So, We Bought a Book Shop – Details, episodes & analysis

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So, We Bought a Book Shop

Shawn Smucker

Arts

Leisure

Frequency: 1 episode/7d. Total Eps: 6

Two writers buy a small-town, local book shop in Lancaster, PA, called Nooks and discover a beautiful community of readers all around them. These are conversations with and about the writers, readers, and books that make the world a better place.

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Data updated on 04/07/2026

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Apple Podcasts

🇺🇸 USA - Books
15/02/2025
#92

Spotify

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Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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https://bookshop.org/shop/Nooks
4 shares
https://bookshop.org/a/106545/9781639734207
3 shares
https://bookshop.org/a/106545/9780802158741
3 shares

https://noooks.substack.com/
5 shares
https://mailesilva.substack.com/
5 shares

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 58%

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006 The Question We're Asked More Than Any Other

Episode 6

Wednesday, February 12, 2025 • Duration 39:12

There's one question we get asked more than anything else, and so today we're digging into that question. We also talk about the importance of reading novels in order to develop empathy, which specific books have done that for us, and why human recommendations are better than the algorithm.

Thanks for listening!

For a complete list of books mentioned in this podcast, head over to our bookshelf dedicated to this podcast at Bookshop.org!

Connect with us!

Order From Our Bookshop.org Page!
Nooks' Substack
Maile's Substack
Shawn's Substack
Nooks' Instagram Page
Nooks' Events Page

Music by Copcar Karaoke
Art by Ned Bustard

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005 What It's Like to be a Writer Selling Other People's Stories

Episode 5

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 • Duration 36:00

Maile and I talk about being writers who own a book shop...do we mind selling other writers' work when we haven't had much time to write ourselves? And going into 2025, how do we get back on track in our own writing life? Do conditions need to be perfect for you to step out and follow your dream?

This one's for anyone working a day job who also wants to pursue their creative dreams.

Books mentioned in this episode:

The War of Art by Steven Pressfield
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Beate Not the Poore Desk by Walter Wangerin
Mastering the Process by Elizabeth George
A Swim in the Pond in the Rain by George Saunders
Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Hannah Coulter by Wendell Berry
On Writing by Stephen King
11/22/63 by Stephen King

Connect with us!

Order From Our Bookshop.org Page!
Nooks' Substack
Maile's Substack
Shawn's Substack
Nooks' Instagram Page
Nooks' Events Page

Music by Copcar Karaoke
Art by Ned Bustard

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004 Our Fears About Owning a Book Shop, and Finding Hope

Episode 4

Thursday, January 30, 2025 • Duration 45:34

Today Maile and I talk about our fears in opening a bookstore--what if, in this divisive climate, people get upset by the books we carry or choose not to carry? What if we can't read enough books to keep up with our readers' needs? What if the construction on our block puts us out of business?

So much of our hope in the face of despair comes from you all, a book-loving community that helps us to know about the good books that are out there in the world and continues to bring us all together.

We also talk about Maile's fear of complete and utter failure, how the start of construction next door (and the closing of the sidewalk) played into that, and how we find hope in the middle of it all.

Books mentioned in this episode:

We'll Prescribe You a Cat by Ishida and Shimoda
Intermezzo by Sally Rooney
All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whittaker
The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Pick the Lock by A.S. King
The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron
The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
by Greg Boyle

003 Is All Reading Beneficial?

Episode 3

Tuesday, January 21, 2025 • Duration 37:52

Is all reading beneficial? Maile and I begin by gently debating the place of graphic novels in a child's reading diet, then discuss the comment we often hear from visitors in the shop about children: "As long as they're reading, that's what matters." Is it?

What if it's not about the book as much as what we bring to the book and how deliberate we are in evaluating what we're reading?

There are so many forces acting on us, so many people who want us to think in certain ways. If we read the right books, they can help guide us to a better way of thinking and living.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Jane Austen
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Even After Everything by Stephanie Smith
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
Pick the Lock by A.S. King

Connect with us!

Order From Our Bookshop.org Page!
Nooks' Substack
Maile's Substack
Shawn's Substack
Nooks Instagram Page

002 How a Book Ends Up in Our Shop

Episode 2

Tuesday, January 14, 2025 • Duration 42:56

The easy answer to how a book ends up in our shop is that we have to love it . . . or have it recommended strongly to us . . . or talk to readers who share our taste and are big fans of the book in question. But there's more to it than that, because sometimes a book travels a long and winding way to get to us. That's the way of a good book.

And when it arrives in our store and we read it, we long for a community in which to share our response to the book. As Walter Wangerin wrote, art only becomes fully art when it is experienced in community.

We also talk about our writerly lives and how incomplete it feels to have stories we've written that people haven't read.

Also some thoughts on winter living, wood stoves, and reading in the early dark.

Books mentioned in this episode:

Land of Stories by Chris Colfer
This is Happiness by Niall Williams
John by Niall Williams
Time of the Child by Niall Williams
The Witch Elm by Tana French
In the Woods by Tana French
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
Beate Not the Poore Desk by Walter Wangerin
Blessed are the Rest of Us by Micha Boyett
by Paul Murray by Liane Moriarty

001 So . . . We Bought a Book Shop

Episode 1

Tuesday, January 7, 2025 • Duration 40:20

Where do dreams take root? What's the process in deciding to say yes to something new, out-of-the-box, exciting? Today, Maile and I talk about the story behind our purchase of Nooks, a local book shop in Lancaster, PA. We also discuss how the fear of failure can keep us trying meaningful things or setting out on new adventures, and how an important part of making big decisions is often . . . waiting, patience, trust.

Also, Shawn talks about being on the edge of a literal breakdown, and Maile shares how her introverted self has grown into her love of community.

"If you're lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it."

Books mentioned in this episode:
A Prayer for Owen Meany
The Creative Act
Time of the Child
Small Things Like These

Connect with us!
Nooks' Substack
Maile's Substack
Shawn's Substack
Nooks Instagram Page
Nooks Events Page

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So, We Bought a Book Shop – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

So, We Bought a Book Shop – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Bookshop35

Substack6

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Bookshop35

Substack6

Instagram1