Falling into a comfortable chair in a dimly lit room with a cup of coffee or cocoa to curl up and read a good book is an old and well-proven way to unwind and relax. But sometimes finding that perfect book can be difficult. When personalized book help and a keen attention to detail is what’s needed, the best place to go is a local independent bookstore. This month’s Brazos Reads is proud to present four of the best local independent bookstores in the Brazos Valley and with any luck, these shops will be where Brazos Valley book lovers can find their next great read.
Of Books and Men
Next to the historic Carnegie Public Library in Downtown Bryan lies a small shop with a swing sign and a tiny discount rack outside the front door. The square storefront is so small in fact that it only takes five or six steps to walk from one end to the other. But despite its size, Ed’s Bookshop is densely packed with books and personality.
Anyone who steps inside is greeted by wall-to-wall books and a cheerful hello from the namesake of the store, a thin older man with long grey hair, round glasses and the kind of smile that’s reserved for old friends, Ed Davis.
A few short months after retiring from his job as a history teacher, Ed and his wife opened their bookshop in 2016 because they knew they wouldn’t be content to sit at home.
“This is the old way we used to do things and just because it’s old doesn’t mean it’s no longer good,” Ed says. “This is not a job, this is something I get to do.”
Ed didn’t love reading from a young age, he didn’t even start reading for pleasure until he was well out of college. But after marrying a woman who loved to read and exploring his personal interests in the form of books, he developed a love for print books over time.
The collection that Ed’s Bookshop carries isn’t large but gives customers an insight into the owner’s interests. The largest two collections in the store are Western Texana books and World War II books with smaller sections of classical literature, fiction and philosophy books taking up the isles.
Ed loves his bookshop and it shows in how he runs it. He’s always quick to ask how each of his customer’s days have been and what they’re looking for. While he may not run an online storefront or mail-order books, each book in the store is handpicked by him and his wife. The warm and welcoming environment his store possesses is something Ed is extremely proud of and anyone is welcome to come in and pick up a book, flip through its pages, sit down on the couch and read it as much as they like without feeling any pressure to buy.
“Not everyone understands it but there’s something special about holding a book,” Ed says. “You look at them on the shelf like old friends.”
Ed’s Bookshop
201 S Main St, Bryan
edsbookshop.com
ed.davis3@verizon.net
(979) 255-5883
There and Back Again
Clean, sleek and welcoming are the words that best describe the inside of this brand-new bookstore. White shelves line the dark green walls, each one filled with a carefully curated collection of new and used books based on the owners' tastes and the requests of readers that walk through their store, ordering books and adding new genres to their stock at customer request.
Hyperbole Bookstore is owned and operated by the mother-daughter duo Kathy and Kalena Miller. After retiring from her work as a professor at Texas A&M University and later moving to Michigan near her daughter, the two decided to make their dream a reality.
“I had lived [in College Station] for 13 years and I had a huge community of friends from the university and church,” Kathy says. “It’s home and I thought it would be great to be back here.”
Hyperbole is focused on reaching out and hosting events for the local community. Running a local book club and looking to start a second one, hosting a Christmas party, story times for the kids, author signings and midnight release parties are just a few of the ways that the Millers engage with the community and foster local readers.
Kathy’s favorite memory of running Hyperbole was their first midnight release party for “Iron Flame” by Rebecca Yarros. With their original order of copies not arriving on time, Kathy and Kalena announced they were canceling the release party on social media. The publisher of The Empyrean series saw their post and reached out to make sure their party happened. Getting copies of the book directly from the publisher and special editions of the book from their contact's personal stock, they met up at a Starbucks and engaged in a “literary drug deal,” Kathy jokes. With copies of the book loaded into the back of her SUV Kathy and Kalena were able to make their first-ever midnight release party a roaring success.
“We had probably 60-70 people in [our store] and we’ll probably have more in here for the next [midnight release party] we’re having,” Kathy says.
Hyperbole hosts a story time every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. featuring multiple books and easy crafts for the kids. Each weekend, they welcome a dozen or more kids and their parents into the store to read books and make everything from cat puppets to paper plate snails.
Hyperbole Bookstore
1275 Arrington Rd., Ste. 102, College Station
hyperbolebookstore.com
hyperbolebookstore@gmail.com
(979) 422-3427
Lord of the Bookstores
Nineteen years and three locations is a long history for any local business but it’s the people that make The Book Nook in Downtown Brenham a longstanding pillar in the Brazos Valley’s independent bookstore story.
The store is filled with a warm glow with greenery hanging from the ceiling and growing in the corners. The second a customer steps through the door they’re greeted with a warm smile, a cheerful hello and an offer for any help that they may need.
Stefani Kelley has owned and operated The Book Nook since 2009 and has been working in the bookstore industry since she was 16 years old. Through the years, the business has gone through multiple phases from competing with Amazon to deciding to sell only used books and then moving to a bigger location and refocusing on offering new and collectible books all available on their online store as well as in person.
“I was in college to be an English teacher because I liked reading,” Stefani says. “Working in a bookstore you’re surrounded by people who also love books.”
The best part of running an independent bookstore for Stefani is being able to surprise her customers with those unexpected finds that create a sense of wonder in a reader. During our interview, an elderly couple stepped through the front door, escaping the constant drizzle of the rain outside. Stefani immediately rose to greet them and ask how their day was and what they were looking for.
While still shaking their umbrellas free from the clinging drops of rain they told Stefani that they were looking for a book on the history of the Brazos County courthouses. Maintaining a perfect smile and the conversation by asking where they had just come from Stefani guided them to the back of the store where they keep their Texana and history collections.
After the couple left, Stefani sat back down and immediately jumped back into answering the question I had asked more than five minutes ago. It’s this kind of dedicated service that makes independent bookstores like The Book Nook special. This is part of the reason the Brenham community enjoys supporting its local businesses and with the increased interest in reading fueled by TikTok The Book Nook is doing better than ever, Stefani adds.
“We’re here,” Stefani says. “We’re not just used books. We’re not just new books. We’re not just books. We have something for everybody even if you’re not a reader.”
The Book Nook
108 S. Douglas St, Brenham
brenhambooknook.com
books@brenhambooknook.com
(979) 836-7323
Down the Rabbit Hole
For Navasota residents and visitors looking for a break from the ordinary, there exists a bookstore with a touch of whimsy. The narrow rows are densely packed with books and twist in on themselves like a maze of titles and authors. Transporting readers from the barren deserts of the Wild West to the grand castles of medieval France in a few short strides.
The owner of the Muddy Water Bookstore, Suzie Linnenbank, is quick on her feet coming to greet every customer that walks into the store and is always ready to offer a witty remark and a sharp smile as she helps shoppers find their new printed treasures. The entire store oozes with an almost chaotic personality that beckons to be explored and investigated.
“[I want] my store to be unique and you just have to see it,” Suzie says. “We cater to everyone, every genre, every age, and if you can’t find something we can order it.”
Offering new and used books, stickers, comics and manga alongside classic literature, vinyl records, stickers and tarot cards, Muddy Water Bookstore offers something for every kind of book lover. Catering to the community’s needs is what makes the store so successful.
“I can’t just order things I love,” Suzie says. “It took me many years to figure out what people want. It’s fun. I try to make it fun.”
Muddy Water Bookstore has an otherworldly quality to it that only intensifies when you learn that the store is allegedly haunted by a handful of spirits led by the building’s former owner, Mr. Lindley. While an occasional book may fly off the shelf or a soft voice heard around the corner when no one else is around, the spectral shopkeepers of Muddy Water are nothing to fear, Suzie says.
“My vision for this store was to just enjoy, to just sit down and chill, drink some coffee and relax,” Suzie says. “[My customers say] it’s very comfortable and peaceful in here.”
Muddy Water Bookstore
120 E Washington Ave, Navasota
muddywaterbooks.com
suzie@muddywaterbooks.com
(936) 900-4662
