Blogs

If you’ve ever been by our store, you know how much we value kids’ books — they take up half of the available real estate in our pint-sized happy place. There’s good reason for that: Children’s books create tomorrow’s readers. And great children’s books are great books, plain and simple. In fact, we believe that readers of all ages should read a kids’ book or two every now and then. And by happy accident, our latest roundup of reviews is decidedly kid-centric. So whether you’re looking for the young reader in your life, or for something to remind you of the magic of children’s stories, dive in. 

Valentine's Day is drawing near, and love is in the air. One of the very best ways to celebrate, in our opinion, is with a fresh stack of literary rom-coms for your side table or nightstand. And one of the best of those that you can read this month is I'm So (Not) Over You by Kosoko Jackson. It's funny and fresh, sassy and steamy, and was on *everyone's* "most-anticipated rom-coms" list heading into the year.

We're uttery delighted to be hosting Kosoko for a fun virtual event on February 24. (He's appearing in conversation with the incredible Leah Johnson, which makes the whole thing even better.) The book doesn't come out until the 22nd, so you'll have to wait until just after the holiday to fall in love Hudson and Kian... but you can tide yourselves over by checking out our Q&A with Kosoko below!

Have you been staying safe and warm, friends? It feels so odd to go from t-shirts and shorts to parkas and plant covers all within a few short days. Happily, the extra time indoors has meant more hours for reading — and we've got quite a few new books on our shelves that we think you're going to love. Below, read through our latest staff picks, from gentle picture books to twisty mysteries. It's one of our classic all-ages, all-interests roundups — dig in and add a few to your shelves. You won't be disappointed!

February is Black History Month, and we always love to celebrate by sharing some reading recommendations with you all. Here, we’ve collected a list of recently-released and forthcoming books by just a few of our favorite Black creators—from longtime friends of the shop to new voices we're eager to hear more of. The recommendations below span all ages and interests, so whether you're looking for a gentle picture book to share with the young readers in your life, a breathtaking piece of YA fantasy, a romcom, or a thought-provoking piece of nonfiction, you're sure to find something you'll love. Read on!

Every so often, we come across a picture book that we just know is going to be an instant classic. One recent example is the beautiful Nigel and the Moon, written by debut author Antwan Eady and illustrated by Gracey Zhang. It's a timeless and lovely depiction of a child's courage to dream, with poetic text and evocative ink, gouache, and watercolor illustrations. With its themes of self-acceptance and dreaming big, we know it will inspire young readers for many years to come.

We're so excited to welcome Antwan and Gracey to our virtual Bookworm Festival next Thursday, where they'll appear alongside Meg Wolitzer in a conversation moderated by Jarrett Pumphrey (The Old Truck). You can register for their session and peruse the rest of our Bookworm Festival programming from this page. In the meantime, check out our conversation with Antwan, Gracey, and editor Mabel Hsu below!

It’s been cold and wet here in Houston, and all we want to do about it is curl up with a good book and a fire. We guess that makes us creatures of comfort… so it makes sense that we’re featuring books this week with a whole cast of critters — foxes and bears, chickens and hares — including a gang of woodland characters that kick off a kooky new mystery series. Plus, we have new books from heavy hitters including the late, great Gary Paulsen, Jason Reynolds, and Isabel Allende, and other novels to fit whatever literary mood may strike you. Cozy up and read on!

Houston’s own YA superstar J. Elle returns to the shelves this month with Ashes of Gold, the epic finale of her bestelling Wings of Ebony duology. Friends, the book is going to knock your socks off, and we can’t wait to share it with you soon — in fact, we’re lucky enough to be hosting a virtual event with the author on January 12 to help celebrate its publication. J. Elle appear in conversation with fellow YA author Brigid Kemmerer, and we’ve been looking forward to it for months. There’s more exciting news, too: If you buy your copy of Ashes of Gold with us before January 7, it will be signed and personalized by the author — who’s also kicking in an exclusive bookmark! 

We had the chance to catch up with J. Elle before our event and ask her a few questions about the new book, writing Houston, and what’s next. Check out our conversation below — and we’ll see you on the 12th!

The holidays have come and gone, our events calendar is filling back up, and the shop is humming along with happy browsers and boxes of new releases. It’s already shaping up to be a good year for reading — whether you’re the type of reader who sets specific reading goals or the sort who prefers to let the shelves show the way, you’re sure to find something to enjoy among our latest list of staff favorites below. No matter whether you start off your year of reading with a sweet picture book, a romance, a mystery, or something else entirely, here’s to good health, good cheer, and good books in 2022.

Here at the shop, we’ve wrapped up our year of reading and have switched to wrapping up your holiday gifts. But even with our merry band of booksellers in full-on elf mode, we still wanted to highlight a few upcoming releases that we just know you’re going to love. This week, we have a list of books to look for in the first few months of 2022 — and one more 2021 release from two of our favorite picture book creators that’s sneaking in just under the wire. We’ll have plenty more winter and spring recommendations to share in the weeks ahead. Until then, read on!

The year’s winding down and the holidays are picking up. What does that mean? More time to read! This week, we’re featuring new books for all ages, including two that are perfect for the holidays: A sweet picture book about community bonds and a tender novella that screams “future Christmas classic.” Break out the blankets, cozy up to some cocoa, and read on.