There are many NYC bookstores where I enjoy browsing and shopping, such as Three Lives in the West Village, Book Culture in the Columbia neighborhood, and Westsider Books & Records, but I was really glad to see in Shelf Awareness this morning that the Village Voice has named Brooklyn’s Book Court New York’s Best Bookstore. I don’t live in Brooklyn, so I don’t visit the store–run by a family, Henry Zook and his son Zack, all that often–but I agree it’s a terrific bookstore, with strong sections in many subject areas, and a packed events calendar. Having run a bookstore from 1978-85 with my siblings and our parents, Undercover Books in Cleveland, Ohio, I know how challenging it is to run a family business, any business, and particularly a bookstore.

Congratulations to the Zooks, and everyone who works and shops at Book Court!