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Hi, this week I'm chatting with Amy Joyce and Gayle Weiswasser, co-owners of Wonderland Books in Bethesda, Maryland.

What turns a bookstore into a place where people feel part of a community? We asked Wonderland Books co-owners Amy Joyce and Gail Weiswasser, whose Bethesda shop blends sharp curation, joyful whimsy, and real community care—right down to a wall of Polaroids featuring every visiting dog.

We trace their unlikely routes into bookselling—Amy from nearly three decades at the Washington Post and Gail from law and corporate communications—and how those skills power everything from lease negotiations to handselling, newsletters, and event strategy. They open up about curating beyond their own tastes by leaning on staff with different genre passions, why a quarter of the store is devoted to children’s books, and how representation in kids’ publishing shapes what young readers reach for on the shelf.

Community is the through line. Hear how a creative Indiegogo campaign funded shelves and inventory while transforming donors into co-creators who curated displays, joined after-hours previews, and saw their book clubs’ names on the wall. We dig into school partnerships that put author-visit titles in students’ hands, hospital library donations made from damaged returns, and dog adoption events that turn the kids’ section into a gentle reading nook—even for a blind pup named Rex.

We also get practical about social media that works without a budget: staff-forward videos, playful trends, and a voice that feels human. Amy and Gail share what’s selling now—from dystopian classics to big-hearted novels—and offer thoughtful recommendations that build empathy, including Demon Copperhead, Nickel and Dimed, Nomadland, and The Secret Lives of Church Ladies. The philosophy is simple: welcome warmly, never hover, and let curiosity lead. If you love bookstores that feel like a sanctuary and a spark, this conversation will make you want to visit, linger, and read.

If this resonated, follow the show, leave a quick review, and share it with a friend who loves indie bookstores.

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Wonderland Books

Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver

Nomadland, Jessica Bruder

Buckeye, Patrick Ryan

Some Great Nowhere, Ann Packer

The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny, Kiren Desai

The Road to Tender Hearts, Annie Hartnett

Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich

The Secret Lives of Church Ladies, Deesha Philyaw

Mandy Jackson-Beverly - Lunch With An Author Literary Series

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In this episode, I chat with Paul Levine about his new novel, Midnight Burning.

A physicist, a comic genius, and a city on the brink—Paul Levine joins us to unpack Midnight Burning, a high-velocity historical thriller that brings Albert Einstein and Charlie Chaplin into the crosshairs of a real fascist movement in 1937 Los Angeles. We open with a personal note, then dive into the craft and conscience behind turning buried history into a page-turner that feels startlingly current.

Levine traces his path from Miami Herald reporter to trial lawyer to television writer, revealing how courtroom rigor and the writers’ room taught him to build lean scenes and dialogue that pop. That muscle powers a story grounded in documented realities: the German-American Bund, the Silver Legion, Nazi bookstores in L.A., a Hollywood hit list, and a citizens’ spy ring that gathered evidence without firing a shot. We talk about Georgia Ann Robinson, LAPD’s first Black female officer, and the moral compromises of studios navigating German censors like Dr. George Gyssling. Along the way, Levine explains how he balances verifiable quotes and biographies with credible invention, keeping Einstein’s dry humor and Chaplin’s political courage intact while pushing them into danger that tests their wits and resolve.

If you love smart historical thrillers, legal-sharp dialogue, or the hidden history of Los Angeles and Hollywood, you’ll find much to savor in Midnight Burning. Subscribe, share with a friend who loves page-turners with purpose, and leave a review to help others discover the show. What moment surprised you most?

Paul Levine

Midnight Burning, Paul Levine

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In this episode, I chat with Noël Stark about her debut romantic comedy novel, LOVE, CAMERA, ACTION.

Noël Stark has worked in almost every position in the Film and Television industry, both in front of and behind the camera. Although she’s Canadian, she lives in L.A. with her young son, desperately missing winter. She likes chocolate milk in her coffee and gets most of her real-world intel from her three stepkids.

Here's the synopsis of Love, Camera, Action:

A scrappy TV director lands her big break only to go head-to-head with the surly yet sexy director of photography, in this page-turning romance perfect for fans of Ava Wilder and Tessa Bailey.

Up-and-coming TV director Cali Daniels knows sex. Well, okay, she knows how to shoot sex scenes, and she’s been hired to direct a highly anticipated steamy episode of the popular series The Demon. This job is her chance at a big-time career in the film and television industry—all she has to do is deliver an unparalleled show using her hard-knock know-how and ample creativity.

If only the director of photography—effortlessly sexy Jory Blair—would stop shutting her ideas down at every turn. Jory has spent years cultivating his career as an A-list director of photography, but a recent health scare has him rethinking his life and craving the director spot. Now this creative newbie, who he can’t get out of his mind, wants to change the look of his show. Even worse, the friction between them is sparking into blistering chemistry.

As collaborating takes on a whole new meaning, and the show’s producer not-so-subtly suggests that Jory sabotage Cali in order to achieve his own goals, they’ll have to decide if chasing their dream jobs is worth losing the dream of a future together.

Noël Stark

LOVE, CAMERA, ACTION, Noël Stark

Project Hail Mary, Andy Weir

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