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the Political Aficionado’s Guide to ... GOOD READS For the Love of Books Sally Bradshaw opens a Tallahassee haven for reading … and thinking BY JENNA BUZZACCO-FOERSTER Sally Bradshaw has always been a book lover. Growing up, she spent her weekends browsing the shelves of bookstores in her Mississippi hometown. She even considered opening her own bookstore over the years, but politics — and her life and career in the thick of it — always seemed to get in the way. All that changed in 2016. With another campaign in her rearview mirror, Bradshaw decided to take a break from politics and dive headfirst into the literary world. In November, she opened Midtown Reader, a cozy shop in the heart of Midtown Tallahassee. “My hope is we really provide a safe haven for critical thinking,” said the Havana resident and top advisor to former Gov. Jeb Bush in an interview earlier this year. “I think independent bookstores are places where people can read and think before they speak, where book lovers can gather and celebrate the power of reading and learning.” While Midtown Reader is a general-interest bookstore, Bradshaw has stocked the shelves with Florida authors and books about the Sunshine State. In fact, the first in-store event featured an appearance by the crown prince of weird Florida: Craig Pittman, author of “Oh, Florida!: How America’s Weirdest State Influences the Rest of the Country.” About a third of the store is dedicated to books for children — from baby books to young adult — to encourage the next generation of readers. But what would a bookstore in the heart of the capital city be without a robust selection of political and historical books? Have no fear, Bradshaw has you covered. The store opened just one week before Election Day, and Bradshaw said she knew she had to have a display featuring books geared toward the election. Rather than curate the display herself, she reached out to her vast network of contacts and asked them to recommend a few books to help readers survive the 2016 election and beyond. What she got was a mix of serious and fun, and a few cocktail and cookbooks thrown in to be safe. “Everyone was incredibly generous,” she said. “Books are something that seem to bring everyone together.” >>


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