The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast

Stacy Whitman/The Curious Cat Bookshop
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Books
  • Updated Semiweekly

The Curious Cat Bookshop is the independent bookstore of Winsted, CT, offering curation, selection, expertise, and a place to meet with bookish friends at our book clubs, author events, and storytimes. This podcast is our in-store events feed, combined with remote interviews with authors who live elsewhere. We help you satisfy your curiosity in a community of readers--bringing the authors of Connecticut to the world, and the authors of the world to northwest Connecticut. 

  1. 4d ago

    Pull up a chair with the whole Curious Cat staff! Oct. 2026 preorders

    Send us Fan Mail We’ve gathered the whole staff to talk about the books we’re most looking forward to in October and beyond! What are you looking forward to? Have we missed anything? Preorder our recommended titles (and more) here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/list/preorder-your-next-favorite-read Interview with Sarah Beth Durst Interview with Beth Revis Interview with Courtney Maum Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

  2. 5d ago

    The kids are all right--but the parents are losing it in Courney Maum's delightful Alan Opts Out

    Send us Fan Mail Recently, Stacy talked with author Courtney Maum about her newest book, Alan Opts Out, a biting satire about suburban life and whether "making it" is really worth it. Can absurdity and satire heal our communities? Signed copies are available from us while supplies last! About the book: “Reading this book reminded me how much fun a novel can be.” ―Caro Claire Burke, author of Yesteryear In this timely and comedic take on ambition, consumerism, and the sticker price of privilege, an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home. Perfect for readers of Rufi Thorpe and Taffy Brodesser-Akner. Alan Anderson is a powerful advertising executive who has built a successful life and thriving business by making people buy stuff they don’t actually need. He’s up for the biggest pitch of his career and the account everyone wants, US Dairy: cow’s milk sales are plummeting, and the C-Suite wants to see trendy oat milk kicked to the curb. But when an anarchist farmer tanks Alan’s presentation, Alan bombs the pitch but ends the day with an epiphany. No longer will he exploit the insecurities of others in the service of capitalism. Alan is opting out.  This development is anathema to his wife, Vivian. She’s just a few positive affirmations, a swimming pool, and an exacting series of social tests away from finally becoming part of the elite women’s club, the Queen Annes, in their adopted town of Greenwich, Connecticut. As if contending with a daughter who wants to write plays (!) and another who has an unnatural empathy with animals isn’t enough to manage, she can only watch as Alan moves into their backyard playhouse to live off the land and―worse―spend time with the family. But instead of shocking the neighbors, Alan’s commitment to a less-is-more lifestyle seems to be catching on. Could everyone want what Alan’s not selling? Funny, sexy, intelligent, and poignant, Alan Opts Out is the most ambitious novel to date by celebrated author Courtney Maum, acclaimed for her stories that tackle big, chewy subjects of our post-modern America with wit and heart. Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

  3. Sep 27

    A few reading recommendations for our current time

    Send us Fan Mail NOTE: This episode was originally published on YouTube on 1/26/26. I'm posting the second season all at once up to September 2026, as I've gotten behind on uploads. We'll be back to a semi-regular upload schedule after this. Many of you know that I'm also a children's book editor, specifically of middle grade and young adult novels and graphic novels. Today, I wanted to share three books that I edited that I think speak to our current moment--even with two of them being historical fiction.  Before we get to the book lists, a few links in case you want to take action but don't know where to go: A vetted list of mutual aid for Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (EJI Institute): https://legacysites.eji.org Refusing to Forget, a project to remember the Matanza of 1915: https://refusingtoforget.org/historical-markers/matanza-of-1915/ If you'd like to read the books mentioned in this episode, you can find most of them on our website--see the lists below. I'm happy to have found out while editing that even the one I thought was out of print is still available, and I've added it to our "How did we get here?" list that's on our Nonfiction for the Hard Times book list. Read the books that Stacy edited: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/books-edited-stacy-whitman Nonfiction for the Hard Times book lists: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/nonfiction-hard-times   (My voice is still a bit rough, so this isn't technically yet the beginning of our second season of the podcast--I'm waiting to start that when my voice comes back, as I've been sick for a good month at this point.) Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

  4. Sep 27

    How do a bookstore's income streams break down in percentages? (Income Part Two)

    Send us Fan Mail NOTE: Some of this episode is visual information. You might want to refer to the YouTube video for more information:  While the percentage numbers may vary from bookstore to bookstore, here's a look at the breakdown of one bookstore's income streams and the challenges we face to make it all work. Thanks to Creatorly Media for the editing assist! I talk a little about getting a grant around 19:05, and part of that grant was used to edit this episode. Links:  My editorial website: stacylwhitman.com Our membership campaign (join by Jan. 14, 2026 to get a free t-shirt): https://wfr.bio/thecuriouscatbookshop Get a Curious Cat t-shirt, mug, apron, and more without a monthly membership: https://www.bonfire.com/store/the-curious-cat-bookshop/ Connecticut Women's Business Development Council (CT WBDC): https://ctwbdc.org/ American Booksellers Association (join to get access to the ABACUS): https://bookshop.org/ Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

  5. Sep 27

    What do a bookstore's income streams look like? Part One

    Send us Fan Mail Take a walk with Stacy on a local trail to discuss not just how bookstores make their money, but what the breakdown looks like. This is a big-picture overview--part two will delve a little deeper with some specifics.  If you decide to take a day trip to Winsted, come visit us, and also check out the Sue Grossman Still River Trail: https://www.traillink.com/trail/sue-grossman-still-river-greenway/ Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

  6. Sep 27

    This key mistake almost made me quit my bookstore

    Send us Fan Mail Come with Stacy on an existential rollercoaster! We discuss the latest progress on her transition to a new CRM, tough questions small business owners must be willing to ask themselves, our path to profitability, the results of our recent application for a small business loan, and more. NOTE: Episode 5 of this season is a YouTube-only episode, as it's a visual demonstration of how to make a Blind Date with a Book. If that is of interest to you, check it out here: https://youtu.be/4iAyMf6omic Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

  7. Sep 27

    Building toward profitability in my bookstore--plus: read this banned book

    Send us Fan Mail A quick "state of the store" discussion, in which Stacy dives into some of her decision-making process and talks about where she is with implementing systems like a new CRM to help manage the store's data, how work in the store gets done (or doesn't, depending on whether she's the only person available to do the work!), and her plan to apply for a business loan to ensure we have stable funding through lean times and can plan for profitability in the future.  But before that, Stacy has a book to recommend and a book ban to discuss, so stick with us to talk about all the issues that might come up in the book world. Check out Summer of the Mariposas here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781620140109 Fall of the Fireflies: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781643796994 Other Guadalupe García McCall books: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/search?type=author&q=McCall%2C%20Guadalupe%20Garc%C3%ADa Our Odyssey reads list: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/list/did-you-just-watch-odyssey-read-these Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

  8. Sep 27

    How Gossip Girl changed pop culture forever

    Send us Fan Mail We're back at last! A challenging summer has slowed us down in uploading this episode that was recorded in April. Thanks for your patience! How did Gossip Girl help shape the culture we enjoy today? Stacy's conversation with author Lindsay Denninger digs into how music, pop culture, and teen lives were changed by Gossip Girl and the other TV shows that aired in the mid-aughts, as well as behind-the-scenes viewpoints on how the show handled diversity and inclusion issues--and more! Buy the book here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781493088096 About the Book Growing up is hard to do, but the kids on Gossip Girl sure made it look easy-and sexy, to boot. Set in the always-alluring penthouses and exclusive clubs of New York City, Gossip Girl followed, as its intro said, the "scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite," through the eyes of an omniscient narrator that had her eyes, ears, and hands in everything. Gossip Girl was enticing in a "lifestyles of the rich and famous" sort of way, but when you added on the fact that these pretty people had pretty problems and someone watching their every move, it was almost too good to resist. In You Know You Love Me, Lindsay Denninger gives an unprecedented inside look at how this icon of '00s pop culture captured the hearts, minds, and eyes of millions of viewers; influenced the worlds of fashion and media; and continues to reverberate in the culture today. Weaving together oral history interviews with all of the show's key personnel-performers, crew, writers, and showrunner Josh Safran-Denninger doesn't just reveal behind-the-scenes drama. She shows how Gossip Girl was an early harbinger of the cultural landscape to come, spanning from the very dawn of social media to the fractious internet of today, and from the autumn years of broadcast television (it aired on the CW) to the streaming era. Packed with juicy tidbits, unvarnished accounts, and unapologetic nostalgia, this is a thrilling behind-the-scenes look at the show that New York magazine, with a casual brio befitting its subject, dubbed "The Greatest Show of Our Time." Support the show More about The Curious Cat Bookshop Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery Keep track of our in-store and online events  Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable Follow us elsewhere! BlueskyInstagramFacebookYouTube (live events stream here)ThreadsAnd always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

The Curious Cat Bookshop is the independent bookstore of Winsted, CT, offering curation, selection, expertise, and a place to meet with bookish friends at our book clubs, author events, and storytimes. This podcast is our in-store events feed, combined with remote interviews with authors who live elsewhere. We help you satisfy your curiosity in a community of readers--bringing the authors of Connecticut to the world, and the authors of the world to northwest Connecticut. 

Information

  • Creator
    Stacy Whitman/The Curious Cat Bookshop
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    30
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast
  • Show Website
    The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast

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