🍂 Cozy season essentials begin with Sarah Beth Durst! Get a copy of her latest adult romantasy books The Spellshop and The Enchanted Greenhouse from our online shop: zurl.co/hwiVr

Update on Seven the foster kitten's fetch abilities: She's decided my feet, when on the floor, can pick up the toy, so she's leaving them there rather where my hands are AT THE OTHER END OF MY BODY, SEVEN!

The Curious Cat Bookshop is celebrating our second anniversary and we asked Sarah Beth Durst to help us celebrate! After an artist reception at the shop, she'll join us for an exclusive live podcast taping at Little Barn Brewers. Get tickets before they sell out: zurl.co/H47D9

Every week, the riches of literature continue to shower upon us on #newbooktuesday! Let us know which book you're looking forward to picking up soon! Drop by or order online anytime at curiouscatbookshop.com#newbooktuesday #winstedct #shoplocal #winstedhasit #nutmegsky #booksky

New podcast up! I interviewed my author, A.M. Dassu, about her wonderful books about kids who stand up for themselves and each other, kids who go through really awful experiences and come out the other end resilient and possibly even hopeful--these are just some beautiful books.

Look at all those @sarahbethdurst.bsky.social books! And there are more where those came from! Less than a week left to get your tickets (podcast taping is $15--limited seats!). Get your tickets here: zurl.co/wJqDE #nutmegsky #booksky

Finally getting our next podcast episode exported/uploaded. I slept all day after getting a triple shot (covid, flu, and shingles--I am of an age...) and still don't feel great, and I've been wrangling tech issues for days. Look for it tomorrow! I interviewed my author @amdassu.bsky.social!

What are your favorite books by Latine authors? Here are a few of ours! Excuse the shaky cam--the tower was quite tall to begin with! Share your favorites, old and new, in the comments. zurl.co/CY6Lj

With school having started, fall is the perfect time to pick up a little nonfiction for grown-ups, too. Whether you need a one-pot meal, want to learn how to talk to birds, or know a little more about the environment, we've got so many possibilities in store. zurl.co/Ru222 #nutmegsky #booksky

It's #newbooktuesday again! Which is going to be your next read? Let us know in the comments. #winstedct #shoplocal #bookstore #winstedhasit #bookstagram #books

So just as we're about to receive our big stuffies order from an excellent stuffie supplier, I have discovered Warmies. They're JUST as adorable, and you can heat them up in the microwave so you can cuddle with a WARM stuffy.

What is the most important marketing piece for a book? Always always always the cover. We do, after all, judge a book by its cover, don't we? Want to know more about how a book is made? Check out the whole podcast episode at zurl.co/megPK #booksky #publishing

This week, the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) announced their lates project, Freedom Trucks. It is a tremendous work of propaganda. A deep dive into the project, what it really aims to do, and the curious timing and appearance of the press release. bookriot.com/imls-freedom...

It's impossible to pick the prettiest one, after all

We had such a blast bedazzling books this afternoon! If you missed it this time, we'll do it again next month--keep an eye on our events for ticket information. #winstedct #shoplocal #bookstore #shopindiebookstores #winstedhasit

More Halloween reads today, with an emphasis on fun reads and activities for kids! The mask kit is from local artist Tyler Green, from a book by local author Lorien Lawrence! Grab one on our Halloween display in the store. #nutmegsky

My dad had so many of his albums, which I forgot about until I saw this lovely story.

Did you know we have regular book clubs? This week, author TJ Alexander was so kind to join us for our monthly Read the Rainbow book club, in which we read Chef's Choice and the book was so popular we didn't have any copies left on hand to make this video! #booksky #nutmegsky

We've got the witchy/ghosty/demony reads for you as the weather turns crisp and we start thinking about spooky season. (As always, we can ship anywhere in the US if you're not local to us!) #winstedct #shoplocal #shopindiebookstores #bookstore

We're turning 2 this month & we'd love to celebrate with you and @sarahbethdurst.bsky.social ! She'll be in the store in the early afternoon, and then we're heading over to Little Red Barn for a live podcast taping with her. Get your tickets here: zurl.co/QRnfP #booksky #nutmegsky

If you've ever wondered how a bookstore chooses which books get stocked, we've got a new podcast episode for you! zurl.co/FrGks

What is writer's block, really? Bestselling author of the War Arts Saga Wesley Chu explains how writers can hook not only readers, but themselves again. #shoplocal #winstedct #writing #amwriting #publishing #bookstagram

Today we hit 500 subscribers on YouTube! Yay! We've nearly unlocked the first tier of monetization, with only 1500 or so watch hours left for that. Interested in how to start a bookstore or the writing and publishing process? Watch here:

Finally, finally! It always takes me longer to prep a podcast episode than I think. We've got a great new episode interviewing Wesley Chu! Up on YouTube now, and will go up on audio podcast platforms by tomorrow.

One more grant application down! Fingers crossed for this one. And we've got 2 more weeks to figure out what to ask for for the WBDC Ignite grant, but we might end up having to wait for the next round.

This is going to hit small local businesses the hardest. Please make sure you're supporting them. So far, we're seeing delays or out-of-stock on our plushies the most, but this will likely start hitting those who make candles and other sidelines too. Board games have already been hit hard.

We've added another ticket tier to our Sarah Beth Durst event at Little Red Barn Brewers in September, so you can order hardcovers of both books for signing! (or pick up in store) https://f.mtr.cool/fgrtnscdgw

It's been FAR too long since I went through my item inventory in Square and made sure everything had a category! I rely on those categories for reporting (figuring out which categories are doing the best, ordering more of same, etc). As I build our CRM (cont)

Thanks to the customer who asked whether Silent Book Club was Wed. or Thurs. this month. SBC is ALWAYS the last Wed. of the month, and something went wrong with the repeating event on the calendar. See you Aug. 27! #silentbookclubwinsted

We've gotten questions wondering if someone needs to be experienced for game night, and the answer is: Experienced players welcome, but not required. We'd love to see you no matter what! Just be sure to RSVP: https://f.mtr.cool/fhrtqwdroo

A day late but just as exciting: new books in this week! What book will go on your TBR pile? Find more online at curiouscatbookshop.com, or stop by anytime! #winstedct #winstedhasit #shoplocal

Due to the overlap of employee illness and a dentist appointment, we will be CLOSED today from roughly 12:30 to 2:30. Thanks for your patience. As always, you can also order from us online at curiouscatbookshop.com, and we'll be open until 7 tonight, too! #winstedct #shoplocal

Happy Black Cat Appreciation Day! Please appreciate our current fosters, She (all black), Seven (tuxie), and Thorn (black & white). Adopt them from Sophia L'Orange Kitten Rescue! https://f.mtr.cool/lpzgjwzeif

We're so excited about our upcoming writing workshops! More to be announced. The first covers worldbuilding, but we'll dive deep into how to connect it to characters, plot, and more. Open to all levels of experience (bring your ideas if you don't have a manuscript).

This is a #SpreadLove thread with very fun birds

We're almost to 400 subscribers on our YouTube channel, which is 100 from monetization (plus 3000 view hours, of course, which we're 1/3 of the way to). We don't expect monetization to be a huge part of our business, but every little bit helps a small business! www.youtube.com/channel/UCjZ...

Stacy knows her stuff. She started her own publishing company years ago to fill a gap in the market when no one else was. And succeeded! She's a savvy editor and she ALSO runs a bookstore AND wrangles a house filled with sassy cats. She's a great resource. Highly recommend: Rating of 500 out of 100.

Why are books so "expensive"? Because so many people participate in making them & their work is valuable. New podcast episode discussing where bookstores get their books, and in the process, we discuss how and why books cost what they do! https://f.mtr.cool/sfxywdneyp #booksky

New podcast episode up! Where do bookstores get their books?

Exporting a new podcast episode! It's taken longer than I'd prefer to get each of these episodes out--soon I'll have a more regular schedule for it. We've got a ton of author interviews in the works & I've got a list of Life of the Book topics too. Let us know any subjects you'd like us to cover!

We're going to go on a deep dive into worldbuilding! This workshop is open to all skill and experience levels. Get tickets here: www.eventbrite.com/e/everything...

Tonight! We're talking live on YouTube with bestselling and award-winning fantasy author @wesleychu.bsky.social, whose War Arts Saga has a new volume coming out Aug. 26!  https://f.mtr.cool/bsgbsoqsje

Congratulations & happy book birthday to @underwoodwriter.bsky.social  & Jorge Lacera, whose Fairy Tale Fixers: Cinderella came out yesterday! We're looking forward to this funny take on a classic--perfect for readers who love Investigators! https://f.mtr.cool/vczwyfrgij #booksky

Anyone getting an infinite login loop after getting logged out of TikTok?

Finally, finally figured out that many of the "people" signed up for our mailing list were bots that had previously caused several DDOS attacks on us last year. Now they're signing up for the mailing list with gibberish names and emails. Sigh.

Today is the last day--we're submitting the final address list to the printer later today! Last chance to sign up for our holiday catalog! We only send 2 pieces of snail mail a year (and we weren't able to send the summer reading one this year). Sign up here: https://f.mtr.cool/dbrgxsecyc

Whether books about cats and dogs, or other books, we believe in the freedom to read. If you do as well, a great book to pick up is the Right to Read Handbook, which we've got on our shelves right now! https://f.mtr.cool/hftpfjzkiw

Bookstore tour coming soon! But on the writing/editing side: Stacy has been spending some time going back through her old talks. Let us know what you'd like to hear her talk about, or even work with her on in a small group in depth. https://f.mtr.cool/baibldevem #booksky

New podcast episode! Ever wondered what the publishing process looks like inside a publishing house? We're starting a series to demystify the publishing process. Here's an overview! https://f.mtr.cool/mcqomrbdrh #books #book #writing

Librarians truly are lifesavers. Share this with a librarian in your life--let them know how much they mean to you. www.youtube.com/shorts/yzO8o... Full episode of this conversation with author @kimmtopping.bsky.social & poet @leahjuliett.bsky.social at www.youtube.com/watch?v=qSeN...