So, We Bought a Book Shop

Today Maile and I talk about our fears in opening a bookstore--what if, in this divisive climate, people get upset by the books we carry or choose not to carry? What if we can't read enough books to keep up with our readers' needs? What if the construction on our block puts us out of business?

So much of our hope in the face of despair comes from you all, a book-loving community that helps us to know about the good books that are out there in the world and continues to bring us all together.

We also talk about Maile's fear of complete and utter failure, how the start of construction next door (and the closing of the sidewalk) played into that, and how we find hope in the middle of it all.

Books mentioned in this episode:

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Ishida and Shimoda Intermezzo by Sally Rooney All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling The Dog Stars by Peter Heller Pick the Lock by A.S. King The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis Cherished Belonging by Greg Boyle

Connect with us!

Order From Our Bookshop.org Page! Nooks' Substack Maile's Substack Shawn's Substack Nooks' Instagram Page Nooks' Events Page

Music by Copcar Karaoke Art by Ned Bustard

Is all reading beneficial? Maile and I begin by gently debating the place of graphic novels in a child's reading diet, then discuss the comment we often hear from visitors in the shop about children: "As long as they're reading, that's what matters." Is it?

What if it's not about the book as much as what we bring to the book and how deliberate we are in evaluating what we're reading?

There are so many forces acting on us, so many people who want us to think in certain ways. If we read the right books, they can help guide us to a better way of thinking and living.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Jane Austen The Dog Stars by Peter Heller Even After Everything by Stephanie Smith Time of the Child by Niall Williams Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan Pick the Lock by A.S. King

Connect with us!

Order From Our Bookshop.org Page! Nooks' Substack Maile's Substack Shawn's Substack Nooks Instagram Page Nooks Events Page

Music by Copcar Karaoke Art by Ned Bustard

The easy answer to how a book ends up in our shop is that we have to love it . . . or have it recommended strongly to us . . . or talk to readers who share our taste and are big fans of the book in question. But there's more to it than that, because sometimes a book travels a long and winding way to get to us. That's the way of a good book.

And when it arrives in our store and we read it, we long for a community in which to share our response to the book. As Walter Wangerin wrote, art only becomes fully art when it is experienced in community.

We also talk about our writerly lives and how incomplete it feels to have stories we've written that people haven't read.

Also some thoughts on winter living, wood stoves, and reading in the early dark.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Land of Stories by Chris Colfer This is Happiness by Niall Williams John by Niall Williams Time of the Child by Niall Williams The Witch Elm by Tana French In the Woods by Tana French The Little Friend by Donna Tartt Beate Not the Poore Desk by Walter Wangerin Blessed are the Rest of Us by Micha Boyett The Bee Sting by Paul Murray Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty

Connect with us! Nooks' Substack Maile's Substack Shawn's Substack Nooks Instagram Page Nooks Events Page

Music by Copcar Karaoke

Where do dreams take root? What's the process in deciding to say yes to something new, out-of-the-box, exciting? Today, Maile and I talk about the story behind our purchase of Nooks, a local book shop in Lancaster, PA. We also discuss how the fear of failure can keep us trying meaningful things or setting out on new adventures, and how an important part of making big decisions is often . . . waiting, patience, trust.

Also, Shawn talks about being on the edge of a literal breakdown, and Maile shares how her introverted self has grown into her love of community.

"If you're lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it."

Books mentioned in this episode: A Prayer for Owen Meany The Creative Act Time of the Child Small Things Like These

Connect with us! Nooks' Substack Maile's Substack Shawn's Substack Nooks Instagram Page Nooks Events Page