In this special holiday episode of Elena Meets the Author, I’m joined by Lisa Scully, the owner of the wonderful Locust Valley Bookstore on Long Island.

Lisa shares her journey into independent bookstore ownership and speaks openly about the challenges and rewards of running a local bookshop today. We talk about competing with Amazon, the importance of community support, and what keeps independent bookstores alive and thriving, especially during the Christmas season.

We also dive into the joy of bookselling. Lisa talks about how she curates her shelves, why book covers matter more than we sometimes admit, and how Instagram has become an essential way for her to connect with readers and share thoughtful, often unexpected recommendations. Along the way, she offers plenty of reading inspiration, including Christmas gift ideas, bestselling titles from the year, standout children’s books, and some personal favourites.

It’s a warm, funny, and uplifting conversation about books, community, and resilience, and a perfect listen for the holidays.

You can explore Locust Valley Bookstore and Lisa’s recommendations at

https://www.locustvalleybooks.com

You can also follow the bookstore on Instagram athttps://www.instagram.com/locustvalleybookstore

Episode chapters

00:00 Introduction00:15 Special Christmas episode00:32 Lisa Scully and Locust Valley Bookstore03:16 Lisa’s journey to owning a bookstore09:13 The challenges and triumphs of running a bookstore15:06 Competing with Amazon19:48 Instagram and modern bookselling24:13 The importance of book covers26:40 What makes Locust Valley Bookstore unique27:28 Book recommendations28:24 Christmas reading suggestions29:36 Top-selling books of the year36:27 Children’s books highlights37:51 Favourite books of the year39:37 The resilience of independent bookstores

🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.

This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit elenabowes.substack.com