The Bookshop Podcast

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author Fiona Barton about her life as a journalist, volunteering in Sri Lanka where she worked with journalists facing exile, and her latest novel, Local Gone Missing . Fiona Barton is the New York Times bestselling author of The Widow, The Child , and The Suspect . She has trained and worked with journalists all over the world. Previously, she was a s...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Deon Stonehouse about books, dogs, the magic of writing with an exquisite pen, and the beauty of Sunriver, Oregon. Sunriver Books & Music is located in Sunriver, Oregon, about 17 miles from the city of Bend. The bookshop is owned by Deon and Rich Stonehouse, who believe books are a wonderful way to experience the world through someone else's p...

Send us Fan Mail In today's episode, I'm chatting with Annabel Monaghan, author of Nora Goes Off Script about switching from writing YA to adult fiction, what it's like living with a house of males, getting back to in-person book tours, and her publishing story! Annabel Monaghan grew up in Los Angeles and attended Duke University , where she studied English. She has an MBA from The...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Diane Castro, owner of Sweet Home Books, about her dedicated customer base, the skills she's learned since opening her indie bookshop, places to visit in Wetumpka, and local authors.  Diane Castro opened Sweet Home Books in downtown Wetumpka, Alabama, in May 2021. She has a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and a Master's Degree in Marriag...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Melodie Edwards, host of The Modern West podcast, about how locals are being outpriced in the Wyoming real estate market, the evolving identity of the American West, and fun things to do if you find yourself in Laramie, Wyoming. Melodie Edwards is the recipient of the Public Radio News Director award for her investigation of the reservation...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Jhoanna Belfer, the owner of Bel Canto Books in Long Beach, California. Bel Canto Books, is a proud woman- and BIPOC- owned independent bookstore. Founded by Jhoanna Belfer, a Filipina-American poet and former hospitality executive, Bel Canto Books offers a curated selection of fiction, nonfiction, and children's books, organized around...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Hillary S. Webb, PhD. about her new book, The Friendliest Place In The Universe: Love, Laughter, and Stand-up Comedy in Berlin, what led her to Berlin, and grappling with depression, fear, and anger after the election of Donald Trump. Hillary S. Webb, PhD. is a cultural anthropologist, author, and mixed-media storyteller. Her work explores how we human...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Ben Gunter, the owner of Dave's Olde Bookshop in Redondo Beach, California, about the pros and cons of gentrification in the South Bay, what he enjoys most about being an indie bookshop owner, and how he's evolving his business. Dave's Olde Bookshop   A Gentleman In Moscow , Amor Towles Rules of Civility , Amor Towles Support...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I caught up with Stephanie Stillo Ph. D. and Emily Moore from the Library of Congress about what's new with the Aramont Library, the definition of "modern book," what they've discovered about themselves while working with the collection, and an exciting symposium taking place next year! Stephanie Stillo is the Curator of the Lessing J. Rosenwal...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Tom Nissley owner of Phinney Books in Seattle, about his book A Reader's Book of Days , what he learned from being an eight-time champion on Jeopardy!, living in the Pacific Northwest, and what he loves about indie bookshops. Phinney Books in Seattle is a general-interest independent book store selling a carefully chosen selection of new books acr...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Abbigail Nguyen Rosewood, a Vietnamese and American writer and author of If I Had Two Lives from Europa Editions and Constellations of Eve. Abbigail holds an MFA in creative writing from Columbia University. After spending over 20 years in the U.S, she is now a reverse immigrant living in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Constellations of Eve is t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Ben O'Connell about running a third-generation bookshop, his love of Australian historic architecture, and the magic ingredients that make indie bookshops thrive. O'Connell's Bookshop is Adelaide's Oldest Secondhand & Antiquarian Bookshop.  The bookshop was established in 1957 by Reg O'Connell and is now run by his grandson...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode I chat with Irish author Sara Baume about her visual artwork, writing, the financial difficulties of living as a creative, and her new book, Seven Steeples . SARA BAUME studied fine art before earning a master's in creative writing. Her first novel, Spill Simmer Falter Wither , won the Rooney Prize for Irish Literature, the Sunday Independent Newcomer of the Y...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode of the Bookshop Podcast, I'm chatting with Alexander Schneider and Christina Rosso-Schneider, from A Novel Idea on Passyunk, Philadelphia, about cultivating community, the Passyunk neighborhood, their "forever moment' in the bookshop, and the fascinating events and classes they offer in=person and on-line. A Novel Idea on Passyunk is a community-mind...

Send us Fan Mail Lucy Holland is the author of The Times bestselling SISTERSONG , a reimagining of the folk ballad ‘The Twa Sisters’ published by Pan Macmillan in April 2021.  As Lucy Hounsom, she wrote The WORLDMAKER Trilogy. Her first book, STARBORN, was shortlisted in the 2016 Gemmell Awards for Best Fantasy Debut. She works for Waterstones Booksellers and co-hosts the intersectional feminist p...

Send us Fan Mail Today I'm in Manly, New South Wales, Australia, chatting with Geoff Burgess, a co-owner of Desire Books & Records. Desire Books first opened its doors in 2002 with the vision to build a "sell and buy community" for books and create more sustainability. In 2014, stand-up comedian Julia Wilson and a few friends became the new owners of Desire Books, and in 2015, t...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with singer-songwriter, author, actress, and publisher, Kasey Lansdale about her new publishing company, Pandi Press, her first love—music, books, and growing as a creative. Produced by Grammy award-winner John Carter Cash, Kasey Lansdale is a “Jack of all trades.” From a country blues singer and songwriter to actress and author, the small-town girl from Na...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with Cori Cusker, the assistant book buyer and literary matchmaker at Bright Side Bookshop.  Long held as a crucial community resource and gathering space for locals and visitors alike, the independent bookstore has dwindled in recent years in the shadow of impersonal and sterile "chain bookstores." The owners of Bright Side Bookshop have taken it...

Send us Fan Mail My guest today is Mary Laura Philpott. We chat about parenting, indie bookshops, meditation, and her latest memoir, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives. Mary Laura Philpott is the author of the brand-new memoir, Bomb Shelter: Love, Time, and Other Explosives   (April 2022), which has been called a “masterwork” and named an Editor’s Choice by the New York Times Book Revi...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I'm chatting with Rachel Person, events manager at Northshire Bookstore in Saratoga Springs, New York. Northshire Bookstore has two locations, Manchester, Vermont, and Saratoga Springs, New York. They were founded in 1976 by Edward and Barbara Morrow, who recently sold to Clark and Lu French, also of Manchester. Rachel Person is the events manager for Northsh...

Send us Fan Mail LitFest Pasadena begins Saturday, April 30, through Saturday, May 14, and marks the festival’s10th Anniversary. To celebrate, the organizers are embracing a dynamic new format, expanding locations, and returning to known favorites. LitFest Pasadena brings acclaimed authors and new voices together to engage in a variety of powerful and inspiring literary and social conversations.  ...

Send us Fan Mail Join me in conversation with Hamish Alcorn and Dawn Albinger, owners of Archives Fine Books in Brisbane, Australia. We chat about the climate crisis, books, things to do in Brisbane, and where to get a great cup of coffee! Archives Fine Books is the largest second-hand bookstore in Queensland and is located in a heritage-listed building in the heart of Brisbane.  Due to their size...

Send us Fan Mail In this episode, I chat with author Joe R. Lansdale about his new novel Born For Trouble: The Further Adventures of Hap and Leonard, Texas life, his creative family, political correctness, and martial arts. Join us; it's a fun episode! Joe R. Lansdale is the internationally bestselling author of more than fifty novels, including the popular, long-running Hap and Leonard serie...

Send us Fan Mail The Margate Bookshop is an independent bookshop situated in the Old Town section of the seaside village of Margate in Kent. Their stock is largely curated to reflect their customers' tastes while retaining the essence of a "general interest" bookshop.  Working with smaller publishers, owner Francesca Wilkins promotes underrepresented authors and translated fiction w...

Send us Fan Mail The Los Angeles Festival of Books, scheduled for April 23 and 24 on the University of Southern California campus, is the nation’s largest literary event. With over 550 participants, including an exciting lineup of authors, poets, artists, chefs, celebrities, musicians, and a diverse group of exhibitors, this event promises to be a literary smorgasbord. Ann Binney has worked in pub...