Misshelved: a podcast for book lovers

It's our finale! We're ending things the way we began: with New York Times bestselling author Ashley Poston chatting with host Nicole Brinkley about all things bookselling. What's the best part of being a bookseller? What are some of the hardest? How can booksellers and other book lovers avoid burnout in an industry where so much of the pressure is put upon us by us—and, wait, what was that about wet noodle necromancers?

Thank you to everybody for listening for the past two years: it's been an absolute treat to introduce you to so many booksellers and so many creators. Keep supporting your favorite independent bookstore. Much love. xo

It's Banned Books Week. You might be aware that across the country there's been a spate of challenges and bans against books that make some people  uncomfortable. Many of these books focus on the marginalized experiences of queer and BIPOC characters and writers, especially in books for kids.

In this week's Misshelved, settle in as Bettie's Pages owner Nicole Lintemuth talks with New York Times bestselling author (and routinely banned) Kelly Yang about banned books and why they both love kidlit.

When Sistah Sci-Fi's Isis Asare was invited to Misshelved, she knew at once who she wanted to talk with: the legendary  Kacen Callender.

In this week's Misshelved, listen in as they do a deep dive into what it's like to navigate the digital side of the book world as Black creators and what brings them joy.

There's nothing like talking with one of your favorite authors—especially when they've created inclusive, diverse worlds that  you can't help but love.

In this week's Misshelved, listen in as Annie Carl from The Neverending Bookshop chats with Becky Chambers about diversity in science fiction, their love of writing, and how they fell in love with speculative literature.

​​When it comes to sad queer books, there's no author who does it quite like Nina Lacour—so how does she find joy in tumultuous times?

In this week's Misshelved, listen in as Kassie King from The Novel Neighbor chats with Nina about the art of writing, dog allergies, and queer fiction.

Growing up, Kalani loved Pokemon. Tae loved Korean fashion. And, being in America, they were robustly mocked for it. That same culture is celebrated now. What does it mean to them—and to kids finally seeing books with Korean-Americans represented?

Join Kalani Kapahua, the manager of the Ravenna location of Third Place Books, and award-winning author Tae Keller as they chat about their lives growing up as biracial Korean-Americans and what it was like to find themselves in books.

"If you like the vibe of Stephen King, but wish his books were gayer, this is for you." Author Rebecca Kim Wells is sharing a recommendation from Wellesley Books bookseller Lucy Kania: The Dead and the Dark by Courtney Gould.

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite read.

Time for a book recommendation! Rachael Conrad is back to share a favorite book from a name Misshelved fans might recognize: Abby Rice, the lead  bookseller at Title IX. Abby recommends Never Have I Ever by Isabel Yap, a short story collection that fans of Carmen Maria Machado will love.

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite read.

What happens when you pair the creator of Bookstore Romance Day with the hilarious mind behind some bestselling magical rom-coms? You get a half hour of delightful banter on romance novels and pop culture, of course.

Join Billie Bloebaum, Bookstore Romance Day creator and bookseller at Third Street Books, and New York Times bestselling author Gwenda Bond.

Time for a book recommendation! Abby Rauscher is back with a book recommendation from Victoria Provost, a bookseller at Westsider Rare & Used Books in New York City: The Serial Garden by Joan Aiken.

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent  booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite  read.

Time for a book recommendation! Nicole Brinkley is back to share a favorite book from a name Misshelved fans might recognize: Abby Rice, the lead bookseller at Title IX. Abby recommends Heartbreak Bakery by A.R. Capetta, a soft queer magical YA romcom sure to please fans of The Great British Bake-off.

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite read.

Everybody falls in love with science fiction and fantasy a little bit differently... but when you're talking to a bookseller in New Orleans, you have to talk vampires.

Join Candice Huber, the owner of Tubby & Coo's, as they talk to New York Times bestselling author Rebecca Roanhorse about all things fantasy, how they fell in love with the genre, and vampires. Of course, vampires. 

Time for a book recommendation! Rebecca Kim Wells shares a recommendation from Mr. B's Emporium's bookseller Hannah Jensen: Tsunami Girl by Julian Sedgwick and Chie Kutsuwada. This hybrid of traditional novel and manga is unlike any YA Hannah has ever read.

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite read.

Time for a book recommendation! Rachael Conrad shares a recommendation from Savoy Books’s bookseller Danielle Beliveau: Popisho by Leone Ross. This beautiful work of literary fiction is perfect for fans of magical realism... and lush food descriptions.

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite read.

Not every author has loved every genre their entire life. Sometimes, they get introduced to books they love through their favorite independent bookstore—and fall so in love with the genre that they start writing in it.

Join Kelly from Mysterious Galaxy as she talks to New York Times bestselling author Kiersten White about the relationships authors have with independent bookstores, Star Wars, and the media that inspires them both.

Time for a book recommendation! Abby Rauscher shares a recommendation from East City Bookshop's Claire Handscombe: Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau. This adult novel is perfect for grown mothers and daughters to read together.

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite read.

Time for a book recommendation! Nicole Brinkley shares a recommendation from Escape Pod Comics bookseller Menachem Luchins: The Nao of Brown by Glynn Dillon. This graphic novel is perfect for fans of Addie LaRue!

Welcome to Misshelved Recs, your weekly book fix from independent booksellers. Join our motley crew of hosts to find your next favorite read.

When you see yourself reflected in a book, it can change your whole life—especially when that book is a romance.

Join Colleen Regan of An Unlikely Story as she talks to author Olivia Dade about the difference between types of publishing, how fat and other similarly diverse heroines thrive in romance, and what exactly The DUFF is about.

Just how far has Native American representation come over the past few decades? Answer: a lot farther than you might think.

Join Lee Francis IV of Red Planet Books & Comics, the only Native American-owned comic book shop in the world, as he talks to author Dawn Quigley about Native representation and the increase in Indigenous representation around the globe. What was Native representation like when they were growing up? How far has it come? And what books do they recommend?

When readers talk about retellings, we often try to analyze how accurate to the original story they are... but what if that's the wrong approach? What if there's no way to trace the most canon version of a story? And what does changing a story change about the society it's being retold in?

How do anime and television inspire books? How do you use those comparisons to handsell books in bookstores? Should you watch Steins;Gate—and is Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood really as good as everybody says?

In our second episode of season three, join Lily Rugo from The Harvard Book Store as she sits down in conversation with author Fonda Lee to talk about the sometimes visual nature of fantasy stories and how comparing them with media properties can sell books.

What happens when you really, really love books? You become a bookseller. And you become a writer. Emma Straub and Jami Attenberg both know this trajectory well.

In our first episode of season three, join Books Are Magic co-owner and author Emma Straub as she sits down in conversation with author Jami Attenberg about how their mutual histories in bookstores led to careers and relationships with writing.

Can any book find its audience? Is there a book that's Too Weird for publishing? Author Ashley Poston and Oblong Books manager (and Misshelved host!) Nicole Brinkley say no.

In this test episode from August 2020, Nicole and Ashley chat about HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, GIDEON THE NINTH, and the power of niche books to find wide success.

Romance is THE biggest genre in publishing. The authors are passionate, the books are fun, and the people who love it are incredibly smart. So it's no surprise that our season two finale is one of our favorite episodes so far, is it?

In this week's Misshelved, join Old Town Books bookseller Ally Kirkpatrick as she talks to New York Times bestselling romance author and Fated Mates podcast host Sarah Maclean about all things romance... and why you should buy romance books for the holiday season, like, right now.

There's something special about Black girl magic in fantasy... but we need more of it. What sorts of universes would you like to see more magical Black girls in? And how can we get there?

In this week's Misshelved, join Green Apple Books bookseller Erica Watkins as she talks to Legendborn author Tracy Deonn about Black representation in fantasy literature and what sorts of Black magical characters they want to see.

There's only one thing better than talking to an author you admire: talking to an author you admire who has also been a life-long friend.

In this week's episode of Misshelved, Claire Benedict from Bear Pond Books talks bookselling and bookstores with author and long-term friend Jen Gennari.

What draws scientists to bookselling? How do you finish writing things that you start on the Internet? And is Zutara the perfect ship? (Spoiler: yes. Oh, Zuko, you good good lad.)

Pride Month is here, and what better way to celebrate than with a little Misshelved Pride? In this special bonus episode, join Bank Square Books / Savoy Bookshop's Kelsy April as she sits down in conversation with author Emily M. Danforth to swap queer book recommendations and how Pride has changed over the years. 

There's something to be said about reading for joy. This week, Murderbot Diaries author Martha Wells chats with sci-fi loving bookseller Meg Wasmer about just that: the joy of reading about Star Wars, Murderbots, and Minecraft.

Welcome to Misshelved, a new bi-weekly podcast from award-winning bookseller Nicole Brinkley (who absolutely forgot to introduce herself this week). This week, meet independent bookseller Meg Wasmer as she chats with Murderbot Diaries author Martha Wells. Listen in as they talk about the power of Murderbot and the joy of reading for fun.