So, We Bought a Book Shop

As Maile and I prepare to celebrate our 26th anniversary, we reflect on the books that have played an outsized role in our lives--dating, marriage, the whole journey--and how our life philosophy and world view has been impacted by certain books.  Books mentioned during the conversation: Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller Watership Down by Richard Adams Watership Down (The Graphic Novel) by Richa...

Today we're chatting with Laura Tremaine, long-time host of the podcast "10 Things to Tell You." Where does her profound love for Stephen King's writing come from and what makes his stories so engaging? If you don't love horror but want to read a book by King, where might you start? And why does Laura think women should read more horror? We also delve into creativity, writing, the vulnerability (a...

Maile, our three oldest kids (Cade, Lucy, and Abra) and I try to establish what books we're going to include on our upcoming "Family Favorites" bookshelf. Join us as we attempt to winnow down our list of favorites to some kind of manageable number... Books mentioned during the conversation: The Brothers K by David James Duncan The Brothers Karamazov  by Fyodor Doeskoevsky Paradise by Toni Morrison...

Today Maile and I are joined by our son Cade who occasionally works in the bookshop this summer while home from college. He shares the book series that changed his mind about chapter books when he was young, the first four books Shawn gave him when he was old enough for the general market, and we do a deep-dive into one of his favorite authors: Fredrik Backman (and his latest book, My Friends ). ...

"Book-selling has always been precarious with different challenges along the way." What happens when a historian delves into the journey of the American bookshop? You get a beautiful, indepth tale of ideas, community, and the role of the book. What was it like to browse the old corner bookstore in the 1840s? What's the story behind some of our quirkiest bookshops? And how does the history of the b...

Today we're pulling back the curtain on one of our recent events and releasing the recording of our live conversation with Jeff Chu about his new book, Good Soil. Jeff is kind, gracious, and has some really wise things to say about how farming, death, and how to interact with those we deeply disagree with.  Books mentioned during the conversation: Good Soil by Jeff Chu Connect with us! Order From...

Depression. Traditional Gender Roles. Marriage and a business. Today we take a personal turn and talk about a few of the hard aspects of running a business with your spouse. What do you do when one of you needs to check out because of grief or depression or weariness or life chaos?   When it comes to running a business, how can traditional gender roles lead to burnout? And what does it take for a...

Why did Maile think, after finishing  The Bookshop , "Good gracious, we have it stacked against us"? Last week we went to a Fredrik Backman author event and he spoke about writing, how mental health issues have inspired his book, and his process (chaos, chaos, chaos, book!). Backman wondered if he still has the ability to keep going, and we wonder what it's like for an author to retire. We also ta...

One week ago, Maile heard water coming into the book shop through the ceiling. By the time she came back with a bucket, water was pouring down and pieces of the ceiling were coming with it. Today we're talking about hitting low points during the pursuit of your dream, and what to do next.  Books mentioned during the conversation: We Do Not Part by Han Kang The Vegeterian by Han Kang Everything is...

Today, Maile and I are talking about our first year as book shop owners. How has this year changed us? Do we view books differently than we did before owning a book store?  We also chat about a book we've both read that is a beautiful example of what a book written in the 1st person can accomplish--it's quirky and haunting and unexpected. Happy one year to Nooks! Books mentioned during the convers...

Recently we had a customer come into the shop and tell us that if we didn't begin using this new tool, we would go out of business while other bookstores raced ahead into the future. But what's the true cost of using AI when it comes to creative endeavors? And can we still run businesses and make a living without it, or will those of us who decide against using it fall by the wayside? We also talk...

  Today we're continuing with the theme of courage. As Maile and I approach the one year anniversary of taking over Nooks, we talk with another couple who have truly stepped out over the cliff's edge and followed their dream: Will and Emma Haughery. A few years ago they started their own furniture making company, East Otis, and today we're talking with them about leaving traditional employment, th...

Today we're talking one of the most awarded YA authors alive: A.S. King (she won the Printz Award twice!). She takes us back to her formative years of reading and writing, the fifteen years and eight novels she wrote before being published, and how  Pick the Lock is in some ways a culmination of her talent and her lived experience. A wonderful conversation with a wonderful author.  Books mentioned...

Today is our first-ever recording in the book shop! we're talking with author Lore Wilbert about her courageous creative journey--writing nonfiction online for decades and now pivoting to fiction. How does a reader's (or potential editor's) tastes impact the work we do? And how do we handle those not-so-positive responses? We also take a stab at identifying authors who might still be here in 50 ye...

Today we're talking about the John Green event we went to, how it inspired us to keep creating community, what Rick Rubin has to say about running a book shop, and, perhaps the toughest part, how to view the possibility that these good things we create will not last forever.  For a complete list of all the books ever mentioned on the podcast,  head over to our bookshelf dedicated to this podcast a...

Maile reflects on the vulnerable state of women and children and how occasionally being in the store by herself with odd men has made her uncomfortable, with one specific, recent story as an example. Shawn fills Maile in on the internet question from some time ago, "Would you feel more at danger in the woods if you encountered a man or a bear?" and she gives her answer. They also dive deep into th...

Today we're chatting with artist Ned Bustard (in front of a live studio audience) about his early days as an artist and the gifts of courage, creativity, and rest. Why has it been a struggle for him to own the title of artist? What does it look like to live with courage and to rest well while not letting comfort distract us? And when does it all become too much? For a complete list of books mentio...

Today Maile shares why it felt so hard to return to the book shop after a week away (but what also made the return so sweet). And Shawn talks about getting the rights back to two of his books, why it feels a little like these novels have died (kind of). If everything comes to an end, often too soon, why write? Why create? Why start something new? For a complete list of books mentioned on the podca...

What happens when four local bookshops are all invited to sell books at the same event? In this episode, we discuss indie bookstore competition (and why we all compliment each other so well), our favorite books that have at times through history been banned, and which are our favorites.   We also talk about waiting to read certain books until you can appreciate them, what we think of the books we...

We've been marveling at how owning the book shop has expanded the circle of folks we interact with, and Maile talks about how much she needed that. We also talk about the nature of compensation...are there things you do or would do simply for the love of it, receiving no money in exchange for your time? If Maile isn't making money at the shop, why in the world does she spend so much time there? Al...

There's one question we get asked more than anything else, and so today we're digging into that question. We also talk about the importance of reading novels in order to develop empathy, which specific books have done that for us, and why human recommendations are better than the algorithm.  Thanks for listening! For a complete list of books mentioned in this podcast, head over to our bookshelf de...

Maile and I talk about being writers who own a book shop...do we mind selling other writers' work when we haven't had much time to write ourselves? And going into 2025, how do we get back on track in our own writing life? Do conditions need to be perfect for you to step out and follow your dream? This one's for anyone working a day job who also wants to pursue their creative dreams.  Books mention...

Today Maile and I talk about our fears in opening a bookstore--what if, in this divisive climate, people get upset by the books we carry or choose not to carry? What if we can't read enough books to keep up with our readers' needs? What if the construction on our block puts us out of business? So much of our hope in the face of despair comes from you all, a book-loving community that helps us to k...

Is all reading beneficial? Maile and I begin by gently debating the place of graphic novels in a child's reading diet, then discuss the comment we often hear from visitors in the shop about children: "As long as they're reading, that's what matters." Is it? What if it's not about the book as much as what we bring to the book and how deliberate we are in evaluating what we're reading? There are so...

The easy answer to how a book ends up in our shop is that we have to love it . . . or have it recommended strongly to us . . . or talk to readers who share our taste and are big fans of the book in question. But there's more to it than that, because sometimes a book travels a long and winding way to get to us. That's the way of a good book.  And when it arrives in our store and we read it, we long...