The Bookshop Podcast
The Bookshop Podcast is a global literary podcast dedicated to books, authors, independent bookshops, and the world of publishing. Now in its fifth year, the show has become a trusted resource for readers, writers, and book lovers everywhere. Hosted by Mandy Jackson-Beverly, a writer, educator, and literary advocate, The Bookshop Podcast blends thoughtful conversation with a passion for books. Whether you're looking for your next great read, discovering new authors, or exploring the book industry, The Bookshop Podcast offers a welcoming space for anyone who loves books, storytelling, and literary culture. Music created by Brian Beverly.
The Bookshop Podcast
The Heart of the Community: Inside Bozeman's Country Bookshelf
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Have you ever wandered into a bookstore and felt like you've come home? That's the magic Ariana Paliobagis, owner of Country Bookshop and her team, weaves in Bozeman, Montana. In this episode, I speak with store manager Jamie Winter about the rich literary landscape of Montana, where names like Ivan Doig and Betsy Gaines Quammen are as much a part of the territory as the Rocky Mountains.
Country Bookshelf is a local, independent bookstore located in historic downtown Bozeman, Montana. It’s the place where people go to feel part of their community, of something bigger than themselves, a place to experience the power of literature and conversation, a place to feel safe, not judged, and encouraged to explore ideas and identities. This is the bookstore everyone dreams of — two floors of hand-selected volumes, knowledgeable, caring staff, and events to expand horizons.
House of Flame and Shadow, Sarah J. Maas
Inside Country Bookshop
Speaker 1Hi , my name is Mandy Jackson Beverly . Welcome to the Bookshop podcast . Each week , I present interviews with independent bookshop owners from around the globe , publishing professionals , authors and specialists in subjects dear to my heart the environment and social justice . To help the show reach more people , please share it with friends and family and on social media , and remember to subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to this podcast . You're listening to episode 239 . Country Bookshop is a local independent bookstore located in historic downtown Boseman , montana . It's the place where people go to feel part of their community , of something bigger than themselves , a place to experience the power of literature and conversation . A place to feel safe , not judged , and encouraged to explore ideas and identities . This is the bookstore everyone dreams of two floors of hand selected volumes , knowledgeable , caring staff and events to expand horizons . Jamie Winter is the store manager and is with us today . Hi , jamie , and welcome to the show . It's great to have you here .
Speaker 2Thank you , it's so great to be here .
Speaker 1I'm so excited . You are in a gorgeous part of the country I used to live in , Jackson Wyoming , which is equally just as beautiful as Montana . Is Boseman cold right now ?
Speaker 2It's unseasonably warm . We keep having some warmer spikes and then some very cold like negative 30 .
Speaker 1Oh , that's cold Lots of snow around ?
Speaker 2Yes , we do . We do have a little bit of snow . Luckily , all of the people visiting for the season are at least getting some of that now .
Speaker 1Yeah , that's good . Now let's begin with learning about you and how you landed at Country Bookshop in Boseman Montana .
Speaker 2Yeah , I started working in bookstores back in October of 2016 . I helped open the store , this house of books in Billings , montana , which is a member co-op . I got to be a part of that process of getting that store going . Then my fiance was accepted at the university here in Boseman . We moved . My timing was extremely fortunate and that Country Bookshop happened to be hiring . I got my application in and I impressed them enough that they hired me on about May 2017 . Then I've been here off and on since , took a little break to go back to school for software engineering , did that for a little bit and just found it wasn't as fulfilling as being in a bookstore , because Country Bookshelf was definitely . It was home immediately once I started working there .
Speaker 2I think I've thought about it like every place I've lived since every other job . It had always been in the back of my mind of how much I would love to come back . Then the owner , ariana , contacted me saying that they were looking to have a general manager of the store in a way that hadn't before and asked if I'd be interested . At the time I was like I just bought a house in Billings . That's just two hours away . We just bought it . I think I could move right now . I thought about it for months after like how sad I was that I didn't accept even apply for it . And so a couple months later they were still looking and so it's not my family , like I think this is what I really want to do , and he is the most supportive person ever . And so is like , okay , let's go .
Speaker 1And so Applied and came back and last September I love that the bookshop pulled you back to bozeman . Can you tell us a little about the history of country bookshelf , the founder and owners over the years ?
Speaker 2Absolutely so . Country bookshelf was founded in 1957 by poly Wren , and then that was In a location still in downtown bozeman not our current location , but just a couple blocks away and she ended up selling it to Margaret Kirk a couple years later , and then she sold it to Mary Jane to santi in 1974 . And Mary Jane is the one who moved it to our current downtown location , which is kind of our staple . Now everyone recognizes this spot and loves this spot , and in 2010 , mary Jane sold it to our current owner area on a palliabagas , and it has always been women owned , women run , something that we feel pretty passionately about . We've been named the best bookstore in bozeman . For the last 10 years . We've been In the list of best bookstores for Martha Stewart at was obscure book riot , mental floss I can tell in your voice that you're really proud of the bookshop .
Speaker 1Tell us a little about the actual bookshop . Is it too strong ? One story , one story . How many square feet ?
Speaker 2it's two stories . The second story is more of a mezzanine kind of , and then we also have a bit of a basement that we use as our staff room .
Speaker 1You're the first bookshop that has said they actually have a dedicated staff room . How fantastic .
Speaker 2We yeah , we feel really passionate about making sure that we have a good space for our employees to relax , take a breath , and we actually , during the holidays , when it's so busy it's there's no time to do anything , and so we make sure that they have a really nice , comfortable space .
Speaker 1And I'm sure they appreciate it . Okay , I'm looking at a map of Montana and I see you between three folks and living sin . What's the closest ski area to bozeman Near skiing , I believe is big sky . Okay , I see that on the map to . My husband and I and kids used to live in Jackson , wyoming , quite a few years ago now and I tell you there's nothing quite like the Rockies . They are just magnificent . It is so beautiful up in that area we just loved raising our children there . It was fantastic . Okay , I could talk about that whole area for days but I need to get back to talking books , would you say you sell more fiction than nonfiction , and what is your most popular genre ?
Speaker 2Honestly , I think it's about split 50 50 it's . If not , that it's very close . I think our highest selling section is still fiction , like the literature , but we also do a lot of nature and a lot of Montana , western kind of things as well .
Speaker 1And with fiction . What would you say is your most popular genre ?
Speaker 2The most popular genre is . We categorize it as lit , so it's everything that's just not a specific genre , and so that's definitely the highest , and then behind that is science fiction , fantasy and mystery .
Speaker 1And what about the demographic supposement ? Would you call it a grain community ? Are there a lot of young families , baby boomers , Gen Z years ?
Speaker 2We have a lot of , I'd say , young professionals , but honestly it is a little bit of everything . We do have a big student population with university and because we're already a relatively small town , they make up a good portion of it . But lots of young professionals , business people kind of thing .
Speaker 1And with this demographic in mind , would you say you curate the bookstore more for the local community or do you also tend to the tourists coming into town ?
Speaker 2I'd say more locals . We do a fair amount of making sure that that Montana section really has a good variety to showcase us as best we can , but our local community is very passionate about our store frequent shoppers and so we definitely keep things that we know that they're going to love .
Speaker 1One of the things I love about going into an independent bookshop is seeing the kids with their parents in the kids section . So can you tell me a little bit about your children's section please ?
Speaker 2Absolutely . Yeah , we do have a fairly big kids section as well . It's definitely up . There is one of our more popular areas and seeing the kids in every day is one of the best parts .
Speaker 1Yeah , I can relate . I just love
Books, Authors, and Recommendations in Montana
Speaker 1it . I'd love to hear about some of the local Montana authors you carry in country bookshelf .
Speaker 2I might be wrong in this , but I did hear at one point that Montana has more authors per capita than any other state , because I can't back that up , but I would absolutely believe it . Our quintessential Montana author , I would say , is Ivan Dweig . We sell a lot of him . He had a lot of research and representation after his death by Montana State University and so he's the one that , if I'm going to say one Montana author , I would say him . We also claim Norman McLean , thomas McWayne , james Welch as some of the bigger names . We also have a lot of really great people living here locally right now . Mark Sullivan is . We're prepping for an event with him pretty soon . We've got Craig Lancaster in Billings , who is up here a lot as well . There's so many it's hard to just pick one name . What about female authors ? Oh yeah , definitely , definitely . Like I know , right now we're planning on an event with Elise Atchison , who is wonderful as well , and Betsy Qualman . Betsy Ginseng Qualman is another one that is very popular .
Speaker 1I can see why so many authors want to live in the state of Montana . It's just gorgeous . Okay , let's talk about your booksellers , and let's begin with who has been there the longest .
Speaker 2Longest is definitely our head buyer , anna . She has been here for 25 years and , yeah , her knowledge of the industry is absolutely unparalleled and I think she underestimates just how invaluable she is . I couldn't be here without her , for sure .
Speaker 1Okay , now let's talk about genres . If I was a customer and I come into the bookshop and I'm looking for someone who knows a lot about crime , thriller books , who would you suggest I speak with ?
Speaker 2Actually one of our former booksellers , wendy , who is retired , but I still ask her constantly what's the mystery that you're reading ? What should I have right now ? She is by far the most knowledgeable mystery reader .
Speaker 1Though she's kind of not really retired . Okay , what about children's books ?
Speaker 2Children's books were super lucky in that we have a former children's librarian from the public library who , since retiring , is working for us part-time , and so she gives us lots of really great suggestions . And then Christina is an aspiring children's librarian , so she is in school for it right now , and she helps us curate and organize our children's section , along with school book fairs .
Speaker 1How about graphic novels and YA ?
Speaker 2Graphic novels would probably be either Matt or Francis . Both have different tastes in graphic novels , so it balances out really nicely . Young adults probably me at this point .
Speaker 1Yeah , bookshop managers normally dip their toe into a lot of genres .
Speaker 2Our past events coordinator really coordinated our young adult section and made in what it is and since then we're still feeling like it Okay and how about nonfiction ?
Speaker 2Nonfiction , it depends on the genre . For going nature , I would say Maya , who is also a field guide . She leads some trips in the area , and so I think we definitely have a good recommendation there . For history , peter is one of our newest booksellers but I think that he could give a good history for pretty much any era of time . And sci-fi fantasy oh , sci-fi fantasy . Actually there's a lot of people . Our store is pretty heavy in sci-fi fantasy readers , I think . But there's Nell is our events coordinator and I would probably ask them just for similar taste to my own . But everyone on staff at that could have a good sci-fi or fantasy recommendation .
Speaker 1I think sci-fi and fantasy found a lot more readers during the lockdowns and the beginning part of the pandemic . Many people just wanted to escape reality , but for others some of the sci-fi was a little too close to reality , I think . Do you have a favorite fantasy author ?
Speaker 2Oh my gosh , my favorite is Shonan McGuire , for sure . She wrote the Every Harder Doorway , the Wait for Children series , and I am obsessed with her . Everyone here knows I am , and so they like to tease me about it . I'm just like oh , who's your favorite author ?
Speaker 1Like you already know , yeah , and do you have any romance reader booksellers in the store ? Just me .
Speaker 2I'm the only one that really reads romance . It's become my genre , though I didn't mean for it to be , but it's , I think , sci-fi fantasy . It's very escapist , you know it's going to have a happy ending and sometimes that's what you need .
Speaker 1Yes , I agree , and what better way to escape than with a happy ending , I know . Okay , now for our listeners contemplating a visit to Boseman , can you recommend a few hiking trails , must-see historic sites , vegan restaurants and where to get a great latte ? See , that's all I need . You can tell what makes me happy .
Speaker 2Absolutely . I did have to ask staff to give me some suggestions when I saw this question , but they gave me some great ones , so let's see . For hikes , they suggested Pete's Hill if you're looking for a short jaunt or drinking horse , for a beautiful short morning or afternoon hike . Also , the Galligator up by the Sculpture Garden through Lindley Park and the library is really beautiful . It's a nice , just kind of , I'd say , sunday stroll of Very relaxing . Also , highlight Canyon is beautiful , even just for a drive , if not for hikes , I love it for my favorite drive of all time , and Grotto Falls would be a good hike in that area as well .
Speaker 2For coffee , we have a lot of really great options for coffee . I'm not going to lie . Some of staff favorites are the Daily Studio Coffee or a newer one called Rolly Polly . We also have a coffee shop that's two doors down from our bookstore called Wild Joes , and we frequent there as a store pretty often , at least once a month . We get everybody coffee from there . I also personally love tree-lined coffee .
Speaker 2And then let's see Other things to do . Museum of the Rockies 100% is amazing . It has a really great paleontology exhibit that is extensive . There's so many fossils that have been found in Montana . So it's really lovely if you have any interest in dinosaurs , and they also have various exhibits that they change out that are really wonderful , so suggested . Our Tuesday Farmers Market is really lovely . We have some fantastic farms that are local to us and the produce is amazing . And then we have really great variety of live shows , whether it's music we've got a really refreshing drag scene and burlesque and also comedy . We have a bookseller that participates in improv every week , and so we gather quite a bit , but Last Best Comedy is also really awesome . Then vegan restaurants . There is Pekiza , which is an Indian restaurant that has gluten-free , vegan and nut-free options , little Star for a great vegan dinner and Nova Cafe for breakfast .
Speaker 1Now you've made me hungry . I'm starting to salivate from the thought of all that good food . When our sons were little , I always wanted to take them to Montana to partake in a dinosaur dig . I thought that would have been really fun . Jamie , what do you enjoy most about living in Bozeman ?
Speaker 2Really the view Anywhere you drive in Bozeman , which is , of course , you can get everywhere within 15 minutes , which is lovely , but no matter where you go , and you've got a view of the mountains , and nothing will ever top that of driving to work . You're on your daily commute , but it's still breathtaking every single day . And then the people Montana , especially just as a state has some really lovely , passionate people that I don't think you can really get anywhere else , and Bozeman definitely embodies that as well , and so our locals that are in all the time are just the loveliest people , and it makes working here wonderful .
Speaker 1Yeah , you're definitely in a beautiful , beautiful part of the world . Okay , let's talk books . What are you currently reading ?
Speaker 2I just finished the new Sarah J Moss House of Flame and Shadow . I am one of those people , and now I am about to start Stuart Turton's new book that comes out in , I believe , may , which is the last murder at the end of the world .
Speaker 1I read an article about Sarah J Moss in the newspaper the other day and the article was saying that her fans are diehard fans . They are intense , right . I guess you're one of them .
Speaker 2They really are . I wouldn't count myself as one of the really intense ones , but I do love her books as just being very escapist , very fun , and it's really perfect when there's so much going on with work and everything . I just want to have a good time , so I pick up one of hers .
Speaker 1Did you celebrate the release of her latest book in the bookshop ?
Speaker 2We didn't do any events or anything . We did get a bunch of the special editions for indie bookstores , though , and so I was very excited about those .
Speaker 1And speaking of bookshops , how many indie bookshops do you have in Bozeman ?
Speaker 2We have a couple . We are the only . That is fully new for independent bookstores , but there are also , I believe , two used bookstores , as well , jamie .
Speaker 1thanks for chatting with me today . I've enjoyed it . It's been wonderful hearing all about beautiful Bozeman , montana and Country Bookshelf .
Speaker 2Well , thank you , that was really . It was fun . It was lovely meeting you .
Speaker 1You've been listening to my conversation with Jamie Winter , manager of Country Bookshelf in Bozeman , montana , to find out more about the Bookshop podcast . Go to thebookshoppodcastcom and make sure to subscribe and leave a review wherever you listen to the show . You can also follow me at Mandy Jackson Beverly on X , instagram and Facebook and on YouTube at the Bookshop podcast . If you have a favorite indie bookshop that you'd like to suggest we have on the podcast , I'd love to hear from you via the contact form at thebookshoppodcastcom . The Bookshop podcast is written and produced by me , mandy Jackson Beverly , Theme music provided by Brian Beverly , executive assistant to Mandy , adrienne Otterhan and graphic design by Francis Verralla . Thanks for listening and I'll see you next time .