Bookstore Explorer

Oct 08 2024 74 ep. 35 mins 14

Bookstore Explorer Podcast artwork

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.

Copy RSS

Subscribe on Podcast Addict

Episode 72: Gramercy Books, Bexley, Ohio

Oct 08 2024 39 mins

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: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, The Nickel Boys by Col

Episode 71: Parentheses Books, Harrisonburg, Virginia

Oct 01 2024 35 mins

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

Episode 70: Author Evan Friss

Sep 22 2024 32 mins

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 L

Episode 69: Happy Magpie Book & Quill, Ogden, Utah

Sep 16 2024 39 mins

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 b

Episode 68: Lemuria Books, Jackson, Mississippi

Sep 10 2024 49 mins

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.

Episode 67: Ferguson Books & More, West Fargo, North Dakota

Sep 03 2024 49 mins

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

Episode 66: Paper & String Books, South Hamilton, Massachusetts

Aug 27 2024 38 mins

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

Episode 65: Wind City Books, Casper, Wyoming

Aug 20 2024 33 mins

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 S

Episode 64: Queer Haven Books, Columbia, South Carolina

May 14 2024 31 mins

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, Le

Episode 63: Canute Books, Portland, Tennessee

Apr 09 2024 31 mins

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!