Got Books? Conversations with Booksellers

Today we are traveling to the south of Spain, to get some sun and more importantly talk to Federico, a bookseller in Malaga's Libreria Luces. This is a bookshop that describes itself as an experience, a literary and cultural experience. Just last week it turned 20, which, if you've been listening to this podcast for a while now, you know is a major achievement for an independent bookstore. If Libreria Luces could talk, it would have quite a few stories to tell: not only did it survive a pandemic, but it also made it through a very loud, years-long period of a subway station being constructed just on its doorstep - you can just imagine how good that can be for business. But despite the odds, it perseveres, and it continues on its mission to promote reading as a fundamental activity in people's lives. On its website, Libreria Luces puts sustainability at the very top of its list of values, something I haven't seen any other bookshop do. They also do a million partnerships, turning the city itself into one big bookshop. They're 20 years old and growing..and as any 20 year old will have experienced, they're constantly changing, learning and embracing new social media platforms. If your summer plans take you to Malaga this year, make sure you pay them a visit. 

Today we are going back to Australia, to a small town called Kiama. Here we'll step into Bouquiniste https://shop.bouquiniste.com.au/, founded in 2017 by Clay and Hannah, two Kiama locals with a background in writing, publishing, retail, hospitality.. and one of them a former DJ. That's Clay, my guest today. When you enter the store, you'll see a disco ball, and that gives you an idea of the space you've just stepped into. This is not a quiet bookstore, but rather a welcoming, a little loud, a little funky place, where you can go in for a chat, a coffee, a glass of wine, and of course..books.

The space has a nice history too. Back in 1983, Clay’s parents first leased the space where the bookstore is now for their optical business. So he actually grew up playing on the shop floor.  The space is small, which means you'll find highly curated bookshelves. You're also likely to come in and find yourself in the middle of a book event of some sort, maybe a party, or accidently join the Bouquiniste monthly bookclub. Make sure you stop by if you're in Kiama, I definitely will.. I already promised Clay.

Before we listen to my conversation with today's bookseller, I did want to let you know that I'm working on a book recommendation project. So that every other week, I can bring you a new book, either a personal favourite or one that Got Books guests have recommended here on the podcast. Stay tuned for this, I'll announce it on our social media once it's ready. And now, back to my chat with Clay, enjoy!

Harmony Bookshop opened its doors on Varanasi’s Assi Ghat in December 1996 and ever since it has grown into a cultural hub, bringing together scholars, artists, researchers, and all other book loving travelers, from India and abroad. This is a bookshop like no other. To enter, you must first remove your shoes. After all, books are sacred..and in this small bookshop many of them are resting on the floor and its owner and bookseller, Rakesh, would not like to see them damaged. He's built an incredible collection, spanning  a diverse range of books on India and other subjects: academic texts by Indologists and social scientists, treatises on spirituality and yoga, sumptuous art books, literary fiction and much more.

If you walk down Linienstraße in the heart of Berlin's gentrified neighborhood, Mitte, you will come across beautiful little shops, a Japanese cafe, cozy restaurants, and more recently.. an intriguing space called simply.. About. This is a bookshop with a unique concept: its owner, former art curator, picks a theme and then runs with it, selecting books that fit into this theme..for a while. Every 3 months or so, the theme changes. The concept of the bookshop (focusing on temporary topics) expands and occasionally authors, artists are invited to choose a topic and to curate the selection of books. In the future, Gesine, About's owner, plans to invite a bookseller from another city/country to shape the program of the bookshop, with the idea to open up to further perspectives and controversies.

About's owner picked this neighbourhood, Berlin Mitte, because she feels independent bookshops should also serve as community spaces, representing a counterbalance in areas otherwise absorbed by purely commercial enterprises. A space where people can come together, have a cup of coffee, discuss and dissect one topic at a time, and of course discover a book they may otherwise never have.

Welcome back to Got Books?, Season 3! On this episode, I spoke to the new booksellers of Pergamo, the oldest bookshop still in existence in Madrid, Spain. Jorge F. Hernandez and Pablo Cerezo come from two different generations and share a love of books, writing and of course, bookshops. They have just recently taken over Pergamo and are in the process of re-inventing it and opening its doors once again. 

Today we will be going back to Cappelens Forslag, a bookshop that I'm sure you remember from our first season. And if you missed that episode, do go back and give it a listen, it's a conversation I loved where we even discuss a famous book heist. My guest today is Pil Cappelen Smith, booksellers, owner of Cappelens Forslag and now also a publisher. Christmas may not be his favourite season, but he did join me for a conversation about Christmas book shopping, the joys of the holidays (despite their way-too-capitalistic flair) and shared his perhaps unusual choice of favourite story set around this time of year. Here's my conversation with Pil.

Welcome back to Got Books, the podcast where we talk to booksellers from all around the world. And welcome to this short Christmas series, meant as a mini-Advent Calendar to get you in the holiday spirit. From Dec 3rd to Dec 17th, we'll be publishing an episode every Monday and Friday - that's 5 Christmas episodes for you, in which we're bringing back some of the booksellers that we know and love from past episodes, so they can tell us how they're preparing their bookshops for Christmas, what books to get for the special people in our lives, and what they like or..don't like at all about the holiday season.

Today's conversation brings you back two booksellers who I'm sure you remember from a not so distant episode - Julia König and David Bloomfield are two of the charming and very knowledgeable booksellers that will welcome you to Golden Hare. This beautiful independent bookshop in Edinburgh's Stockbridge covers all genres from cookery to travel, kid's picture books to science fiction. And around Christmas time it's the perfect place to go to, as they they also have a fireplace, a Christmas tree and handwritten book recommendations from their staff. Julia and David were my guests on the second episode of Season 2 and are back today for a much more Christmasy conversation.

Welcome back to Got Books, the podcast where we talk to booksellers from all around the world. And welcome to this short Christmas series, meant as a mini-Advent Calendar to get you in the holiday spirit. From Dec 3rd to Dec 17th, we'll be publishing an episode every Monday and Friday - that's 5 Christmas episodes for you, in which we're bringing back some of the booksellers that we know and love from past episodes, so they can tell us how they're preparing their bookshops for Christmas, what books to get for the special people in our lives, and what they like or..don't like at all about the holiday season.

Today's conversation may take you back in time, as my guest is Shaun Bythell, whose books are the inspiration for this podcast and who was also our very first guest back in January. Shaun's books are diaries of his time as a bookseller, all inspired by his many years of running Scotland's second largest second hand bookshop, fittingly called.. The Bookshop. You can find it in a small town where 1,000 people live and 10,000 visit every year - Wigtown, Scotland’s National Booktown. I've invited Shaun today to tell us how he feels about Christmas, what he does to prepare his bookshop for the holidays and what books he thinks we should get as presents this year.

Welcome back to Got Books, the podcast where we talk to booksellers from all around the world. And welcome to this short Christmas series, meant as a mini-Advent Calendar to get you in the holiday spirit. From Dec 3rd to Dec 17th, we'll be publishing an episode every Monday and Friday - that's 5 Christmas episodes for you, in which we're bringing back some of the booksellers that we know and love from past episodes, so they can tell us how they're preparing their bookshops for Christmas, what books to get for the special people in our lives, and what they like or..don't like at all about the holiday season.

Today you can eavesdrop on my conversation with Stephen Fowler, an old friend of ours on Got Books who I'm sure you remember from Season 1. Stephen runs perhaps one of the quirkiest bookshops in the world, called the Monkey's Paw in Toronto. He specialises in odd books dated before 1980 and he's come to share some the latest additions to his collection on today's episode. His bookshop is also known for its famous BiblioMat, a vending machine that spits out a randomly selected vintage volume in exchange for a token. So if happen to be in Toronto and you're feeling lucky, pay a visit to the Monkey's Paw and see what the Bibliomat has in store for you. If you're not there though, this conversation is as close as it gets.

Welcome back to Got Books, the podcast where we talk to booksellers from all around the world. And welcome to this short Christmas series, meant as a mini-Advent Calendar to get you in the holiday spirit. From Dec 3rd to Dec 17th, we'll be publishing an episode every Monday and Friday - that's 5 Christmas episodes for you, in which we're bringing back some of the booksellers that we know and love from past episodes, so they can tell us how they're preparing their bookshops for Christmas, what books to get for the special people in our lives, and what they like or..don't like at all about the holiday season.

Today I will be chatting with Charlotte Delattre, who I am sure you remember from one of our very episodes in season 1. Charlotte is the charming co-owner of Desperate Literature in Madrid, a truly magical independent bookshop in the heart of the city, welcoming Madrilenos, travelers and unidentified walk-ins all year round. In fact, Desperate Literature is even open on Christmas Day, to provide a warm bookish space for those who may not yet have Christmas plans. I'm so glad Charlotte agreed to come back to Got Books to tell us about Christmas at Desperate Literature.