As a city with a thriving arts and culture scene, it’s no surprise that Houston is also home to a large number of authors who have produced a great many wonderful books. Houston’s independent bookstores celebrate these hometown literary heroes, and they are a great place for any bookworm to add to their collection. All of these listed below can be found at Brazos Bookstore. From fiction to nonfiction to poetry, here are five books written by Houstonians that you won’t want to miss out on.

“The Passage” – Justin Cronin

“The Passage” tells the story of Amy, a young girl who is captured by a shadowy arm of the government performing experiments on people, and Special Agent Wolgast, who helps her to escape. As Amy walks alone into a society that is crumbling around her, only she knows what to do to help stop the destruction of the world. This book was named One Of The 10 Best Novels Of The Year by Time Magazine and One Of The Best Books Of The Year by The Washington Post. The first in a trilogy, the sequel, “The Twelve,” comes out in October 2012.

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“In Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden” – Kathleen Cambor

This work of historical fiction is centered around the true events of the Johnstown Flood of 1889, a tragic event where more than 2,000 people drowned after the South Fork Dam collapsed. While real historical figures make cameos, such as Henry Clay Frick, Angrew Carnegie and Andrew Mellon, the story centers around fictional characters who bring to life the era in which the events occurred: a Civil War veteran, a labor organizer, a naturalist and a lawyer. However in the midst of all the chaos, a romance ensues and captivates readers. This book was designated as a New York Times Notable Book of 2001.

“The Book of Faces” – Joseph Campana

A stunning poetry debut, “The Book of Faces” is easily accessible to all audiences, from mere poetic dabblers to the scholar of cadence. A collection of poems inspired by beloved Audrey Hepburn and other glittering starlets of the silver screen and the Golden Age of Hollywood, this book will make you laugh, make you cry and make you think. With the beautiful compilation of simple vocabulary, any literate will enjoy this read.

“The Great Deluge” – Douglas Brinkley

A work of non-fiction, “The Great Deluge“ explores Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath through the stories of those who lived it. From the five hours of driving winds and rain to the accompanying storm surge and the subsequent attempts at cleanup, survivors explain what happened to them and paint a touching story of one of the worst natural disasters in recorded history through the specificity of their detailed accounts. True stories of heroism and humanity arise even in the face of the worst environments.

“Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain” – David Eagleman

Eagleman is a neuroscientist at the Baylor College of Medicine and his conversational writing style makes even the most complicated of concepts accessible to any reader. “Incognito” discusses the unconscious processes of the brain and how they interact with your consciousness and how you think your thought process works. Spending 15 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list, this book was named one of the Best Books of 2011 by Amazon, the Boston Globe and the Houston Chronicle.

Buy these books at:
Brazos Bookstore
2421 Bissonnet St
Houston, TX 77005
(713) 523-0701
brazosbookstore.com

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