The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast

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After Stacy posted her discussion with Danny Adlerman about what the book production department of a publisher does (S2 E9), she wanted to dive a little deeper into what’s affecting us right now, in fall 2026, and why some books are just super hard to find. Some reporting from Publishers Lunch helped clarify how paper shortages caused by consolidation that we discussed with Danny are now being exacerbated by multiple market forces (caused by both political and economic winds shifting), and Stacy breaks that down here.

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If you love spooky season, The Curious Cat Bookshop was the place to be when horror author Ryan La Sala was be in the store for a live podcast recording. We talked about Ryan's journey to publication, why he evolved from writing whimsical romance and fantasy to horror, book banning, and his recommendations for what you should be reading when you're looking for spine-tingling horror (in addition to his books!).

Get signed copies while supplies last at https://curiouscatbookshop.com/search?q=ryan%20la%20sala

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Have you ever wondered who is in charge of making a book--like, the physical object? Danny Adlerman has helped to create at least 10,000 printed books over the course of his 40+-year career in book production, and he can tell you STORIES. In this episode, Stacy talks with Danny about the basics of book production: how the technology to make a book has changed in his career, how that affects the art of making a physical book, and how corporate retooling and consolidation, before we even start talking about tariffs and trade wars, have affected the cost of book paper and its availability to book publishers.

Danny knows ALL the deets. Come along with us to get smart about book production.

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We’ve gathered the whole staff to talk about the books we’re most looking forward to in October and beyond! What are you looking forward to? Have we missed anything?

Preorder our recommended titles (and more) here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/list/preorder-your-next-favorite-read

Interview with Sarah Beth Durst

Interview with Beth Revis

Interview with Courtney Maum

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Recently, Stacy talked with author Courtney Maum about her newest book, Alan Opts Out, a biting satire about suburban life and whether "making it" is really worth it. Can absurdity and satire heal our communities?

Signed copies are available from us while supplies last!

About the book:

“Reading this book reminded me how much fun a novel can be.” ―Caro Claire Burke, author of Yesteryear

In this timely and comedic take on ambition, consumerism, and the sticker price of privilege, an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home. Perfect for readers of Rufi Thorpe and Taffy Brodesser-Akner.

Alan Anderson is a powerful advertising executive who has built a successful life and thriving business by making people buy stuff they don’t actually need. He’s up for the biggest pitch of his career and the account everyone wants, US Dairy: cow’s milk sales are plummeting, and the C-Suite wants to see trendy oat milk kicked to the curb. But when an anarchist farmer tanks Alan’s presentation, Alan bombs the pitch but ends the day with an epiphany. No longer will he exploit the insecurities of others in the service of capitalism. Alan is opting out. 

This development is anathema to his wife, Vivian. She’s just a few positive affirmations, a swimming pool, and an exacting series of social tests away from finally becoming part of the elite women’s club, the Queen Annes, in their adopted town of Greenwich, Connecticut. As if contending with a daughter who wants to write plays (!) and another who has an unnatural empathy with animals isn’t enough to manage, she can only watch as Alan moves into their backyard playhouse to live off the land and―worse―spend time with the family. But instead of shocking the neighbors, Alan’s commitment to a less-is-more lifestyle seems to be catching on. Could everyone want what Alan’s not selling?

Funny, sexy, intelligent, and poignant, Alan Opts Out is the most ambitious novel to date by celebrated author Courtney Maum, acclaimed for her stories that tackle big, chewy subjects of our post-modern America with wit and heart.

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NOTE: This episode was originally published on YouTube on 1/26/26. I'm posting the second season all at once up to September 2026, as I've gotten behind on uploads. We'll be back to a semi-regular upload schedule after this.

Many of you know that I'm also a children's book editor, specifically of middle grade and young adult novels and graphic novels. Today, I wanted to share three books that I edited that I think speak to our current moment--even with two of them being historical fiction. 

Before we get to the book lists, a few links in case you want to take action but don't know where to go:

A vetted list of mutual aid for Minnesota: https://www.standwithminnesota.com

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (EJI Institute): https://legacysites.eji.org

Refusing to Forget, a project to remember the Matanza of 1915: https://refusingtoforget.org/historical-markers/matanza-of-1915/

If you'd like to read the books mentioned in this episode, you can find most of them on our website--see the lists below. I'm happy to have found out while editing that even the one I thought was out of print is still available, and I've added it to our "How did we get here?" list that's on our Nonfiction for the Hard Times book list.

Read the books that Stacy edited: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/books-edited-stacy-whitman

Nonfiction for the Hard Times book lists: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/nonfiction-hard-times
 
(My voice is still a bit rough, so this isn't technically yet the beginning of our second season of the podcast--I'm waiting to start that when my voice comes back, as I've been sick for a good month at this point.)

Support the show

More about The Curious Cat Bookshop

Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery

Keep track of our in-store and online events 

Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable

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• Bluesky
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And always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

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Come with Stacy on an existential rollercoaster! We discuss the latest progress on her transition to a new CRM, tough questions small business owners must be willing to ask themselves, our path to profitability, the results of our recent application for a small business loan, and more.

NOTE: Episode 5 of this season is a YouTube-only episode, as it's a visual demonstration of how to make a Blind Date with a Book. If that is of interest to you, check it out here: https://youtu.be/4iAyMf6omic

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More about The Curious Cat Bookshop

Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery

Keep track of our in-store and online events 

Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable

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• Bluesky
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And always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

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A quick "state of the store" discussion, in which Stacy dives into some of her decision-making process and talks about where she is with implementing systems like a new CRM to help manage the store's data, how work in the store gets done (or doesn't, depending on whether she's the only person available to do the work!), and her plan to apply for a business loan to ensure we have stable funding through lean times and can plan for profitability in the future. 

But before that, Stacy has a book to recommend and a book ban to discuss, so stick with us to talk about all the issues that might come up in the book world.

Check out Summer of the Mariposas here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781620140109

Fall of the Fireflies: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781643796994

Other Guadalupe García McCall books: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/search?type=author&q=McCall%2C%20Guadalupe%20Garc%C3%ADa

Our Odyssey reads list: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/list/did-you-just-watch-odyssey-read-these

Support the show

More about The Curious Cat Bookshop

Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery

Keep track of our in-store and online events 

Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable

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• Bluesky
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And always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

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We're back at last! A challenging summer has slowed us down in uploading this episode that was recorded in April. Thanks for your patience!

How did Gossip Girl help shape the culture we enjoy today? Stacy's conversation with author Lindsay Denninger digs into how music, pop culture, and teen lives were changed by Gossip Girl and the other TV shows that aired in the mid-aughts, as well as behind-the-scenes viewpoints on how the show handled diversity and inclusion issues--and more!

Buy the book here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9781493088096

About the Book

Growing up is hard to do, but the kids on Gossip Girl sure made it look easy-and sexy, to boot. Set in the always-alluring penthouses and exclusive clubs of New York City, Gossip Girl followed, as its intro said, the "scandalous lives of Manhattan's elite," through the eyes of an omniscient narrator that had her eyes, ears, and hands in everything. Gossip Girl was enticing in a "lifestyles of the rich and famous" sort of way, but when you added on the fact that these pretty people had pretty problems and someone watching their every move, it was almost too good to resist.

In You Know You Love Me, Lindsay Denninger gives an unprecedented inside look at how this icon of '00s pop culture captured the hearts, minds, and eyes of millions of viewers; influenced the worlds of fashion and media; and continues to reverberate in the culture today. Weaving together oral history interviews with all of the show's key personnel-performers, crew, writers, and showrunner Josh Safran-Denninger doesn't just reveal behind-the-scenes drama. She shows how Gossip Girl was an early harbinger of the cultural landscape to come, spanning from the very dawn of social media to the fractious internet of today, and from the autumn years of broadcast television (it aired on the CW) to the streaming era. Packed with juicy tidbits, unvarnished accounts, and unapologetic nostalgia, this is a thrilling behind-the-scenes look at the show that New York magazine, with a casual brio befitting its subject, dubbed "The Greatest Show of Our Time."

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More about The Curious Cat Bookshop

Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery

Keep track of our in-store and online events 

Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable

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• Bluesky
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• Threads

And always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!

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Grants can seem overwhelming for small businesses, especially if you’ve just started one and don’t know how to  In this episode of The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast, we talk with grant and (_) consultant Jennifer Gonzalez about grants for small business, particularly about how we approach our grant applications to frame our proposals in a way that makes us a partner with our grant funders: how can we deliver the projects that fulfill the funders’ goals and help our business at the same time? Find out Jen’s Three A’s of grants, how Jen helped The Curious Cat in our last two grant applications, and more. 


Need a book this week? We recommend Democracy Awakening by Heather Cox Richardson, which we're reading in May 2026 for our Democracy Reads Book Club: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/book/9780593652985

Support the show

More about The Curious Cat Bookshop

Shop online anytime for in-store pick-up or home delivery

Keep track of our in-store and online events 

Become a member of The Curious Cat Bookshop! We have a subscription box or you can just add a little bit to help us become more sustainable

Follow us elsewhere!

• Bluesky
• Instagram
• Facebook
• YouTube (live events stream here)
• Threads

And always, our events locally and online can be found on our website!