COVID-19 and RSV.”
That push for vaccinations comes as approximately 22% of state residents have received flu shots, according to Illinois health officials. Even though flu season peaks in January and February, officials caution that it can last into May, making vaccination a smart strategy in containing spread of the illness.
In addition to vaccines, washing hands frequently is critical to preventing spread of the illness, as is covering coughs and sneezes, and wearing a mask when ill.
Antiviral treatments can also minimize symptoms and speed up recovery, but must be sought in the early stages of the illness to be effective, officials warn.
More information can be found on IDPH’s website.
ECU Pirates quarterback Katin Houser has committed to transfer to the Illinois Fighting Illini per On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He previously played for the Michigan State Spartans.
Katin Houser played his high school football at St. John Bosco in Bellflower, California. There, he was a four-star recruit in the Class of 2022. Houser had been the 210th-ranked player nationally and the 13th-ranked quarterback in that recruiting cycle. He’d initially attend Michigan State, choosing the Spartans over several Power Four options.
In 2022, Houser’s first year with Michigan State, he would appear in two games and utilize his redshirt. That’s before he played in 11 games during the 2023 season, before transferring out alongside a coaching change at Michigan State. In the end, he landed at ECU.
Houser has spent the last two seasons at ECU. While there, he would play in 21 games over two seasons. In both of those years, Houser would help lead the Pirates to bowl wins. It was the first back-to-back bowl wins for the program since the 2008 and 2009 seasons.
Individually, Houser has found plenty of success too. In 2025 alone, Houser completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,300 yards and 19 touchdowns. That was against six interceptions. He also rushed for 181 yards and another nine touchdowns.
For his career, Katin Houser has played in 34 total games. He has completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 6,438 yards and 43 touchdowns. That’s against 22 interceptions. He also has 352 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns for his career.
Illinois is coming off two excellent seasons under Bret Bielema, when the Illini were quarterbacked by Luke Altmyer. During that time, Illinois went 19-7 with two bowl wins. For Illinois, it was the program’s first back-to-back bowl wins since 2010 and 2011. 19 wins was also their most wins in program history over a two-season stretch. Now, however, Altmyer is out of eligibility, meaning Bielema needs to find the quarterback of the future.
This offseason will see Illinois overhaul its roster. The Fighting Illini have already had 25 transfers. That includes quarterback Trey Petty. Along with Katin Houser, Illinois has also added transfer quarterback Maurice Smith from the portal. He’s coming from Division II Chowan University. So, it’s safe to say that Illinois isn’t done with its Transfer Portal additions just yet.
One interesting note in the upcoming 2026 schedule. Illinois is set to play at Michigan State, which will act as a kind of homecoming game for Katin Houser. The date and time for that game aren’t set yet.
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