Bookstore Tour of Huntsville

My brother Richard and I were in Huntsville on a recent weekend, and we spent that Saturday tooling around the city visiting several bookstores, including a side trip to Priceville, as well as a few other favorite stops. Many of my previous bookstore postings can be found here; others include Branch Books in Hartselle, Branch Books 2 in Cullman, and the Goodwill Bookstore in Pelham.  

See my comments below the photos for details on this particular journey. 

Our first stop involved brunch at Southern Egg Cafe on Bailey Cove in southeast Huntsville. We've eaten here a number of times in the past year or so, and have really enjoyed it. We do eggs/bacon/biscuit/cheese grits, but their menu is extensive and they also offer lunch and dinner. The "Breakfast All Day" is just so hard to resist. 

Several years ago the South Huntsville Public Library opened on Bailey Cove Road. This branch in the city's library system replaced two older branches in the area. We stop here often on our trips to Huntsville to donate books and buy some new ones in the bookstore operated by the branch's friends group.

Also on Bailey Cove is a now empty older branch just down the road from mom's house. She and dad used this branch for many years, and she worked as a volunteer in the quarterly book sales. That's where she bought many books that she, Richard and I read in turn and discussed by authors like J.A. Jance, Stuart Woods and the delightful McNally detective novels by Lawrence Sanders. 

Just a random artifact on the road to Priceville Discount Books. 

Priceville is a small town in Morgan County between Somerville and Decatur. I wrote about the historic courthouse in Somerville back in 2014. Several years ago we discovered this bookstore, and Richard, son Amos and I have visited a number of time since and purchased many tomes. Naturally I've done a post on this place. You can find out more on their Facebook page.

Later we arrived at Booklegger on Holmes Avenue in northwest Huntsville. This bookstore has been a long family tradition; dad used to frequent the place which has been operating since the 1970s. Richard, Amos and I have been many times. My blog post on it was written in 2021. Ownership has changed since then, and the new owner has been busy upgrading the place. 

We always work up a thirst by book hunting, and this establishment near Booklegger has been a frequent place to take care of that problem. The Nook has operated in Huntsville under various names since the 1960s, when it was originally Napoleon's Nook and a favorite steakhouse of Werner von Braun and friends. The place reopened in 2007 under its current name and offers more than 400 beers, with 80 on tap and 36 Alabama brews. Wines and stiffer libations are also available. 

Richard seems excited to be escaping the real world. 

Before our final bookstore of the day, we stopped at Das Stahl Bierhaus in the same retail strip in southwest Huntsville as the Bookwyrm. This place has a large selection of foreign and domestic beers as well as a bar and seating.

Signs for these two Alabama breweries were on the wall at Das Stahl Bierhaus.

The Bookwyrm, our last bookstore of the day is a new one in Huntsville. We found the selection large and eclectic, and both bought a few items. 

Our final stop of the day before heading back to mom's was dinner at the Viet House, a favorite in recent years. The menu is extensive, but we always seem to order one of their clay pots--so much good food! Oh, and this restaurant plays low volume light jazz, which makes conversation easy.

And here are a  few of the purchases we made. We've been reading through John D. MacDonald's books, especially the Travis McGhee novels, for the past couple of years. Harlan Coben is a new author we're trying; we've enjoyed some of his novel adaptations by Netflix. The logo on the book in the upper right means it's a crime novel about the Saint, Simon Templar, by Leslie Charteris. 

Branch Books 2 in Cullman

In July I wrote a piece on Branch Books in Hartselle. As I noted then, "I've written a number of blog posts about Alabama bookstores past and present. There's even a blog post linking to many of them." The owners of the Hartselle store, Robert and Cheryl Kahlstorf, opened another store in Cullman in early July that offers inventory they didn't have room for in Hartselle. 

Naturally I had to check it out and made a visit in early December. Like the other store, the new one offers used books in many categories ranging from adult fiction to history, religion, children's books, etc. Also on sale are DVDs, CDs and audiobooks. 

I found a few books to buy, including a special one noted at the end. If you are in the area, a stop at either book store is well worth the time.

You can also visit the stores' web site and Facebook page.

I found this item for my son Amos, signed by the author. Barra grew up in Birmingham and has also published a history of Rickwood Field. 

A Goodwill Book Store in Pelham

A few months ago I visited the Goodwill donation site near our home in Pelham for the first time and found myself in a bookstore. Needless to say I have returned a few times since, usually finding some  books to purchase. I'm supposed to be downsizing my book collection, and I have done so. More books are going out than coming in these days!

You can see a few photos below. I've also included some of an old school book I found on one visit, but did not purchase. The next time I returned it was gone....

This small used bookstore is worth a visit if you are in the area. Bring some donations, too. The location opened in July 2020 in a former A&W Root Beer location. Pelham has had a few other bookstores over the years, but the only one currently operating is Goodwill. 

Over the years I've written a number of posts about Alabama used bookstores. One item described a recent visit my brother and I made to Branch Books in Hartselle. Another piece in 2017 was devoted to the late, lamented Books, Etc., also in Pelham, and a successor to Betty's Books. 

The small retail space does offer some items besides books. 

Several of the Laidlaw Basic Readers can be found on the Internet Archive.

This text was provided by the state of Alabama to schools in Franklin County. The copy seems to have been well used!

This book was copyrighted in 1940. Laidlaw Brothers of Illinois began in 1919 and was acquired by Doubleday in 1964. At one point Doubleday was the largest publisher in the U.S.

A lot of these old school books have some neat illustrations.

More about Betty's Books here. 

Branch Books in Hartselle

On June 24 my brother Richard and I made our way to Hartselle to check out a used bookstore new to us, Branch Books. We do that sort of thing when we can. We were not disappointed by the visit. 

The store has two large rooms and a few small ones filled with tall, stuffed shelves. As you can see from some of the photos there are numerous sections, including some not shown such as children's, rare and vintage books and westerns.

Naturally Richard and I picked up some goodies. I was especially glad to find several Erle Stanley Gardner's Perry Mason novels and a couple of John Creasey's adventure novels featuring The Toff, an English upper class sleuth. 

A second store by the same name has recently opened in Cullman. The Hartselle store's Facebook page is here. The prices are good and selection large, so I recommend a visit if you are in the area. 

I've written a number of blog posts about Alabama bookstores past and present. There's even a blog post linking to many of them. I've also posted about a "quick visit" to Hartselle. 

A few more comments are below. 

Richard is looking for some Travis McGee novels by John D. MacDonald that he hasn't read. We're both making our way through those books. 

The store has a science fiction, fantasy and horror room.

There's even a Christmas section!

Of course, I had to check out the Alabama & Local Authors section.