Memorial District book lovers, this post is for you! World Book Day is an annual United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) event that takes place on April 23 to celebrate the joy of reading. Whether you need new book recommendations or already have a to-be-read stack of books as tall as your ceiling, you can find places to bring out your inner bookworm right here in the Memorial District.
When it comes to finding new books in an actual bookshop, the Barnes and Noble (12850 Memorial Dr, Unit 1600, Houston, TX 77024) at Town and Country Village is probably the best place to visit first. Every month, Barnes and Noble issues its monthly picks of books that often showcase a breadth of genres. The store also has an exciting range of titles you may not have heard of, such as Grace D. Li’s caper, Portrait of a Thief.
This April, have dinner with true-crime aficionados, rewind time to a brothel in ancient Pompeii, enjoy a magical twist on Gatsby, recenter the women in Greek myths, visit an elite boarding school and fight back against 13 witches. #BNMonthlyPicks https://t.co/ywTityrDUO pic.twitter.com/o690I9vs7E
— Barnes & Noble (@BNBuzz) April 1, 2022
PORTRAIT OF A THIEF is a caper novel full of heists with a very fun Chinese American cast — and our latest #BNDiscover Pick! Listen to @gracedli on the latest episode of #PouredOver and check out our exclusive #BNReads guest blog post! @TinyRepBooks https://t.co/uyBtrTo6tK pic.twitter.com/GH7RrwiZHL
— Barnes & Noble (@BNBuzz) April 9, 2022
Urban Outfitters (799 Town and Country Blvd, Houston, TX 77024) has a quirky, unique selection of books for sale that you might not expect to see at a fashion retail store. For example, you could give Bullet Train by Kotaro Isaka a try before this story hits the silver screen this summer over at Cinemark Memorial City (310 Memorial City Way, Houston, TX 77024) and Studio Movie Grill CITYCENTRE (822 Town and Country Blvd, Houston, TX 77024). Are you or a young person in your home into animé? Urban Outfitters also has cool graphic novels, such as Naruto stories by Masashi Kishimoto and Demon Slayer stories by Koyoharu Gotouge.
You can also find a wonderful selection of books for the whole family at Target Memorial City (984 Gessner Rd, Houston, TX 77024). They have a fantastic variety of genres available, including bestsellers, fiction, nonfiction, mystery and crime, children’s books, thrillers, romance and more. You might also look to Trudy’s Hallmark Memorial City (303 Memorial City, Unit 834, Houston, TX 77024) for a light assortment of children’s books. As you might imagine, the books on offer at Trudy’s Hallmark are great as gifts, especially for the holidays, and you can pick up the greeting cards to go along with them there.
Although Spring Branch Memorial Branch Library (930 Corbindale Rd, Houston, TX 77024), part of the Harris County Public Libraries, is not right in the heart of our district, it is just a stone’s throw away. It’s a great place to find books to borrow and bring to a café, outdoor area, or restaurant here in our neighborhood. For outdoor reading, we recommend visiting a great Memorial District spot like the Conrad Sauer Detention Basin, which people already know and love as spot for biking and hiking. Want to spend time reading at a café or restaurant? How about giving Memorial District newcomers a try; for example, you could grab your books and head over to Daily Gather (800 Sorella Ct, Unit 940, Houston, TX 77024) or Postino Wine Café (791 Town and Country Blvd, Unit 146, Houston, TX 77024).
Whatever books you plan to read on your own or with a young person in your family, we know you can find great books and places to read here in the Memorial District. Happy reading!