In the sun-drenched Andalusia lie many wonders, and today we are unpicking one that is only two years young - Sunny with a Chance of Books. If you travel Northeast of Almeria, you'll find yourself in one of its picturesque pueblos blancos, Mojacar. Mojacar has a lot going for it: a Mediterranean coastline, Moorish landmarks, colorful fiestas - but its best attraction is the cultural heartbeat of the village, Sunny with a Chance of Books. I might be biased, since this is the brainchild of the one and only Antonia, who started this very podcast manifesting her dream of opening a bookshop. This bright yellow cozy living room of a place sells new and pre-loved books in multiple languages, hosts bookclubs, entrepreneurial talks, musical evenings and is peppered with children and cats. Antonia has achieved her dream, to say the least - but Antonia never stops. Recently she created the Literary Conversation Cards, a unique deck of 49 cards that has been ordered by bookshops around Europe and we hear, purchased by certain famed musicians as Christmas gifts. Let's dive into it and hear all about it! Follow the bookshop here https://www.instagram.com/sunny_withachanceofbooks/

https://www.globalbookcrawl.org/

Welcome back to Got Books, the podcast where we talk to booksellers all around the world. My guest today is Alex, co-founder of the first and only bookshop selling new english books in Lisbon, Portugal, Salted Books. This conversation was yet another proof, in case you needed one, that women can indeed do it all, if they set their mind to it. Alex has started Salted Books with her partner Mark, and she has done so without giving up her work and while raising two children. She’s created a magical space that only opened its doors about 5 months ago but has already received raving reviews from readers and writers in Lisbon, and if you head over to their Instagram page you’ll see why. The book curation couldn’t be more relevant, the design of the space is bold and beautiful and it just feels fresh and exciting and like you want to be there. Alex is also hosting intimate and very safe writing spaces, where early on a Tuesday mornings writers come together to write in silence, by candlelight. She’s bringing new voices to Lisbon and encouraging those in Lisbon to write and get creative. This conversation felt encouraging and uplifting and it confirmed a suspicion I’ve had for a while now, interviewing bookshop owners all around the world: starting and running a bookshop is a bit of an art form and there’s a lot of artistic freedom in how it can be done. Here’s my conversation with Alex.