Ep. 203: An Indie Bookstore's First Year with Gayle Weiswasser (Co-Founder of Wonderland Books)
In Episode 203, Gayle Weiswasser, co-founder of Wonderland Books, an independent bookstore in Bethesda, Maryland, returns to the podcast with Sarah for a one-year check-in on the shop’s journey. From holiday-season chaos to surprising customer favorites, Gayle shares what worked, what didn’t, and why she still handpicks every title on the shelves — plus the biggest lessons (and mistakes) from year one. Plus, Gayle shares some great book recommendations.
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CLICK HERE for the full episode Show Notes on the blog.
Highlights
- Gayle shares what it was like to open the bookstore right before the holiday season.
- How the store’s first year compared to their original projections and expectations.
- The now-dispelled fears Gayle had before opening.
- Why she’s glad they curated every book in their inventory themselves, and why they still do all the book buying in-house.
- The course correction Wonderland had to make in their romance section.
- The biggest mistake they made before opening their doors.
- Which genres and titles have become customer favorites and which don’t seem to sell well.
- How they plan and host book events — and why those events are such a key part of the store’s community success.
- The books that taught them exactly how (and how not) to decide how many copies to order.
- The surprising punch poetry has packed with customers.
- Whether Gayle’s own reading life has bounced back after the pre-opening stress and time crunch.
Gayle’s Book Recommendations [39:12]
Two OLD Books She Loves
- One’s Company by Ashley Hutson (2022) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [39:25]
- Sam by Allegra Goodman (2023) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [42:46]
- Other Books Mentioned
- The Knockout Queen by Rufi Thorpe (2020) [44:40]
- The Girls from Corona del Mar by Rufi Thorpe (2014) [44:42]
Two NEW Books She Loves
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [45:01]
- What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[47:18]
- Other Books Mentioned
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach (2024) [46:56]
- Pretty Things by Janelle Brown (2020) [49:06]
One Book She DIDN’T Love
- Back After This by Linda Holmes (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [49:55]
- Other Books Mentioned
- Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes (2019) [51:14]
- Flying Solo by Linda Holmes (2022) [53:34]
One NEW RELEASE She’s Excited About
- Wreck by Catherine Newman (October 28, 2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org[53:57]
- Other Books Mentioned
Last 5-Star Book Gayle Read
- The Names by Florence Knapp (2025) | Amazon | Bookshop.org [55:34]
Books from the Discussion
- Atmosphere by Taylor Jenkins Reid (2025) [16:30]
- Onyx Storm by Rebecca Yarros (2025) [25:41]
- The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (2025) [26:39]
- The Wedding People by Alison Espach (2024) [26:40]
- The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon (2023) [26:42]
- James by Percival Everett (2024) [30:09]
- Heartwood by Amity Gaige (2025) [31:28]
- Mark Twain by Ron Chernow (2025) [31:38]
- Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green (2025) [31:55]
- Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams (2025) [32:00]
- Cher: Part One: The Memoir by Cher (2024) [32:25]
- Gwyneth: The Biography by Amy Odell (2025) [32:35]
- Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed to Get Old by Brooke Shields and Rachel Bertsche (2025) [33:07]
- Yoko Ono: A Biography by David Sheff (2025) [33:10]
- My Friends by Fredrik Backman (2025) [38:29]
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