The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast
The Curious Cat Bookshop is the independent bookstore of Winsted, CT, offering curation, selection, expertise, and a place to meet with bookish friends at our book clubs, author events, and storytimes. This podcast is our in-store events feed, combined with remote interviews with authors who live elsewhere. We help you satisfy your curiosity in a community of readers--bringing the authors of Connecticut to the world, and the authors of the world to northwest Connecticut.
Episodes
We’ve gathered the whole staff to talk about the books we’re most looking forward to in October and beyond! What are you looking forward to? Have we missed anything?
Preorder our recommended titles (and more) here: https://curiouscatbookshop.com/list/preorder-your-next-favorite-read
Interview with Sarah Beth Durst
Interview with Beth Revis
Interview with Courtney Maum
Recently, Stacy talked with author Courtney Maum about her newest book, Alan Opts Out, a biting satire about suburban life and whether "making it" is really worth it. Can absurdity and satire heal our communities?
Signed copies are available from us while supplies last!
About the book:
“Reading this book reminded me how much fun a novel can be.” ―Caro Claire Burke, author of Yestery...
Take a walk with Stacy on a local trail to discuss not just how bookstores make their money, but what the breakdown looks like. This is a big-picture overview--part two will delve a little deeper with some specifics.
If you decide to take a day trip to Winsted, come visit us, and also check out the Sue Grossman Still River Trail: https://www.traillink.com/trail/sue-grossman-still-river-greenway/
NOTE: Some of this episode is visual information. You might want to refer to the YouTube video for more information:
While the percentage numbers may vary from bookstore to bookstore, here's a look at the breakdown of one bookstore's income streams and the challenges we face to make it all work.
Thanks to Creatorly Media for the editing assist! I talk a little about getting a grant around 19:05, and part...
Grants can seem overwhelming for small businesses, especially if you’ve just started one and don’t know how to In this episode of The Curious Cat Bookshop Podcast, we talk with grant and (_) consultant Jennifer Gonzalez about grants for small business, particularly about how we approach our grant applications to frame our proposals in a way that makes us a partner with our grant funders: how can we...
We're back at last! A challenging summer has slowed us down in uploading this episode that was recorded in April. Thanks for your patience!
How did Gossip Girl help shape the culture we enjoy today? Stacy's conversation with author Lindsay Denninger digs into how music, pop culture, and teen lives were changed by Gossip Girl and the other TV shows that aired in the mid-aughts, as well as behind-the-scenes vi...
A quick "state of the store" discussion, in which Stacy dives into some of her decision-making process and talks about where she is with implementing systems like a new CRM to help manage the store's data, how work in the store gets done (or doesn't, depending on whether she's the only person available to do the work!), and her plan to apply for a business loan to ensure we have stable funding through lean times and...
Come with Stacy on an existential rollercoaster! We discuss the latest progress on her transition to a new CRM, tough questions small business owners must be willing to ask themselves, our path to profitability, the results of our recent application for a small business loan, and more.
NOTE: Episode 5 of this season is a YouTube-only episode, as it's a visual demonstration of how to make a Blind Date with a B...
NOTE: This episode was originally published on YouTube on 1/26/26. I'm posting the second season all at once up to September 2026, as I've gotten behind on uploads. We'll be back to a semi-regular upload schedule after this.
Many of you know that I'm also a children's book editor, specifically of middle grade and young adult novels and graphic novels. Today, I wanted to share three books that I edited that I think sp...
When times are tough, how does a small business get the information they need to adapt, survive, and even thrive? For me, the answer is in refining my systems and getting greater clarity on where I'm spending money, when the bills are coming due, and what system is the single source of truth for my business's information. It also helps that consolidating my systems into one CRM like Zoho has allowed me to save money...
To celebrate our 2nd anniversary in September, we hosted bestselling fantasy author Sarah Beth Durst in a local brewery, Little Red Barn Brewers, where we talked about her beautiful cozy fantasy books, The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse. Here is that wonderful conversation!
Buy Sarah's books--including signed books from the event while supplies last!
More about The ...
As we wrap up Banned Books Week, we want to encourage you to take the time to really dig into what it means for us to have the freedom to read year-round, and what that means to us in our democracy. The ABA’s Right to Read Handbook (linked below) is a wonderful easy-to-pick-up start to that thought process, and we highly recommend reading it and banned books with your book club, reading groups, and community o...
It’s been 20 years since the first book in the bestselling The Sisters Grimm series by Michael Buckley debuted, and he’s had quite the career since then! This week, the animated TV series based on the books debuted on Apple TV, and last month, Michael’s latest book, The Weirdies, was published in print. With all that success, you’d think that he’d be on top of the world, but our convers...
How do you discuss tough subjects like becoming a refugee and starting over again in a new country, bullying, or the possibility of your friend getting deported with your children? How do you help children find their voice and to understand the influence they can be for good? Author A.M. Dassu expertly weaves these subjects into her books for middle grade readers (ages 8-12) by deeply understanding children’s ...
How does a bookstore make decisions about which books to bring in? That’s a question that a lot of people were wondering after we talked about where bookstores get their books (NOT from Amazon!). Stacy Whitman dives into a few of the key ways we decide what books we bring in--and you'll get a little glimpse of the bookstore along the way!
Join us in Winsted, CT for a live podcast taping with Sarah Beth Du...
What a fantastic conversation we recently had with bestselling fantasy author Wesley Chu! Wesley Chu didn't always consider himself a writer, and in this conversation we delve into why that was, and how he finally found the path that led to the books we love. Along the way, we get into some fascinating discussion of the current state of fantasy and science fiction, so be sure to stick around for that!
Wesley Chu is t...
Where do bookstores get their inventory? That’s a big question for anyone thinking of starting a bookstore—the first question Stacy sees from anyone even dreaming about starting one. It’s also a question that many readers don’t know the answer to—sometimes we get customers who walk in, see our prices on the books, and assume that we’ve bought our books from Amazon and then jacked ...
How is a book made? What is the full LIFE of a book? Many writers don’t know what the editorial process looks like in a publishing house—or what happens in the design, marketing, and sales departments while the editorial process is happening. Join Stacy in our new podcast series discussing the life cycle of a book, in which we’ll discuss how a book gets acquired, what the editorial process looks li...
How do you make a living when starting a business like a bookstore? Curious Cat Bookshop owner Stacy Whitman discusses the current state of our business, how she makes a living, how she started her first business (Tu Books, which became an imprint of Lee & Low Books), and the goals and considerations she makes as she makes business decisions for the bookstore.
If you'd like to know how many books a month we need ...
What would Stacy Whitman, owner of The Curious Cat Bookshop, do differently today if she were starting her bookstore from scratch? She's got a few ideas, mostly about preparation and community. Are you thinking of starting a bookstore or would like some advice on writing, publishing, or the book business? Let us know in the comments. Also, at least 5 cats make appearances in this video, with varying levels of interr...
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