#61: Dear Friend Books

Wise women fish there

Dear Friend Books

Bed Stuy, Brooklyn: 343A Tompkins Ave

Another bookstore opened on Tompkins? I can smell my rent going up. Dear Friend Books is more of a cafe than a bookstore. It’s a very nice cafe with multiple ice tea options (I don’t drink coffee so a bomb tea selection warms my heart). Design wise, it hits the three M’s of contemporary Brooklyn: minimalism, marble, and maybe my apartment could look like this if I just put in some effort, dammit! There’s the classic Bed-Stuy backyard perfect for hanging and chatting, and oh yeah, also books. There are not a ton of books, but they are all Interesting and Not Cheap. There are some really cool finds here but most of them felt highly pricey for pre-loved books. My theory is they are priced as such because they’re mainly a design element of the store, who’s probably getting most of their revenues from those tasty teas! There’s also some cool sketch books in the back. Book Club beware— this spot is getting a wine menu soon. 

What I got:

Paradoxia

This is a controversial classic about crazy sex by a living legend of the grimy, noisy side of the NYC arts scene. Lydia Lunch has written droves of albums, plays, books, and even a few comics, but I’m still a Lunch novice so I couldn’t pass this one up.

Black Iced Tea

The world may be dying but dang wasn’t this a refreshing treat for a 75 degree Saturday in November!