← Book Talk, etc.
Book Talk, etc.
Bookstore Browse: Inside the Life of a New York Bookseller with Phoebe Wright
01:17:14
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- [00:00]
A
Some days I just cannot talk.
- [00:02]
B
No, it is really difficult.
- [00:04]
A
Yeah, talking is hard. We say as we do this every
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C
single week, talking is hard. Welcome to Book Talk Etc, a podcast bound to grow your tbr. I'm Tina from TBR Etc.
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A
And I'm Hannah from Handpicked Books.
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C
This is a conversational podcast about book and more from two Midwest new readers who are easily distracted by new releases. And today we are bookstore browsing.
- [00:39]
A
If you enjoy listening, we'd love for you to follow us on Apple Podcasts or your favorite podcast app. And if you have a quick minute, please consider leaving us a review on Apple Podcasts or sharing us on social media. It truly helps us connect with other book lovers.
- [00:52]
C
If you love finding your next great read, you're in the right place to help our YouTube community grow. The best thing you can do is to like this video and subscribe to our channel if you haven't already and be to leave us a comment and let us know what your local independent bookstore is like. We're always looking for new stores to browse and we'd love to hear from you. We love reading your comments and it helps the algorithm push our content out to more people. You can also share this video with a fellow reader or anyone who would enjoy our conversation. Thank you so much for your help. Now let's get into the show. Hey, everyone. Today we are delighted to be joined by Phoebe, a bookseller at Alice Ever after in Buffalo, New York, and from Read and Write on Instagram. Phoebe, welcome to Book Talk. Etc.
- [01:37]
B
Hi. Thanks so much for having me.
- [01:40]
A
We were so excited to have you on, Phoebe. I believe we. We've been following each other for a long time on. On Bookstagram. Did you start. You started a long time ago too. Because, Tina, you've been on for like a decade, right? I've been on for a long time. Phoebe, I feel like you're right up there. You've been on for a long time.
- [02:00]
B
I. Yeah, I started in 2018 when I lived in New York City. I'm an actor by trade and I so pre pandemic there was between January to March is dubbed like audition season in New York City and in L. A, it's pilot season. And so it's a huge time to like, get a lot of jobs, especially for like summer stock when you're young. That's like a way to really build your resume, make connections. And that year I didn't book a single summer job. And I was devastated. I was only my second year out of school and I had Done summer stock all through college, and I was nannying at the time, and the family that I nannied for, the mom, who's still a wonderful friend of mine, she was a theater major in college. We went to the same school, which is how we got connected. And she worked at Estee Lauder, and she was like, well, you need to do something with all the books that you read. Like, I think that people would love to follow a girl following her dreams and, like, this is what she does while she's waiting in line for auditions and stuff like that. I was like, no, I'm afraid of the Internet. And then all of my friends left town, and I was just, like, hanging out with my two little buddies for New York City for the summer. And I was like, huh, Maybe, like. Like, books seem safe. I could talk about books. And here I am, Here we are eight years later.
- [03:28]
A
Yeah, that was such a fun backstory.
- [03:31]
C
I was just gonna say that I wish my backstory was as thoughtful. I more so finished my dissertation, and I was like, I just wrote this big old thing, and I don't want to be bored, literally, I swear to you. I graduated and defended my dissertation and started a new project, like, the next day. Hannah's not surprised by that at all. Heaven forbid a girl takes a break and enjoys oneself. But, yes, it's been a long time, so always happy to connect with other fellow bookstagrammers. You know, it's. Yeah, it's crazy. It's been so long.
- [04:02]
B
Yeah, I know. Look, I look back and I'm like, I was so bad at this in the beginning.
- [04:07]
C
Oh, dear.
- [04:08]
A
I mean, weren't we all? And we've like, Eva. And part of that, too, is just the changing of the actual channel, like, the actual platform changes and what's trending, what's working changes. We change as people as we get older. So, yeah.
- [04:24]
B
Yeah, for sure.
- [04:25]
C
And I discovered I like to yap and do video, which is not something I didn't know that I liked to do until I started the podcast. But also Instagram, like, originally, right? That was. Wasn't what it was at all.
- [04:38]
B
It was absolutely.
- [04:40]
C
Yeah, yeah.
- [04:41]
B
There's this meme that I saw once that said ever since I was a little girl, I just knew I wanted to talk all the time, and I shared it. And I was like, my elementary school teachers not being surprised that I. With what I'm doing with my life now, and my second grade teacher just was like, yeah, I knew. I knew you were destined for something like this.
- [05:01]
C
I love that.
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A
Love to Talk what can.
- [05:04]
C
I love to chat. I'm a yapper. Okay, so you gave us a little bit of a backstory. You know, how you got into talking books online. Tell us a little bit more about what you're up to now.
- [05:15]
B
So in 2020, my husband and I both worked in professional theater, and with the Broadway shutdown, our careers came to a grinding halt. And he held our health insurance, and so we stuck it out as long as we could. And then he ended up getting a job opportunity in his hometown of Buffalo, New York. I'm originally from Fairfield, Connecticut, and so we moved here, and it's been a massive change for. But I've come to really love the community. I still don't, like, love the weather, but summer is beautiful, so I'm like, this is my season, and it's really wonderful. But I'm a teacher now, and I do still act. Buffalo is, like, a really thriving theatrical community, and so I'm kind of doing a lot of, like, freelance stuff where I teach part time at a theater school. And I also go into some of the schools in the area that hire out their arts education. Like, a lot of the charter schools have STEM education that is their primary focus, and they hire out arts educators, which is really fun because I kind of get to bounce around and meet a bunch of different kids from all different backgrounds. Buffalo is a lot more diverse than where I grew up, so it's been really fun for me to get to know so many different kids from different cultures and the things that they share with me. And I'm also a freelance writer, and then I started working at the bookstore, so I kind of do a little bit of everything. And I always kind of wanted control over my schedule. And this while I, you know, have my, like, hand in a lot of different parts. I don't think that's a statement or a saying at all, but I just made that up.
- [07:06]
C
No, I think it makes sense.
- [07:09]
B
Yeah. Have a lot of different hats on. It never makes me bored, and I never get, like, burnt out by the things that I do, which is, I think, the key to a happy life.
- [07:21]
A
Yeah, I hear that's great.
- [07:24]
B
Kind of like how I got working at the bookstore was that I was doing my first show once theaters were allowed to reopen, and I got really close with the other women in the cast, and one of them had already been following me, but, like, didn't know how to bring it up. And I was like, oh, yeah, no, that is me. And she was like, well, we actually have a lot of Independent bookstores in the area. We should do like a bookstore crawl. And I was like, oh, that's awesome. I never would have thought there were tons of bookstores here. And we picked this like, most beautiful Sunday. We ended up going to like 8 out of the now there's 22 independent bookstores in the western New York area.
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A
Great.
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C
It is.
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B
It's really, really cool. That one thing that Buffalo, like, Buffalo Rides for Buffalo. Like, they are all about supporting local businesses. If, you know, if you are a football fan, you know, Bill's Mafia, like, I've been a Bills fan my entire life, but so there's so many different, like specialty bookstores. And so the bookstore where I work is called Alice Ever After Books, obviously. And it's primarily a children' children's bookstore. And we didn't know that before we went in. And we were like, oh, like, maybe this like isn't a store for us. And then the girl working behind the counter was like, we do have grown up books. I swear, like, we do have adult books. And they had only been open for like eight or nine months at the time. And I just remember seeing like all of these like diverse children's books. And I was like, oh, this is so cool. Like, not what I would have expected to see. And then the owner like DM'd me that night and was like, thank you so much for coming in. And we just like established a friendship very quickly. And there was one. Yeah, she's amazing. The owner, Meg Howe, I call her the pillar of the community because she is like the ultimate girls girl and like supporting other women owned businesses. But she. There was one Sunday in August of 2023 and everyone was away on vacation. And so she was like, would you ever want to work at the store? And she was like, we have this one Sunday. Literally everyone's gone. I don't want to close because it's a Saturday or Sunday in August. Would you want to do it and like do like a fun like, takeover day? And I was like, absolutely. That sounds like my dream come true. And we ended up doing like, I think it was almost like $3,000 worth of business that day because I had like posted on Instagram like being like, hey, I'm going to be here. And a bunch of people came in and I had a blast. And then Beasley,
- [10:14]
C
she's like, I need to chime in here.
- [10:16]
B
I don't even know if you can hear her. I don't know if you can hear her jingling, but we do hear her jingling.
- [10:20]
A
We do hear the jingle, jingle.
- [10:21]
C
So, listeners, if you hear a little jingle jangle, we've got a guest in the background. A little dog.
- [10:26]
B
Yes, that's my Australian shepherd.
- [10:28]
C
Yes. She.
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B
She can't read, but she loves to snuggle.
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C
So very. Every good reading.
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A
Reading adjacent, honestly.
- [10:37]
B
Yes.
- [10:37]
C
Yes.
- [10:40]
B
But. Yeah. So from there, I just started filling in, you know, every now and then, and it's just become a lot more consistent. Like, we had someone who went on maternity leave in December, and so I. I got the title bookstore babysitter for a little bit.
- [10:58]
A
Oh, I love that. That's cute.
- [11:00]
B
Yeah. Okay, take your toy and go away.
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A
Okay, that's enough.
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C
That's where we draw the line out of here.
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B
Not the squeaky toy. If I close the door, she'll just whine. So.
- [11:14]
C
Right.
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B
Like, learned that I have to.
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A
It's a. It's a balance.
- [11:18]
B
Yeah. She's my only child, so. Yes. And yeah. So Beasley's allowed to come to the store. It's dog friendly. It's pet friendly. We say that we do story time every Wednesday. And the rule is that kids can be as loud as they want. They can walk around, they can interrupt, but adults must hold their conversations. So it's a great rule.
- [11:45]
C
I mean, truly, I love it. My kids would be in there shouting. Like, they're just not even shouting, just loud talk. My. My baby, she's two. She's the loudest talker. Like, I was upstairs and I could hear her daddy.
- [11:56]
B
I don't know.
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C
I'm like, why are you such a loud talker? It's just like, who she is, man, I don't know. I can't imagine where she gets a trouble.
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A
Can't imagine. I wasn't going to say anything.
- [12:05]
B
I did meet a little girl came into the store last weekend, and her name is Simone. And she was just like. Some kids are really shy, so I'm always like, hi, how are you? Like, what are you looking for? Some of them are like, don't talk to me, lady. And then this little girl comes right up to the desk and she's like, my name's Simone. And her mom said, simone means to be heard.
- [12:29]
C
Oh, my God, what a perfect apropos name. Right?
- [12:33]
A
I love it. Her mom, like, just said that too, like, yeah.
- [12:36]
B
You know, such a good moment.
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C
She's had that introduction.
- [12:40]
B
Yeah.
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A
Wow. Yeah. Oh, that's cute.
- [12:43]
C
I loved hearing a little bit about the store, but let us kick off the show as we typically do with our loving. Lately, I think I will go for first, and then we'll have Phoebe go, and then we'll have Hannah go. That's all the same to everybody.
- [12:55]
A
Sounds great.
- [12:56]
C
Mine is a quickie. It is not book related. Although I will bring in a book to. To introduce it. Okay, so I believe it was Nora Ephron that said I feel bad about my neck. And what I'm bringing today is this little neck product. Okay? It's a neck cream, and I am 42. And I swear to you, once I hit 40, I was like, huh. I never looked at my neck once. And now all I can see sometimes is that it changes day by day. And I swear to you, I'm like, it's so fascinating. I am not ashamed of getting older. I'm very proud of getting older. Of course. Right? But I'm also like, huh. I do like skin care. So let's see what I can do about this. I saw this online and why I feel like this product is so great. It is a Korean brand. I can't read the back of it, which kind of is, like, great for skin care. It is called CKD Retino Collagen Gua Sha Neck Cream. What I love about it is the product itself, but also it comes with this little roller in it. Now, I don't know. I don't. I'm not worried about it being sanitary or not. I do wipe this down, but you literally just squeeze it. A little cream comes out and then.
- [14:04]
B
Oh, I love. It has an applicator.
- [14:06]
C
Yes, it's got an applicator. And it feels so good. I could just sit here and do this. And what I like is it's not just a gua Sha, where you're, like, rolling it. It's a skincare treatment and tool all in one. I love this also. It works. It tightens. It, like, makes it look less saggy. And I know you girls are, like, you know, maybe 10 years younger than me, so put it. Put this in the back of your mind for, you know, when it becomes relevant. But I just love this dang thing. I love a good skincare recommendation, and I really don't offer a lot. I feel like I have the things that I like. I don't try a lot of new things because I feel like I know what I like. And this has been a really, really great addition to the routine. So it is a neck cream slash Gua Sha tool all in one. It's called the Retino Collagen Gua Sha neck Cream. I got it on Amazon. It was like, I don't know not that expensive. And we'll link it in the show notes below.
- [14:59]
A
Where did you hear about this?
- [15:01]
C
Great question. There is this creator online that I honestly had to unfollow for a while because she's so cute and everything she shares I to purchase. So I literally muted her for a minute because I was like, I. I cannot continue to be tempted. But she got me with this one. I'm sure you've seen her online. Her name is Jen and she is with the sister studio IG and she has a. It's just 2 million followers on Instagram. And she just seems really lovely, but also she hears a ton of products and I'm like, fine, Jen, let me go ahead and get this one. And I'm like, dang it, you were right. This one is really, really good.
- [15:36]
A
Some people truly have a gift for product recommending.
- [15:38]
C
Oh, my gosh. I love it. I love people who have that gift. And again, follow. But follow at your own risk because you might get a lot of stuff.
- [15:46]
B
Yes, I can make it book related because the author, Susan Lee, shared on her sub stack all of her favorite Korean skincare products this past week. Oh.
- [15:56]
C
So I might have to log link that substack.
- [16:01]
B
Yeah, I mean, I love her books, but when I saw that, I was like, because I'm 32, so I'm like, I need to start making some changes or some additions.
- [16:10]
C
Some additions. Just a little bit of additions. Yes, absolutely. I love that. Okay, I found the. I found the article. I will not read it now. I'll save that for myself for later. But, Phoebe, what did you bring for us today?
- [16:23]
A
So.
- [16:24]
B
Well, I brought two because I felt like I had to bring a book. But I've been in a reality TV era, and I've never been in a reality TV era, and I've never been like a Bravo girl. But something about this summer house drama, really, I, like, needed to know. And I watched. My best friend is like, he knows everything about Bravo. Like, I think he knows more about Bravo than Andy Cohen. And he would just like, text me like, Real Housewives facts. And I'd like, respond like, I knew what he was talking about. And I was like, maybe I should like, this is important to you. Let me invest a little time. So we started watching the Real House. We started watching the Real Housewives of Rhode island together. And it's the most authentic reality show that I've seen in a long time because it's like, I think it's because it's the first season, but it's still like, A real group of friends. And there's no, like, you were talking about, poorly, about me on a podcast or something like that. Like, no outside influence comes in. All the drama is homegrown. And I'm obsessed with Alicia. Like, I love her with the crackers.
- [17:34]
C
I need a cracker.
- [17:35]
B
The crackers and the figs. She needs a fig Newton.
- [17:38]
C
Yes, a fig. She needs a fig Newton. A cookie. Oh, my God, yes.
- [17:41]
B
I love her so much. And then I have been working on a novel for quite some time, so I participate in it every year. But if there's any other aspiring writers out there. The author Jamie Attenberg hosts something called 1000 Words of Summer every year, and it kicks off May 30, and it runs for two weeks. And your goal is to just write 1000 words a day or dedicate an hour of your time to editing a project. Or if you write poetry and you get, like, little encouraging emails every day from Jamie or other authors that she's connected with. And there's, like, a slack community and people post about it on Blue sky, and it's just, like, a really fun creative reset. She does one in January and one in, like, May, June. And if you are a writer or an artist of any kind, I highly recommend it. Oh, cool.
- [18:37]
C
Both of these recommendations so much, of course, Summer House. Or. I'm sorry. Well, yeah, summer House, but also Real Housewives of Rhode Island.
- [18:44]
A
Are you watching that, Tina?
- [18:46]
C
Of course.
- [18:47]
A
Okay.
- [18:48]
C
Well, I was going to say genuinely, it's so good. And it's only, I want to say, episode six or seven for the entire series. It's brand new. If anybody out there is a Bachelor fan, you'll recognize one of the Housewives of Rhode Island. It's Ashley I. The crier. And so there's a little bit of a crossover there. At first I didn't want her on my screens, but now I like her because I feel like she's, like one of us. Like, watching these women just do the ins. Like, you know what I'm saying? Like, the deep deep. Like you said, they have these years long friendship there. I mean, they were friends in high school. These women are 50, you know, 40. 50. 50. Anyway, it is a great watch. If you've ever maybe wanted to dip your toe into the Real Housewives world and you haven't already. I highly co. Sign that. Also love Jamie Attenberg. So two great recommendations.
- [19:31]
A
Okay, so I have dipped my toes in reality tv, but I haven't in Real Housewives. And maybe I'll give. Maybe I'll Give this a go as my launch pad.
- [19:42]
C
Give it a whirl.
- [19:43]
A
I'm excited because I'm kind of over. I'm kind of over Mormon Wives right now.
- [19:47]
C
Yeah, yeah.
- [19:47]
A
I'm kind of all done with it. So maybe this will be like a segue for me. I need a segue. And speaking of segues, I'm also bringing a couple of shows, and these shows are totally different. And one of them, Phoebe, I'm not gonna lie, I'm kind of bringing. Because I'm hoping and I'm thinking you've watched it too. Everybody's talking about it right now, but it's off campus.
- [20:13]
B
Yes.
- [20:14]
A
Yes. I'm loving it. I was so hesitant because I feel like ever I finished the Summer I Turned Pretty last year, I literally thought I was like, I'm never gonna be the same again. I'm never gonna like a show as much as this. I'm never gonna like a romance, like, TV series as much as this. And then Off Campus Happened. And at first. Well, first of all, for those who don't know and who haven't watched it, it's a romance miniseries on Prime Video, and it is a hockey romance between a hockey player and a musical artist. Our heroine is a musical artist and writer, and our hero is a hockey player.
- [20:56]
B
So that's.
- [20:57]
A
That's all the synopsis you need, really. But yeah, at first when I started watching it, I was like, I don't know. I'm not gonna feel I compare everything to the summer I turned pretty. I need to stop.
- [21:08]
B
Because the Summer I Turned Pretty is a perfect piece of media.
- [21:11]
A
It's a perfect piece of media, right? And I was like, I'm not going to like this as much. I'm not going to like it as much. And even when I got to the end of, I watched all eight episodes in, like, 24 hours. And even when I got to the end of Off Campus, I was like, I didn't like it as much, but I still really liked it. And then, of course, it started, like, dominating my feed on Instagram and TikTok. And I was like, okay, maybe I. Maybe I do really like it. And then I went and started watching it through again, and I was like, okay, I really, really liked this. And I'm really enjoying hearing everybody's think pieces about it. And I love, love, love how much romance readers and viewers can really dig into the depths of what these stories are really about. And obviously, it's enough for it to just be a love story, but it is more than that.
- [22:02]
B
Too.
- [22:02]
A
And I really appreciated that. So loving that show. I won't. I won't say more because I know you're probably, for those of us in, like, the romance sphere, we've heard so much about it already. My second show that I have been loving is completely different. It's on hbo. Max and I have been dipping my toes into the Pit, and this is a medical drama. Do you watch the Pit too, Phoebe?
- [22:27]
B
Yes.
- [22:28]
A
Okay. I'm only like four or five episodes in of season one of season one. I haven't even gotten to season two.
- [22:34]
B
I know.
- [22:35]
A
Give me a minute.
- [22:37]
B
Give me a sec.
- [22:37]
C
Are you excited or are you worried for Hannah? What is this face?
- [22:41]
B
No, I think it's incredible. Like, I. So the reason why I loved the Pit is because it released one episode at a time when it first came out. And my husband's not a reader. Well, he's. My husband's an architect, so he will read books about that stuff and he reads, like, the occasional murder mystery. But something that we love to do together is watch tv. And it became such a treat having shows that released one week at a time because we, like, planned our week around it and it became like an at home, like, special. Like we would, you know, pick a different, like, takeout to get or something like that. And I do think the Pit, I love a medical drama, and I feel like we haven't had a good medical drama that didn't feel super. Like it is a procedural, but, like, it has the humanity that, like, early Gray's Anatomy has.
- [23:38]
A
I agree.
- [23:38]
B
Without the soapiness.
- [23:40]
A
Not a soap. It's not a soapy. Yes, right.
- [23:43]
B
But you still come to care about the characters. And it's not just about, like, what medical mystery comes into the er.
- [23:52]
A
And it's also not as romance heavy too, which, you know, Grey's Anatomy was. And again, I love. I love romance so much, but I do love how this medical drama has been able to make you care about the characters and the relationships, even outside of any, like, sexual tension or romance that might be developing. And what's really unique about the picture Pit 2 is that the entire season, and I don't know about season two if it follows the same format, but with season one, every episode is one hour that's in the emergency room. So it follows a, like a 12, 15 hour shift. And each episode.
- [24:30]
B
15 hours? Yeah.
- [24:31]
A
Yeah. Okay, so 15 hours. So each episode is the hour after the episode that you just watched. So the entire season is in. It takes place in one day. And I also will say So I work in healthcare system. I'm not clinical, so I work in corporate now. But before that I actually worked in an emergency room for a couple of years and I was just registration at the front desk. But we see everything that comes in and we see how busy it gets and we obviously are colleagues with a lot of nurses and ER physicians and things like that. So I will say it definitely is reminiscent of that. And while I obviously can't speak to the clinical and medical realism of it all, it definitely feels realistic to how an emergency room operates. And you've got these executive people that are coming in being like, we're worried about press Ganey scores when you have these ER physicians that are like, well, we're worried about keeping, keeping people alive. So you know, it just. That's very real politics. And so that has definitely been kind of fun to get a fictional version of two parts of a healthcare system that I have worked in and have seen on a non clinical level. But still. So yeah, I have been really enjoying that show. It is gory, like gorier than Grey's Anatomy, I would say. Oh, absolutely. If you struggle. It's on hbo.
- [26:02]
B
It's on.
- [26:02]
A
It's hbo.
- [26:03]
B
They can show a lot.
- [26:05]
A
Yes. And they do. Oh, another fun tie in. Of the fact that I'm watching or of the fact that I'm bringing Off Campus and the Pit. So I actually started watching Off Campus after I started watching the Pit. So I watched this episode of the Pit and then I was like, you know what, I think I need a little bit of a break. I'm going to start off campus. I start Off Campus and I was like, wait, I know this character. And then another character pops in and I was like, wait a second, I know this character too. There are two actors that are not in. Well, one of them is in the Pit long term, but one of them is only in like a couple episodes of the Pit. But she's a main character in Off Campus. And then one of the nurses in the Pit is one of the main side characters in Off Campus. So that was just kind of a funny, really random tie in especially cause season one of the Pit that didn't air this year and Off Campus did. And they're also totally different genres. So it was kind of random and serendipitous. But that was just a really fun tie in that there were two actors from one show into my other show. But anyway, I will stop talking about that now. My two loving latelys are the Pit on hbo Max and Off Campus, which is on prime video.
- [27:22]
C
I love it. I've seen people talking about off campus all over the place. It's very steamy. Is that what I'm gathering? It's very open.
- [27:30]
A
Yeah. It's spicier than especially again, if we're comparing it to like the Summer I Turned Pretty as an example.
- [27:35]
B
It.
- [27:35]
A
It's a little bit. It's a little bit more heavy on that spicier.
- [27:39]
C
Okay.
- [27:41]
B
There are some body parts that you
- [27:42]
C
see, so you see some bodies. Okay, well, I don't hate that. Okay, so I will hop into my lead. Yes, sorry. I will hop into my latest read and I'm delighted to be bringing a five star read to the show today. I'm reading, or I finished, rather, the Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey. And this is science fiction, I would call it, but I'd call it kind of psychological science fiction. And. Okay, I've never read Sarah Gailey. No, I read one book by them before. This is my second. And it is about Martine. Martine is a genetically cloned replica made from Evelyn Caldwell. Evelyn Caldwell is a scientist and created the research that allowed for human cloning. Martine is patient and gentle and obedient. She's everything Evelyn swore she would never be. And Martine the clone is having an affair with Evelyn's husband. This is not a spoiler. It's on the back of the book. And then something happens. I actually would encourage you to not read it. It's really funny. But I would say something happens and it forces the two to work together to try and fix things.
- [28:49]
A
Wow.
- [28:49]
C
This book, okay, I put on. I started it on audio and you dive right in. The very first scene is so. It's amazing because you're watching the scientists get this award for breakthrough in research and cloning and you come to find out her husband's not there. Why is the husband not there? And then you come to find out why he's no longer with her. You dive right in. You really do. There was a lot of surprises with this one. I personally, I personally loved the writing. I thought the writing was really solid. And it was one of those things where I'm like just kicking my feet and giggling because I'm enjoying the reading experience so much. This was perfectly in my wheelhouse. This was perfectly in my wheelhouse. It is very much. It sounds like it. Let's see. It has a good amount of science in it. I do like my books with a little bit of science in it. If it's science fiction, but it's not heavy. But I also appreciated that the author made an attempt at giving you some of the how of making clones. Right. For me, that was really fun to be brought into the lab. If I were to comp this book, I'm going to comp it to One Yellow Eye by Lee Radford, a book that I read last year, loved am an evangelist about. So I think they're similar. I think they would be in conversation with each other. This one is a little bit more of a psychological, almost a thriller. Like, I thought this was such a page turner and I cannot say enough good things about it. I really don't have any critiques. I enjoyed the ending. I enjoyed the blurb. I will say in this case, the synopsis sounded so good that I was like a little hesitant to pick it up because I'm like, oh, man, am I going to be let down. But it's one of those cases where this, what happens in the book is even better than what's on the back. Love this book so much. Highly recommend it. I almost want to read it again already. This book is the Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey.
- [30:37]
A
Oh, my gosh. I'm glad that you loved that so much.
- [30:40]
B
That's the most exciting feeling.
- [30:42]
C
It is. It is. When you're like reading it, you're like, I think this is a five star feeling. And then you're right.
- [30:48]
A
Yes. Especially when you get to the very, very end, you're like, man, it lived up to the hype all the way through. Did you read Just Like Home?
- [30:55]
C
No, the other one was the really insane. Oh, my gosh. What book was it? Did you like? What made you ask about Just Like Home? Did you like that?
- [31:06]
A
I really enjoy Just Like Home. It's a little bit of a polarizing horror book by Sarah Gailey, but I really enjoyed it. It has a. Has a serial killer element.
- [31:16]
C
Oh.
- [31:17]
A
Following the dark of a serial killer. So I think that you should potentially pick that one up.
- [31:21]
C
Try that one. I know, I know, right? The one I read is called Spread Me and it was some of the wildest work I've read. I read that. Yeah. Last summer was when I read Spread Me when it came out. That one's very polarizing. It only has a 3.37 average rating, but I gave it 4 stars. I thought it was so fun. But this one's the title longer. It's a double entendre. Yes. I remember we talked about double entendre titles on our. On our show.
- [31:44]
B
Is this a good time to say that I'm a scaredy Cat.
- [31:48]
C
You should have seen Phoebe's face when it's got a serial killer element. I'm like, great. Fantastic. She's like, what? That's a new.
- [31:56]
B
I always tell them, like, I don't need to read scary books because the world is scary enough.
- [32:01]
C
Totally.
- [32:01]
A
There you go.
- [32:02]
C
Yeah, I would probably not recommend this to you. Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and. No, this is really. The fact that I hesitated. This is really kind of macabre, guys.
- [32:12]
B
I'll DM you at 3 in the morning being like, I'm never gonna sleep again.
- [32:16]
C
Fantastic. Yes, exactly. All right, so what do you have for us then? Is it a little bit of a lighter one than this?
- [32:24]
B
Yes. I read Trope Sick by Lauren Okey and. And I kind of feel like this might be like a big, like, summer. Like, I don't want to say it's gonna be like the summer romance of summer, but, like, there isn't a new Emily Henry out this year. So I'm kind of curious to see what dominates the romance genre. It's not out until June 16, which is right around the corner. Honestly, I feel like this year has been flying by, but it's a second chance romance that is set between New York City and the Hamptons. Speaking of Summer House, and it is about two writers. And I do kind of feel like readers are getting a little sick of books about writers because it feels a little too self insert. But the pacing of this book just, like, scratched part of my brain that I like. It gave me, like, can't put down unputdownable feeling that I feel like I crave so much, especially with, like, having a really busy schedule. It's about two writers who are set to work together and ghost write a new novel for a really prominent romance author. Like the James Patterson of romance authors, where, you know, it's Jane Patterson's name but, like, not necessarily his words all of the time. And they knew each other when they were young and they're navigating this, like, shared grief because the main, the fmc, her brother passed away when they were teenagers and that was the MMC's best friend. There's sort of like a potential romance from their past that they're trying to figure out how to work together. And it just, like I said, it scratched part of my brain that, like, needed to be scratched. And I loved it. Had that, like, lovely, like, short chapter thing where you're like, what's. Like, what's. Nothing was explained too much. Like, it was really just the feelings of These characters come through the page, and I really loved it.
- [34:42]
A
Oh, I'm so excited that you brought that because I put that on my Summer Bonanza list last week and I wasn't sure because I'd never heard of this author before. I. But I love me either.
- [34:53]
B
And it wasn't. It's not her debut.
- [34:56]
A
Okay. I didn't know it wasn't her debut. I. And like you said, it is going to be interesting to see what takes off this summer in the romance space. Sorry, I keep scratching my nose because my nose is very itchy.
- [35:07]
B
I don't know why.
- [35:08]
A
I'm like, I'm gonna keep awkwardly. I'm gonna keep awkwardly scratching my nose, but I am. I'm looking forward to seeing, you know, what. What takes off this summer. I'm glad to know that you liked this one. I love Second Chance and I love Childhood Best Friends to Lovers. It's my favorite. I mean, if anyone puts on the back of a book Childhood Best Friends to Lovers, I'm like, sign me up. I'm gonna try it. So it's exciting. This one kind of sounds like. And then I'll bring my book. But this one kind of sounds like. And I'm curious if you've read either of these books, but kind of a mix between the Roughest Draft by Emily Wibberley and Austin Sigmund Broca and Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry. It just seems kind of like a blend between those two books a little bit.
- [35:55]
B
Yes. I liked it better than both of those.
- [35:59]
A
Okay. I didn't really love Great Big Beautiful Life either, so I'm glad to know you liked it better.
- [36:04]
B
I wish they'd be two separate books. That's my hot take, is that I wish they'd been two separate books and then I would probably would have loved them equally.
- [36:10]
A
Yeah, I hear you there. Well, I'm excited to see what Emily Henry comes up with next whenever she decides to release a new book. But I am going to talk about a totally separate genre than either of the books that you brought. So we're going to be a full, well rounded house.
- [36:30]
B
Today.
- [36:31]
A
I am bringing Nesting by Roisin o'. Donnell. And this was long listed for the Women's Prize in 2025. It's a debut novel and it absolutely blew my mind. We're following Kira, who's in an abusive marriage. And at the start of the novel, she makes a leave her marriage because her husband is very psychologically and emotionally abusive. It is hard for her to pinpoint exactly why her husband Terrifies her so much and it's also hard for her to navigate that externally and talk about it with other people and get the support that she needs. And she has two very young girls and she's pregnant. All of this impacting the challenges that she faces in making this decision and ultimately following through with it. It she does all of this in modern day Dublin while navigating a very broken housing system as well. And her husband is at her heels the entire time in this relentless attempt to bring her and the girls back home. This book was an absolute emotional roller coaster. The the story is intense. Obviously you can tell based on the synopsis and in its most intense moments and scenes in the story, I could actually feel Kira's emotions in my body while I was reading. This was one of the most tense what is going to happen books that I have read. That is not a thriller or suspense novel. What makes this book want this book makes you want to shake its characters, but it also provides such immense compassion and understanding to others, specifically women in these situations and how impossible it can feel to leave and what immense bravery our character Kira had throughout the entire story. You're really seeing her become throughout the entire book. And yes, this is a story that has very engaging and page turning plot, it absolutely does. But ultimately it is a character driven story with really just huge growth that we see in Chiara from page one to the end. There is also really particular symbolism of flight and the bird on the COVID becomes very clear in its meaning as you close that last page in the book. I love that the author really takes you to that very last page to show you the true beauty of this symbolism that ultimately she wove throughout the entire story. But you don't understand why and exactly how she does it until the very end, which is so satisfying as a reader. And I can't say any more than that because I don't want to spoil you for anything, but just know that this one is so worth making it to the very end. It's very satisfying and I understand why the judges selected this for the women's prize and the only thing I think that they got wrong about it is that it didn't make the shortlist. I think that it's a real shame because it means less people are going to reach for it because oftentimes when people are going through prize lists or making their way through a certain, you know, a list or nominations, it's really only the shortlist that they read from. So I'm sad that more people won't probably Ultimately read this one, so I want to be an advocate for it. This was a six star read for me. And that is Nesting by Roisin o'. Donnell.
- [40:04]
C
Six star. Wow.
- [40:05]
A
Oh, man, it was so good.
- [40:07]
B
It.
- [40:07]
A
It's the best book that I've read so far this year.
- [40:12]
C
I was not expecting you to say that. I don't know what, I don't know what book I thought was your favorite for the year so far, but I love to hear that.
- [40:19]
A
Wow.
- [40:19]
C
We have some. Some highly recommended.
- [40:21]
A
Some bangers.
- [40:22]
C
Some bangers today.
- [40:23]
A
Yes.
- [40:24]
C
All right, well, now is the time. Let's get into this bookstore. Browse. Folks, I'm so curious. I want to know all about Alice comma Ever after books. Right? Do I have the punctuation correct? But before we dive into that, tell us a little bit more. It sounds like you are primarily a romance reader. Reader, but what does your reading life look like?
- [40:43]
B
I. Yes, I am primarily a romance reader. When I look back at the books that I read as a kid, I read probably like I read everything. But my favorite parts of the books were always the love stories. And I think part of that is from like my acting training. It's just the most like vulnerable place that people can be in. And I just find that. I find human connection fascinating. And I definitely have been stepping outside of the like, typical, like trope heavy romances in the last couple years. And I crave things like that are a little bit more. I mean, I love like a good classic like rom com Romp, but books that are about people maintaining a relationship or finding a relationship while they're struggling with. With other aspects of their life I find completely fascinating. I do love a good craft book. Like I love writing craft books as well and genre mashing things. Like, I've been reading a lot of romantic suspense actually, and that's about as scary as I'll get for now. Just because a friend of mine and was like, I didn't realize that books like this. She just got back into reading this year and she, she's. She's also a teacher and she was like, I don't want to be on my phone at night. I got a Kindle for Christmas and started finding all these like romantic suspense titles. And she was like, I didn't know that this like, existed and this is like what interests me. And I was like, there's literally anything that you can find, anything, I think within the romance genre that will capture your attention. And yeah, that's kind of a little bit, a little about my reading taste.
- [42:39]
A
Yeah. I'm curious because we recently did an episode, actually, about romantic suspense. What are some romantic suspense books that you have been loving? That you've been loving lately? Do you have any that you've. That you want to share?
- [42:54]
B
I. Deveney Perry, who's primarily, like, an indie romance author, she does romantic suspense. Ends very well. I can't remember what the series is called. Darn it. And then I just read this story, might save your life, which is kind of like romantic suspense in there, and that's kind of been everywhere. And I highly recommend that one. It's actually one that I'm going to recommend in the bonus episode because it has, like, mixed media in it, which I think also working at the bookstore and recommending books to children has given me a new perspective on what will capture someone's attention who is not a, like, seasoned reader or someone who has, like, kind of. I feel like reading is like a muscle. Like, if you get out of the habit of doing it, it's kind of hard to, like. Like, when did I find the time to do this? Like. Like, because we fill that time with something else. And mixed media, I feel like, is something that really helps people start to hone that muscle and strengthen that muscle.
- [44:05]
A
Oh, that's really interesting insight. I never thought about mixed media in particular being good for that, but I could absolutely see it because it breaks up that reading flow. It kind of gives you, like, that dopamine tickle a little bit, like, as you're reading. So dopamine tickle.
- [44:22]
C
I don't know
- [44:24]
B
if it's like an interview or a letter. Sometimes you flip the pages a little bit faster so, like, you get the momentum. Yeah. And then, like, if you know that, like, every other chapter is like, oh, I'm gonna get that, like, newspaper article or Instagram caption or something. Like, I just think it's. It helps you. Like, you. It's almost like there's a system to the book beyond just chapter after chapter, and it allows you to want to keep going through the longer prose moments.
- [45:00]
A
Yeah, no, that makes complete sense. So you also have a podcast that you do, or is that current? Or can you tell us a little bit more about your podcast experience and just. Just that, you know, part of your life, your bookstagram and. And the bookstore and kind of how all of those tie together or. Or do they. Are they all kind of more of a separate thing?
- [45:26]
B
I honestly feel like Read and Write has become more myself than myself, and it's not something I ever would have anticipated because though I like to talk. I was an incredibly shy child, and that was like one of like, my mom's a ballerina. So I. That's how I was introduced to the stage. Like, she was the artistic director at a ballet school. And you know, what do you do with your daughter? You put her in ballet to see, like. But I did everything, you know, I played, I did ballet, I played soccer, I played tennis. Like, my parents gave me a wonderful childhood. And. And when I realized that I really liked being on stage, like, I didn't like class, I enjoyed the performance aspects of the year and got more involved in theater when I was in high school. And that part of the reason, like, why I was nervous about like starting to share something on the Internet is because, like, opening up yourself to criticism from the outside world is really hard. And like I said was like, I get enough criticism from, like getting rejected from auditions from, you know, if a director doesn't like something that I'm doing. But maybe that just made me more willing to accept or not or realize that, you know, criticism is criticism and depending, it doesn't matter. You have to be discerning in who you receive criticism from. So I like started read and write and then someone DM'd me and said I would just do like talking stories. And someone was like, I love the sound of your voice. Like, I feel like you would be a great podcast host. And I was like, oh, ha ha ha. Like, how funny. Like, I'm a voice actor. Like, that's some of, one of like one of the things that I do. And they just kind of kept like harping me on it. And then the. I was like, you know what? I was like in the shower one night and I like heard us talking about books in my head. And I was like, okay, let's do it. And we actually started it in 2020. And it kind of was the perfect timing because with the pandemic, all of these authors suddenly needed to do virtual book tours. And someone who worked for Penguin Random Houses media department followed me from their personal account. And when I shared that we started this podcast, she was like, oh, like, would you ever do author interviews? Like, we can put you, like, I can put you on our mass mailing list. And I was like, okay. We didn't really think about it, but why not? And then we got to interview Emily Henry, Riley Sager, Jasmine Guillory, like all of these like, like top best selling authors. And I was like, they're going to talk to me in my, like, at the time, in my 400 square foot studio apartment and it was probably like the most fulfilling thing that I've ever done in my life. I loved it so much. Unfortunately, my co host is a. She's a lawyer and she started working at a firm and if you know anything about the business of law, the, the way it worked, it's quite an antiquated system, like the billable hour situation, if you know anything about that. And I went through some pretty serious health things in 2024 and 2025, so we ended up taking a pause on the show. But it is coming back. I get DMS all the time about is, things are. Things are on the upswing for both of us. So it will be returning before the end of the year.
- [49:18]
A
Yes. And I don't think we mentioned it, but the. The podcast is called Read it or List it. And yeah, I, I remember randomly. Didn't you interview BK Borison? Yes, at one point. I don't know why I randomly remember that. That episode, but that was so fun. And I love that you were able to interview some really buzzy authors. That's just such a, a cool thing to put on your bingo card, if you will.
- [49:45]
B
I guess Hazelwood, like remembered me. She was like, you interviewed me? I was like, yes, I did.
- [49:51]
C
You remember me? You remember. Thanks. I love it.
- [49:55]
A
That's so fun.
- [49:56]
B
Yeah.
- [49:57]
C
So for book selling, you know, you've been there for how long?
- [50:03]
B
Two going on three years.
- [50:05]
C
Okay. Okay. So quite a bit of time. What is your favorite part of being a bookseller?
- [50:11]
B
I. It honestly doesn't feel like work and like anytime like a shift comes up and you know, like over the school break in February, we were supposed to go away. Then something came up, so I ended up not taking my vacation and I just, you know, texted our owner and was like, hey, like I'm home all week. If something comes up, just let me know. And one of our other booksellers unfortunately ended up getting the flu. So she was like, like, this is actually strange timing, but we do need someone. It truly doesn't feel like work to me because people come in and they're so excited to find a book. And like I was saying earlier, it's truly a place for children and there are not many third spaces that are kid friendly these days. And we do a look at an independent bookstore day passport throughout the month of April. And a lot. That's how we get like a lot of new customers because there are still. We've been there for six years. Or this, this July will be six years. It's our UN birthday party. We do it every year.
- [51:21]
A
Cute.
- [51:22]
B
And people are like, oh, like, I don't have children, so I wouldn't normally come in here. But they came to get their passport stamp and they just discovered that, like, we offer so many more. Like, it is primarily a children's bookstore, but we have book clubs for all ages. We offer silent reading nights once a. We do community outreach programs. Like, we released a summer reading guide this week, and a sixth grade class from a local school, they created it with us. So, like, each of the booksellers.
- [51:55]
A
Oh, that's so cool.
- [51:56]
C
Yeah.
- [51:57]
B
And, like, we get, like, another middle school class created bookmarks in their art class. And then we offered them like it was a free thing with purchase. And we have one of those in crd, the print vending machines. I don't know if you've heard of these or seen them, like, all over TikTok, but ours are. It's Richard scary themed. I can include a photo, like, a video in it for the video. But they're like, the hottest thing right now. Like, there's like, Facebook trading groups for them. They're all. It's like a mystery. Like, you know, like the little blind box things that are so popular right now. It's that, but with, like, a little piece of art. And especially in, like, the age of, like, AI and all of that, it's a real piece of art that, like, you get to own and it costs four quarters and you don't know which one you're gonna get.
- [52:49]
C
Oh, yeah, my kids would love that.
- [52:51]
A
Yeah.
- [52:51]
B
Yeah. We get people who, like, I traveled, like, the closest one to us is in Syracuse at Syracuse University's art museum. And then the next closest in New York State is at. I think the Brooklyn Museum has one. I don't think the Met has one, but there's another museum in New York that has one, and you have to apply to get it. But people come in all the time and they're like, oh, I came just for this. But, like, I didn't know you were here. I'm so glad now I know that you're here. And we do something called, like, Story Lounge Buffalo, where we partner with another bookstore in town called Fitz Waffles and Books that sells books and waffles and what a fun.
- [53:32]
C
Why not?
- [53:32]
B
It's different. They're delicious. If you ever go, you have to get the chocolate one. It's so good. And it's kind of like a spoken word open mic night where you can workshop writing and speak about it in front of other people. And we partner. There's something in Buffalo called just Buffalo lit and it's. They bring in authors. And, like, we had, like, Colson Whitehead came and Tara Westover was just here and we partner with them to sell the books. We partner with Shays Theater, which is our, like, national touring house. Because this season, like, the Outsiders musical came. Water for Elephants Suffs is coming. There's a lot of, like, book two stage adaptations and like, Wicked came through. So we. They partnered with us where, you know, if you wanted to buy the book, you could get it through us. So kind of of, you know, supporting each other in that way. So it's just like a community place. Like, a bunch of my students will always come in when I'm working because they're in, like, the teen book club and love getting, like. They keep me up to date on what is popular for them and what they're enjoying reading. And then, like, the Magic Treehouse books are still so popular.
- [55:01]
A
My daughter.
- [55:01]
B
So they're still.
- [55:03]
A
Yeah.
- [55:03]
B
And they're making them into graphic novels now, which is really exciting. So I'm just really passionate about it. I love it. It is truly a place that has given me, like, a third space home. And it's given me, like, a lot of friends. And it's like, it's the happiest place on earth. And we sell the popsicles.
- [55:26]
C
I mean, what's not to like? Truly.
- [55:28]
A
And we sell popsicles.
- [55:28]
C
And we sell popsicles. The only thing I remember, I was in Buffalo. Was it last year or the year before? I. I think it was last year. I was freaking in Buffalo over the summer and I did not go to any independent bookstores because I was there for a bachelor could have gotten a
- [55:42]
A
waffle and a pop star.
- [55:44]
B
There's a bachelorette in Buffalo.
- [55:46]
C
Trust me, Phoebe, I know. It wasn't my top choice. It was. Yeah. We had a great time, though. We went to Niagara Falls. We had a good time, but it was. Yeah.
- [55:54]
B
I mean, you got to see it once in your life, I suppose.
- [55:56]
C
Yeah, exactly. Exactly. We did. And we had a good time, but.
- [55:59]
A
Oh, that's so funny. I think that you made up a great point about it being like, this third. This third place. And I think again, in this age of big tech and AI and like, these concerns that people are having about community and humanity and art and, like, all of these things, I think that these third places are going to be what, like, sustains us, truly, like, moving forward in kind of this age of technology that we're in. And so it's amazing to hear that you have a community that's already doing such a great job at building that really robust third place community space for everyone spaces. It sounds like there's quite a few of collaborative things that are happening with other small businesses in the area. And I love that you mentioned kind of some of the books that your patrons and the kids really enjoy at the store. What are some of your top selling books in general? I love this question because every independent bookstore has different answers and I, I just love to hear what's flying off the shelves at each individual space.
- [57:12]
B
Yeah, I actually stopped into the store yesterday because I had to pick up my pre order of Stephen Rowley's the Gunkle was just released as like a children's book. And yeah, it's. Oh, it's delightful. So it's like told from like Grant and Maisie's perspective about like, like how to heal from loss. And so it has like the illustrate. It's so beautiful. And that's one of my, the Gunkle is one of my all time like summer reading recommendations. I love that book so much. But I went in because I was just like, I don't know, like, I know what I think, what I sell a lot of. But I was curious if the other booksellers agreed with me. A huge one for like, like early readers is Dory Phantasmagori by Abby Hamlin. That is a super popular series. It's probably great for like second through fourth graders, depending on your reading skill level in terms of, and in that same age range. The Dogman books by Dave Pilkey fly off the shelves. He also wrote the Captain Underpants books if you're from our era of reading. And we actually got to do an event where Dogman came to one of the schools and the kids freaked out. It was incredible. The Dragon Masters series by Tracy West. It's one of the only series that we stock like all. There's like 23, 24 books in the series and we stock all of them. Those do really well. And then the Princess in Black series is also a favorite for like board books and like children's books. Mail Duck by Erica Sirotich is one of our bestsellers. She's also local. She's a local children's author and illustrator. And that's like a flat book. And so many people come in asking for like an interactive style book like that either like a seek and find for children or flap books. And it's, there's two books in that Series. There's Mail Duck and then Mail Duck helps a friend. And then the Buffalo Fluffalo book by Bess Kalb for picture books. We got to an event where Bess came and our bookstore is located right across from the Buffalo Zoo. So she read the book with the bison.
- [59:49]
C
I love this so much.
- [59:51]
A
So cute.
- [59:52]
B
Yes. I gave it to my nephew and whenever he gets mad, he goes, I've had enoughalo. Oh my gosh. And they. She just wrote a second one, not just, it came out last summer, called Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo, where the Buffalo Fluffalo gets a little sister. And I gave that to my nephew for Christmas because he had a little sister in April. So it was very exciting for him. That is so cute in terms of adult books. And this was like, what I went into. Ask the other ones. Because when we sell adult books, it's a lot of like, hand selling, like, because they're more expensive to keep. Like, we don't always stock like new releases. We offer pre orders. Like we've got pre orders up for like the new Acotar book that's coming out and the, like, Abby Jimenez's Christmas novella that's coming out. So those are available on our website. But it's kind of fun for adult books because we get to stock what we like and what we think will be appealing to our adult readers. And this year, the big ones were Sandwich and Rec by Kathryn Newman. Those went so fast. Nobody tells you this But Me by Bess Kalb is one that we hand sell a lot, especially because she came and did an event with us and is a huge supporter of the store. And then the Correspondent by Virginia Evans, like, that is one that people are like coming in and like, if we didn't have it in stock, like, they're like, oh, yeah, I'll special order it. We have the best adult customers. Like, there's this one woman who every December she places a. She like, like an $800 order for all of the books that her husband is going to read throughout the year. And that's his Christmas present. And he just like keeps like a handwritten list throughout the year of like, what's popular. And then she, she orders them through us and it's really special. And then most recently, yesteryear has been a big, big seller.
- [62:13]
C
I can see that.
- [62:14]
B
And so I would say when it comes to adult books, we call them grown up books. In the store of the grown up books, it is a lot of like the, the book club books. The, the ones that we know are going to move. And we also have an adult book club, so we have like our monthly choices available as well.
- [62:41]
A
Well, gosh, I was so invested in hearing you talk about all of that that I, I lost track of our rest of our questions here.
- [62:49]
C
Oh no, we're good. I was just, yeah, I was sitting here enjoying it, regretting that I did not visit when I was there. So, so recently I suppose we should sort of get toward maybe some of the books that you like to recommend. Are there any favorites that you're like, okay, these are my go to recs.
- [63:07]
B
So right now, Project Hail Mary has been a big one that we're recommending. It's also one that people have been coming in and asking for. Like a grandpa came in and was like, I want to get it for my grandson. And I was like, I literally just sold the last copy that we had, but I can get another one for you. And luckily like the perils of an independent bookstore is like, I feel like a lot of times people come in and if you don't have what they want, they're like, well, I can just go to Barnes and Noble or I can order it on Amazon. We have really patient customers who oftentimes are like, oh yeah, I would love for you to special order that for me. So. And maybe it's because from like the Bookstagram book talk world, like where there's a lot of like instant gratification when it comes to reading and how we consume books and how we purchase books. Books or at least like that is portrayed online. I'm always surprised that they're like, oh yeah, I can wait a week. And I just feel like that's so rare these days.
- [64:02]
C
And it's so funny too because Lord knows we're not going to read it right away. Like that's you know what I'm saying? Like we're probably not going to read it immediately, but I am glad that they are patient with you because I could totally see. And we've talked to other booksellers that are like, yeah, and people will say, you know, why don't you have it? It's cheaper on Amazon. And of course you can go down a whole, you know, rabbit hole with that Project Hail Mary though. I can imagine that one. Of course, FL shelves. I also think we've had every seller we've had so far. Talk about the Correspondent. That's been like the, the buzzy book the moment.
- [64:34]
B
I mean I got it for my sister in law for Christmas. I haven't read it myself, but I was like, okay, this is the book that everybody's reading. I also love to recommend the Legend Born Cycle by Tracy Dion because I feel like that's for teen readers through adult readers. If you like juicy fantasy, I feel like that's typically a crowd pleaser. And one that like, we always keep stocked is the A Good Girl's Guide to Murder series that still like, moves and is like really popular. And then we all like because it's my favorite. The Gunkle by Stephen Rowley is like always one that we have like in the summertime.
- [65:16]
C
It's perfect for summer. You're absolutely right. Right.
- [65:18]
A
Okay, well, one final question for you before we wrap up the show. What are some books that you're really looking forward to that are coming out later in 2026? Kids books for the store or books that you personally are excited about? Whatever you want to tell us.
- [65:36]
C
Okay.
- [65:37]
B
I was hoping you would ask this one. So I am a huge American Girl fan. So Fiona Davis is writing an adult story following Samantha Parkington called Samantha. The next chapter that I am really excited about comes out.
- [65:54]
A
I had no idea.
- [65:56]
B
Oh, I'm so glad. It could be the breaking news for you.
- [65:59]
A
Oh my gosh, that's so exciting.
- [66:01]
B
And I'm hoping that she's gonna do it. Fiona Davis is a huge historical fiction author and I think it's. Samantha gets involved with like the Suffragette
- [66:11]
C
during
- [66:14]
B
which she does in her. The books where she's 10 years old. But I think she starts to get really involved because I think it's set in like 1918, 1919. And I'm very excited about it in terms of like romances that I can't wait for. If not you by Eleanor Clover, which is out September 15th. She wrote the Heartbreak Hotel, which was one of my favorite books of 2025. And then Sunflower Season by Dana Canava, who is one of my all time favorite romance authors. She's an indigenous author and I love. I like her book that released last year was like kind of inspired by Hannah Montana and I was obsessed with it. Fun. And then for the store, I was like checking our pre orders that are up. And a popular one is Whistler by Ann Patchett. It for grown up books and then Hollywood Ending by John Green. John Green is going to give us some fiction again. So that's what I'm kind of looking forward to for the rest of the year.
- [67:18]
A
Yeah, I'm really excited about the new John Green and the new Ann Patchett. I'm so excited that you told me about that American Girl book, I will definitely be pre ordering that one. That's so exciting.
- [67:30]
B
Yes. I feel like we're breaking news. News. Yeah.
- [67:35]
C
Love a breaking news moment. Yeah. I feel like we're getting spoiled this year with new releases, specifically from authors that haven't released in a while. I'm thinking in the fall, too. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. All right, well, I will land with my shelf editions. And I. Well, just one. I'm just bringing one because Lord knows I could bring a hundred. I was telling Hannah before we started recording that unfortunately for me, when we were doing our Summer Bonanza research, I'm like, oh, request, request. And now the publishers are getting back to. I've logged into NetGalley and there's five new ones. I'm like, what have I done to myself? But I will bring one of them. I am very excited about this. It is called Marian by Leah Rowan. This one comes out on June 2nd from St. Martin's Press. This is not a Phoebe book, by the way. It is a feminist remix of Psycho. And I love books that are sort of these not even inspired by Hitchcock films. I've read a couple at this point. This one's about Marian, who is in dark deep. She's stolen money and from the ad agency she works at, she's trying to help her sister escape an abusive relationship. But the bus breaks down before she can make it to Saratoga Springs. It's late at night and the only place with vacancies is this creepy cabin at the outskirts of town. She pays for her room and ends up chatting with Norm, the young innkeeper. Back in her room, she steps in the shower when the curtain is pulled back, back, and what do you know? Norm's there with a knife. But before he can. Etc. Etc. Things go from there. It's sort of the same setup, I think, as the film Psycho, but then takes it on and I don't want to. Whatever. I don't know if you can. Anyway, I'll leave it with that because if you read it, there's sort of. It gives you a little bit of spoilers as to what you can expect with this book. I think it sounds really interesting. It's short. It's like maybe just over 300 pages. And I'm excited to try it. This book is. Is Marion by Leah Rowan.
- [69:34]
A
When did you say that this one comes out?
- [69:35]
C
This one comes out on June 2nd.
- [69:37]
B
Okay.
- [69:38]
A
So coming up.
- [69:38]
C
Yeah, I was gonna say, yeah, soon.
- [69:42]
A
Phoebe, do you have any shelf additions you want to share? I know You've already. You've already brought us so many good. So many goodies.
- [69:49]
B
I'm not good at being brief, I will say. Apparently there is. There is a trend with books about 300 words or 300 words, 300 pages and less being quite popular right now.
- [70:04]
C
I did not know.
- [70:05]
B
It's kind of a big. Yeah, it's a big trend right now. I enjoy that because of. I. I love a good, like 80,000 words. I feel like, you know who's really good at that is Annabelle Monahan. If you've read.
- [70:18]
A
Yeah.
- [70:19]
B
Any of her books, she's so good about trimming.
- [70:22]
A
Like, they're like, right at 300 pages.
- [70:24]
B
Yes. It's just what you need for the story.
- [70:27]
C
Yeah, yeah. Get in, get out.
- [70:29]
B
You know, I'm really excited because I actually have a physical copy of this and it's a book that I was just talking about that doesn't come out until September. And I was lucky enough to get an arc and it's Eleanor Clover's. If not you. And I felt so lucky to get this, and I cannot wait to meet She's. All of her books are set in Colorado and. Oh, yeah, this. I think they go to Chicago for. Oh, I just sounded so Midwestern.
- [70:57]
A
Yeah, you did. Chicago.
- [70:59]
C
That's where they go.
- [71:00]
B
Borderline Midwest. If you've ever heard the flat a. That some people have Chicago here and sometimes I'm like, oh, no, my. My. My Connecticut neutral accent is leaving me.
- [71:13]
C
Leaving you.
- [71:15]
A
Welcome to the Dark side.
- [71:17]
B
It comes out September 15th, and I am for sure going to be reading it over the summer. And I can't wait.
- [71:24]
A
I like it when an author has a place that they typically set their books. You know, like, you've got Carly Fortune in Canada and you've got. You know, Stephen King doesn't always do this, but a lot of times his books are set, like, in Maine. Yeah, Maine. I just. I really. I really enjoy that.
- [71:44]
B
My love, Saratoga Springs. So I'm not going to read that book, but I'm intrigued by the setting.
- [71:50]
C
Wait, is that in New York?
- [71:53]
B
It is Saratoga.
- [71:54]
C
Yeah. As I was saying it, I'm like, I feel like it's in your neck of the woods.
- [71:57]
B
It's. Well, no, I live in Western. People in New York State who don't live in New York City are really sensitive about the regions of things. I live in western New York, which is closer to lake, like Ohio, and then there's like, Midwestern.
- [72:14]
C
Yeah. Way.
- [72:16]
B
You know, they call soda pop here, and it blows my mind. Oh, okay. Like My husband crossover. And I'm like, what? But yeah, there's like the capital region, which is where? Like Albany. And then like, Saratoga is close to Albany. Then there's central New York, which is like Syracuse. And then there's the Adirondack region.
- [72:37]
C
Oh, don't get me started on that place. I tried to say that word once and I got roasted because I said it wrong because I don't know, I'm not from there. And oh, my God, they were so mad. Adirondack. I have it now, thank you.
- [72:49]
B
And then there's actual upstate New York, which is like. Because New York is like, honestly. Yes.
- [72:59]
A
Yeah.
- [72:59]
C
I don't want the. Yeah, don't come for me, New Yorkers.
- [73:01]
B
But yeah. Sorry, Hannah.
- [73:05]
A
No, no, that's okay. I. I hear the word Adirondack ever since I read God of the woods by Liz Moore.
- [73:11]
B
I love that book.
- [73:11]
A
It's everywhere. I love that book too. That's kind of scary for you.
- [73:15]
B
I know, but I love her. I read Long Bright River. It was my first alk that I got from libro back in 2020. And the Adirondacks. We got engaged in the Adirondacks. So I like it there.
- [73:28]
C
You're, like, showing off now with how much you're saying it.
- [73:31]
A
Adirondacks.
- [73:32]
B
Adirondack. My mom calls it the Adirondack on decks and it drives me nuts.
- [73:36]
C
Yeah, I think I said Adrian Deck or something like that. I mean, it was way off. Trust. Trust and believe.
- [73:41]
B
But also, well, it's because it's larger than like Yellowstone and it's like one of the biggest national parks. Teddy Roosevelt. We have Teddy Roosevelt to thank for the Adirondack.
- [73:50]
C
Oh, my gosh.
- [73:51]
A
I share a birthday with Teddy.
- [73:55]
B
Is there.
- [73:56]
C
Is there any chance we could land the plane? Hannah?
- [73:59]
A
Yes.
- [73:59]
C
I'm landing the plane.
- [74:00]
A
I'm landing it. I. Okay, we have nine to fives. Okay, so my shelf edition is Flashlight by Susan Choi, and this is one that I recently purchased myself from my local indie. This was a shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2025 and then this year for the Women's Prize 2026. So it is. It's popping right now. And it follows a family fractured by the mysterious disappearance of the father, Cirque, during a walk on a Japanese beach with his 10 year old daughter, Luisa, who is later found alone and very traumatized. So this book spans decades and continents and explores the themes of family and loss, memory and identity through shifting perspectives throughout the book. As well as being, you know, Long listed and shortlisted for these prizes. I also just really enjoy a family story and I've heard several podcasters and reviewers that I share tastes with really enjoy this one. So I am excited to add it to my shelves. That is Flashlight by Susan Choi.
- [75:07]
C
That one is on my long list too. It's been. It was. It was pretty. It was pretty buzzy when it was nominated.
- [75:14]
A
Yep. Yep, it was.
- [75:16]
C
All right, folks. Well, I would like to remind you that we are also dropping a bonus episode with Phoebe on Patreon where she will be giving personalized book recommendations as requested by our patrons. So if you've ever wanted a bookseller to basically hand sell you your next read based on your taste, that episode is for you. You can join us over on Patreon and we'll have that link in the show notes. But Phoebe, before we close our main show, what is the best way? One for us to support the store, but also where can we find you
- [75:44]
B
online so you can follow at Alice Ever After Books on Instagram and then our website is Alice Ever after books dot com. You can shop through our website. If you're local and you don't. If you never come to visit, please come and visit. We're open Tuesdays through Sundays. Tuesday through Saturday we're open 10 to 5 and Sundays 10 to 3. We have lots of fun summer events coming up if you have little ones. And you can also shop us through bookshop.org and Libro FM them. Perfect.
- [76:18]
A
And you're. And where can we find you?
- [76:20]
B
I'm at Read and write. Like my last name W R I G H T on Instagram and Tik tok. I have a substack and a website
- [76:29]
A
and
- [76:31]
B
yeah, I, as you can tell, like to yap. So you will find me.
- [76:35]
A
Okay, perfect. We'll link all of that in the show notes for people who want to follow and support the store.
- [76:42]
C
Well, thank you so much for being here.
- [76:45]
B
Thank you so much for having me.
- [76:46]
A
I had so much fun. Thank you.
- [76:47]
C
Yes. Well, folks, that is it for today. Thank you so much for spending a part of your day with us. Links to all the books mentioned can be found in the show notes. If you enjoyed today's episode, you can help us by following wherever you listen and by leaving a review on a couple podcasts. It helps us get our show out to new listeners and grows our audience. And don't forget, if you'd like access to exclusive bonus content and community, you can join us for $5 a month
- [77:10]
B
on patreon.com booktalk etc if you'd like
- [77:13]
A
to connect with us, you can email.