Bookstore Explorer
Join author and bookseller Matt Browning as he goes behind the shelves with booksellers, authors and other bookish folks to learn what makes independent bookshops such magical places.
Episodes
89 episodes
Episode 87: The Bookshelf on Church, Kilmarnock, Virginia
This week, we’re heading to Kilmarnock, Virginia, to talk with Lisa McLaughlin, the owner of The Bookshelf on Church. Books We Talk About: Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss, The Summer We Ran by Audrey Ingram, Fi...
Episode 86: Bluestocking Bookshop, Holland, Michigan
On this episode, Matt is joined by Aimee Chipman of Bluestocking Bookshop in Holland, Michigan. Books We Talk About: The works of Jacqueline Carey, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, and The World Gives Way by Marissa Levien...
Episode 85: Dragonfly Books, Decorah, Iowa
In this episode, Sisters Sarah Krammen and Rachel Rattenborg take us on a tour of their family-owned bookshop, Dragonfly Books in Decorah, Iowa. Books We Talk About: Aftertaste by Daria Lavelle, Bog Queen by Anna North...
Episode 84: OtherWorlds Books & More, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Today we head to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, to talk with Margaret Magle, owner of OtherWords Books & More. Books We Talk About: Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, Amish Vampires in Space by Kerry Nietz, and 1984 by George Orwell
Episode 83: Hidden Nook Booksellers, Grayling, Michigan
Today I'm joined by Rae Gosling, owner of Hidden Nook Booksellers in Grayling, Michigan. Books We Talk About: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman, Redwall by Brian Jacques, Hogfather by Terry Pratchett, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Andy...
Episode 82: Indie Darling Bookstore, Lander, Wyoming
Today I'm joined by Jesi Crawford, owner of the new shop Indie Darling Bookstore in Lander, Wyoming. Books We Talk About: Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir and Martyr by Kaveh Akbar.
Episode 81: Sassafras on Sutton, Black Mountain, NC
This week I'm joined by Kathleen Madden of Sassafras on Sutton in Black Mountain, North Carolina. Books We Talk About: Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan, and Man's Search for Meaning by Vicktor Fa...
Episode 80: From My Shelf Books & Gifts, Wellsboro, Pennsylvania
On this episode, I'm joined by Kevin Coolidge, owner of From My Shelf Books & Gifts in Wellsboro, PA. With 20 years of experience in bookselling, Kevin shares everything from the changes in genre popularity he's seen over the years to the c...
Episode 79: Burque Books & Art, Albuquerque, New Mexico
I love a mobile bookshop, and today I’m joined by Melanie LaBorwit, owner of Burque Books & Art in Alburquerque, NM! Books We Talk About: Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley, The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos ...
Episode 78: Ink Spell Books, Half Moon Bay, California
On this episode, we head to sunny California to learn about Ink Spell Books with owner Cindi Whittemore. Books We Talk About: The books of Shawn Harris, Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman, Garden Spells by Sarah Add...
Episode 77: The Green Dragon Bookshop, Fort Dodge, Iowa
From shortbread to bookshop, owner Cori Theroux walks us through her journey of opening the Green Dragon Bookshop, as well as creating the Iowa Bookshop Tour.Books We Talk About: Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree, Dread...
Episode 76: Good & Golden Books, Haverhill, Massachusetts
On this episode, I’m joined by Meg O’Brien, owner of Good & Golden Books in Haverhill, Massachusetts. Books We Talk About: Tomes & Tea Rebecca Thorne, Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Episode 75: Woven Words Bookshop, Akron, Ohio
On this episode, I’m joined by Amy Ford and Lindsey Gartman, sisters who own Woven Words Bookshop, a book and craft shop in Akron, Ohio. Books We Talk About: Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevens...
Episode 74: Book Bar, Palmyra, Pennsylvania
On this episode, I’m joined by Brittany Haynes, owner of Book Bar in Palmyra, Pennsylvania. Books We Talk About: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Listen for the Lie by Amy Tintera, Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Remnants of a ...
Episode 73: Bundok Books, Puyallup, Washington
On this episode, we head to the Pacific Northwest to visit with Sascha and Gem Schaudies, owners of Bundok Books in Puyallup, Washington. Books We Talk About: Gender Swapped Fairy Tales by Karrie Fransman ...
Episode 72: Gramercy Books, Bexley, Ohio
This week we visit with Linda Kass, novelist and owner of Gramercy Books in Bexley, Ohio. Located in suburban Columbus, Gramercy is known for its series of fantastic author events and much more. Books We Talk About: Th...
Episode 71: Parentheses Books, Harrisonburg, Virginia
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: T...
Episode 70: Author Evan Friss
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 T...
Episode 69: Happy Magpie Book & Quill, Ogden, Utah
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,...
Episode 68: Lemuria Books, Jackson, Mississippi
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 R...
Episode 67: Ferguson Books & More, West Fargo, North Dakota
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 Kris...
Episode 66: Paper & String Books, South Hamilton, Massachusetts
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 ...
Episode 65: Wind City Books, Casper, Wyoming
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 ...
Episode 64: Queer Haven Books, Columbia, South Carolina
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 Tal...