Episodes
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Epigraph
Welcome to Episode 18, our first ever LIVE show, recorded on September 28th at King's Books in Tacoma, WA. We rapid-fire interviewed three booksellers and two authors. Surprisingly, the audio is better than episodes recorded in the comfort of our homes.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, our website, or subscribe using your podcatcher of choice.
Support the show! All books in our show notes link to Indiebound, a website that connects you with your local independent bookstore. Purchases made through our affiliate links help fund Drunk Booksellers, so you can support your favorite indie bookstore and your favorite podcasting booksellers. #win
If you want to get our show notes delivered directly to your inboxâwith all the books mentioned on the podcast and links to the books we discussâsign up for our email newsletter.
This episode is sponsored by Soft Skull, Counterpoint, and Catapult. Special thanks to Joe and Stephanie Douglas, Big Hair Studios, Allen Watke, Phil Heaven and the Midnight Mystery Players, and George Kaas for the equipment loan that made this recording possible. And of course thanks to Sam Kaas (who longtime listeners may recognize from Episode 7) our production manager without whom this whole episode would not have been amplified, recorded, nor kept on track.
Chapter I: [2:51]In Which We Order a Mistress, Discuss Female Rage, and Are Def Profesh at This Whole Live Show Thing
Kim's Drinking: Hop Valley Citrus Mistress
Emma's Drinking: Elysian Men's Room
Kim's Reading:
The Book of Dust 1: La Belle Sauvage by Philip PullmanEmma's Reading & Excited About:
Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower by Brittney C Cooper Good and Mad by Rebecca TraisterEmma is really into female rage right now, nbd.
Kim's Excited About:
Vanishing Twins: A Marriage by Leah Dieterich also mentioned, And Now We Have Everything: On Motherhood Before I Was Ready by Meaghan O'Connell because (spoiler alert) we interview both authors later in the episode! Chapter II: [7:25]In Which We Talk About Big Books and Definitely Lie, Kim Gushes Over Leah Dieterich, and We Suggest People Stop Listening to Us and Buy Books Instead
sweet pea Flaherty, owner of King's Books in Tacoma, WA
For the record, A Room of One's Own is still a feminist bookstore
King's Books has fourteen book clubs, including one that only reads books about cults and one that only reads books about medical issues. They also have such unconventional events as virtual reality film showings and 80s workout nights (#Cher).
sweet pea's Reading:
Before She Sleeps by Bina Shahsweet pea's Excited About:
Training School for Negro Girls by Camille Acker Nanny Helen Burroughs (she's a person, not a bookâbut sweet pea wishes there was a book about her)sweet pea's Desert Island Pick:
a book large enough to act as a sun hat Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurstonsweet pea's Bookseller Confession:
"being a bookstore owner and event planner and bookkeeper and etc... that I don't have a lot of time to read"Uh, can all the booksellers whose "confession" this is raise their hands?
sweet pea's Favorite Bookstore:
a bookstore in the back of an antique store in Knoxville, TN (if you know what bookstore this is, tweet us!) Dixon Street Bookshop in Fayetteville, ARFind sweet pea On the Internets:
Facebook Twitter Instagram King's Books Facebook Twitter InstagramFacebook doesn't let you have "queer" in your name and challenged sweet pea's legal name twice
Our first guest author, Leah Dieterich, is the author of Vanishing Twins (Soft Skull)
Leah's Reading:
Amateur: A True Story about What Makes a Man by Thomas Page McBeeThis is an artistic rendition of Kim's reaction to Leah's "what are you reading" answer:
The back covers of Soft Skull's galleys are on point:
Leah's Favorite Bookstore(s):
Skylight Books in Los Angeles, CA Powell's in Portland, ORFind Leah on the Internets:
Facebook Twitter Instagram Chapter III: [22:03]In Which We Discuss Sex With Frog Men, Realize America Is Doing Bookstores Wrong, and We Make the Audience Curse In Unison
Ariana Paliobagis, owner of Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, MT
Ariana's Reading:
Mrs. Caliban by Rachel Ingalls "a woman falls in love with a frog man; [he] shows up at her door... and she takes him in, in all the ways"Ariana's Excited About:
Trinity by Louisa Hall (also mentioned, Speak by Louisa Hall)Ariana's Station Eleven Pick:
What Money Can't Buy: The Moral Limits of Markets by Michael J SandelWe are impressed by Ariana's practicality and thus let her, and the audience, in on our secret post-apocalypse library.
Ariana's Impossible Handsell:
English, August: An Indian Story by Upamanyu Chatterjee (also mentioned, My Year of Rest and Relaxation by Ottessa Moshfegh)Ariana's Favorite Bookstore:
Librairie Actes Sud (it's in France, be jealous)Find Ariana On the Internets:
Facebook Twitter Instagram Country Bookshelf Facebook Twitter InstagramOur second guest author is Meaghan O'Connell, author of And Now We Have Everything (Little, Brown and Company)
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Epigraph
Welcome to episode 17! We're interviewing the a.m.a.z.i.n.g Holland Saltsman, owner of The Novel Neighbor in Webster Groves, MO.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, our website, or subscribe using your podcatcher of choice.
Support the show! All books in our show notes link to Indiebound, a website that connects you with your local independent bookstore. Purchases made through our affiliate links help fund Drunk Booksellers, so you can support your favorite indie bookstore and your favorite podcasting booksellers. #win
If you want to get our show notes delivered directly to your inboxâwith all the books mentioned on the podcast and links to the books we discussâsign up for our email newsletter.
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk; check out their newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
Chapter IIn which We Discuss Bookstore Bathrooms, Discover that Staff Picks Work, and Talk About... Books...
Before we start drinking, check out Novel Neighbor's bathroom:
Weâre Drinking
It's too hot for bourbon, so we're rocking dirty gin martinis out of mason jars, coffee mugs, and martini glasses (apparently Kim's the classy one this episode).
Holland's Reading
Amazing Adventures of Aaron Broom by A E Hotchner (for Novel Neighbor's Subscription program) Paperback Crush: The Totally Radical History of '80s and '90s Teen Fiction by Gabrielle Moss (pubs 10/30/18) The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King (the audiobook is read by LeVar Burton!) Harry's Trees by Jon Cohen The Anna Karenina Fix: Life Lessons from Russian Literature by Viv Groskop (pubs 10/23/18)Emma's Reading
I'm Fine, But You Appear to Be Sinking by Leyna Krow They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill Us by Hanif Abdurraqib Betwixt-And-Between: Essays on the Writing Life by Jenny Boully Educated: A Memoir by Tara WestoverKim's Reading
Unbound: Transgender Men and the Remaking of Identity by Arlene Stein
When Katie Met Cassidy by Camille Perri Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby RiveraForthcoming & Newly-New Titles We're Excited About
Hannah's Excited About
The Diary of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell What If This Were Enough? by Heather Havrilesky (pubs 2018 Oct 2) The Disasters by M K England (pubs 2018 Dec 12) - The Breakfast Club meets Guardians of the Galaxy! Hungover: The Morning After and One Man's Quest for the Cure by Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall (pubs 2018 Nov 20) Time's Convert by Deborah HarknessKim's Excited About
Washington Black by Esi Edugyan (author of Half-Blood for folks who love Sing Unburied Sing and The Underground Railroad. author of Half-Blood Blues) Monstress Volume 3 by Marjorie Liu Vengeful by V E Schwab (follow up to Vicious) The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis Shade: A Tale of Two Presidents by Pete Souza (author of Obama: An Intimate Portrait)Emma's Excited About
Severence by Ling Ma Rosewater by Tade Thompson Also mentioned: The Murders of Molly Southbourne Exit Stage Left: The Snagglepuss Chronicles by Mark Russell and Mike Feehan (author of the Flintstones comic reboot) Bonus Podcast Recommendation: Super Skull All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung (pubs 2 Oct 2018) Friday Black by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (pubs 23 Oct 2018)Y'all. Hot take here. Staff picks work! Emma had a staff pick on All the Lives I Want and Holland actually picked it up at Elliott Bay while visiting Seattle before our episode! (Shout out to our episode with Amy Stephenson from The Booksmith, who initially recommended it to us, and to our favorite audiobook provider, Libro.fm.)
View this post on InstagramPicked this up @elliottbaybookco from their #stafffavorite shelf, cracking it open tonight. #essays #hollandreads #literarytourism #shoplocal @grandcentralpub
A post shared by The Novel Neighbor (@novelneighbor) on Jul 29, 2018 at 4:54pm PDT
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Chapter II [26:37]In Which No One Tells Holland She's Crazy, People Love Their Greeting Cards, The Drunk Booksellers Marvel at Novel Neighbor's Ability to Handsell Events, and We Reiterate that Bookstores are a Business (whaaaa?)
The Novel Neighbor: More Than A Bookstore
The Novel Neighbor is not just a bookstore. In addition to author events, they host birthday parties, summer camps, bookstore yoga, and adult classes (like continuing ed, but sexier), among other things (sorry Amanda!).
Recommended reading for staff retreats:
StrengthsFinder 2.0 -
Missing episodes?
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Epigraph
Y'all. It's been a minute (or, ya know, 8 months). But we're back with a brand new episode featuring Julia Turner and Christen Thompson Lain, the founders of Itinerant Literate, a mobile bookstore in Charleston, SC.
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, our website, or subscribe using your podcatcher of choice.
Support the show! All books in our show notes link to Indiebound, a website that connects you with your local independent bookstore. Purchases made through our affiliate links help fund Drunk Booksellers, so you can support your favorite indie bookstore and your favorite podcasting booksellers.
If you want to get our show notes delivered directly to your inboxâwith all the books mentioned on the podcast and links to the books we discussâsign up for our email newsletter.
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk; check out their newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
Chapter IIn which a local coffee shop assists in alcohol acquisition, we want more spaceships and dragons, and a book brings Emma to tears.
Weâre DrinkingChristen and Julia were given some free beer from their local coffeeshop, Orange Spot Coffee: Stillwater Artisinal's Stateside Saisan and Sake-Style Saison. As our cocktail for the evening, we're drinking the Lime of the Ancient Mariner from Tim Federle's Tequila Mockingbird.
Christen's ReadingWar Storm by Victoria Aveyard
Iâll Be Gone in the Dark by Michelle McNamara
Shout out to Joan Didion's Slouching Towards Bethlehem Julia's ReadingGirl in Snow by Danya Kukafka (audiobook via Libro.fm)
How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
Monsoon Mansion by Cinelle Barnes
Daphne by Will Boast
Kim's Reading
Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (audiobook via Libro.fm) Amateur by Thomas Page McBee (pubs August 14, 2018)
McBee's previous book, Man Alive, is also excellent Emma's ReadingCirce by Madeline Miller (audiobook via Libro.fm)
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai
Forthcoming & Newly-New Titles We're Excited AboutJulia & Christen are Excited About
The White Darkness by David Grann (pubs Oct 30, 2018)
My Sister the Serial Killer by Oyinkan Braithwaite (pubs Nov 20, 2018) Cult X by Fuminori Nakamura Kim's Excited About
So Lucky by Nicola Griffith (audiobook via Libro.fm) also check out her bestselling historical fantasy novel, Hild Any Man by Amber Tamblyn Emma's Excited AboutThere There by Tommy Orange
Fight No More by Lydia Millet Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik (pubs July 10, 2018) her previous book, Uprooted, is one of Emma's faves Half-Witch by John Schoffstall (pubs July 17, 2018) Chapter II [23:30]In which we discuss how bookstores work (and how you keep books on the shelves in a bookstore that moves), Julia and Christen give advice to future bookmobile owners, and the mobile bookstore finds a forever home!
Customer: So, is this a library?
Interested in breaking into publishing (then abandoning your fancy degree to become a bookseller)? Check out the University of Denver Publishing Institute. Julia and Christen met there, so that bodes well.
Shout out to Blue Bicycle (founder of YALLFest, Charleston's Young Adult Book Festival)
Fun fact: the aunt in Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson is described as itinerant. Maybe not the best role model, but not the worst!
The bookmobile is so purrrrrrrrrty:
Books that Itinerant Literate must have in stock:
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Epigraph
We are thrilled to welcome our new BFF to Drunk Booksellers: Javier Ramirez, manager of The Book Table in Oak Park, IL and co-host of industry get-together Publishing Cocktails.
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, our website, or subscribe using your podcatcher of choice.
If you want to get our show notes delivered directly to your inboxâwith all the books mentioned on the podcast and links back to the bookstore weâre interviewing PLUS GIFsâsign up for our email newsletter.
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk; check out their newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
IntroductionIn which we apologize profusely for the delay in our episode posting, bond over Kelly Link, and get excited about books that are... already out
We had the pleasure of chatting with Javier nearly every week for a month while trying to record this episode (#techfail), then ran into a few other delays (#lifefail), but WE HAVE PREVAILED. That said, we talk about books that are already out as if they're forthcoming and we're drinking a nice "summer" drink because it was, you know, still summer when we first started this wild ride of an episode. Just pretend you're a time traveler visiting the halcyon days of late August 2017.
Weâre DrinkingVodka & Tonics with NO FRUIT
Javier's Readinga bunch of nonfiction for the Kirkus Nonfiction Prize
The Sun in Your Eyes by Deborah Shapiro
Heartbreaker by Maryse Meijer
The Seventh Function of Language by Laurent Binet
Ranger Games by Ben Blum
Kim's ReadingMother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit
(and check out the Huffington Post article about being mansplained to while reading about Solnit's Men Explain Things to Me)
You Donât Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie
The Store by James Patterson... 'cause Patterson is awesome, gives booksellers (including your grateful hosts) money for fancy things like student loan debt and ridiculous urban rent, trolls Amazon for funsies, and rocks a photoshopped Santa hat like a boss:
Kim's reading aloud: My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
Emma's ReadingMIS(H)Adra by Iasmin Omar
Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado... Emma's favorite story from the collection is âInventoryâ
Lumberjanes: Unicorn Power! by Mariko Tamaki
Spinster by Kate Bolick
Forthcoming Titles We're Excited ForKim's Epic List of Titles that Are Already Out
The Golden House by Salman Rushdie
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Miss Koppâs Midnight Confessions by Amy Stewart
What Happened by Hillary Rodham Clinton
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Afterglow by Eileen Myles
Never Stop by Simba Sana
The Origin of Others by Toni Morrison
Javier's Excited AboutThe Heartâs Invisible Furies by John Boyne
Release by Patrick Ness (if you haven't read Ness before, Javier recommends you start with The Chaos Walking series, which beginning with The Knife of Never Letting Go)
Dinner at the Center of the Earth by Nathan Englander (also mentioned The Ministry of Special Cases and What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank)
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlitsch (pubs 2/6/18)
The Grip of It by Jac Jemc
Emma's Excited AboutThe Glass Town Game by Catherynne M Valente
In Other Lands by Sarah Rees Brennan
We Were Witches by Ariel Gore (How to Become a Famous Writer Before Youâre Dead)
A Loving, Faithful Animal by Josephine Rowe
Chapter I [26:50]In which Javier conquers the Chicago bookselling scene
Javier started at Tower Records (RIP)
He currently manages the Fiercely Independent Chicago-area bookstore, The Book Table.
Javier has worked at pretty much every bookstore in Chicago. Other than the OG Powell's. Unless you're talking time travel.
Javier's epic Tour de Bookselling (chronologically):
Tower Books --> Crown Books --> Barbara's Bookstore --> The Book Cellar --> Seminary Co-op Bookstores --> 57th Street Books --> Newberry Library Bookstore --> Book Stall --> City Lit Books --> The Book Table
Chapter II [33:45]In which we talk Publishing Cocktails and how to network IRL in the internet age
Publishing Cocktails, created by Javier and Keir Graff (senior editor at BookList) brings Chicago-area book industry folk from around the country together. They have two primary meetup events: Book Swap & Cash Mob.
Follow Publishing Cocktails on Twitter at @PubNight.
Sign up for the Publishing Cocktails email list for future updates.
Chapter III [38:20]In which Emma is, once again, deeply disappointed
Book Description Guaranteed to Get You Reading
Anything not blurbed by Lena Dunham (shout out to Gary Shteyngartâs epicly excessive blurbing). Anything blurbed by Kelly Link or George Saunders. Check the blurbs on Patrick Rothfussâs Name of the Wind. Plus time travel! Kim and Javier bond over All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders (shout out to the Booze and Lasers Book Club at Third Place Books Seward Park), with references to Michael Crichtonâs Timeline and, you know, Harry Potter. Emma ruins the ending of one of the stories in A Guide to Being Born by Ramona Ausubel.
Desert Island Pick
The entire body of work of Agatha Christie
Station Eleven Pick
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, which has Javierâs favorite first line: It was a pleasure to burn.
In case you were wondering, Emmaâs favorite first (and second) line(s) come from Shirley Jacksonâs The Haunting of Hill House. Javierâs posting staffâs favorite lines from literature in his store and he drunkenly promised Emma that heâd post hers too. Pics or it didnât happen, Javier.
Wild Pick
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben
Bookseller Confession
HAS ANY BOOKSELLER ACTUALLY READ HARRY POTTER? JESUS, YOU GUYS.
Go-To Handsell
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Here's Javier's blurb, blatantly stolen from The Book Table's website:
When confronted with the "What is your favorite book of all time?" query, most people will often pause, looking over the inquisitors head while thoughtfully scratching his or her chin. I, on the other hand, will not hesitate when I tell you this. Geek Love is my favorite book. Of all time. Period. This oddball masterpiece (a National Book Award Finalist in 1989) shaped me as a reader and more importantly as a bookseller 20+ years ago. It's one of those reading experiences that make you feel like you're in on some life-changing secret. A novel that will chill you, move you and make you laugh, often at the same time. Help celebrate the 25th anniversary of the publication of Geek Love, quite possibly the best novel you've never read.
Master & the Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov: There's a cat
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Epigraph
For the third year in a row, the Drunk Booksellers drove all over Seattle (and the surrounding regions) for Indie Bookstore Day. We asked booksellers at each of the 21(!!!) stores we visited to tell us what they're recommending in the current political climate. We also collected recommendations from past guests and #SEABookstoreDay Champions! (For an epic TBT, check out our episodes from Seattle Bookstore Day Year One and Year Two.)
Chapter 1In Which Your Fearless Hosts Wake Up Far Too Early, Take a Ferry, Drink an Obscene Amount of Caffeine, and Get Our First Round of Bookseller Recommendations
Emma, Eagle Harbor Book Co.
American War by Omar El Akkad
Madison Duckworth, Liberty Bay Books
Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
Ron Woods, Edmonds Bookshop
The Nix by Nathan Hill
Robert Sindelar, Third Place Books
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
Annie Carl, The Neverending Bookshop
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Ruth Dickey, Seattle Arts & Lectures
The Fire This Time by Jesmyn Ward
Chris Jarmick, BookTree
Dark Money by Jane Mayer
Red Notice by Bill Browder
Laurie & Marni, Island Books
Why We March: Signs of Protest and Hope
It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis
What We Do Now: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump's America ed. Dennis Johnson
The Book of Joy by Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu
Hallelujah Anyway by Anne Lamott
Larry Reid, Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery
American Presidents by David Levine
Amber, Seattle Mystery Bookshop
Golden Age mysteries by authors like Agatha Christie and Elizabeth Daly
Chapter 2In Which Kim and Emma Make it Back to Seattle-Proper and Still Have... a Lot of Bookstores to Visit
Tegan Tigani, Queen Anne Book Company
Your Heart Is a Muscle the Size of a Fist by Sunil Yapa
Georgiana Blomberg, Magnolia's Bookstore
Bobcat & Other Stories by Rebecca Lee
Lara Hamilton, Book Larder
Soup for Syria by Barbara Abdeni Massaad
Madison, Secret Garden Books
Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (2nd mention!)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
Tom Nissley, Phinney Books
Ghettoside by Jill Leovy
Billie Swift, Open Books: A Poem Emporium
Whereas by Layli Long Soldier
In the Language of My Captor by Shane McCrae
Trophic Cascade by Camille T. Dungy
The Boston Review's Poems for Political Disaster
If You Can Hear This: Poems in Protest of an American Inauguration by Bryan Borland
Resist Much / Obey Little: Inaugural Poems to the Resistance
Water & Salt by Lena Khalaf Tuffaha
Into Each Room We Enter Without Knowing by Charif Shanahan
Sea and Fog by Etel Adnan
Pam Cady, University Bookstore
Make Trouble by John Waters
Christina, Third Place Books Ravenna
Against Equality: Queer Revolution, Not Mere Inclusion ed Ryan Conrad
Garrett, Ada's Technical Books
No Place to Hide by Glenn Greenwald
Chapter 3In Which Guests from Episodes Past Return to Give Their Recommendations
Pete Mulvihill, Green Apple Books (episode 8)
Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Make Trouble by John Waters (2nd mention)
Stranger in the Woods by Michael Finkel
White Tears by Hari Kunzru
The Dark Dark by Samantha Hunt
Leah Koch, The Ripped Bodice (episode 13)
Prime Minister by Ainsley Booth & Sadie Haller
A Promise of Fire by Amanda Bouchet
Paul Constant, The Seattle Review of Books (episode 14)
Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America by Ari Berman
Chapter 4In Which the Seattle Bookstore Day Champions Tell Us What They're Reading
Katie
The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin
The Queen of the Night by Alexander Ch
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Epigraph
The Drunk Booksellers get stoned on this 4/20 themed episode with Paul Constant of the Seattle Review of Books.
Listen on iTunes, Stitcher, our website, or subscribe using your podcatcher of choice.
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk; check out their newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
If you want to get our show notes delivered directly to your inboxâwith all the books mentioned on the podcast and links back to the bookstore weâre interviewing PLUS GIFsâsign up for our email newsletter.
IntroductionIn which we make pot jokes and get excited about books
We're switching up our intoxicant of choice this episode and getting stoned rather than drunk (mostly). Paul's rocking Mr. Moxey's Mints (of the peppermint/sativa variety). Emma's smoking CBD (not to be confused with William Steig's children's picture book, CDB!). Kim stops talking while stonedâwhich would make for a really awkward podcast episodeâso she's drinking the hoppiest IPA she could find instead. Everyone's a little too high to explain the varieties of weed particularly well, so you should just read David Schmader's Weed: The User's Guide: A 21st Century Handbook for Enjoying Marijuana.
Paul's Reading:
Up South by Robert Lashley The Nameless City by Faith Erin Hicks A collection of books from Mount Analogue Press Manners by Ted Powers Final Rose by Halie Theoharides
(a comic book tone poem about love and loss made up screenshots from The Bachelor) Reading Through It book club pick: What We Do Now: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump's America, edited by Dennis JohnsonEmma's Reading:
First Position by Melissa Brayden (thanks to a recommendation from our episode with The Ripped Bodice) Giant Days 4 by John Allison, Max Sarin, Lissa Treiman, Liz Fleming, and Whitney Cogar All the Lives I Want: Essays about My Best Friends Who Happen to Be Famous Strangers by Alana Massey (thanks to a recommendation from our episode with Amy Stephenson)Kim's Reading:
We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Hope in the Dark by Rebecca Solnit On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century by Timothy Snyder The Aisles Have Eyes: How Retailers Track Your Shopping, Strip Your Privacy, and Define Your Power by Joseph TurowForthcoming Titles We're Excited For:
You Donât Have to Say You Love Me by Sherman Alexie (out June 13) Love and Trouble: a Midlife Reckoning by Claire Dederer (out May 9) also mentioned Poser: My Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses Theft by Finding: Diaries (1977-2002) by David Sedaris (out May 30) Hunger: a Memoir of (My) Body by Roxane Gay (out June 13) Priestdaddy by Patricia Lockwood (out May 2) Borne by Jeff VanderMeer (out April 25) Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch (out April 18) Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki (out May 9) Isadora by Amelia Gray (out May 23) Dreaming the Beatles: the Love Story of One Band and the Whole World by Rob Sheffield (out April 25) Witches, Sluts, Feminists: Conjuring the Sex Positive by Kristen J Sollee (out June 13) Modern Tarot: Connecting with Your Higher Self Through the Wisdom of the Cards by Michelle Tea (out June 13) The Perfect Mix: Everything I Know about Leadership I Learned as a Bartender by Helen Rothberg (out June 20) Chapter I [18:50]In which we learn what The Seattle Review of Books is, talk about book reviews as a meta art form, and get advice on promoting diversity and being a safe, welcoming place for people who aren't white bros
The Seattle Review of Books is a book news, review, and interviews site. This isn't consumer reports, with a thumbs up or down on each title; each review aims to have a conversation with the book. It's a site that aims to look like your bookshelf, without genre classification.
Emma & Kim don't quite understand Paul's assertion that people don't organize their bookshelves, but we roll with it.
SRB makes all their money through a single sponsor (which changes each week). If you're interested in their sponsorship program, you can learn more here.
Paul wants to promote young, new writers and help them build up their clip file. So you should probably pitch him with your brilliant, bookish ideas. Email submissions@seattlereviewofbooks or fill in the contact form on their about page.
Emma particularly loves the Help Desk by Cienna Madrid. Ask Cienna an awkward book-related question at [email protected].
Being a couple of white guys, Paul and his co-founder Martin McClellan are extremely concerned with diverse representation. You can learn more about how SRB encourages diversity in both the books they review and the reviewers they publish on their about page (or by listening to this episode...). But you should know right off the bat, they are not here to promote the new Franzen novel and they will not pander to bros.
Chapter II [33:10]In which we talk about life in the US post-election, say something negative about a book, and discuss Paul's past (and current) life as a bookseller
Reading Through It is a post-election book club hosted by Seattle Review of Books, the Seattle Weekly, and Third Place Books Seward Park. They meet the first Wednesday of every month.
On our post-election world, Paul Constant says: "This is what books were made for. Books are engines of empathy... the only way to do a deep-dive into an issue. It's our stored knowledge... This is the moment for books."
The next Reading Through It book group pick is The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion by Jonathan Haidt. They'll be meeting Wednesday May 3rd at Third Place Books Seward Park.
Read Paul's article on his time at Borders: Books Without Borders: My Life at the World's Dumbest Bookstore Chain
Though he's not technically a bookseller anymore, Paul is still "on team books." Keep an eye out for our "I'm On Team Books" t-shirts, which may or may not be a thing we sell one day.
Chapter III [43:20]In which Paul is better at explaining our questions than stoned Emma is at asking them, Emma and Kim give Paul major side-eye due to his bookseller confession, and Emma continues to push Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Desert Island Pick (what would you read that you never had the time to read before): The Years of Lyndon Johnson by Robert Caro (beginning with The Path to Power)
We couldn't find a video of the following clip of Caro on the Colbert Report, so we'll just leave you this series of gifs to explain why you, too, should consider bringing an epic five-volume biography of Lyndon Johnson as your desert beach read:
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Epigraph
On this episode we discuss ALL THE ROMANCE BOOKS with Bea & Leah Koch, owners of The Ripped BodiceâAmericaâs only Romance bookstore. The Ripped Bodice is celebrating their one year anniversary this month!
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk; check out the newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
We now have an email newsletter! If you want to get our show notes delivered directly to your inboxâwith all the books mentioned on the podcast and links back to the bookstore weâre interviewing PLUS GIFsâsign up HERE.
IntroductionIn which we feel real fancy, learn more about geography, and canât stop asking for recommendations.
Weâre drinking French 75s and feeling classy as fuck.
Weâre Reading
Bea is reading Murder on Black Swan Lane by Andrea Penrose (out June 27). And she recently finished An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole, which she thinks will be a great gateway romance (out March 28) about a female spy posing as a slave. Fun fact, Alyssa Cole lives in Martinique, and Kim and Emmaâs geography lessons continue.
Leah is reading Kiss Me That Way by Laura Trentham and Flirting with Disaster by Victoria Dahl.
Emma is reading Hot Dog Taste Test by Lisa Hanawaltâa graphic foodie memoir that is weird and delicious. She also just started Kim & Kim by Magdalene Visaggio, which is a comic about punk rock bounty hunters in space.
Kim is reading Love Is Love a graphic anthology written in response to the Orlando shooting curated by Marc Andreyko; an important, but difficult read. All proceeds for the book go to the victims, survivors, and families affected by the Orlando Pulse shooting. Which is to say, everyone should buy this book. Sheâs also reading The Book of Joan by Lidia Yuknavitch (out April 18) a futuristic space Joan of Arc story, which hits weirdly close to home in its political content.
Weâre Excited About:
Bea and Leah have so many frontlist romance novels to tell you about:
An Extraordinary Union by Alyssa Cole (more than worth a second mention and out March 28)
Full Mountie (#3 in the Frisky Beavers series) by Ainsley Booth & Sadie Haller (out April 4)
First in the Frisky Beavers series is Prime Minister âand is basically about if Justin Trudeau werenât married and liked kinky sex.â
Ramona Blue by Julie Murphy (author of Dumplinâ; out May 9)
The Thing About Love by Julie James (out April18)
Julie James will be making an appearance at Ripped Bodice on her author tour!
The Devil in Spring by Lisa Kleypas (#3 in The Ravenels series, with the kids of characters from her Wallflowers series)
Emma is excited for Tender by Sofia Samatar (writer of A Stranger in Olondria and out April 11 from Small Beer Press) and Next Year, for Sure by Zoey Leigh Peterson, which is the only book about polyamory she has read so she asked for more recs...
SIDETRACK: Polyamory Recommendations
Laid Bare by Lauren Dane (#1 in the Brown Family series)
Maya Banks
Glutton for Pleasure by Alisha Rai
Back to frontlist...
Kim is looking forward to
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Whereas: Poems by Layli Long Soldier
The Mother of All Questions by Rebecca Solnit
Dear Ijeawele, or a Feminist Manifesto in Fifteen Suggestions by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Chapter I [19:00]In which we discuss Bea & Leahâs Romance Origin Story, Talk Vaginal-Looking Covers, and Get ALL THE ROMANCE RECOMMENDATIONS
Bea loved historical fiction (and historical fashion) and introduced Leah to The Bridgertons series by Julia Quinn (which is great for people who want to test the waters of regency romance)
First in the series is The Duke and I
Leah ultimately came to love contemporary romances and became a hardcore romance fan with the help of Nora RobertsâThe Bride Quartet series is one of her favorites
First in the series is Vision in White
Also mentioned: Julie James, whose newest book is The Thing About Love (mentioned earlier and out April 18) and Susan Elizabeth Phillips whose newest book is First Star I See Tonight
Where to Start with Contemporary:
First, what level of heat are you looking for? Super graphic and dirty? Or cloaked in metaphor?
Not Quite As Dirty
Nora Roberts
It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars #1) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. You know, the one with the boobs on the cover:
Heroine Complex by Sarah Kuhn (for geek fandom readers)
Really Dirty Recs
Beautiful Bastard (Beautiful Series #1) by Christina Lauren
Vampire Romance Recommendations (because we love Buffy)
Dark Lover (Black Dagger Brotherhood #1) by J.R. Ward (super dirty)
Nice Girls Donât Have Fangs (Jane Jameson #1) by Molly Harper (funnier romance)
The Care and Feeding of Stray Vampires (Half Moon Hollow #1) by Molly Harper
Famous people make appearances as vampiresâpeople like Dick Cheney
Witchbian Romances (because we love Willow)
Better Off Red by Rebekah Weatherspoon (Vampire Sorority Sisters #1) (lesbian vampire sorority)
Dance Upon the Air (Three Sisters Island Trilogy #1) by Nora Roberts
Dark Witch (Cousins OâDwyer Trilogy #1) by Nora Roberts
Lunatic Fringe by Allison Moon (Kim rec: werewolf lesbian feminist)
Two Sexy Nonfic Picks
Girl Sex 101 by Allison Moon
Come As You Are by Emily Nagoski
Side note: Send us a pic of your favorite vaginal cover (via email or Twitter)! Like this:
Non-Paranormal Queer/Diverse Recs
Rebekah Weatherspoon (also has non-vampire lesbian romances)
For Real by Alexis Hall (author of some gorgeous MM romances)
Damon Suede writes super hot romances, which are frequently about firemen; his newest title is Lickety Split (out March 17)
The Princeâs Psalm by Eric Shaw Quinn (a Biblical gay romance)
First Position by Melissa Brayden (lesbian ballerinas)
Iâll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson (MM YA)
Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit by Jaye Robin Brown (FF YA)
The Soldierâs Scoundrel by Cat Sebastian (gay regency)
K.J. Charles (also writes gay regency, but theyâre not all dukes)
Wanted, A Gentleman is one of her newer titles
The Spare and the Heir (Lords of Time #5) by Jenn LeBlanc (gay victorian)
LeBlanc is also a photographer and illustrates many of her romances with super hot photos.
Glutton for Pleasure by Alisha Rai (mentioned earlier as poly rec)
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Epigraph
On this episode we becomes best friends with Amy Stephenson, Events Director at Booksmith in San Francisco and co-creator/host of Shipwreck, a competitive literary erotic fan fiction live show.
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk. We were too excited about hosting Books on the Nightstand to mention Books & Whatnot on air, but you should definitely check out the newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
IntroductionIn Which We Discuss Sad Sociology Books and Amyâs Twitter Life Coach, and Furiously Take Notes On the Books Weâre Recommending Each Other (but oh wait look, show notes!)
Weâre drinking ManhattansâAmyâs go-to, âIâm fancy on a Friday nightâ drinkâand making jokes about robotripping.
Weâre Reading:
Amy is reading Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (and Kim & Emma are SO excited) and Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin.
Kim is reading Necessary Trouble by Sarah Jaffe, The Undoing Project by Michael Lewis, and The Revenge of Analog by David Saxâwhich is her favorite book of 2016.
Emma is reading My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris (out from Fantagraphics Feb 14) and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Also mentioned: Shirley Jacksonâs memoir(ish) essay collections Life Among the Savages and Raising Demons and the new biography on Jackson, Shirley Jackson: a Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin. She recommends all the Shirley Jackson book. Because Shirley Jackson is a #bosswitch
Emmaâs favorite book of 2016 is Trainwreck by Sady Doyle. Amyâs is Evicted by Matthew Desmond (paperback out Feb 28). If Kim were allowed to pick two favorites, her other favorite would be While the City Slept by Eli Sanders (paperback out Feb 7).
Weâre Excited About:
Amy is looking forward to so many books in 2017, but, when pressed, narrowed it down to these six:
All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg (out March 7)
All the Lives I Want: Essays about My Best Friends Who Happen to Be Famous Strangers by Alana Massey (out Feb 7)
Alana Massey is Amyâs âTwitter life coach,â so you should probably follow her too: @alanamassey
The Road to Jonestown by Jeff Guinn (out April 11)
Woman No. 17 by Edan Lepucki (out May 9)
And Weâre Off by Dana Schwartz (out May 2)
Dana Schwartz is also the creator of Guy In Your MFA. Amy says, âSheâs so talented it makes me angry.â
Emma is excited about
Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders (out Feb 14)
Seriously. Read this book. Itâs his debut novel and itâs amazing. Or listen to the record-breaking audiobook.
What We Do Now: Standing Up for Your Values in Trump's America edited by Dennis Johnson and Valerie Merians
shout out to Melville House for putting this out with a quickness.
Always Happy Hour by Mary Miller
the cover is done by the amazing painter Lee Price.
And Kim is looking forward to The Animators by Kayla Rae Whitaker because sheâs pretty sure itâs queer.
Chapter I [19:50]In Which We Discuss How Kids Book Authors Write The Best Erotic Fan Fic, Dick Jokes, and Shipwreck in Seattle
Amy works at Booksmith in San Francisco, California. She is their Events Director, does all their social media, and is their de facto HR dept. Because bookstores.
Booksmith recently celebrated their 40th anniversary and theyâre opening a new store called The Binderyâa sort of wine bar/living room space/events annexâacross the street.
Amy is also the co-creator and host of Shipwreck, âa competitive literary erotic fan fiction live show,â which began in June 2013 and runs once a month at Booksmith (and sometimes travels to Comic Cons). They record ALL the shows so you can enjoy crazy dick jokes from the comfort of your own headphones.
They were inspired by the competitive reading series Write Club, which also has a podcast!
Shipwreck is such an amazing concept, that Grand Central Publishing wanted to collect the stories in a book: Fanfiction Parodies of Great (and Terrible) Literature from the Smutty Stage of Shipwreck edited by Amy Stephenson and Casey A. Childers
Hey, Seattleites, does this sound awesome? You too can enjoy live erotic fan fiction at Emerald City Comic Con this year on March 2nd.
The line-up includes:
Seanan McGuire (whose most recent book is Dusk or Dark or Dawn or Day and who wrote for the very first Shipwreck)
Peter Mountford (author of The Dismal Science)
Scott Westerfeld (who has a graphic novel called Spill Zone coming out May 2nd)
Matt Fraction (who writes Sex Criminals, so you know his erotic fanfic will be excellent).Theyâll be writing fan fiction for Neil Gaimanâs The Sandman comics. And their San Francisco performer, Baruch Porras-Hernandez, will be reading for both shows.
Buy tickets here. There will be two shows, one at 7pm and another at 9:30pm. BONUS: we, the Drunk Booksellers, will be there selling books and representing Elliott Bay Book Co.
Chapter II [40:00]In Which We Reveal Bookseller Secrets and Are Super Supportive of Each Other
The book description guaranteed to get Amy reading is: âstrong female character written by a women involved in a murder somehow and you wonât believe the twist⊠bathtub gin reading.â
If you need a gateway mystery, Amy recommends Tana French, specifically The Likeness.
Her desert island pick is The Comedians by Graham Greene because she already reads it every year.
Her Station Eleven pick (aka the world is falling apart, which it kind of is) is Erich Fromm: The Sane Society (NOTE: this is still in print, despite what we say in the episode) and On Disobedience by Eric Fromm
Her Wild pick: something Didion âbecause Didion teaches you how to see the world.â
Bonus bookseller confession: neither Kim or Emma have read Didion. So where do you start with Didion?
If you want to read something thatâs going to make you cry: The Year of Magical Thinking If you want astute cultural commentary: Slouching Towards BethlehemAmyâs bookseller confession: she canât get into Ferrante
Go to handsells:
Tana French Margaret Atwoodâs contemporary fiction: Catâs Eye and The Robber Bride Fred Vargas, who writes police procedurals that are weirdly witty, funny, and entertaining; her newest book, A Climate of Fear is out March 7th go to non-fiction: A Thousand Lives by Julia Scheeres (who also wrote a memoir called Jesus LandThe book Amy wants to champion to other booksellers: Spare and Found Parts by Sarah Griffin, which she describes as âa modern, feminist telling of Frankenstein, sort ofâ
Chapter III [50:40] -
Epigraph
We are fucking thrilled to have Michael Kindness and Ann Kingman on Episode 11. Michael and Ann are the hosts of the late, great Books on the Nightstand podcast and sales reps for Penguin Random House.
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk. We were too excited about hosting Books on the Nightstand to mention Books & Whatnot on air, but you should definitely check out the newsletter archive here. Follow Books & Whatnot on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
IntroductionIn Which Ann Doesnât Let Us Set Anything on Fire, Emma Makes Coworkers Awkward, Michael Activates Host Mode, and Kim Finds a Book Too Relevant
Weâre drinking Cider House Drools (local hard cider, shot of rum, dash of bitters). The alternate drink is the Out-cider (sub bourbon for rum). Or, if youâre Michael and rockinâ the cold medicine, tea.
Ann had originally planned to have us drink Charles Dickensâs punch, which involves a shit ton of alcohol and, uh, fire. If youâre braver than we are, hereâs the recipe: https://food52.com/blog/18626-the-punch-you-add-a-spoonful-of-fire-to-literally
What Weâre Reading:
Emma is reading: Where Am I Now?: True Stories of Girlhood and Accidental Fame by Mara Wilson and Life Among the Savages by Shirley Jackson (Bonus reading! Check out The New Yorker article about the new Shirley Jackson bio: The Haunted Mind of Shirley Jackson)
Michael is reading: Shadow Man by Alan Drew (pubs 23 May 2017... also mentioned: Gardens of Water)
Ann is reading: The Stars Are Fire by Anita Shreve (pubs 2 May 2017)
Kim is reading: Trainwreck: The Women We Love to Hate, Mock, and Fear... and Why by Sady Doyle
Emma and Kim just read Vicious by V E Schwab (shout out to book club!)
Chapter I [11:00]In Which We Discuss the Noble Role of the Bookseller to Booksellers and How To Be an Introvert in a Socially-Focused Industry
Ann and Michael work for this little publishing house youâve probably never heard of named Penguin Random House. Yeah, we think they should have called themselves the Random Penguin House, too.
Be among your people at BookRiot Live. They have designated reading rooms, for all yâall introverted book nerds. We see you.
Chapter II [19:20]In Which We Unveil the Creation Story of Books on the Nightstand, Michael Issues a Mea Culpa for not Reading Annâs Recs Sooner, and Kim Wonders About Knitting Podcasts
Books on the Nightstand readers voted on what Michael should read over the summer. The results:
So, due to popular demand, Michael finally read Annâs recommendations from yeeeeeeears ago: Stoner by John Williams and The Handmaidâs Tale by Margaret Atwood. He also recently discovered how great Stephen King is and treated himself to Salemâs Lot for Halloween.
Ann recently reread The Secret History by Donna Tartt. She also loved The Nix by Nathan Hill and Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill by Candice Millard
Check out the last eight years of Books on the Nightstand episodes at their website: http://booksonthenightstand.com/podcasts.
BTW, Booktopia is still alive via Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT. Field trip?
Michaelâs Recent Favorite Comics/Graphic Novels/Graphica:
The Vision by Tom King DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke Paper Girls by Brian K. VaughanEmma follows up with a rec for Joyride by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, then we all nerd out about Lumberjanes. (Seriously, yâall. itâs awesome.)
Chapter III [35:10]In Which Ann Wants to Read The Road Set at a Boarding School, Kim is Uncomfortable with Magical Realism, and We Crush on Bookstores
Annâs book description guaranteed to get her reading: A dark and disturbing apocalyptic story collection of thrillers set in boarding schools.
The Unfinished World: And Other Stories by Amber Sparks The Secret History by Donna Tartt The Secret Place by Tana French Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel The Road by Cormac McCarthyFavorite Short Story Collections
Strange Pilgrims: Twelve Stories by Gabriel Garcia Marquez Emma has to name drop Kelly Link (obvi) and everybody flips out. Ann: Tenth of December by George Saunders. She also loves the individual stories âAnything Helpsâ by Jess Walter (from We Live in Water) and âGovernorâs Ballâ by Ron Carlson (expanded upon in Ron Carlson Writes a Story)Desert Island/Station Eleven/Wild Books
Michael used to say The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, but he doesnât actually... like reading Shakespeare, so maybe not. So then he thought heâd pick 100 Skills You'll Need for the End of the World (as We Know It) by Ana Maria Spagna, illustrated by Brian Cronin. But, naw, nevermind. Heâd bring DC: The New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke. Ann would take The Complete Essays by Michel De Montaigne, because she got a crush on him due to How to Live: Or a Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer by Sarah Bakewell.Go-To Handsell
Michael: Any Human Heart by William Boyd and Stoner by John Williams Ann - The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (ITâS ABOUT JESUITS IN SPACE, GUYS)Bookseller Confessions
Michael still hasnât read Great Expectations. But, I mean, he read A Christmas Carol, so heâs read Dickenâs okay? Also, he hasnât read Sandman by Neil Gaiman. Neither has Emma. Or Kim. But weâve read Alan Mooreâs Watchmen, so that balances out, right? Right?? Ann convinced hundreds of people to read War and Peace with her, but only got to page 75. At least sheâs inspiring.Bookstore Crushes
Ann: Green Apple in San Francisco, CA (featured in Ep 8 with Pete Mulvihill) Michael: Powellâs Books in Portland, OR (featured in Ep 3 with Kevin Sampsell)Favorite literary podcasts
The Readers Literary Disco What Should I Read Next Chapter IV [52:45]In Which Michael and Ann Tell Us About Two Three Books They Canât Wait for Us to Read
Michael:
Born a Crime: Stories from a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah Gilded Cage by Vic James (pubs 14 Feb 2017) The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti (pubs 28 March 2017)Ann:
The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel (pubs 7 March 2017) American War by Omar El Akkad (pubs 4 April 2017) Standard Deviation by Katherine Heiny (pubs 23 May 2017) Epilogue [1:05:50]You can follow Ann and Michael on Twitter at:
Ann: @annkingman Michael: @mkindnessTheyâre also on Instagram, Litsy, and Goodreads, so look them up there.
You can find us on Twitter at @drunkbookseller and everywhere else as DrunkBooksellers (plural).
Aaaaaaand, weâre about to launch an Instagram account, so you should probably start following that @DrunkBooksellers. Our dear friend and fellow bookseller is in charge
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Epigraph
Oh hai, friends. Remember us? Sorry for the hiatus, but weâre back! For episode 10, weâre thrilled to be chatting with Amy Stewart and Scott Brown of Eureka Books in Eureka, CA. Get psyched.
We apologize for the extended delay in episodes, and promise to post more often now that Emma has completed her cross-country move. Apparently moving across the country is time-consuming and stressful. Who knew?
This episode is sponsored by Books & Whatnot, the daily newsletter dedicated to books, bookselling, and bookish folk. Brought to you by Beth Golay. Check out the newsletter archive here. Follow on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
Introduction
In Which There Will Be Cats. And Gin. And Books.
Amy Stewart is the author of (among other things) Drunken Botanist, Girl Waits with Gun, Lady Cop Makes Trouble. She and her husband, Scott, are co-owners of Eureka Books in Eureka, CA.
Weâre drinking Girl Waits with Gin (gin & tonic). Amy recommends using tonic syrup (available at your local fancy liquor store), but Fever-Tree tonic is a solid backup.
Emma is reading: Iâll Tell You In Person by Chloe Caldwell, Joyride by Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Marcus To, and Irma Kniivila
Scott is reading: Chaos Monkeys: Obscene Fortune and Random Failure in Silicon Valley by Antonio Garcia Martinez
Amy is reading: The Gypsy in the Parlour by Margery Sharp (who, fun fact, wrote the Rescuers!) and Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Kim is reading: On Trails: An Exploration by Robert Moore, You Can't Touch My Hair: And Other Things I Still Have to Explain by Phoebe Robinson
New & Forthcoming Books Weâre Excited About
Footnotes from the World's Greatest Bookstores: True Tales and Lost Moments from Book Buyers, Booksellers, and Book Lovers by Bob Eckstein The Artists' and Writers' Cookbook, edited by Natalie Eve Garrett and illustrated by Amy Jean Porter The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds by Michael Lewis (pubs 6 Dec 2016)Also mentioned: Legs Get Led Astray by Chloe Caldwell, So Sad Today by Melissa Broder, Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'Neil, Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
Chapter I [22:25]
In Which We Learn About Fake Harry Potter Books, Bullshit California Laws, and LITSY!
Eureka Books is really pretty. Check it:
Antiquarian books are weird to booksellers in the new book world. Hereâs a primer from the ABAA.
A first edition signed copy of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is apparently worth shit. Kimâs annoyed at herself for failing to monetize her book collection.
More on the California Autograph Law
You guys. Fake Harry Potter books are a thing and they are... weird. LOOK AT THIS SHIT:
Youâd think weed folk would dig Cannabis Cocktails, Mocktails & Tonics: The Art of Spirited Drinks and Buzz-Worthy Libations by Warren Bobrow. Sorry, Amy.
Litsy is great. Itâs Instagram for books. Come experience the internet sans trolls. The internet isnât just trash, yâall. Check out #getindie for all the fuzzy bookstore feels.
Join the Out of Print t-shirt club. We just made that up organically. Itâs cool. Weâre cool. You can be cool too.
Chapter II [36:40]
In Which We All Have Too Many New Yorkers Piled Up In Our Apartments/Houses, Junot Diaz is the New Shakespeare, and You Can Learn to Craft Vagina Ornaments
Amyâs desert island picks: Charles Dickens: David Copperfield or Great Expectations. Or all of those New Yorkers that pile up in your house that you keep meaning to read.
Scottâs Station Eleven picks: The Road by Cormac McCarthy, The Walking Dead series, A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
Junot Diaz = Shakespeare
Scottâs Go to handsell: The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt
The epic LOL/OMG Display: Crap Taxidermy by Kat Su, books by The Oatmeal, Crafting with Feminism: 25 Girl-Powered Projects to Smash the Patriarchy by Bonnie Burton, How to Talk to Your Cat about Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives by Zachary Auburn
Scottâs impossible hand sell: A Void by Georges Perec
Bookseller confession: Once again, they havenât finished Harry Potter.
Favorite bookstores (other than Eureka): Powellâs, natch. Also, all the feels for Bookshop Santa Cruz.
Favorite lit media: Amy. Also, RIP Bookslut & The Toast.
You can find Amy all over the internet:
Website: Amystewart.com -
Epigraph
Episode nine has finally dropped! We speak with the lovely and talented Benjamin Rybeck, Marketing Director and Events Coordinator at Brazos Bookstore and author of The Sadness.
Introduction [0:30]In Which Emma and Kim Have a Sponsor and Make Terrible Puns, Plus Ben Invents the Phrase âPage Turnerâ
Currently drinking: screwdirvers with Stolichnaya, inspired by Sabbathâs Theater by Philip Roth
This episode is actually brought to you by a sponsor! Books & Whatnot is an excellent and informative newsletter for booksellers; itâs quick to read and filled with tips! Brought to you by Beth Golay. Check out the newsletter archive here. Follow on Twitter at @booksandwhatnot.
Ben is reading: Nick Flynnâs memoirs, Maggie Nelson, The Other Side by Lacy Johnson, and Madeline E. by Gabriel Blackwell
Shout-out to cool indie publisher: Outpost 19!
Emma is reading: ⊠spreadsheets? No, but seriously, she finally started Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandelâbut also the apocalypse causes her some anxiety, so she might have put it down.
Kim is reading: Uprooted by Naomi Novik, Shrill by Lindy West
When Kim started reading Uprooted, Emma was like
Kim recalls possibly the best customer interaction ever, in which a male teacher from an all-girls school requests recs for a primer on feminism; Shrill by Lindy West, We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozie Adiche, and Rad American Women A-Z by Kate Schatz and Miriam Klein Stahl (illus.) are among her recs.
New & Forthcoming Books Weâre Excited About
Underground Airlines by Ben Winters (pubs July 5 2016) The Well-Stocked and Gilded Cage by Lawrence Lenhart (pubs Aug 2 2016) Here Comes the Sun by Nicole Dennis-Benn (pubs July 19 2016) The Sunlight Pilgrims by Jenni Fagan (pubs July 19 2016) Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel The Crimson Skew by S.E. Grove (pubs July 12 2016) Collections: Birds Bones and Butterflies by Leah Sobsey (pubs July 12 2016)What do you do when a customer asks for a happy read?
Emma tries to make them into a romance reader and, if that fails, recommends Beauty Queens by Libba Bray.
Kim recommends graphica (though Emmaâs first three thoughts when she says graphica are Watchmen, Persepolis, and Fun Homeânot the happiest of readsâŠ)
Chapter I [21:21]In Which Ben Walks Into a Bookstore and Receives a Job, Coins the term âlitizen,â and Says the Word Smartypants a Lot. Plus Emma Freaks Out About Events Coordinators/Drunk Booksellersâ Guests Not Reading Harry Potter
Longfellow Books of Portland, Maine was Benâs childhood bookstore.
We discuss the joy of bookstores, record stores, and video storesâhalf-retail and half-cultural places where you go to meet friends and discover gems.
Benâs advice for getting a job at a bookstore? Walk into said bookstore with no intention of getting a job (it worked for him!)
Learn more about Brazos Bookstore here. They do âdown and dirty highbrowâ bookselling.
In Houston this summer? Here are a couple fun things going on:
Houston Shakespeare Festival
Summer of Kubrick
Have you heard about this new Harry Potter book coming out? Kim imagines that it will be mostly about ennui of adulthood, and compares it to Benâs book The Sadness.
Chapter II [37:46]In Which Ben Pitches His Book SuccinctlyâItâs a Book About Film and Failureâ and We Discuss Adulting
âBooksellers as adults is a strange thing; youâre asking people to become adults and go out into the world where their primary relationship to anything in their lives has been sitting alone in a roomâŠthatâs not going to end well.â
Chapter III [44:34]In Which We Speculate Alice Munroeâs Drinking Habits, Declare Adult Connect-the-Dots as The Next Big Thing, And Bring Up the Fact That Ben Hasnât Read Harry Potter Again
Ben wants to drink with John Updike to see if heâs as insufferable a person as Ben finds him as a writer. Kim mocks his reasoning. His second choice is Alice Munroe (who may or may not listen to this podcast? Weâre pretty sure she doesnât. But we can dream.)
Benâs bookseller confession is he doesnât keep up with trendsâbut itâs ok, Emma and Kim havenât read Knausgaard or Ferrante either.
Benâs Station Eleven/Wild/Desert Island Books
2666 by Roberto Bolaño Collected Stories of Joy Williams How to Read a Film by James Monaco Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace ALL the Harry Potter books by J.K. RowlingGo-to Handsells
Fortune Smiles by Adam Johnson Faces in the Crowd, The Story of My Teeth, and Sidewalks by Valeria LuiselliImpossib
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A year ago, we started this podcast with a discussion of our epic trip to 17 Seattle-area bookstores for the first annual Independent Bookstore Day. Naturally, Emma had to make the trip out to Seattle for Year 2!
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Itâs episode 8 of Drunk Booksellers, and weâre here with Pete Mulvihill, co-owner of Green Apple Books in San Francisco, CA. Get psyched, yâall.
You can also stream the episode on iTunes and Stitcher. Follow us on Twitter at @drunkbookseller for updates, book recs, and general bookish shenanigans.
Check out our show notes, after the jump!
EpigraphBitches in Bookshops
Our theme music, Bitches in Bookshops, comes to us with permission from Annabelle Quezada. Itâs amaze-balls, and Kim just discovered Annabelleâs other literary Kanye parody, Hardcover Bound 2 AND ITâS ALSO AMAZE-BALLS (and, uh, you should stick around at the end of the episode for a nice lil hidden track). Check it:
Introduction [0:30]In Which, If Youâre Interested in Reading Anything Where a Story Ends with a Boy Jumping on Top His Parents Bed Right After Theyâve Finished Having Sex, Dumping Out the Ashes of Their Dead Cat onto Them, Then Youâll Probably like Ramona Ausubel.
Currently drinking: Boulevardier (donât forget the orange peel...)
Peteâs reading: The Fear Project: What Our Most Primal Emotion Taught Me about Survival, Success, Surfing... and Love by Jaimal Yogis & Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (pubs 7 June 2016)
Emmaâs reading: Uprooted by Naomi Novik (again) & Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter by Nina Maclaughlin
Kimâs reading too many books rn, incl: Marrow Island by Alexis M. Smith (pubs 7 June 2016; also mentioned: Glaciers), A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy by Sue Klebold (also mentioned: Far from the Tree: Parents, Children, and the Search for Identity by Andrew Solomon), Klickitat by Peter Rock, Paper Girls Vol 1 by Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff K. Chiang, and Matt Wilson
Everyoneâs REALLY EXCITED about Black Panther #1 by Ta-Nehisi Coates (of Between the World and Me fame). Available at your local indie bookstore soonish? Maybe? Or go to your local indie comic shop, âcause those places are great too.
New/forthcoming books weâre excited about:
Lab Girl by Hope Jahren Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War by Mary Roach (pubs 6 June 2016) Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi (pubs 7 June 2016) Tribe: On Homecoming and Belonging by Sebastian Junger (pubs 24 May 2016) Zodiac Starforce: By the Power of Astra by Kevin Panetta & illustrated by Paulina Ganucheau (pubs 31 May 2016) Iâm Just a Person by Tig Notaro (pubs 14 June 2016) Sons and Daughters of Ease and Plenty by Ramona Ausubel (pubs 14 June 2016; also mentioned: A Guide to Being Born) The Assistants by Camille Perri (pubs 3 May 2016) Everything is Teeth by Evie Wyld & illustrated by Joe Sumner (pubs 10 May 2016; also mentioned: All The Birds, Singing) The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes (pubs 10 May 2016) The Gene: An Intimate History by Siddhartha Mukherjee (pubs 17 May 2016) The View from the Cheap Seats: Selected Nonfiction by Neil Gaiman (pubs 31 May) Chapter I [16:25]In Which Bookstores Canât Count to 25, Pete is a Closeted Straight Man, and We Learn About Bitcoin
Read more about Green Appleâs history here.
But seriously, yâall. Those masks, amirite?
And, in case anyone other than Kim is interested in WTF Bitcoin is, hereâs Wikipedia. Unfortunately, a bit of Peteâs audio was cut out, during which time he regaled us with the story of Dread Pirate Roberts (no, not that one). Interested now? WIRED has a pretty great read for you.
Originally posted by meeshmatched
Chapter II [31:40]In Which We Discuss California Bookstore Day, the Rise of INDEPENDENT BOOKSTORE DAY, and Get to Hang Out with Samantha
Independent Bookstore Day started as California Bookstore Day, which was initially inspired by Record Store Day.
April 30, 2016 (Kimâs Birthday!!) will be the second official Independent Bookstore Day.
Lauren Groff is the author ambassador. You might have heard of her. She wrote Obamaâs favorite book of 2015: Fates & Furies.
Green Apple is doing a shit ton of events, including an appearance from Green Appleâs mascot, Mergatroid; Kate Schatz, the author/illustator of Rad American Women A - Z; a local poet, Sylvie, writing custom poems; prize wheels; KEGS; and a free-throw shooting contest.
Mergatroid welcomes you to Independent Bookstore Day.
Chapter III [45:05]In Which Pete is Not THAT Old, But Heâs Totally On the Sleep Game
Peteâs Station Eleven, Wild, & desert island book: The Complete Stories of Flannery OâConnor (or maybe Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra)
Go-to Handsell: The Tenth of December by George Saunders, Nudge: Improving Decisions about Health, Wealth, and Happiness by Richard H. Thaler, The Plover by Brian Doyle
Impossible Handsell: Native Son by Richard Wright
Also mentioned: The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time by Arianna Huffington
Originally posted by heartsnmagic
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Welcome, friends, to episode 7 of Drunk Booksellers! Weâre here with Sam Kaas, Events Coordinator at Village Books in Bellingham, WA.
EpigraphBitches in Bookshops
Our theme music, Bitches in Bookshops, comes to us with permission from Annabelle Quezada.
Introduction [0:30]In Which We Reminisce About the Good Olâ Days and Emma Only Has Time to Read Books About Productivity
Currently drinking: Left Hand Milk Stout from Longmont, Colorado.
Emmaâs reading The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne M. Valente, The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God & Other Stories by Etgar Keret, The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right by Atul Gawande (also mentioned: Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More by Chris Anderson, Naked Money: A Revealing Look at What It Is and Why It Matters by Charles Wheelan)
Samâs reading Clinch by Martin Holmen (pubs 7 June), Goodnight, Beautiful Women by Anna Noyes, A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth L. Ozeki
Kimâs reading Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson, A Life Apart by Neel Mukherjee (also mentioned: The Lives of Others), Curb Stomp by Ryan Ferrier
New/forthcoming books weâre excited about:
Welcome Thieves by Sean Beaudoin Dodgers by Bill Beverly (pubs 5 April) The People in the Castle by Joan Aiken (pubs 26 April) Scarlett Epstein Hates It Here by Anna Breslaw (pubs 19 April) Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss (pubs 5 April) The Lonely City: Adventures in the Art of Being Alone by Olivia Laing (also mentioned: The Trip to Echo Spring: On Writers and Drinking) All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation by Rebecca Traister (also mentioned: Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick) Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye Chapter I [18:04]In Which We Discuss Radioactive Bookworms, Lawnmowers, and What Makes a Good Event
Chuck Robinson wrote a book about opening Village Books & Paper Dreams: It Takes a Village Books: 30 Years of Building Community, 1 Book at a Time
Shout out to Watermark Books in Anacortes, WA.
Another shout out to Third Place Books (opening a new store this year in Seward Park).
If Tom Robbins requests a pocket road map of Venezuela, donât question it, just get him one.
Len Vlahos is a rockstar. Hereâs proof:
Shit. Wrong image. I meant this:
See? Rockstar. I mean, heâs also a bestselling author and co-owns a little store in Denver, CO called The Tattered Cover. NBD.
In other celebrity news, check out Chuckanut Radio Hour.
Our favorite events tip: People shouldnât be calling to ask if thereâs an author event tonight, they should be calling to ask what the event tonight is. (hat tip to the fine folk at Elliott Bay Book Company [Kim pumps her fists in victory, even though she has absolutely nothing to do with events at EBBC])
Originally posted by mtv
So, yeah, you should check out Village Booksâ event schedule, âcause itâs pretty great.
Chapter II [33:37]In Which Sam Builds Us His Wheelhouse, Discusses e-Reading, and
Emma and Kim think dedicated e-readers are necessary for e-reading. You can buy one here.
[sign from @wordbookstoresâ]
Kim canât count. âA novel trying to answer big difficult questions and not necessarily succeeding but at least giving it a go.â = 19 words, not 16, but Sam still succeeded in the 20 Word Wheelhouse Challenge
Emma will read anything blurbed by Kelly Link. Sam will read things blurbed or compared to George Saunders or Sara Vowell. Also books about musicians. (Emma recs Rob Sheffield. Kim recs Hunger Makes Me a Modern Girl by Carrie Brownstein)
Chapter III [43:25]In Which We Discuss Book Problems in the Apocalypse, Kim & Emma Learn About Cities in Canada, and Sam & Emma Get In a Fight
Samâs Station Eleven book: Ulysses by James Joyce, assuming Shakespeare has been saved by wandering bands of theater nerds
Samâs Wild book: Lyrics & Poems 1997-2012 by John K. Samson (songwriter, rhythm guitarist, & singer of The Weakerthans)
Emma and Kim are embarrassingly uninformed about Canadian geography, so in case anyone was wondering, hereâs Winnipeg:
Samâs Reader Confession (a la Bookrageous, Episode 85): Sam believes he might be the only millennial to not finish the Harry Potter series. Emma has lost all respect for Sam. We move on (kind of).
Samâs go-to handsells: City of Thieves by David Benioff and The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter
Samâs impossible handsell: A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James
Epilogue [53:50]In Which Sam Has Never Met a Bookstore He Hasnât Liked and Discusses His Luddite Cynic Award
Samâs favorite bookstore (aside from Village Books): Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park, WA
Samâs favorite literary media: LitHub, BookRiot, The Paris Reviewâs Art of Fiction interviews, and old-school physical magazines (such as The New Yorker)
Despite the fact that Sam has the Luddite Cynic Award hanging on his fridge and is the last bookseller on Earth not on Twitter, you can hang out with Sam and his mom on Facebook. Or email Sam at [email protected].
UPDATE: Just before we posted this episode, Sam made himself a Twitter account. Go welcome him.
You should probably follow us on Twitter @drunkbookseller if youâre not doing so already. Weâre pretty okay.
Emma tweets @thebibliot and writes nerdy bookish things for B
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Yeah, so, if yâall hadnât noticed, weâve lagged a bit in getting new episodes posted this year. We blame life. To make up for being assholes, hereâs ANOTHER bonus episode to keep you occupied until our next real episode posts. Which will be soon. Like, itâs been recorded, weâre just editing, and it should be ready in, like, a week. Get psyched.
You can also stream the episode on iTunes and Stitcher. Find us on Tumblr at drunkbooksellers.tumblr.com, and follow us on Twitter at @drunkbookseller for updates, book recs, and general bookish shenanigans.
Check out our show notes, below.
EpigraphBitches in Bookshops
Our theme music, Bitches in Bookshops, comes to us with permission from Annabelle Quezada. Itâs the best.
Introduction [0:30]In Which Emmaâs Excited About an Event That You Canât Attend âCause It Already Happened and We Discuss the Awesomeness of Tactile Covers
Emmaâs drinking Schlafly Oatmeal Stout
Kimâs drinking Sierra Nevadaâs Hop Hunter IPA
Emmaâs reading: See You in the Morning by Mairead Case
Also mentioned: Slab by Selah Saterstrom, The Creative Tarot: A Modern Guide to an Inspired Life by Jessa Crispin (of Bookslut fame)
Kimâs reading: Adulthood is a Myth by Sarah Andersen
Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens by Steve Olson
Listening to: Redefining Realness: My Path to Womanhood, Identity, Love & So Much More by Janet Mock
Chapter I [7:07]In Which Your Noble Hosts Look Back at Their Favorite Books of 2015
Emmaâs Picks:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
The Bread We Eat in Dreams by Catherynne M. Valente
Vivian Apple at the End of the World by Katie Coyle
Nimona by Noelle Stevenson (also mentioned: Lumberjanes)
Witches of America by Alex Mar
The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Computer by Sydney Padua
Never Judge a Lady By Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
Kimâs Picks:
Supermutant Magic Academy by Jillian Tamaki (also mentioned: Skim & This One Summer)
Bitch Planet by Kelly Sue DeConnick
The Small Backs of Children by Lidia Yuknavitch
Women by Chloe Caldwell
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Chapter II [27:00]In Which Your Hosts Look Forward to 2016
Naked Money: A Revealing Look at What It Is and Why It Matters by Charles Wheelan (pubs 4 April 2016)
The Abundance: Narrative Essays Old and New by Annie Dillard
What Is Not Yours Is Not Yours by Helen Oyeyemi (also mentioned: White is For Witching and Boy, Snow, Bird)
Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss (pubs 5 April 2016)
The Crimson Skew by SE Grove (pubs 12 July 2016)
The Girl Who Raced Fairyland All the Way Home by Catherynne M. Valente (also mentioned: Radiance, Six Gun Snow White)
Solutions and Other Problems by Allie Brosh (pubs 25 October 2016) (also mentioned: Hyperbole and a Half, as well as Letâs Pretend this Never Happened and Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson)
The Lesbian Sex Haiku Book (with Cats!) by Anna Pulley, illustrated by Kelsey Beyer (pubs 19 April 2016)
Chapter III [40:53]In Which Booksellers from Across The Land Recommend the Books Theyâre Looking Forward to in 2016
Ariana from Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, MT recommends The Reputations by Juan Gabriel Vasquez (pubs 20 September 2016)
Genevieve from the Boulder Book Store in Boulder, CO recommends Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye (pubs 22 March 2016)
Sam from Village Books in Bellingham, WA recommends Into the Sun by Deni Ellis Bechard (pubs 6 September 2016)
Carson from Country Bookshelf in Bozeman, MT recommends My Best Friendâs Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (pubs 17 May 2016)
Stacy from Book Bar in Denver, CO recommends After the Crash by Michel Bussi (published 5 January 2016)
Epilogue [43:33]In Which There Are Exciting Things On the Horizon
Have a favorite bookseller youâd like us to chat with on the show? Shoot us an email at [email protected] with their name, store, and contact info so that we can reach out to them!
Follow us on Twitter @drunkbookseller.
Emma tweets @thebibliot and writes nerdy bookish things for Book Riot. Kim occasionally tweets at @finaleofseem.
Share the love by rating/reviewing us on iTunes. And donât forget to subscribe from your podcatcher of choice.
Weâll be back soon (in a week or so?) with a for-realsies episode. Until then, read ALL the books.
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Did you leave all of your holiday shopping for the last minute? Fear not! Drunk Booksellers are here for you. We asked our coworkers and other rad bookseller folk to give you a quick holiday rec. Some recommendations are a little more... drunk than others. Enjoy!
You can also stream the episode on iTunes and Stitcher. Find us on Tumblr at drunkbooksellers.tumblr.com, and follow us on Twitter at @drunkbookseller for updates, book recs, and general bookish shenanigans.
Check out our show notes, below.
EpigraphBitches in Bookshops
Our theme music, Bitches in Bookshops, comes to us with permission from Annabelle Quezada. Kim tried to sing it at karaoke the other night, but the bar didnât have the original Jay-Z & Kanye West song.
Originally posted by kanyeiwest
Introduction [0:30]In Which Kim & Emma Give Their Holiday Picks
Emmaâs drinking an unidentified white wine that she stole from the WORD holiday party. Kimâs drinking Sierra Nevada Celebration Fresh Hop IPA.
Emma recommends Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Kim recommends Lumberjanes To the Max Edition Vol 1 by Noelle Stevenson, Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis and Brooke A Allen
Emma recommends Never Judge a Lady by Her Cover by Sarah MacLean
Kim recommends The Essential Scratch & Sniff Guide to Becoming a Whiskey Know-It-All: Know Your Booze Before You Choose by Richard Betts, Crystal English Sacca, and Wendy MacNaughton
Chapter I [9:27]Annie, Greenlight Bookstore - A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara
Ashanti, WORD Bookstores - Crucial Interventions: An Illustrated Treatise on the Principles & Practice of Nineteenth-Century Surgery by Richard Barnett
Brendan, The Elliott Bay Book Company - John Barleycorn by Jack London
Bryce, The Elliott Bay Book Company - Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
Emily, New York Public Library Gift Shop - Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter by Nina Maclaughlin
Eric, The Elliott Bay Book Company - The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson
Chapter II [14:51]Erica, The Elliott Bay Book Company - Find a Way by Diana Nyad
Geo, Greenlight Bookstore - Dust & Grooves: Adventures in Record Collecting by Eilon Paz
Hannah Depp, Politics & Prose Bookstore - Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell & Hamilton: An American Musical
Hilary, The Elliott Bay Book Company - The Sleeper & The Spindle by Neil Gaiman and Chris Riddell
Holly, The Elliott Bay Book Company - Under the Egg by Laura Marx Fitzgerald
Chapter III [20:35]Julia, The Elliott Bay Book Company - The Princess & The Pony by Kate Beaton
Justus, The Elliott Bay Book Company - Fox & The Star by Coralie Bickford-Smith
Katelyn, WORD Bookstores - Morte by Robert Repino
Kerry, WORD Bookstores - The Invention of Nature: Alexander Von Humboldt's New World by Andrea Wulf
Liberty Hardy, Book Riot - Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans
Sam, The Elliott Bay Book Company - The Story of My Teeth by Valeria Luiselli
Sarah, Village Books - The Marvels by Brian Selznick
Tracy, The Elliott Bay Book Company - Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Epilogue [26:33]In Which You Can Request a Guest for Drunk Booksellers 2016
Have a favorite bookseller youâd like us to chat with on the show? Shoot us an email at [email protected] with their name, store, and contact info so that we can reach out to them!
Follow us on Twitter @drunkbookseller.
Emma tweets @thebibliot and writes nerdy bookish things for Book Riot. Kim occasionally tweets at @finaleofseem.
Share the love this holiday season by rating/reviewing us on iTunes. And donât forget to subscribe from your podcatcher of choice.
Happy holidays, y'all.
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In Episode 6, we chat with Josh Christie, manager at Sherman's Books and Stationery in Portland, ME. Get excited.
You also can stream the episode on iTunes and Stitcher. Find us on Tumblr at drunkbooksellers.tumblr.com. Follow us on Twitter at @drunkbookseller for updates, book recs, and general bookish shenanigans.
EpigraphBitches in Bookshops
Our theme music, Bitches in Bookshops, comes to us with permission from Annabelle Quezada. Itâs the best.
Introduction [0:30]In Which We Drink Strong Stouts and Cat Valente Singing in Russian for a Talent Show
Josh is the perfect guest for Drunk Booksellers. He is the manager and book buyer at Sherman's Books and Stationery in Portland, Maine (not Oregon). Heâs also the co-author of Maine Outdoor Adventure Guide and The Handbook of Porters & Stouts, as well as the author of Maine Beer: Brewing in Vacationland. In his spare time, heâs an adjunct professor on the The Maine Brew Bus and a co-host of The Bookrageous Podcast.
Drink of the Day: As one might expect from a stout & porter expert, Josh gave us three options for our drink of the day.
Lion Stout Guinness Foreign Extra Stout Anchor PorterJosh is reading Drinking in America: Our Secret History by Susan Cheever, Judge This by Chip Kidd, and The Beer Bible by Jeff Alworth.
Kimâs reading Tuesday Nights in 1980 by Molly Prentiss (pubs April 2016) and Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor.
Emmaâs reading Thunderstruck & Other Stories by Elizabeth McCracken, Nimona by Noelle Stevensen, Radiance by Catherynne M. Valente (also mentioned Six-Gun Snow White)
Books weâre excited about:
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff (also mentioned Cleopatra: A Life) The One-In-A-Million Boy by Monica Wood (pubs April 2016) Embed with Games: A Year on the Couch with Game Developers by Cara Ellison (pubs February 2016) Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five (Bookmarked Series) by Curtis Smith (pubs March 2016) Harry Potter Coloring Book from Scholastic, Inc. Contraband Cocktails: How America Drank When It Wasn't Supposed to by Paul Dickson (published by the ever-awesome Melville House) The Very Persistent Gappers of Frip by George Saunders & Lane Smith The Good Book: Writers Reflect on Favorite Bible Passages, edited by Andrew Blauner Gratitude by Oliver Sacks Chapter I [20:17]In Which We Love Everything Except Rap and Polka, Particularly Maps
Shermanâs Books & Stationery has 5 locations in Maine, with a 6th opening in 2016.
Most surprising bestseller (other than adult coloring books): The Historical Atlas of Maine, edited by Stephen J. Hornsby
Also mentioned: Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar, All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
If maps and books are your thing, definitely check out Plotted: A Literary Atlas by Andrew Degraff and Daniel Harmon . We all love it so hard.
From Plotted: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine LâEngle
Chapter II [32:23]In Which We Lust after Built-in Bookshelves, Love Everything Except Rap & Polka
Josh loves some good narrative nonfiction: Mary Roach, Erik Larson, Stacy Schiff, John Muir, and Ralph Waldo Emerson
Kim and Emma get overexcited about handselling nature essays to Josh. Emma loves Limber by Angela Pelster. Kimâs excited about Annie Dillardâs forthcoming collection, The Abundance: Narrative Essays Old and New (pubs March 2016).
Josh recs the Best American series, particularly Best American Sports Writing
Go read anything published by Write Bloody. Especially Andrea Gibson (start with Pole Dancing to Gospel Hymns).
Originally posted by x-rayvisions
Chapter III [41:06]In Which We Love Maps and Weirdos, Learn that Maine is More Than Just Lighthouses & Lobsters,
Joshâs Wheelhouse includes books with maps, character indexes, and anything thatâs super weird, such as Mort(e) by Robert Repino
Joshâs very practical Station Eleven/Wild book: SAS Survival Guide by John Lofty Wiseman
Joshâs real Station Eleven/Wild book: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Go-To Handsell: Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed, The Lobster Kings by Alexi Zentner
Originally posted by cuddle
Generally Impossible Handsells: Poetry and Graphic Novels
If youâre not a graphic novel reader yet, start with Fun Home by Alison Bechdel, The Sculptor by Scott McCloud, or Habibi by Craig Thompson
That annoying Slate article that Josh mentions can be found here: Donât Support Your Local Bookseller. Feel free to read it if you feel like angrily ranting at everyone you interact with for the next few years.
Epilogue [51:27]In Which Josh Tells Us About His Awesome Bookish Wedding and Where You Can Find Him On the Internet
Josh and his wife gifted each other literary tattoos as wedding presents, because theyâre the coolest. Josh is getting the the Escapistâs key from The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon and his wife is getting the the Brakebills seal from Lev Grossmanâs The Magicians. Totes adorbs, right?
Favorite Bookstore other Than Your Own: WORD (aw, yeah!), Harvard Book Store, Porter Square Books, Northshire Bookstore
Favorite Literary Media: PANELS, Reading Aloud Podcast
If youâre not listening to Bookrageous, go remedy that immediately. We love it so hard.
Find Josh on the interwebz at:
Twitter: @jchristie Website: BrewsAndBooks.com Instagram: JChristie7You should probably follow us on Twitter @drunkbookseller if youâre not doing so already. Weâre pretty cool.
Emma tweets @thebibliot and writes nerdy bookish things for Book Riot. Kim occasionally tweets at @finaleofseem.
Make sure you donât miss an episode by subscribing to Drunk Booksellers from your podcatcher of choice. Also, if you read this far in the show notes, you should probably go ahead and rate/review us on iTunes too. The only compensation we get from this podcast is a nerdy ego-boost, so weâd lo
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Epigraph
Weâre here on episode number 5 with Liberty Hardy, contributing editor at Book Riot and co-host of the All the Books! podcast.
In addition to this LibSyn landing page, you can find us on Tumblr or stream the episode on iTunes and Stitcher. Follow us on Twitter at @drunkbookseller for updates, book recs, and general bookish shenanigans.
Bitches in Bookshops
Our theme music is awesome. Bitches in Bookshops comes to us with permission from Annabelle Quezada.
Introduction [0:30]In Which We Drink PBR and Discuss ALL THE BOOKS Coming Out in October
In addition to her Book Riot work, Liberty is a roaming bookseller, former bookseller at RiverRun Bookstore in New Hampshire, judge for Bookspanâs Book of the Month Club, volunteer librarian, and self-proclaimed velocireader.
Drink of the Day: Pabst Blue Ribbon. Yes, that PBR.
Originally posted by uponfurtherreview-mark
Emmaâs reading Naked Economics: Undressing the Dismal Science by Charles Wheelan, and A Wild Swan: And Other Tales by Michael Cunningham
Kimâs reading Phoebe and her Unicorn by Dana Simpson, My Fight/Your Fight by Ronda Rousey, The Mark and the Void by Paul Murray, and Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Libertyâs reading Mrs. Engels by Gavin McCrea, Twainâs End by Lynn Cullen, and Monsters: The Hindenburg Disaster and the Birth of Pathological Technology by Ed Regis.
October is a very exciting month for books, amiright?
Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor Slade House by David Mitchell The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff Witches of America by Alex Mar Science of the Magical: From the Holy Grail to Love Potions to Superpowers by Matt Kaplan Plotted: A Literary Atlas by Andrew Degraff and Daniel Harmon Our Spoons Came from Woolworths by Barbara Comyns Last Nightâs Reading: Illustrated Encounters with Extraordinary Authors by Kate Gavino We Five by Mark Dunn The Mare by Mary Gaitskill Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving The Givenness of Things: Essays by Marilynne Robinson Numero Zero by Umberto Eco Radiance by Catherynne M. ValenteAlso mentioned: The Penguin Book of Witches by Katherine Howe, Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters by Mark Dunn, various books by Cat Valente (Six-Gun Snow White, Deathless, Speak Easy)
Chapter I [16:45]In Which Liberty Doesnât Have To Wear Pants, Tells Us Her Secret to Reading ALL the Books, and Gives Us a Tour of Her Library and Cat B&B
Libertyâs last official brick-and-mortar bookselling gig was at RiverRun Bookstore in Portsmouth, NH. Now she talks about books on the interwebz at Book Riot and doesnât have to wear pants, which seems like a pretty sweet deal to me.
Originally posted by nevadatrek
If youâre not listening to Libertyâs podcast every week, you should. Like, stop reading this and go listen to All the Books! instead. Weâll wait.
Want to read like a bookseller? You can score advanced digital copies of books from NetGalley and Edelweiss. Learn more about Edelweiss here.
Fun Fact: The average person reads 215 words per minute. Liberty reads 536 words a minute. How do you match up?
Liberty only sleeps 3 to 4 hours a night. So, thatâs a thing.
Originally posted by redbullmediahouse
Chapter II [31:30]In Which Gary Shteyngart Writes a Successful Blurb, A Giant Crate of Books Washes Up On Libertyâs Desert Island,
Libertyâs fav local bookstore haunt is Water Street Bookstore in Exeter, NH. She also âaccidentallyâ bought a bunch of books from Small Beer Press in the middle of the night (including The Liminial War by Ayize Jama-Everett and Kalpa Imperial by AngĂ©lica Gorodischer, translated byUrsula K. Le Guin). And she gives a big shout out to Shermanâs Books in Portland, ME and their store manager Josh Christie who, spoiler alert, is our next guess on Drunk Booksellers!
Libertyâs a judge for Bookspanâs Book of the Month Club. Sounds rad.
Libertyâs wheelhouse: anything compared to Kurt Vonnegut or The Secret History by Donna Tartt
We talk blurbs. Gary Shteyngart blurbs everything, including this gem about Sloane Crosleyâs new novel: âThe Clasp reads like The Goonieswritten by Lorrie Moore.â Itâs kinda brilliant.
Libertyâs Desert Island Books: The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin, The Giantâs House by Elizabeth McCracken, The Known World by Edward P. Jones, The Secret History by Donna Tartt, The Sorrows of a Young Werther by Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe, My Name is Asher Levby Chaim Potok
Station Eleven Books: Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy, Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt, a Charles Portis book other than True Grit
Wild Book: Calvin & Hobbes by Bill Watterson. Possibly on an iPad? With an external charger? Thatâs probably cheatingâŠ
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Epigraph
Itâs episode number 4! Featuring bookseller-extraordinaire Hannah Oliver Depp from Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C.
Introduction [0:30]In Which We Drink To Detective Fiction By Dead White Guys, Become Jealous of Literary Paper Dolls & Ecstatic Raccoons, And Dive Into Frontlist Season With ALL the September Releases
Drink of the Day: The Gimlet a la Raymond Chandler (recipe and quote from Hemingway & Bailey's Bartending Guide to Great American Writers by Mark Bailey and Edward Hemingway)
Emmaâs reading Spinster: Making a Life of One's Own by Kate Bolick
Kimâs reading Boss Life: Surviving My Own Small Business by Paul Downs and Out on the Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio by Jessica Abel
Hannahâs reading Magna Carta: The Birth of Liberty by Dan Jones (pubs 20 Oct 2015) and Bright Lines by Tanwi Nandini Islam
HOLY SHIT THERE ARE SO MANY SEPTEMBER RELEASES! Here are some:
Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson (22 Sept 2015) Also mentioned: The Monsters of Templeton and Arcadia and anything written by Zadie Smith) Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques (22 Sept 2015) Fates & Furies by Lauren Groff (pubs 15 Sept 2015) Also mentioned: The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins (pubs 29 Sept 2015) Step Aside, Pops: A Hark! a Vagrant Collection by Kate Beaton (pubs 15 Sept 2015) Also mentioned: Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton The Story of my Teeth by Valeria Luiselli, translated by Christina Macsweeney (pubs 15 Sept 2015) The Culinary Cyclist: A Cookbook and Companion for the Good Life by Anna Brones, illustrated by Johanna Kindvall (8 Sept 2015) Also mentioned: Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break, with Recipes for Pastries, Breads, and Other Treats Girl Waits with Gun by Amy Stewart (1 Sept 2015) Also mentioned: The Drunken Botanist: The Plants That Create the World's Great Drinks The Sleeper and the Spindle by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell (22 Sept 2015) Jonathan Franzen wrote another âGreat American Novelâ called Purity (1 Sept 2015). But you probably already knew that, so do yourself a solid and check out #FranzenAirQuotes instead.
Chapter I [16:25]In Which Business Books are Chauvinistic (Shocking!), Hannah Brings Wildlife Into the Store, Galleys Meet their Death, and the Drunk Booksellers Nerd Out About Writing Bookselling Manuals
Hannah is the Merchandise Display Manager at Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C. aka. President Obamaâs local independent bookstore.
[image credit Reuters]
Due to their recent partnership with Busboys and Poets, Hannah also rides the Metro around D.C. merchandising their displays.
[totally official Washington DC Metro map courtesy of Daveâs Geeky Ideas]
Interested in the business of retail? Kim wonât stop monologuing about Why We Buy: The Science of Shopping: Updated and Revised for the Internet, the Global Consumer, and Beyond by Paco Underhill
If you want to shell out a lot of money to travel abroad, you should do it with a book bent, obviously: Politics & Prose Trips
Remember what you liked about your major before you had to actually do all that fucking work? Join the rogue students taking Classes at Politics & Prose. Itâs like in Center Stage where she goes to the wrong side of the tracks and moves her hips, but for books.
Originally posted by artecommovimento
Yâall remember Harry Potter release parties, right? Of course you do.
Originally posted by walkingdead3000
Chapter II [33:57]In Which Hannah Schools the Drunk Booksellers on Lady Detective Fiction & a Couple Books Written By Dudes
Want to get into Mysteries?
Step One: Read The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
Originally posted by internetgirlwithnolife
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Epigraph
For our third episode, we interview Kevin Sampsell, bookseller at Powellâs Books in Portland, OR.
Introduction [0:30]In Which Emma & Kim Feel Like Literary Underachievers Compared to Kevinâs Many Bookish Pursuits, Then We Order Lifestyles
[0:43] When heâs not bookselling at Powellâs Books, Kevin runs the small press Future Tense Books, along with their new ebook imprint Instant Future. Heâs also the author of A Common Pornography: A Memoir and This is Between Us, as well as the editor of Portland Noir.
[1:13] Drink of the Day: The Lifestyle - Jameson Irish Whiskey and ginger ale (from Ablutions: Notes for a Novel by Patrick deWitt)
collage by Kevin Sampsell
Chapter IIn Which We Discuss Rad Trans & Queer Books, Talk About Customer Anti-Merchandizing Techniques, and Discover that Kevin is a Greasy Buddy Holly
[2:35] Emmaâs reading Witches of America by Alex Mar (pubs 20 Oct 2015)
[2:54] Kimâs reading Furiously Happy: A Funny Book about Horrible Things by Jenny Lawson (pubs 22 Sept 2015)
Also mentioned: Letâs Pretend This Never Happened: (A Mostly True Memoir) by Jenny Lawson
[3:28] Trans/Queer books!
The Argonauts by Maggie Nelson Trans: A Memoir by Juliet Jacques (pubs 22 Sept 2015) George by Alex Gino (pubs 25 Aug 2015) Please Donât Kill the Freshman: A Memoir by Zoe Trope (Future Tense edition, here) Being by Zach EllisAlso mentioned: the Tin House Writerâs Workshop, Bad Blood Reading Series
[8:36] Kevin is reading SO MANY GOOD BOOKS RIGHT NOW
The Revolution of Every Day by Cari Luna Savage Park: A Meditation on Play, Space, and Risk for Americans Who Are Nervous, Distracted, and Afraid to Die by Amy Fusselman Yet another shoutout to Lidia Yuknavitch: The Small Backs of Children and The Chronology of Water: A Memoir. Have you read her books yet? Just go do it. Right now. Weâll wait. Hollywood Notebook by Wendy C Ortiz (also mentioned: Excavation: A Memoir) Cult of Loretta by Kevin Maloney (also mentioned: Adam Wilson)[14:37] August Releases!!
The Beautiful Bureaucrat by Helen Phillips The Scamp by Jennifer Pashley Voices in the Ocean: A Journey Into the Wild and Haunting World of Dolphins by Susan Casey Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh
Chapter IIIn Which Kevin Discusses Working at Powellâs (Largest Bookstore in the World?), The Power of Small Presses, and Publishing E-Books
[20:58] Powellâs City of Books Store Map
[23:46] White Elephants: On Yard Sales, Relationships, and Finding What Was Missing by Katie Haegele
[24:20] Weirde Sister by James Gendron (coming 2016 from Octopus Books - check out an excerpt to get psyched)
[24:39] Sexual Boat (Sex Boats) by James Gendron
[32:56] Some authors that have moved between Small Presses and Big Publishers:
Alissa Nutting - Unclean Jobs for Women and Girls, Tampa Lindsay Hunter - Daddyâs, Donât Kiss Me, Ugly Girls Maggie Nelson - Bluets
Small Presses Mentioned: Starcherone, Featherproof, Wave
[36:10] Future Tenseâs e-book imprint Instant Future
[36:44] Starvation Mode by Elissa Washuta (author of My Body is a Book of Rules)
Chapter IIIIn Which We Talk About Even More Awesome August Releases, Kevin Observing Customers Buying His Book, Author Crushes, and MORE BOOKS
[40:22] More August Releases:
Dome of the Hidden Pavilion: New Poems by James Tate New American Stories, edited by Ben Marcus (who previously edited The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories)Pro-tip: the bathroom at Powellâs is upstairs in the Purple Room. Now you know.
[44:05] Kevinâs Go-To Handsells
A Complicated Kindness by Miriam Toews (available in paperback Jan 2016) Stories in the Worst Way by Gary LutzAlso mentioned: All My Puny Sorrows by Miriam Toews, Home Land by Sam Lipsyte
[46:57] Kevinâs Impossible Handsells
Tiger, Tiger by Margaux Fragoso Diary of a Teenage Girl: An Account in Words and Pictures by Phoebe GloecknerAlso mentioned: George Saunders, Lydia Davis, Barry Hannah, Donald Ray Pollock
[48:45] How to Keep Up with ALL the Books?
[49:00] Reading Backlist: <
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