The Bookshop Chronicles

This was a fun one!

Forgive us the wild peals of laughter and background noises as we recorded this podcast episode at my kitchen table after a leisurely brunch. Rachel Bergeron and Justine Mah spearheaded The Black Bookshelf Project, a collaborative initiative that provides BIPOC books for kids on a black bookshelf with coloring sheets, additional resources, and Indigenous affirmation cards for children to enjoy. Rachel and Justine do not hold back on why these stories are important, and why they believe these bookshelves will open conversations and generate an appreciation for perspectives and experiences from other cultures and experiences. These shelves are important, and we are proud to have one in each of our bookstores for our community to enjoy.

Starting in June 2023, will be raising funds to put a TBBP shelf in a school in both Edmonton and Beaumont. If you'd like to support our efforts, please visit our website for more details.

If you would like to know more about The Black Bookshelf Project, please go to their website, and follow them on Instagram.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful store in High Street, and if you are in the community of Beaumont, come and see us on Main St. as the only bookshop in town! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

I have received so many questions, and I thought of a fun way to answer some of them. I'm calling it a Five, 5 and 5: 5 books that changed me, 5 small biz bits, and 5 random things about me. Hope they are fun and insightful!

5 Books:

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Don't Keep Your Day Job by Cathy Heller

The Bible

5 Small Biz Bits:

- Social Media Face

- Vote with your dollars

- It's hard but it's worth it and it's hard

- passion costs $$

- copycats weren't cool in school and not in biz either

5 things about me:

- smile

- sunshine

- heights

- cheesecake

- bull

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful store in High Street, and if you are in the community of Beaumont, come and see us on Main St as the only bookshop in town! Location and hours available on our website. For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

Hello, Friend. Would you believe that at the end of last month I achieved my goal of getting 4 days off IN A ROW?? Don't go into business for yourself if you want to have oodles of spare time.

So, after a spell away from the microphone I am here to present a smattering of some of the books I have read since we last talked. Some great, some blah, and I am here to share the truth about them all. A bookstore owner who doesn't read a wide range of titles can't be trusted to make solid book recommendations, so I will keep reading outside my comfort zone and being wooed by compelling backlist titles and sparkly new releases so I can share them with you!

Books Discussed:

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Pretty Things by Janelle Brown

Forever... by Judy Blume

We Spread by Iain Reid

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery

The Change by Kirsten Miller

The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Near the Bone by Christina Henry

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

The Opposite of Butterfly Hunting by Evanna Lynch

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful store in High Street, and if you are in the community of Beaumont, come and see us on Main St as the only bookshop in town! Location and hours available on our website. For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

One of our most popular Guests from the past year was Elise Eichmuller (Episode 44), a court reporter by day and an active bookstagrammer and reader in her spare time. She may read dark & twisty tales, but she is just the most sunshiney and giggly soul. To know Elise is to love her. She is instrumental in keeping the #yegbookstagrammer group together and intentionally creates friendships in the bookish social media world. She has created a brilliant balance - enjoy this episode and by all means, go to her Instagram and FOLLOW her!

*heads up, we don't censor one another in this convo, so little ears may not want to listen in

Books we discussed:

The Bad Seed (1954) by William March

We Need To Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver

The Wanderers by Chuck Wendig

Brother by Ania Ahlborn

Seed by Ania Ahlborn

The Troop by Nick Cutter

Precious Cargo by Craig Davidson

The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline

The Deep by Nick Cutter

Still Life by Louise Penny

Ghost Summer Stories by Tananarive Due

Bad People by Craig Wallwork

Someone to Watch Over Me - Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

I Remember You - Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Let Me In - John Ajvide Lindqvist

Eeny Meeny by M. J. Arlidge

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

Before He Knew Her by Peter Swanson

Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson

Karen Slaughter Grand County Series

Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter

The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King

Indians on Vacation by Thomas King

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful store in High Street, and if you are in the community of Beaumont, come and see us on Main St as the only bookshop in town! Location and hours available on our website. For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

The world of Daisy Chain Book Co. has grown by about 1600 square feet.

We opened our second indie bookstore in Beaumont, Alberta in July, 2022 and I am still in an exhausted state of disbelief. Don't let them tell you it's impossible, put your big girl panties on and show 'em how it's done.

In this mini episode, I am giving you a wave from underneath the pile of chaos and a shout-out of gratitude for our incredible bookish community.

Get out there and let your badassery shine. And have a Merry Christmas too.

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful store in High Street, and if you are in the community of Beaumont, we welcome you to visit us on Main St! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

When you are starting out in business, there are SO many hurdles, questions, and fears. Today, I am answering three questions I get asked regularly.

1. How do I know if being in a Market is the best way to start my business?

2. What is the difference between a Hobby and a Business?

3. How do I know where to start when it comes to social media/branding and content creation?

I certainly do not have it all figured out and I mess up nearly every day, so please know that I am right in it with you, figuring it out as I go. I have, however, overcome a lot of objections, and risen to the top in areas I knew nothing about initially. Being your own Boss means you own 100% of the mistakes, and there is always so much to learn! I'm happy to share some of what I've learned with you. Please send me any questions or areas you'd like me to discuss in future Business Bar episodes. I hope this episode helps!

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful store in High Street, and if you are in the community of Beaumont, we are opening a second store to serve your reading needs in July 2022! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

So much going on around here! Please enjoy this list of titles that I have read recently - many of them I have liked, even LOVED, and some I did not enjoy at all. Sigh. Thus is the reading life, right?

Books Discussed:

The End of Men by Christina Sweeney-Baird

Evidence of the Affair by Taylor Jenkins Reid

A Rip Through Time by Kelley Armstrong

I'm Thinking of Ending Things by Iain Reid

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman

The Broken Girls by Simone St. James

The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James

Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance by Alison Espach

After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Quit Like a Woman by Holly Whitaker

The School For Good Mothers by Jessamine Chan

Thank you to Edmonton radio stations Cruz fm and Play 107 for the clip!

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful store! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

When we started with the booktruck and then opened a brick & mortar bookstore, we hoped that we would build a community of readers. Actually, I was a little obsessed with the idea. Imagine my delight when Haylee Freake discovered our store and decided this was IT for her. She has been in our Book Club from day one, and she is also an active member of Write Night, our creative night for budding authors. Haylee dives into reading with the passion that must make her Newfoundland parents proud, since they surrounded her with books and the encouragement to read her whole life. Haylee doesn't want to know much about a book before she chooses it, she prefers to go in blind and be surprised - this trick has been very fruitful for her reading life.If you are curious about just how fantastic and well-read our community at DCBC is, take a listen to this convo with Haylee!

Books/Authors we discussed:

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. MaasFinlay Donovan is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Sarah Dessen

John Green

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin

Fredrik Backman

The Maid by Nita Prose

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan

Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling

Far From Home by Nellie Armstrong

Percy Jackson Series by Rick Riordan

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard

Kiera Cass

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

From Blood and Ash by Jennifer Armentrout

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams

Our bookstore offers audiobooks that you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful new store! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

When you get a chance to speak with someone who is passionate about the process of writing a book and getting it into the hands of readers, you pay attention. When that same person also boldly shares her well-crafted book reviews on her very own YouTube channel, you pay extra close attention. So, basically, this episode is one you don't want to miss. Stella Telleria is a Local Author of the book Across the Wire. Her second book will be out shortly. She is actively dedicated to good books, both the reading and writing of them and if you're like me, you will want to up your reading game after hearing this discussion. This was a fun and informative conversation and I can't wait for you to listen in!

Find the link to her YouTube channel and more HERE!

Books We Discussed:

Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell

Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

Writing website: Critique Circle

Our bookstore offers audiobooks which you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful new store! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.

It's already the middle of February and I have read 13 books for the year, so I thought I'd break them down for you and help you add a couple more to your TBR. Happy Reading!

Books Discussed:

The Nix by Nathan Hill

Know My Name by Chanel Miller

The Summer Sail by Wendy Francis

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney

Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The City Baker's Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller

The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

101 Essays That Will Change the Way You Think by Brianna Wiest

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Empire Falls by Richard Russo

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Our bookstore offers audiobooks which you can listen to on your iPhone, Android device, or PC. These audiobooks are available through our partner, Libro.fm, and all sales support our store. Choose to support indie bookstores with your audiobooks - it MATTERS.

Let's get social - follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or email me at [email protected]

If you are in the Edmonton area, come and see our beautiful new store! For updates on all the bookish events at the bookstore, and an online database of our marvelous books visit Daisy Chain Book Co. 

Podcast theme music created and performed by the incredible Kerri Bridgen.