
Explore Houston bookstores during a second annual bookstore crawl
Bookworms, it's time for the mad dash to see how many indie shops you can make it to before the end of April.
State of play: 25 bookstores have united for the second annual Houston Bookstore Crawl.
And, boy, do we have a variety all throughout the Greater Houston area — from shops that have existed for decades, like Brazos Bookstore, to new genre-specific ones, like Mossrose Bookshop.
Other participants include Pearland's LIT Java book and coffee shop; pop-up Candescent Books; Murder by the Book in Rice Village; and Copperfield's Books in Spring.
Check out a map of the booksellers.
How it works: Pick up a crawl card at one of the 25 participating stores. Get your card stamped or signed by each of the stores you visit through the end of April.
Once you visit 10, you can submit your card to any of the participating bookstores to be entered into a raffle for gifts.
Every store you hit after the first 10 counts as an additional entry. The cards must be turned in by the end of business on April 30.

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Axios
01-04-2025
- Axios
Explore Houston bookstores during a second annual bookstore crawl
Bookworms, it's time for the mad dash to see how many indie shops you can make it to before the end of April. State of play: 25 bookstores have united for the second annual Houston Bookstore Crawl. And, boy, do we have a variety all throughout the Greater Houston area — from shops that have existed for decades, like Brazos Bookstore, to new genre-specific ones, like Mossrose Bookshop. Other participants include Pearland's LIT Java book and coffee shop; pop-up Candescent Books; Murder by the Book in Rice Village; and Copperfield's Books in Spring. Check out a map of the booksellers. How it works: Pick up a crawl card at one of the 25 participating stores. Get your card stamped or signed by each of the stores you visit through the end of April. Once you visit 10, you can submit your card to any of the participating bookstores to be entered into a raffle for gifts. Every store you hit after the first 10 counts as an additional entry. The cards must be turned in by the end of business on April 30.


Axios
10-03-2025
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Hot romance novel recs from Houston's newest romance bookstore owner
Looking to read a romance book? Whether you want heartwarming happiness, deep empathy, or a guaranteed happily ever after, here are some romance reads to add to your list. Between the lines: Romance has long been judged and dismissed, but crafting a story that follows a classic trope, promises a happily ever after, and still keeps readers hooked is a skill. There's something for everyone — whether it's a complex contemporary tale, historical drama, fantasy, sports romance, or even birding. And, of course, the spicy reads are still there. Here are Mossrose Bookshop owner Andrea Sifuentes' recommendations: 😊 New to romance?" Lovelight Farms" by B.K. Borison is the start of the rom-com small-town series featuring a data analyst and an optimistic Christmas tree farm owner. If you prefer to start with a less-spicy series, " When in Rome" by Sarah Adams offers a sweet romance between a stranded pop star and a small-town baker. 📜 Historical fiction? " Ana María and the Fox" by Liana De la Rosa delivers a Latina Regency-era love story between a Mexican heiress and a shrewd British politician. 🏳️🌈 Looking for a queer read? " Ander & Santi Were Here" by Jonny Garza Villa follows a nonbinary Mexican American teen falling for the shy new waiter at their family's taqueria. 🏀 Sports and spicy? Check out " The Windy City" series by Liz Tomforde for a sports romance fix, from hockey to basketball.


Axios
07-03-2025
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Houston gets its 1st romance bookstore
Love stories have a new home in Houston. Mossrose Bookshop, the city's first bookstore dedicated to romance, opens Saturday. Why it matters: What began as a pop-up last spring has found a permanent home, marking a local success story and a nod to the rising popularity of romance books — and romance bookstores — nationwide. Zoom in: Mossrose Bookstore opens in Iron Works, the mixed-use business hub in the East End, offering a cozy space filled with indie titles, books in Spanish and romance across a variety of genres. Behind the scenes: Owner Andrea Sifuentes grew up on Moss Rose Street in the East End. She moved around in her adult years, and when she returned to Houston last year, she was shocked to see the lack of a bookstore in her neighborhood. "The whole time growing up, there was never a bookstore in my area, so I fully expected for things to have changed," Sifuentes says. "It really hadn't changed much. There weren't really new bookstores, none geared toward romance, none with an emphasis on any kind of Latina culture." So Sifuentes started a pop-up, making sure to include books in Spanish — and it was a hit. Now, Houston's romance readers will have a dedicated space to shop. Between the lines: Sifuentes prioritized diverse reads for her bookstore. Alongside mainstream titles, she highlights indie authors — especially those from Houston — seeking out books with strong representation of main characters and narratives. She also curates translated works and stories that explore family dynamics and platonic relationships. What they're saying: Sifuentes knows people read e-books and buy online, but she thinks there's still something special about browsing for your next read in person. "Seeing a book sitting in your home and reminding you of whatever it is that that book triggered for you, I think can be such a good moment, and I think also coming into a bookstore to find one of those books — that's the kind of a feeling that a lot of people resonate with," Sifuentes tells Axios. The big picture: Print sales of romance books have more than doubled in the last few years, with many people turning to the comfort and escape of a love story during the pandemic. Bookstores dedicated to the genre have been popping up from Dallas to Minneapolis and Denver. Now, even more niche shops are emerging, like a romantasy bookstore in Cleveland. The intrigue: Mossrose isn't Houston's first genre-specific bookstore. Murder By the Book, one of the nation's oldest and largest mystery-focused bookstores, has been a local staple since 1980. Stop by: Sifuentes is an attorney by day and a bookstore owner on the weekend, so Mossrose will initially open Saturdays and Sundays from 10am-6pm, with Friday afternoon hours likely to be added soon. The 300-square-foot shop will launch with over 500 books. Sifuentes hopes to add a listening station — a nod to the old-school Barnes & Noble days — and host events with authors, starting with a series of local author signings on opening weekend. Go deeper: Check out Sifuentes' book recommendations.