The Bookshop Chronicles

Hey, Friend!

I missed you. The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of activity at Daisy Chain Book Co., and I am finally able to sit down, record, edit and post this episode because y'all have kept me super busy with orders and deliveries. I have had a unique perspective of my business lately, sitting in the driver's seat of the booktruck, going to your homes and placing bags of books on your porches... I have visited parts of my one city that I have never seen before, and I have delighted at the activities of people in communities that were once to busy to connect. 

COVID has made things very hard for so many, but there are also moments of beauty and community that didn't occur before. I wanted to share with you the stories I listen to while I drive, and the changes of booktruck life in an online world.

Books mentioned:

The Book of Longings 

Girling Up: How to Be Strong, Smart and Spectacular

Miss You

Mom + Me + Mom

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

Want to be a Guest on my Podcast? Want to tell me about what you're reading? Email me at [email protected]

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Online calendar of (hopefully) upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

Hey, You!

Today I got to spend time with Alex Pankratz-Brown, a local creative wonder who dabbles professionally in digital storytelling and in this episode she shares honestly about recovering from difficulty and the struggles with resuming the passion for reading she once had in her youth. The reading life changes as you go through different seasons of life and we had a lot of laughs as we talk about the hidden pressures of an unread stack of books, the magic of Harry Potter and I reveal that once a Social Worker, always a Social Worker.

You can find Alex and her design brilliance on IG, FB & online!

Books discussed:

Dare to Lead

Mind Over Mood

The Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts

Harry Potter

Tuesdays With Morrie

The Sun & Her Flowers

The Giving Tree

Friendship

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

Want to be a Guest on my Podcast? Want to tell me about what you're reading? Email me at [email protected]

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Online calendar of (hopefully) upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

So, Friend, how are YOU coping with self-isolation, homeschooling your kiddos and managing to keep yourself entertained when the world is a mix of Little House on the Prairie and The Walking Dead? There is a mess of stuff you could stream and feel your brain cells atrophy... or you can find new and exciting things to read! In the upcoming episodes, I am going to focus on making book suggestions with different themes to stimulate your reading life during this pandemic.

For today, I am excited for you to hear my discussion with Jenn Oleksyn, co-owner of Caffiend, a local coffee shop in my neighborhood. Jenn is such an exciting person, you cannot help but feel energized and encouraged just talking with her. I have no doubt you will feel that as you listen to us talk about the realities of being your own boss, finding the right book for the season of life you are in, and how to contribute to a thriving community as a business owner.

Look for Jenn on Facebook and Instagram

Books discussed:

Dare to Lead

Mask of Masculinity

School of Greatness

Caffeinated

You're a Badass at Making Money

Want to be a Guest on my Podcast? Want to tell me about what you're reading? Email me at [email protected]

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

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Online calendar of (hopefully) upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

Well, Friend is this a season for reading, or WHAT?? With all of this self-isolation, I am hearing from many of you that you are reading more books right now than ever before. So am I!

In today's chapter of The Booktruck Chronicles, I am presenting you with a conversation I recorded back in February before we knew this COVID crisis was going to become such a foundational change in how we live our everyday lives. It was a pleasure to talk with Melanie Moore, owner and operator of Cincy Book Bus, a mobile bookstore in Cincinnati, Ohio. Melanie is a big dreamer and a woman of wild imagination and a deep appreciation for good books. She supports local schools with the profits from her booktruck by supplying their libraries with new books. She is amazing! Find Melanie's Cincy Book Bus on Instagram & Facebook.

In this chapter, I talk about our interest in working with foster programs to provide books for children in care - once COVID is in our rearview mirror, we look forward to pursuing partnerships with agencies in Edmonton who facilitate care and placements for foster kids of all ages.

There is no Business Bar today because frankly, the whole chapter is focused on the business side of booktruck life...

Stay home, Friend.

Read a book.

Enjoy your people.

Books discussed:

Parnassus on Wheels

The Purple Cow

The Way Past Winter

The Reader on the 6.27

84 Charing Cross Road

The Shadow of the Wind

The Thirteenth Tale

Memoirs of a Geisha

Want to be a Guest on my Podcast? Email me at [email protected]

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

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Online calendar of (hopefully) upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

When times are difficult, it's important to fill your ears with things that are inspiring. This chapter of the podcast was recorded a little while ago before COVID-19 took over our news feed and social potential. And yet, I am amazed at how relevant this conversation is when we are all needing a reminder about hope TODAY.

Darla Woodley is a local children's book author who has a story of inspiration and tenacity I am sure you will enjoy. She wrote Red Socks Go With Anything, an award-winning book that started a movement called #redsocksforasher, to help a young boy raise money for a Children's Hospital and is on the cusp of self-publishing her second book. Darla is such a beautiful person with a simple desire to motivate people and build a community of kids who can do whatever they believe is possible.

In The Business Bar, I am sharing a recent blog post, about the value of bookstores which is especially important to remember now when so many indie bookstores are struggling with closures and not knowing their future. PLEASE reach out and support your favorite indie bookstore now - they need you if they are going to survive this pandemic.

Books discussed:

The Woman in Cabin 10

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

The Lying Game

Stephen King: On Writing

The Woman in the Window

Gone Girl

Dead Kid Detective

The Day the Crayons Quit

Pajama Time

The Turn of the Key

Want to be a Guest on my Podcast? Email me at [email protected]

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

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Online calendar of (hopefully) upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

Hey, Friend - you're back!

One thing I know is true about Readers and that they love thinking about, talking about and planning what they will be reading next. This podcast is for YOU! I have stockpiled some Fiction titles that I'd love to share with you and I would love to hear your thoughts on them as well! Send me a msg, let's have a convo.

In The Business Bar, I am daring to discuss a topic that may be touchy for some, because it pushes some buttons and maybe delicately steps on some toes. You know I'm OK with that if it moves my business further ahead and paves the way for mobile retail to have an easier go of it after me.

Books Discussed:

American Dirt

I'll Be Your Blue Sky

Magic For Liars

Still Life

The Passengers

My Oxford Year

Harmony

Don't Keep Your Day Job (podcast)

Don't Keep Your Day Job

Oprah's Book Club

Want to be a Guest on my Podcast? Email me at [email protected]

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

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Online calendar of upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

Sometimes books speak to what is on everyone's mind, and even though the books in this episode are not intended to inflame any fear or concern about the global concern for health and safety that we are all experiencing right now, it is a reminder that books that were written a while ago can be just as relevant to us today.

In today's episode, I am speaking to Charlene Tamura who has a list of books for your TBR list that has a tender yet familiar theme of sickness, science fiction, time travel and "what-if" Fiction that you will want to add to your own reading list. Charlene is a local business owner who has found a solution to deal with your unwanted items and share them with others who can use them. Through She Sells Your Stuff, she is answering the environmental need for reducing, recycling, and re-using rather than just buying new all the time. Her list of suggested books was especially fun for me because I haven't read any of them!

In The Business Bar, I am talking about online shopping. Warning: I speak at a pretty rapid pace through this segment, I was getting very excited and just kept going - no editing required! And just think, I did all this only on only one shot of coffee (can you imagine me with TWO?? Yikes!). I hope you can keep up ;-)

Books & Links Discussed:

The Masked City

The Cozy Minimalist

Station Eleven

Blindness

The Years of Rice and Salt

Daughter of Family G: A Memoir of Cancer Genes, Love & Fate

The Little Book

The Book of M

Time & Again

The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O

The Chronicles of St. Mary's series

Look for Charlene on Facebook and Instagram !

Thank you to Kerri Brigden for creating our theme songs! Kerri's talent paired with her beautiful heart are exactly the tone I wanted you to hear at the beginning of each episode. I hope you enjoy them. Thank you, Kerri!!

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Email me at [email protected]

Online calendar of upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

Books have the beautiful talent of reaching beyond the pages and creating stories, characters, and images that we want to talk about. In this second part of my face to face discussion with Julie parr, we talk about the power of Book Clubs to expand your perspectives on reading through discussion and community. Anyone who has been in a Book Club knows the value of this - if everyone reads the book! Julie and I talk more about books she insists I must read and the word "herpes" is used for the first time in a bookish convo on a podcast, I'm sure of it.

In The Business Bar, I am talking about being adaptable and flexible if the goal is to grow in your reach and relevancy. I talk about it in more detail as it pertains to the booktruck in a recent blog post, "Making Cuts" on The Booktruck Chick blog.

Books Discussed:

Fleishman's in Trouble

Nancy Drew

Grapes of Wrath

Pillars of the Earth

A Fine Balance

Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook

Entreleadership

Business Boutique

Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion

The Happiness of Pursuit

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Email me at [email protected]

Online calendar of upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

Sometimes I just want to go back to my younger self and enjoy the carefree drama of being a preteen. Sometimes. Then I shake my head and remember that I can read the books I enjoyed and leave it at that. Who wants to go back to acne, braces, awkward encounters with boys and the questionable fashion choices...? In this episode of The Booktruck Chronicles, I am talking about some of the most memorable books I read in my younger Brandi years.

In The Business Bar, I am addressing a question that often surprises me about the cost of being at events and markets. Supporting Local businesses wherever you are is so important, and in a world of mega-companies, big box stores and anonymous online corporations it's more relevant than ever to vote with your dollars and support local small entrepreneurs.

Books discussed:

No Promises in The Wind

Flowers For Algernon

I Am David

Where the Red Fern Grows

Sweet Valley High

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Email me at [email protected]

Online calendar of upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.

Sitting down with one of your best girlfriends and hitting "Record" means anything can happen - and nothing could be more true about my time with Julie Parr. Julie is one of my dearest friends, and she is as full of wisdom and inspiration as she is likely to say something that will make me snort with laughter. Today's interview is exactly what I hoped for - challenging and entertaining. We have always had books in common and today we touch on the value of reading a book that pushes the line and opens our perspective on the world. How ready are YOU to read something challenging, step out of your comfort zone and dare to think differently about what you believe to be true? Books are a fabulous conduit for evolving as a Reader, and I am eager to hear YOUR thoughts on our conversation.

This was my first face to face interview, and I had the microphone setting flipped in the wrong direction (oops), so please forgive me for the imbalanced sound. I will endeavor to make the next in-person interview better, I promise!

Books we discussed:

The Family Nobody Wanted

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry

The Hiding Place

The Grapes of Wrath

Beartown

Us Against You

Britt-Marie Was Here

My Grandmother Sends Her Regards & Apologises

Pillars of the Earth

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

Becoming a Better Man

The Man They Wanted Me to Be: Toxic Masculinity and a Crisis of Our Own Making

Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Vol 1

Links:

Sleep in Heavenly Peace

Goodreads

Follow Daisy Chain Book Co. on all Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest & The Booktruck Chick BLOG!

Email me at [email protected]

Online calendar of upcoming booktruck events and an online database of all our books at Daisy Chain Book Co.