A podcast about audiobooks? Now THAT'S meta.

On this episode, Charlotte talks to Mark Pearson, CEO and creator of Libro.fm: a digital collection of more than 150,000 audiobooks that supports indies instead of...You Know Who.

***

Join Libro.fm (or make the switch from A*dible!) at:

http://libro.fm

And follow them on social media on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Find Mystery to Me online at:

mysterytomebooks.com

IG: @mysterytomebooks

FB: @mysterytomebooks

***

Thanks for shopping local!

This past summer, when the news from the Mexican-US border was reaching the height of its intolerability, one of the booksellers at A Room of One's Own came to co-owner Gretchen Treu with an idea: a tip jar. More specifically: a tip jar to raise money for RAICES. But what started as a tip jar turned into a NATIONAL fundraising effort...almost overnight. On this episode of Open Books, Charlotte chats with Gretchen Treu, the co-owner who said yes to that tip jar, and is now extending their activist reach from HQ: their bookstore.

***

In this episode, we mention a few outreach and education groups that YOU can get involved with! Here they are, in the order they appear in the show:

1)RAICES - "We defend the rights of immigrants and refugees, empower individuals, families, and communities, and advocate for liberty and justice."

https://www.raicestexas.org

2)FROM BOOKS TO BALLOTS - A Room of One's Own's forthcoming voter education campaign! Go sign up for Room's newsletter on their homepage https://roomofonesown.com to be the first to know when the campaign goes live!

3)LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS - "Empowering voters. Defending Democracy."

https://lwv.org

4) MADISON READING PROJECT - "...dedicated to collecting and selecting books that are exciting, engaging, and diverse for age levels from birth to teenagers."

https://madisonreadingproject.com

5)LGBTQ BOOKS TO PRISONERS - "We are a donation-funded, volunteer-run organization based in Madison, WI that sends books and other educational materials, free of charge, to incarcerated LGBTQ people across the United States."

https://lgbtbookstoprisoners.org

***

You can find A Room of One's Own online at:

TW: @RoomOfOnesOwn

IG: @roomofonesownbooks

FB: @roomofonesownbookstore

roomofonesown.com

Find Mystery to Me online at:

mysterytomebooks.com

IG: @mysterytomebooks

FB: @mysterytomebooks

***

Thanks for shopping local!

Danny Caine of The Raven Book Store in Lawrence, Kansas, first came into our world via (what else?) Twitter. Known for his deft and insightful social media skills, Danny is helping raise our collective awareness of just exactly how shopping local is essential to our society and culture.

He was named the Midwest Independent Bookseller Association's BOOKSELLER OF THE YEAR in 2019, and continues to give the people what they want (read: educational posts about the importance of local business) now in the form of a delightful, necessary zine, HOW TO RESIST AMAZON AND WHY.

***

In this episode, Danny references a plethora of great articles. Here they are, for your #resistance education:

1) The Twitter thread that started it all:

https://twitter.com/ravenbookstore/status/1118596015957975041?s=20

2) American Booksellers Association economic breakdown of Indies v. Amazon:

https://www.bookweb.org/infographic

3)The Atlantic report on Amazon warehouse working conditions: https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/11/amazon-warehouse-reports-show-worker-injuries/602530/

4) "someone requested all their data from Amazon" article (from USA Today): https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/columnist/saltzman/2018/04/04/amazon-and-alexa-know-whole-lot-you-heres-how-download-and-delete-info/482286002/

5) Order HOW TO RESIST AMAZON AND WHY:

https://www.dannycaine.com/store/p3/howtoresistamazon.html

***

You can find The Raven online at:

TW: @avenbookstore

IG + FB: @raven_book_store

ravenbookstore.com

Find Mystery to Me online at:

mysterytomebooks.com

IG: @mysterytomebooks

FB: @mysterytomebooks

***

Thanks for shopping local!

We booksellers get asked all the time, "So what are YOU reading right now?" so this week's episode is some of our favorite reads right now...and coming out soon!

***

The books we talk about in today's episode are listed here in the order in which they're discussed. Order or pre-order from your favorite indie today!

1) THE KEEPER OF THE LOST CITIES by Shannon Messenger

2) NOTHING TO SEE HERE by Kevin Wilson

3) YOUNG AVENGERS by Gillen McKelvie

4) THE PAINTED BIRD by Jerzy Kosinski

5) THE WITCHES ARE COMING by Lindy West

6) THE WHISPER MAN by Alex North

7) ON EARTH WE'RE BRIEFLY GORGEOUS by Ocean Vuong

8) YOU LET ME IN by Camilla Bruce (Release date: March 3, 2020)

9) THE THIRD RAINBOW GIRL by Emma Copley Eisenberg

10) DEATH AT LA FENICE by Donna Leon

11) ORLANDO by Virgina Woolf

***

Find us online at:

mysterytomebooks.com

IG: @mysterytomebooks

FB: @mysterytomebooks

***

Thanks for shopping local!

To have bookstores, one must have books.

To have books, one must write them.

WE have not written any books (yet), but we're in the business of knowing a LOT of people who have.

***

Enter: Francesca Flores, debut author of DIAMOND CITY.

***

In this episode of Open Books, Charlotte and Hannah interview Francesca about her book, debut authorhood, and how real life ends up on the page.

***

DIAMOND CITY is available JANUARY 28 (the day this episode drops!)

Make sure you buy your copy from your favorite indie, and tell your booksellers that you heard about it from this podcast!

***

In today's episode, we talk about a lot of things. Some of those things are linked here:

- LARKIN STREET YOUTH PROJECT: https://larkinstreetyouth.org

Larkin Street Youth Services is a nonprofit empowering young people to move beyond homelessness.

- BOOKSHOP WEST PORTAL: https://www.bookshopwestportal.com

Hey San Francisco! Go to Francesca's launch event at this awesome bookstore!!

***

mysterytomebooks.com

@mysterytomebooks

Ever wonder how your local bookstores know what books to have on the shelves?

Or why certain books get turned out on the shelves, while others are "spined out"?

And what the heck does "indie next" mean?

***

In this episode of Open Books, we pull back the curtain to tell you all about the inner-workings of an indie bookstore!

***

SHOW NOTES:

- Hannah's book review website: hannahleaoxley.com

An awesome resource for anyone looking for a book to get for the kiddos in their lives!

- Reserve your tickets to Mystery to Me's event with NICK PETRIE right here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-visit-nick-petrie-tickets-87969787001

- Reserve your tickets to Mystery to Me's event with JON ETTER right here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-visit-jon-etter-tickets-86369364093

- That book Charlotte recommended is called UNTAMED, by Glennon Doyle. Pre-order it from your favorite indie today!

***

Find us online at:

mysterytomebooks.com

IG: @mysterytomebooks

FB: @mysterytomebooks

Charlotte's IG: @charlottethewriter

Hannah's IG: @hannahleaoxley

OPEN BOOKS is a show about bookstores by people in bookstores!

In this episode, Charlotte talks with Joanne Berg, owner of Mystery to Me. Where did we get that name? How does one "open a bookstore"? And do we do anything other than mystery?

Recorded on-site at Mystery to Me in Madison, Wisconsin.

Follow us on Instagram at @mysterytomebooks,

find us on Facebook,

or check out our website: mysterytomebooks.com

Produced by Charlotte Colaluca at Mystery to Me in Madison, Wisconsin.

Open Books is a podcast about books, bookstores, and bookselling--brought to you by the real life booksellers at Mystery to Me in Madison, Wisconsin!

In our inaugural episode, you'll meet booksellers Charlotte, Tim, Hannah, and Jayne. Find out what they're reading and what the heck they're talking about when they say "ARC".