The Bookshop Podcast

Send us a textIn 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 across a variety of categories. Owner Tom Nissley is an eight-time champion on Jeopardy! and a former editor at Amazon, where he launched their books blog, Omnivoracious. He holds a Ph.D. in English literature and has written for the Paris Review Daily, The Millions, and The Stranger. He blogs, mostly about books, at Ephemeral Firmament, and he lives in Seattle with his wife and two sons (and, half the year, his mother-in-law).Phinney BooksA Reader's Book of Days, Tom NissleyThe Ice Palace, Tarjei VesaasIn Love: A Memoir of Loss and Love, Amy BloomSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn 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 the inaugural title forthcoming from DVAN/TTUP,  a publishing imprint founded by Isabelle Thuy Pelaud, a scholar of Asian American history and literature, and Pulitzer winner Viet Thanh Nguyen to promote Vietnamese American literature.She has written for TIME Magazine, Harper’s Bazaar, Salon, Cosmopolitan, Lit Hub, Electric Lit, Catapult, Pen America, and BOMB. In 2019, her hybrid writing was featured in a multimedia art and poetry exhibit at Eccles Gallery. Her fiction has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and Best American Short Story 2020, and she was a finalist for the 49th New Millennium Writing Award. She won first place in the Writers Workshop of Asheville Literary Fiction contest. She currently serves on the graduating thesis committee at Columbia University. She is the founder of Neon Door, an immersive art exhibit. Abbigail Nguyen RosewoodIf I Had Two Lives, Abbigail Nguyen RosewoodConstellations of Eve, Abbigail Nguyen RosewoodNeon DoorI Moved To America For A Better Life. Here's Why I'm Leaving. Abbigail Nguyen RosewoodSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn 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, Benjamin. The shelves are filled with a vast selection of books, including classics, popular fiction, art, history, Aboriginal culture, military, Australiana, music, philosophy, 'Beat' writers, children's, first occult, esoteric & attractive Folio editions. O’Connell’s Bookshop A Fortunate Life, A.B. Facey Jack London Books Australian poets A Hunter-Gatherer’s guide to the 21st Century: Evolution and the Challenges of Modern Life, Heather Heying, Bret Weinstein Thomas Sowell, authorSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn 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 Year Award, the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize, and was short-listed for the Costa First Novel Award. She is also the recipient of the Davy Byrnes Short Story Award and the Hennessy New Irish Writing Award. Sara’s latest novel Seven Steeples is about a couple, Bell and Sigh, who move with their dogs to the Irish countryside, immersing themselves in nature and attempting to disappear from society. Sara lives in Cork, Ireland.Sara BaumeSeven Steeples, Sara BaumeSeven Steeples: A Minister and Her People, Margaret K. HenrichsenThe Raptures, Jan CarsonThin Places, Kerri ni DochartaighSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn 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-minded bookstore and event space in East Passyunk, Philadelphia. Alexander Schneider and Christina Rosso-Schneider make up the two halves of A Novel Idea--Alexander brings over a decade of graphic design experience to the shop, and Christina, as a writer and open mic host, with her experience and dedication to literary events in support of Philadelphia artists. Their goal is to cultivate community and create and foster a space of diversity and inclusivity while helping customers fall in love with books, either for the first time or the millionth! A Novel IdeaCreole Conjure, Christina RossoThe Vampire Gideon’s Suicide Hotline and Halfway House for Orphaned Girls, Andrew KatzThree-Fifths, John VercherTrue Biz, Sara NovicHex, Thomas Olde HeuveltJust Like Mother, Anne HeltzelBrujas: The Magic and Power of Witches of Color, Lorraine MonteagutTender Is the Flesh, Agustina BazterricaThe Insect Crisis: The Fall of the Tiny Empires That Run the WorldSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textLucy 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 podcast ‘Breaking the Glass Slipper,' which won Best Audio in the 2019 British Fantasy Awards. Lucy lives in South-West England on the red shores of the Jurassic Coast.Lucy Holland Sistersong, Lucy Holland Dark Earth, Rebecca Stott KAIKEYI, Vaishnavi Patel BEOWULF: A New Translation, Maria Dahvana HeadleySupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textToday 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, they added vinyl to their offerings, becoming known as Desire Books & Records.Desire Books & RecordsDonate to the  Lismore LibraryMore Ways to donate to the Lismore LibraryIsaac Bashevis Singer On The Road, Jack KerouacSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn 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 Nacogdoches, Texas, dreams big. Now a Los Angeles, California resident, Lansdale is a regular performer at the famed Hotel Café in Hollywood. Her music was featured in the film Cold in July, starring award-winning actor Michael C. Hall of Showtimes’ hit series Dexter, Animal Planet, IFC Channel, and the award-winning Sundance TV Channel series, Hap and Leonard, where Lansdale can also be spotted as an actress.  As an author, Lansdale was first published at the tender age of eight by Random House and is the author of several short stories and novellas, including publications from Harper Collins, Titan Books, & others. Lansdale is the editor of assorted anthology collections, including Subterranean Press’ Impossible Monsters. Her new collection, Terror Is Our Business, was lauded by Publisher’s Weekly as “storytelling that delightfully takes on a lighter and sharper edge.”  Most recently, her collaboration with her father and brother, The Companion, was adapted to episode 4 of the television remake of Shudder’s Creepshow, produced by Walking Dead producer Greg Nicotero. Kasey LansdaleKasey Lansdale on Apple Music Kasey Lansdale on Instagram Kasey Lansdale on Facebook Kasey Lansdale on YouTube Pandi Press Tachyon Publications The Bottoms, Joe R. LansdaleBorn For Trouble: the Further Adventures Of Hap And Leonard, Joe LansdaleMoon Lake, Joe R. LansdaleRazor Blade Tears, S. A. Cosby The Pledge, Kathleen Kent We’re All The Same In The Dark, Julia Heaberlin Support the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textIn 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 upon themselves to uphold the mantle of a "community hub" for every resident and traveler looking for a place to find quality products, books, events, and regional information. Located in the heart of Downtown Flagstaff, Bright Side Bookshop is a must-see destination for anyone looking to immerse themselves deeper into the soul of Flagstaff.Bright Side Bookshop Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close, Aminatou Sow, Ann Friedman Rules for Visiting: A Novel, Jessica Francis Kane, Edward CareySupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links

Send us a textMy 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 Review, an Indie Next pick by booksellers nationwide, an Amazon Editor’s Choice selection, and a best book of the spring or most anticipated book of the year by publications ranging from the Washington Post to the Read with Jenna community on TODAY.com, among others. She is also the author of the national bestseller I Miss You When I Blink — which was named one of NPR’s Favorite Books of 2019 and a finalist for the Southern Book Prize. Her writing has been featured by The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Atlantic, and other publications. Additionally, Mary Laura is a former bookseller and was an Emmy-winning co-host of A Word on Words, the literary interview program on Nashville Public Television. She lives in Nashville, Tennessee, with her family.Mary Laura PhilpottBomb Shelter: Love Time, and Other Explosives, Mary Laura PhilpottParnassus Books - Shop Dog DiariesPenguins With People Problems, Mary Laura PhilpottI Miss You When I Blink, Mary Laura PhilpottBooks by Jennifer CloseBooks by Emma StraubBooks by Katie CrouchLessons in Chemistry, Bonnie GarmusThe Chicken Sisters, KJ Dell'AntoniaSupport the showThe Bookshop PodcastMandy Jackson-BeverlySocial Media Links