I was sitting in the Chelsea Royal Diner just outside of Brattleboro, Vermont when my conversation with the waitress took a turn toward what I was doing in the area, and we began down a path I have grown all too familiar with. Over the course of the last year of road trips and visiting bookshops, my conversations with people who learn about this endeavor of mine have naturally and consistently led to two questions: What’s the best local bookshop, and what makes a bookshop truly great?