The Bookshop Podcast

Send us a textToday I'm chatting with Emma Corfield-Walters, co-owner of Book-ish in Crickhowell, Powys, Wales, about diversifying your library, Welsh writers, the beauty of Wales, and what it takes to open an indie bookshop.Book-ish is an independent bookshop in Crickhowell, Powys, in the UK. The bookshop thrives because it’s more than a bookshop: it’s a community endeavor.  Besides hosting book clubs, discussion groups, game nights, and quizzes, owners Emma and Andrew Corfield-Walters co-run the Crickhowell Literary Festival and led the charge in setting up Totally Locally Crickhowell, supporting the other independent business on the high street with marketing, e-commerce, and mutual support online.In 2020, Book-ish was awarded the British Book Awards’ Independent Bookshop of the Year. Book-ishDrift, Caryl LewisThis Time Tomorrow, Emma Straub Diversify Your LibrarySupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Sophie Irwin about her new novel, A Ladies Guide To Fortune Hunting, women finding autonomy in Regency England, character arcs, and Bridgerton!Sophie Irwin grew up in Dorset before moving to south London after university. She spent several years working as an assistant editor before going freelance.Sophie has spent years immersed in the study of historical fiction, from a dissertation on why Georgette Heyer helped win World War Two to time spent in dusty stacks and old tomes doing detailed period research when writing her debut novel A Lady's Guide to Fortune Hunting. Her love and passion for historical fiction bring a breath of fresh air and contemporary energy to the genre. Sophie hopes to transport readers to Regency London, where ballrooms are more like battlegrounds.Sophie IrwinA Lady's Guide To Fortune Hunting, Sophie IrwinRed, White, and Royal Blue, Casey McQuistonSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Meg Prince, owner of The Ironbridge Bookshop in Shropshire, England, about buying an indie bookshop at age 18, Penguin Books, coffee and cakes, and what she's currently reading!The Ironbridge Bookshop is located in the main square of the historic town of Ironbridge, with views over the River Severn and the Ironbridge, set right in the heart of Shropshire, England.The bookshop specializes in Penguin Books and has an extensive collection displayed on their very own ‘Penguin Wall.’ These books hold a special place in Meg's heart,  as not only are they iconic with their striking color-coded covers and the many series that were published, but they are a wonderful piece of bookish history. When first published 82 years ago, Penguin Books were delivered to service men and prisoners of war camps. Few of these early copies survive and have become highly collectible.The Ironbridge BookshopLJ Ross, authorSir Terry Pratchett, authorSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with author KJ Dell'Antonia about her new novel In Her Boots, her podcast #amwriting, and books!KJ Dell'Antonia is the author of The Chicken Sisters, a New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon book club pick, and a timely, humorous exploration of the same themes she has long focused on in her journalism: the importance of finding joy in our families, the challenge of figuring out what makes us happy, and the need to value the people in front of us more than the ones in our phones and laptops, every single time.KJ wrote and edited the Motherlode blog at the New York Times and is also the author of the viral essay Why I Didn't Answer Your Email and the book How to Be a Happier Parent. Her new novel, In Her Boots, is about the gap between the adults we think we have become, the child our mother will always see, and our horrible fear that our mother is right. KJ Dell’AntoniaIn Her Boots, KJ Dell’AntoniaThe #AmWriting PodcastThe Change, Kirsten MillerThe Truth About Ben And June, Alex KiesterThe Other Bennet Sister, Janice HadlowThe Murder of Mr. Wickham, Claudia GrayThe Boys, Katie HafnerSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I'm chatting with Carrie Morris, co-owner of Booka Bookshop in Oswestry, UK, about bookish events, the stunning county of Shropshire, the future of indie bookshops, and books!Booka Bookshop is an award-winning independent bookshop located in the center of Oswestry, a thriving UK market town on the border where Shropshire meets Wales.Since opening in October 2009, Booka quickly established a reputation as a destination shop, renowned for the quality of its book stock and its strong community focus. They host a wide and varied range of author events and work closely with schools, libraries, and other organizations to promote a passion for books and reading. In 2015, 6 years after opening, Booka was named UK & Ireland Independent Bookshop of the Year and is now recognized as one of the leading independent bookshops in the UK.BookaBookshop is owned and run by ‘wife and husband team’ Carrie and Tim Morris.Booka BookshopThis Time Tomorrow, Emma StraubBreadsong: How Baking Changed Our Lives, Kitty Tait, Al TaitInvisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in New York City, Andrea ElliottBarbara Pym BooksWilfred Owen, PoetYoung Mungo, Douglas StuartShuggie Bain, Douglas StuartAt Home With 4 IndiesMaking It, Jay BladesEmma Straub on The Bookshop PodcastMary Laura Philpott on The Bookshop PodcastSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Tamar Haspel about her new book, To Boldly Grow, eating for a healthier planet and you, the beef industry, and getting your hands in dirt!Tamar Haspel writes the James Beard Award-winning Washington Post column Unearthed, which tackles food from every angle: agriculture, nutrition, obesity, and the environment. She is the author of the book To Boldly Grow. If she tells you a wild mushroom is OK to eat, you can believe her. Along with Michael Grunwald, Tamar co-hosts Climavores, a podcast for eaters who don’t want to cook the planet. It cuts through the hype and ideology, explores the stories behind our perceptions of food, and empowers listeners to make food choices that are actually good for the planet.Tamar HaspelTo Boldly Grow: Finding Joy, Adventure, and Dinner in Your Own Backyard, Tamar Haspel Tamar Haspel on TwitterClimavoresSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I chat with Mary Ellen Hartje, the owner of Old Town Books, about reinventing retirement, the San Angelo community, the ASU Writers Conference, and books!Old Town Books came about, as most independent bookstores do, as a labor of love—love of books, love of bookstores, and love for the “book community.” This labor of love also includes a love for the broader community since we believe that no town should be without the joys that a bookstore brings. In addition to offering books for all ages in a wide range of interest areas, Old Town Books strives to be a community center, a gathering place where people can share their common ideas, concerns, interests, passions, and dreams.  Old Town BooksThe Maid, Nita ProseFrench Braid, Anne TylerGood Company, Cynthia D'Aprix SweeneySupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I'm chatting with author Ashley Poston about her new novel The Dead Romantics, ghostly encounters, and switching from writing Young Adult to adult fiction.Ashley Poston is a national best-selling author who writes stories about true love and found families for both teens and adults. She studied English at the University of South Carolina and now lives with her bossy cat and a mountain of books in her hometown.  In her latest novel, The Dead Romantics, Ashley brings humor to the dirge of death. The Dead Romantics is the perfect read for anyone wanting to escape the news and step into the heads of a few quirky, lovable characters. Ashley PostonThe Dead Romantics, Ashley PostonHowl's Moving Castle, Diana Wynne JonesSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I'm chatting with Anne Holman and Calvin Crosby, co-owners of The King's English Bookshop, about diversity in Salt Lake City, what led them both to bookselling, the food scene in Salt Lake City, and Books!Over the bookshop's 33 years of existence, the staff has created a welcoming environment for readers, a carefully selected inventory, a staff-wide ability to match books with readers, and active engagement with both their local community and the larger community of independent booksellers. The King's English philosophy has always been simple: pick good books, pass them on.Calvin CrosbyMy reading was happily never curtailed by peers, grown-ups, or anyone that felt I should be reading something else or something more appropriate for boys. Today I still read across genres and look for strong characters—male, female, and transgender (read Real Man Adventures by T Cooper, a book that speaks of the trans experience from an intimate, honest, and humorous perspective.) I am glad that I didn't listen to "what I should be reading" as a boy, and I know I am a better man for having been able to read books that appealed to me because they are well written with intriguing characters and not because of my gender.Anne HolmanMy mom used to tell me to get out of bed, go outside, and play with my friends! It wasn't that I didn't want to play; it was just that a book—pretty much any book—caught my attention and carried me away. A reader since I was old enough to hold a book, it never occurred to me that a person could have a job where books and people could come together, and one could earn money doing it. A brief stint at Waldenbooks at the old Crossroads Mall in Salt Lake City cemented my love for working in a bookstore. Even processing "returns" was fascinating to me. Next came a job at the circulation desk at the Salt Lake City public library, which was fun but not the same as retail. Many years and two kids later, I found myself back in Salt Lake. The King's English has been my home away from home for over 20 years, and I can't imagine doing anything else. The King's English BookshopThe House in the Cerulean Sea, TJ KluneLessons in Chemistry, Bonnie GarmusMy Grandmother’s Hands, Resmaa MenakemThe Quaking of America, Resmaa MenakemWoman of Light, Kali Fajardo-AnstineSabrina & Corina, Kali Fajardo-AnstineCalling for a Blanket Dance, Oscar HokeahNight of the Living Rez, Morgan TaltyVinegar Hill, Colm Tóibín Support the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn this episode, I'm chatting with author Lucy Clarke about her becoming story, writing in notebooks, Tasmania, and her new novel One Of The Girls.Sunday Times bestseller, Lucy Clarke, is the author of seven psychological thrillers - THE SEA SISTERS, A SINGLE BREATH, THE BLUE/NO ESCAPE, LAST SEEN, YOU LET ME IN, THE CASTAWAYS, and ONE OF THE GIRLS. Her debut novel was a Richard and Judy Book Club pick, and her books have been sold in over 20 territories. THE BLUE is currently being filmed for a seven-part television series for ParmountPlus, due for release in 2023.Lucy is a passionate traveler, beach hut dweller, and fresh air enthusiast. She's married to a professional windsurfer, and, together with their two children, they spend their winters traveling and their summers at home on the south coast of England. Lucy writes from a beach hut, using the inspiration from the wild south coast to craft her stories.Lucy ClarkeSaltwater in the Blood, Easkey BrittonDirt Music, Tim WintonSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links