Austin Public Library’s book picks for each stop on the 2025 Book Trail
To celebrate the 2025 Book Trail, a team of librarians at Austin Public Library put together a booklist of complementary titles for each bookstore stop on the trail! Keep reading to see what books the team picked.
Check out the original article on Austin Public Library’s website here.
Alienated Majesty Books — Wish I Was Here by Harrison, M. John
Your neighborhood source for "small presses, comics, works in translation, and titles you might not find elsewhere," as well as one-of-a-kind book releases and community events like Philly Cheesesteak Fest. Where else will you find Wish I Was Here, the anti-memoir and collection of "nowtbooks" by British space opera composer M. John Harrison and published by Serpent's Tail?
Austin Books and Comics — Far Sector by Jemisin, N. K.
In business since 1977, Austin Books and Comics is Central Texas’ biggest, longest-running, comics and pop culture retailer. They are a great place to buy and sell comics (collectible and otherwise). They pick a favorite new release each week. The first one of April is Absolute Green Lantern. Read N.K. Jemisin's Far Sector for more modern Green Lantern content.
Best Little Wine and Books — Cork Dork by Bosker, Bianca
Best Little Wine and Books is a cozy, curated space: part wine bar, part bottle shop, part book nook. Basically, it’s the ideal place to uncork a bottle and unwind with a book like Bianca Bosker’s Cork Dork, an immersive, entertaining read that provides a fascinating glimpse into the world of elite wine tasters.
Birdhouse Books and Gifts — Abuelita, I Am your Grandson by Lucero, Julio
Birdhouse Books and Gifts is an inviting, light-filled space offering carefully curated gifts for the book lovers in your life. This queer- woman- veteran-owned community-focused bookstore provides an inclusive and welcoming space for everyone. Abuelita, I Am Your Grandson, a collection of autobiographical stories, transports the reader behind the counter of a family run Mexican restaurant. The author, Julio Lucero, is a third generation Austinite, who draws his inspiration from his experience working in his family's business, Julio's Café in Hyde Park.
Black Pearl Books — Heads of the Colored People by Thompson-Spires, Nafissa
Honor a black woman owned, independent bookstore that focuses on promoting diversity, and representation in literature by reading a collection of stories written by a black woman and that touches on a wide variety of modern day racism and black identity.
BookPeople — Alright, Alright, Alright by Maerz, Melissa
BookPeople has been an Austin institution and household name here since 1970 which means our favorite (and least favorite) characters from Richard Linklater’s Dazed & Confused could have shopped at this Indie bookstore between baseball games and parties at the moon tower. Few things are as quintessentially Austin as this movie and BookPeople.
BookWoman — Summer Fun by Thornton, Jeanne
Celebrate Austin's oldest queer, feminist bookstore's 50th birthday with a local author's award-winning, queer, feminist novel! You can't visit BookWoman without finding a hidden gem that feels like it was meant just for you (often thanks to the staff's researched and curated recommendations!), and Gala, Summer Fun's main character, would have been a loyal customer after every heartbreak, personal epiphany, and unanswered letter.
Colossus Books — Plath by Plath, Sylvia
Colossus Books is named after Sylvia Plath's first book of poetry. A used bookstore in Lockhart, Texas, Colossus Books prides itself on having the best poetry section in Texas. They adore the Cambridge poets and work hard to stock both common and collectible books by Plath, Hughes, Gunn, Levenson and more. What better way to celebrate this bookstore than with its namesake?
Curio Mrvosa Books and More — A Sunny Place for Shady People by Enriquez, Mariana
This spooky bookstore "for the creative and the curious" is not just for the horror lovers. All types of readers can find a gem among the stacks. When you are curious, you might find wonder in the mundane. Mariana Enriquez’s newest short story collection, A Sunny Place for Shady People, will make you think about the curiosities and oddities in your everyday life.
Dragon's Lair Comics & Fantasy Austin — Magic, the Gathering by Annelli, Jay
Dragon’s Lair Comics & Fantasy Austin has been an Austin haven for over 35 years, serving up a healthy dose of comics, graphic novels, board games, tabletop games, role-playing games, miniatures, community events, and more! Currently seeing a resurgence in popularity is the beloved card game Magic: the Gathering, so what better way to get a taste than to read Magic the Gathering – The Visual Guide, by Jay Annelli. This beautifully illustrated tome details the mystical beings, fabled realms, and mythical creatures of the fantastical Multiverse.
First Light Books — The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Mackesy, Charlie
Launched with the goal of inspiring all those who visit. Named for daybreak and the possibilities that each new day brings, it also features a café that serves coffee to aid your inspiration. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse offers hope and inspiration in uncertain times through these animal and human friends.
Flutter Romance Bookstore — Not in Love by Hazelwood, Ali
One of the newest bookstores to the Austin area, Flutter Romance Bookstore caters to the romance community by offering books and events. Owned by local author, Laurelin Paige, who wants to foster the butterfly feeling associated with love stories. Try reading "Not in Love" by Ali Hazelwood for a love story set in Austin, from another local author.
Haunt Happy Books — The Graveyard Apartment by Koike, Mariko
Stay out of the basement! "Located in a creepy, old (and possibly haunted) basement." Haunt Happy has a wide selection of spooky, creepy, and scary books for all ages. That is, if you dare to walk down the stairs!
Keep Looking — The Newsstand: Independently Published Zines, Magazines, & Artist Books
Keep Looking is Austin's newsstand, featuring magazines and zines you can't find anywhere else in the city. They focus on printed works, especially highlighting local photographers and artists. They keep Popeye, Alei Journal, and Lampoon magazine on a regular rotation and love zines by David Tristman and Yan Cong. The Newsstand is a comprehensive collection of contemporary zine culture in New York and beyond, and showcases a different newsstand with a similar mission.
Lark and Owl Booksellers — Turning To Birds: The Power And Beauty Of Noticing by Taylor, Lili
Lark & Owl Booksellers is located in the heart of downtown Georgetown. They are dedicated to being pillars of their community by fostering diversity and inclusivity. Much like their namesake, Lark & Owl focuses on kindered connections.
Lioness Books — Roses, in the Mouth of A Lion by Rehman, Bushra
Lioness Books -- a mobile used bookseller -- operates out of a twenty-foot trailer. Serving as a neighborhood haven, it prides itself in offering books that represent a variety of voices. Like a lioness, it's fiercely protective of its community. Roses, in the Mouth of a Lion is a story of female friendship and queer love in a Muslim community in Queens.
Livra Books — The Waste Land and Other Writings by Eliot, T. S.
Livra Books & Curiosities is a curated, used and rare book store with interests in poetry, film, architecture, and more! The Waste Land by T.S. Eliot is one of the most influential poems in modern literature and continues to inspire and enrich the poetic canon of the West. Celebrate The Waste Land's one-hundred-and-third birthday and then head over to Livra Books and discover more rare books!
Magnolia Bookery and Gifts — A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Cathrall, Sylvie
Magnolia Bookery & Gifts is a wonderfully colorful and cozy local book store located in Lockhart, TX. With hundreds of titles as well as other cute gifts, such as socks, plushies, and stationary, this bookstore provides all kinds of wonder to those visting. A similarly wondrous kind of book is A Letter to the Luminous Deep by Sylvie Cathrall. A luminous novel about love, scientific discovery, and just a bit of mystery to keep things interesting, you'll find yourself cozying up at Magnolia Bookery and Gifts to start this novel before needing to take it home to finish!
Monkeywrench Books — A Natural History of Empty Lots by Brown, Christopher
"An all-volunteer event space, literature distro, and social hub" + a cross-genre collage of memoir and manifesto and ode to the natural world hiding in plain sight by Austin's favorite literally underground author.
Paper Bark Birch — The Story Cure by Berthoud, Ella
Paper Bark Birch is a children's bookstore that features events like The Cereal Book Club, Princess Storytime, and Mom Group Wednesdays (also known as "Drink coffee with friends, read books with kids"). The Story Cure, written for parents, suggests the right book for when a child is experiencing anything from insomnia to heartache to bullying.
Recycled Reads — Refashioned by Brown, Sass
Recycled Reads: With its mission of extending the life of books weeded from the Austin Public Library and donated by community, it has successfully diverted more than 3,600 tons of material from landfills. Refashioned features international clothing designers whose creations are fashioned from recycled materials and discarded garments.
Resistencia Bookstore — Borderlands by Anzaldúa, Gloria
Resistencia Bookstore serves as a neighborhood center for aspiring writers, specializing in Native, Chicana/o/x, Mexicana/o/x, Latina/o/x, African-American, feminist, queer, and children's bilingual literature. This mission mirrors the themes explored in Gloria Anzaldúa's Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza, a work that delves into cultural hybridity and identity through prose and poetry.
Reverie Books — Black in Blues by Perry, Imani
Reverie Books is located in South Austin's '45 neighborhood. Primarily a neighborhood bookstore with a mix of old and new, dedicated to social justice and community, with a mission of uplifting marginalized voices. Black in Blues by Imani Perry is a beautiful meditation on the connection of the color blue to the history of the African diaspora, traversing the history of the color blue's connection from Congo and Jamaica to the American South.
Sunday Bookshop — Kate & Frida by Fay, Kim
Sunday Bookshop is located in Dripping Springs with a curated selection of gifts, paper goods, home decor, candles, and more than 800 book titles. Additionally, Sunday Bookshop hosts a book club, the Sunday Bookshop Book Club that is free to attend! Kate & Frida by Kim Fay is a love letter to bookshops and booksellers.
The Book Burrow — The Cat Who Saved Books by Natsukawa, Sōsuke
Located in the Heart of Downtown Pflugerville, The Book Burrow is a haven for previously loved books and people looking for the perfect place to "Embrace Your Weird." They are experts in a "Blind Date With A Book" and the store is the workplace of their shop cat, Hunter (and Sally, though these days she prefers to work remotely). For a book with the same weird and wonderful energy as The Book Burrow (and featuring approximately the same number of cats) check out The Cat Who Saved Books.
The Little Gay Shop — American Teenager by Lang, Nico
Colorful and unabashedly queer-friendly, The Little Gay Shop carries everything from books to bumper stickers, t-shirts, and rare magazines. With events highlighting the diversity of the local queer community, The Little Gay Shop aims to make space for people of all ages. American Teenager, which features a journalist's cross-country trek to interview transgender teenagers and their loved ones, embodies the community-centered spirit that The Little Gay Shop cultivates.
Time Being Books — The Time Traveler's Wife by Niffenegger, Audrey
Love to browse? Time Being Books sees you. This secondhand bookstore located in East Austin is dedicated to preserving the practice of analog discovery. They offer books that spans genres, with an emphasis on the subjects of art, nature, and the avant-garde. The Time Traveler's Wife is a non-traditional love story about the relationship between an artist and a time traveling librarian.
Tribe Comics and Games — Hellboy by Mignola, Mike
Tribe Comics and Games is South Austin's best place for comic books, board games, role-playing games, and miniatures. Additionally, Tribe Comics & Games hosts many an event in their space to help you find that perfect graphic novel and/or comic book. The graphic novel, Hellboy. 05 Darkness Calls brings together two complete stories from the Hellboy-verse, Darkness Calls and The Wild Hunt. Travel south of Austin, and into the Underworld! And discover why Hellboy continues to hold our attention and our imagination. Once done, play a round of The Call of Cthulu!
Vintage Bookstore & Wine Bar — The Lost Bookshop by Woods, Evie
Walking into Vintage Bookstore & Wine Bar feels magical: the carefully curated collection, local art, waiting wine bar, plush seating, botanical wallpaper. This find is a special treasure in a world of cookie-cutter franchise businesses, just as fantastic and romantic as Evie Woods' The Lost Bookshop. Opaline, Martha and Henry are pulled into the spell of a vanishing bookshop that takes the reader on a surprisingly emotional journey.