#21: Books Are Magic

Do you believe in magic?

The Shop: Books Are Magic

Cobble Hill, BK: 225 Smith St

It’s nice to be reminded how magical books are sometimes, so Smith Street’s Books Are Magic gets points on name alone. This store typifies the sleek aesthetics of Cobble Hill elegance— a beautiful storefront of exposed brick, minimal wooden shelves, and A++ graphic design choices all around. The selection gravitates towards new, hip, and colorful (as does the merch). The back of the store is an epic kids section complete with adorable reading nooks. You might overhear a conversation about how Kate from Taming of the Shrew was an early girlboss, and you might also overhear a conversation about somebody’s podcast (I heard two), but you’re certainly going to find something cool.

What I Got:

The Black Tides of Heaven 

While fantasy isn’t my main nerd focus (I’m more of a music/film/comic nerd), I know enough to know Neon Yang is blowing up in a big way. I’m excited to dig in a new genre that Ken Liu has dubbed “silkpunk”— think steampunk, but substitute pseudo Victorian leather and goggles for inspiration from classical East Asian culture. This is the first novel in the Tensorate series (currently four deep), because all fantasy novels must be part of a series.