Bookstore Explorer

Matt Browning
  • 4.9 (21)
  • BOOKS
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
Bookstore Explorer

Join author and bookseller Matt Browning as he goes behind the shelves with booksellers, authors and other bookish folks to learn what makes independent bookshops such magical places.

  1. 10/08/2024

    Episode 72: Gramercy Books, Bexley, Ohio

    This week we visit with Linda Kass, novelist and owner of Gramercy Books in Bexley, Ohio. Located in suburban Columbus, Gramercy is known for its series of fantastic author events and much more.  Books We Talk About: The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa, The Remains of the Day and Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara, The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead, Stoner by John Williams, The Queen’s Gambit by Walter Tevis, A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan, The Waiting by Michael Connelly, The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis and more!

    40 min

  2. 10/01/2024

    Episode 71: Parentheses Books, Harrisonburg, Virginia

    Last week, we welcomed to the pod Evan Friss, author of The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore. This week, we visit with his wife, Amanda Friss, owner of Parentheses Books in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Books We Talk About: The works of Kevin Brockmeier, West Heart Kill by Dann McDorman and Once More Upon a Time by Roshani Chokshi

    36 min

  3. 09/23/2024

    Episode 70: Author Evan Friss

    This week, we talk with Evan Friss, author of The Bookshop: A History of the American Bookstore, out now from Penguin Random House. Starting with Benjamin Franklin and moving up to the present day, it is a love letter to bookstores that The New York Times calls "A spirited defense of this important, odd and odds-defying American retail category." Books We Talk About: The Death and Life of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs and the works of Donna Tartt, Haruki Murakami, Kurt Vonnegut and George Saunders.

    33 min

  4. 09/17/2024

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

    Today, we’re visiting Happy Magpie Book & Quill in Ogden, Utah. I’m joined by owner Patrick Ramsay, who operates the shop on a unique pay-what-you-want model. Books We Talk About: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed, Red Rising by Pierce Brown, Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, The Secret Lives of Country Gentlemen by KJ Charles, and Instructions for Traveling West by Joy Sullivan.

    39 min

  5. 09/10/2024

    Episode 68: Lemuria Books, Jackson, Mississippi

    John Evans opened Lemuria Books in Jackson, Mississippi, in 1975 and joins me to discuss his five decades in bookselling. Books We Talk About: From Moby Dick to Eudora Welty, we cover a lot in this one! Our theme music is Whiskey River II by Erin Eades. Check her out wherever you stream music or visit ErinEadesMusic.com.

    49 min

  6. 09/03/2024

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

    After 14 years, Dane Ferguson knows a thing or two about the bookselling business, and he walks me through the ups and downs of the trade as we visit Ferguson Books & More in West Fargo, ND. Books We Talk About: The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid, The Quiet Tenant by Clemence Michallon. Our theme music is Whiskey River II by Erin Eades. Check her out wherever you stream music and visit ErinEadesMusic.com.

    50 min

  7. 08/27/2024

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

    Long-time podcast listener Thalia Lewandowski and her business partner visited Matt’s bookstore Airbnb in January to learn all they could about opening their own bookshop. Now they’ve done it! Thalia joins the pod to discuss Paper & String Books, a shop that seamlessly blends reading and crafts. Books We Talk About: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau, North Woods by Daniel Mason, James by Percival Everett, A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas, and the works of Jane Harper and Amor Towles. Our theme music is Whiskey River II by Erin Eades. Find Erin's music wherever you stream or visit ErinEadesMusic.com.

    38 min

  8. 08/20/2024

    Episode 65: Wind City Books, Casper, Wyoming

    We're back for Season 3! Today, we are in Capser, Wyoming, to visit Wind City Books. Owner Miranda Berdahl and her bookseller son, Rhys, discuss taking over ownership of the shop during the pandemic, what it's like working for your mother, and more! Books We Talk About: Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Monkey King: Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en, Intermezzo by Sally Rooney, I'm Starting to Worry About This Black Box of Doom by Jason Pargin, Shad Hadid by George Jreije. Our new theme music is Whiskey River II by Erin Eades. Hear her music wherever you stream and visit ErinEadesMusic.com.

    33 min
See All (74)

Trailer

4.9
out of 5
21 Ratings

About

Join author and bookseller Matt Browning as he goes behind the shelves with booksellers, authors and other bookish folks to learn what makes independent bookshops such magical places.

Information

  • Creator
    Matt Browning
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2024
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Bookstore Explorer
  • Show Website
    Bookstore Explorer

To listen to explicit episodes, sign in.

Stay up to date with this show

Sign in or sign up to follow shows, save episodes, and get the latest updates.
Select a country or region

Africa, Middle East, and India

Asia Pacific

Europe

Latin America and the Caribbean

The United States and Canada