I recently had a magical experience at an Indiana bookstore. I cannot exactly tell you how long I was in there because I firmly believe that, no matter what, it was not long enough. My husband found me sitting on the floor looking at countless treasures. I looked up at him, smiled and said “I’m just so happy right now.” Now that is the hallmark of a truly great bookstore!
One of the things that stood out to me at Hyde Brothers is the sheer volume of books in the store. There is absolutely no excuse to leave empty handed people. Absolutely no excuse! This store, to me, is exactly how a bookstore should be. This is not Barnes and Noble. Please note I do not have anything against Barnes and Noble. By this I mean this is not a mass market bookstore. It is the kind of bookstore that has magic in EVERY nook and cranny.
As you can see there are tons of books, narrow passage ways and LOTS to discover. There is also a method to the madness. While this is not how I would choose to organize a bookstore it did lead to a fun experience in finding my favored topics. It was better than a scavenger hunt. It was a bookish adventure. The best kind of adventure. Once I gained a better idea of the sheer volume on their shelves I thought to myself:
I have favorite bookstores but none of them have the stock that Hyde Brothers does. I was glad to discover that they had both old and new on the shelves. By old I mean published eighty years ago. Here is perfect example of their shelves. The newish meets the old meets the gorgeous old spines.
I have always wanted to visit a bookstore that has cats roaming about. I finally got that with Hyde Brothers. Lazying about the store are Scout and Sherlock. Upon starting my browsing I was looking up. My husband nudged me and pointed down. That was my first glance of cats. Scout was sitting next to a foot stool. Absolutely content and totally ignoring the humans excited to see her. I was ecstatic. I was thrilled when I realized the cat was following me down stairs because, in my mind, this meant we were fast friends. Come follow me kitty! Show me where the good stuff is!
So I know what you are all wondering. What books did you buy??? Here is my Hyde Brothers book haul:
Let me break this down for you.
Right as you walk in you are bombarded (in a good way) by discounted books. Hurrah! Paperbacks are fifty cents and hardbacks a buck. I picked up a biography of Golden Age of Hollywood actor Robert Mitchum.
When my husband found me on the floor I had just discovered old editions of Roald Dahl. I had never seen this cover before of Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. I look forward to future trips and finding a great edition of Matilda! It will happen. It is written in the bookish stars.
I have read some on Eleanor of Aquitaine. If you do not know who that is please follow this link: Learn more about Eleanor of Aquataine! My eye was immediately drawn to the spine of this book. I pulled it off the shelf and immediately loved it. It is from the 1960s and will go great in my collection of powerful and influential women!
So I was carrying a shopping basket around and ended up passing it off to my husband once it got heavy. Of course this was relatively early in the trip Before heading to the register I looked through the basket. I quickly realized that my love of non-fiction still shines through. It is completely clear to me what I am drawn to in a bookstore. Mainly women throughout history.
I look forward to more visits to this absolutely charming bookstore. I easily could have spent all day there. However, I know that my fantasy audio book listening husband can only take so much of a bookstore! If you would like to learn more about Hyde Brothers they have a Facebook and Instagram page. Their Instagram will keep you up-to-date on kitties Scout and Sherlock!
It was truly a magical bookish experience!
This Bookish Life 
Neat experience!
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