About

Welcome to Bookshop Talk! Our mission is to not only talk up newly released great reads, but to reintroduce little known or all-but-forgotten literary gems, and to also remind the world why classics have been on shelves for hundreds of years, their stories still applicable and timeless.

A bit about your hosts . . .

Jessica Day George has lived in four states and traveled extensively in the US and Europe (there was also an ill-fated trip to Brazil which we will never speak of again). She has a degree in Comparative Literature and Scandinavian Studies, making her an ideal docent for rare collections of Icelandic manuscripts, but otherwise unemployable. In her free time she knits, plays viola and piano, reads, eats chocolate, and teaches old dogs new tricks. She is the mother of three children, and the author of nine books: Dragon Slippers, Dragon Flight, Dragon Spear, Sun and Moon - Ice and Snow, Tuesdays at the Castle, Princess of Glass, Princess of the Midnight Ball, Princess of the Silver Woods, and Wednesdays in the Tower. (Amy is going to add this bit, because Jessica didn’t . . .) Jessica has also been on the New York Times Best Seller list, won numerous awards, and has been listed on American Library Association’s 100 Best Books for Young Adults.

You can learn more about Jessica by clicking on these links:
Jessica On Facebook      Jessica on Twitter
Or visit her at http://www.jessicadaygeorge.com/

Amy Finnegan was a 1st place winner of the Annual Writer’s Digest Competition and writes young adult fiction and children’s picture books. She also organizes conferences for writers, reads lots of amazing stories, and runs a household with one very busy husband, three darling daughters, and two crazy Shih-tzus. Amy loves to travel the world and goes out of her way to visit locations related to her favorite books. Amy's debut novel, Not in the Script, will be published by Bloomsbury in 2014.
 
You can learn more about Amy by clicking on these links:  Amy on Facebook      Amy on Twitter

Amy and Jessica met at a conference for writers just before Jessica's first book got published, and when Amy was a brand new writer. Amy heard a sample of Jessica’s Dragon Slippers manuscript, thought it was brilliant and belonged with Bloomsbury, and told Jessica about a small writer’s workshop she was organizing, where a Bloomsbury editor would be reading manuscript pages. As Amy predicted, Jessica's manuscript was snatched right up by the editor, and eight books later, Jessica is one of Bloombury's bestselling authors. (But Amy gets to brag about her great literary eye. And the fact that Jessica dedicated Dragon Spear to her!) Several years later, through a series of wonderful twists and turns, they ended up with the same editor at Bloomsbury! What lucky gals!

Kim Harris Thacker was asked to join Bookshop Talk after leaving several great comments and submitting a truckload of fantastic reviews. We couldn't help but want her to be a more permanent part of the fun. Kim is living her dream.  She's a stay-at-home mom to two beautiful young girls, and she's married to a poet who loves to talk books with his wife.  While reading is her dearest passion, Kim also writes middle grade and young adult fiction.  Her favorite books tend to be classic novels (which must be read while eating dark chocolate), but she also enjoys historical fiction, magical realism, and mysteries (mysteries are best accompanied by a cheese platter).  Books with humor, surprising twists, strong characters, and unforgettable voice make her happy, happy.  She is also obsessed with books that have settings in the UK.  Pip pip!

You can learn more about Kim by clicking on these links: 
Kim on Facebook     Kim's Website

One thing we all have in common is an enduring love for a little-known literary gem, I CAPTURE THE CASTLE by Dodie Smith. The fact that so few people have read this book, and others that are just as amazing but nearly forgotten, is one of the reasons we launched this book review site, where readers can talk about their favorite books of all time - no matter how long ago they were published - so others can enjoy them, too.