by Candice Huber, SIBA Membership Coordinator

Third House Books, located in Gainesville, FL, describes itself as a small bookstore that specializes in titles from small independent presses and marginalized voices. Their small inventory (no more than 400 titles) is intended to allow customers to browse nearly every title in a relatively short amount of time without becoming overwhelmed.

Founded by Kiren Valjee, Third House Books was built upon an important lacking in the community: a safe space to read, gather, learn, and recharge. It opened on October 28, 2016 - a turbulent time - but has endured. The current owner is Heather Halak, who, like many of our member stores, is a one-person show. She worked in the music industry before accidentally owning a bookstore and being into punk is inextricable from what she does at the shop, selling zines, music books, and having events for both.

Heather's favorite handsell of the year is Matrix by Lauren Groff, who is a local author for Third House Books. Heather says, "Matrix is queer, weird, and a little creepy in all the right ways. I also went to Catholic school for 10 years and I admittedly have a fascination with nuns. Marie is written in a way that is both inspiring but makes me afraid of some of my own power hungry proclivities. Groff's research was rich, obsessive, and tenacious and it's obvious in her writing."

As far as Heather’s personal favorite books, she named Jane Eyre and Frankenstein as her favorite classics, and she said that she read House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros in high school, and it was the first book to make her proud to be Latina.

You can follow Third House Books on Instagram @thirdhousebooks or on Facebook. Visit their website at the link in our bio!

Bookstores contact Candice Huber to be featured in SIBA's newsletter!