Winter is coming in Santa Fe, and George R R Martin is stocking up on books. The best-selling author, television producer, and long-time resident of Santa Fe opened his very own bookstore named Beastly Books last month. The shop carries titles signed by him and local authors, alongside Game of Thrones merchandise.
The bookstore's doormat declares “Beyond Here There Be Dragons,” and inside, visitors will find rooms filled mainly with science fiction and fantasy books, in addition to artwork. Coziness and comfort also awaits, as the store has upholstered reading chairs and a coffee bar.
Beastly Books is located next door to the Jean Cocteau Cinema, which was bought and revived by Martin back in 2013. He had been selling books by various authors in the lobby of his theatre, including mystery and romance writers and historical novelists. The Song of Ice and Fire novelist decided that it was time to expand into a bigger space.
"Dozens of terrific, award-winning, best-selling writers have appeared at the cinema to speak, read, and sign their books," he wrote on his blog earlier this month. "The only problem was that the Jean Cocteau lobby was far too small for us to display all of those wonderful autographed books."
The shop's name is said to be inspired by the theatre's most famous film, Beauty and the Beast, as well as a TV show he worked on in the 1980s with the same name.
Martin isn't the first author to open their own bookstore. He joins Marc Lamont Hill's Uncle Bobbie's Coffee and Books in Philadelphia and Emma Straub's Books are Magic in Brooklyn, among several others.
