Bookstore Explorer

Last week, we welcomed to the pod Evan Friss, author of The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore. This week, we visit with his wife, Amanda Friss, owner of Parentheses Books in Harrisonburg, Virginia.

Books We Talk About: The works of Kevin Brockmeier, West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman and Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi

Tech Transformation with Evan Kirstel: A podcast exploring ...

This week, we talk with Evan Friss, author of The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore, out now from Penguin Random House. Starting with Benjamin Franklin and moving up to the present day, it is a love letter to bookstores that The New York Times calls "A spirited defense of this important, odd and odds-defying American retail category."

Books We Talk About: The Death and Life of Great American Cities...

Today, we’re visiting Happy Magpie Book & Quill in Ogden, Utah. I’m joined by owner Patrick Ramsay, who operates the shop on a unique pay-what-you-want model.

Books We Talk About: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles, and Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan.

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John Evans opened Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1975 and joins me to discuss his five decades in bookselling.

Books We Talk About: From Moby Dick to Eudora Welty, we cover a lot in this one!

Our theme music is Whiskey River II by Erin Eades. Check her out wherever you stream music or visit ErinEadesMusic.com.

Tech Transformation with Evan Kirstel: A podcast exploring the latest trends and...

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After 14 years, Dane Ferguson knows a thing or two about the bookselling business, and he walks me through the ups and downs of the trade as we visit Ferguson Books & More in West Fargo, ND.

Books We Talk About: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon.

Our theme music is Whiskey River II by Erin Eades. Check her out wherever you stream music and visit ErinEad...

Long-time podcast listener Thalia Lewandowski and her business partner visited Matt’s bookstore Airbnb in January to learn all they could about opening their own bookshop. Now they’ve done it! Thalia joins the pod to discuss Paper & String Books, a shop that seamlessly blends reading and crafts.

Books We Talk About: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau, North Woods by Daniel Mason, James by Percival Everett, A Court of Thorns and Rose...

We're back for Season 3! Today, we are in Capser, Wyoming, to visit Wind City Books. Owner Miranda Berdahl and her bookseller son, Rhys, discuss taking over ownership of the shop during the pandemic, what it's like working for your mother, and more!

Books We Talk About: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, I'm Starting to Worry About This Bla...

Queer Haven Books is a new shop whose mission is to provide a place of safety and refuge for the queer community in the South. Owner Baker Rogers joins me to discuss what inspired the shop and what's ahead for its future.

Books We Talk About: The Thirty Names of Night by Zeyn Joukhadar, Confessions of the Fox by Jordy Rosenberg, Delilah Green Doesn't Care by Ashley Herring Blake, Less by Andrew Sean Greer, The Guncle by St...

This week, we visit with Jessie Canute, owner of Canute Books in Portland, Tennessee, and her daughter, Sessily. Their brand-new shop is located inside of Bloomin’ Deals, a 4,000 square foot thrift boutique home to more than 40 vendors. They tell us how they want from being "book dragons" to bookshop owners!

Tech Transformation with Evan Kirstel: A podcast exploring the latest trends and...

List...

This week, we're joined by author Jonathan Corcoran to discuss his new memoir, No Son of Mine, and his lifelong love of bookstores! In addition to No Son of Mine, Corcoran is the author of the short story collecction The Rope Swing, which was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Awards and long-listed for The Story Prize. His essays and stories have been published and anthologized widely, including in Salvation South, Still: The...

This week, we're in Huntington, WV, to visit Cicada Books & Coffee. This family-owned spot was opened in 2018 by mother-daughter duo Dawn Hylbert and Katie Norman, who join me to discuss the store’s history, its place in community, and its unique blend of books, coffee, and art.

Books We Talk About: Manhunt by Gretchen Felker-Martin, Devil House by John Darnielle, Detransition, Baby...

This week, we're in Mount Airy, NC, known as "the real Mayberry!" The original home of Andy Griffith is now home to Pages Books & Coffee, and owner Cynthia Taylor joins us to discuss the shop. We're also joined by Barb Collins, organizer and promoter of the Writers Roadshow Tour, a new series of events that's bringing authors to rural North Carolina through a partnership between the Northwest Regional L...

This week, we head to Albuquerque, New Mexico, to visit a store that’s been serving its community for 40 years. Co-owner Shannon Guinn-Collins and Store Manager Robert Flippo take us behind the shelves of Bookworks. We discuss the store’s long history, the amazing authors who have passed through its doors, and a recent change to an LLC structure for ownership.

Books We Talk About: Titanium N...

This week, we visit Skylark Bookshop in Columbia, MO, named one of 150 bookstores you need to visit before you die. Owner and novelist Alex George discusses the inspiration and mission of Skylark, as well as the city's prominent Unbound Book Festival, which he founded, happening this spring.

Books We Talk About: Splinters by Leslie Jamison, Still Life by Sarah Winman, Now is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson, and The Book o...

This week, we visit Hearthside Books & Toys in Juneau, Alaska. Owner Olga Lijó Seráns has owned Hearthside since 2022, but the store has been serving the people of Juneau for nearly 50 years. She takes us through its rich history and how things have been going since she took over.

Books We Talk About: What's Up with Tech?

Tech Transformation with Evan Kirstel: A podcast exploring the lat...

This week, we head to Biddeford, Maine, where owner Michael Macomber shares the story behind Elements: Books | Coffee | Beer. The combination bookshop, bar and cafe has been serving the people of Biddeford for more than a decade and helped usher in a new wave of downtown revitalization. 

Books We Talk About: Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon

First opened in 1972 by Willard Williams and family, The Toadstool Bookshop - currently with locations in Peterborough and Keene -  has been serving the people of New Hampshire for decades. One of its longtime customers was Emerson Sistare, who began visiting The Toadstool at age 7. Today, he owns it. Emerson discusses the history of The Toadstool and what it has been like taking over the reigns of a beloved community institution. 

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