If there’s one consistent routine I have while traveling, it’s visiting a local bookshop. I’ve explored some of the most famous bookstores in the most well-traveled cities: City Lights in San Francisco, the Strand in Manhattan, Shakespeare and Company in Paris, and Powell’s in Portland. While they’re all worth visiting and certainly live up to their illustrious reputations, there’s nothing quite like a small town or neighborhood bookshop. For cozy vibes, attentive staffers, and an unhurried pace, they’re hard to beat.
Two Decembers ago, I took my then 10-year-old son to Georgetown to coax us into the seasonal spirit. The downtown, decked out in its holiday best, overdelivered in its Hallmark charm—we were serenaded by carolers on the courthouse steps as we strolled around the square. After browsing a few shops for Christmas gifts and stopping for waffle cones at Scoops inside All Things Kids, we headed to Lark & Owl Booksellers on 6th Street. My son quickly found the brightly colored kids section, with toys and a two-story book nook, and spent the next half-hour there while I browsed. I left with one of the staff-recommended books, The Sentence by Louise Erdrich. It ended up being one of my top three reads of the year and is, incidentally, set in a bookshop.
I’ve had similarly delightful experiences in bookstores across the state—the Book Nook in Brenham, Burrowing Owl Books in Canyon, Brazos Bookstore in Houston, The Book Attic in Tomball, to name a few. We’re lucky in Texas to have such a thriving independent bookstore scene, which continues to grow. And bookshops are just one entry point into the state’s literary landscape. Read on for the full story on Texas’ bookish destinations.
