In this first episode of Booked In with Beyond Text, Tanya Sedneva shares how a failed teenage attempt to become a radio DJ somehow led her back to the mic years later — this time as the owner of an independent bookstore.

What starts as a personal story quickly turns into a glimpse of what really happens inside a small bookstore. It’s not quiet or predictable — it’s full of people, moments, and stories you don’t expect.

From an impromptu SAT test at the counter, to a homecoming proposal between the shelves, to a letter that arrived from prison — this episode is about the life of a bookstore, and the people who make it what it is.