The Morris Book Shop has over 20,000 new books for you to browse amidst. Although you can't review our entire inventory online, we're always happy to let you know if we have a book in stock, or to take a special order for anything in print: just give us a call at 859-276-0494.

Here's a quick rundown of the book sections at the Morris Bookshop:

Kentucky
About Kentucky, set in Kentucky, or written by a Kentuckian, we have hundreds of each. Our Kentucky selection is the first one you'll find in our store, and it's like a small version of the rest of our store: there's poetry, cookbooks, essays, children's selections, fiction, history, travel guides, sports, reference, crime fact and fiction, even a zombie book or two.

Travel
It's not a bad idea to read up on a place before you go there (or even if you just want to go there), and we have a book for wherever "There" happens to be. We also have wonderful essays and stories about exotic and/or authentic travel experiences by great writers.

Drama, Essays & Collections, Poetry
Great plays, great poems, great thoughts, you like things that are great.

Fiction
From the best young writers to the revered classics (many of which you still need to read: admit it, it's OK), the Morris Book Shop has thousands of great novels and hundreds of short story collections. We'll be happy to help you find one that resonates with you, but don't be afraid to shut a bookseller up if one of us gets too worked up discussing books.

Art, Photography, and Architecture
Filled with inspiring works of art, including of course photography, these books generally cost a bit more, but they can really hold down a coffee table, and there's something for anyone who likes to look. We also have books on how to make your own.

Here's a selection of books that we're especially excited about. If there's a title that you want the world to know about, please contact us and we'll put it up here as well.

ELECTION by Tom Perotta

I first read this when I was still in high school and it was astonishing and vaguely comforting that a forty year-old guy understood the screwed-up dynamic between everyone in the high school environment. In Election, even teachers get involved in the dirty politics of an election for class president. What emerges from the election is incredibly funny, both in the writing and from the situations. Told in first-person from the minds of all involved, it is a fast-paced and amusing read—knock it out in 3 hours! - Recommended by Josh

COMMONWEALTH by Joey Goebel

A red-state redneck named Blue Gene is the black sheep of his blueblood family—until they need Gene’s help to win an election. Here is great political and cultural satire from Kentucky’s own rising literary star. Read Joey Goebel now, before he gets too famous! - Recommended by Hap

IN THE ROGUE BLOOD by James Carlos Blake

A criminally underrated author’s brutal masterpiece, on a par with Cormac McCarthy’s best. - Recommended by Wyn

BLOOD MERIDIAN by Cormac McCarthy

Harrowing and unabashedly violent. Gut-wrenching and honest. Eloquent staccato prose. Questionable punctuation use (or lack thereof). An inarguable gothic masterpiece and one of my favorite books of all time (inarguable as well). - Recommended by Josh

NETHERLAND by Joseph O'Neill

A fresh look at New York City, the American Dream, and (of all things) cricket. A smart novel that sticks to your ribs. - Recommended by Hap

THE GUARDS by Ken Bruen

First in a series featuring doomed, Jameson-soaked ex-cop Jack Taylor from Irish noir master Bruen. One favorite quote from the book: “I needed Merton and a pint. Not necessarily in that order.” - Recommended by Wyn

VIENNA 1814: How the Conquerors of Napoleon Made Love, War, and Peace at the Congress of Vienna, by David King

The second book by Lexingtonian (and former UK history professor) King. It’s an excellent account of the Napoleonic “after-party” that shaped modern Europe. - Recommended by Hap

RED DRAGON by Thomas Harris

It’s hard to recommend this book without resorting to cliché, so I will not try. The prequel to The Silence of the Lambs is an intense, sometimes disturbing, but constantly rewarding book that outperforms the two adapted film versions—Manhunter (1986) and Red Dragon (2002)—in every category possible. Plus, Red Dragon introduces us to one of the best characters in modern fiction: Hannibal Lecter. - Recommended by Josh

ORDINARY MEN by Christopher Browning

Far from a defense or justification, this book explores the malleable nature of the human psyche through Browning’s account of Reserve Police Battalion 101. Of the many books on the Holocaust, few even attempt to tackle the most terrifying aspect: who were these killers? This book doesn’t just tackle that issue; it’s a masterful investigation—and an eesential read in the process. - Recommended by Josh

A VOYAGE LONG AND STRANGE: Rediscovering the New World by Tony Horwitz

Most Americans have the dates 1492 and 1620 down pat, but very few of us know anything about the years between. Horwitz’s new book is a funny and intelligent examination of the history and mythology surrounding the discovery of America. - Recommended by Hap

THE GREAT MOVIES II by Roger Ebert

The King of All Film Critique’s second attempt to catalog all of his essays on his favorites reads like a manifesto of why Ebert (and everyone else) loves movies to such a beautifully grotesque extent. His ability to articulate why a film is incredible in a much more direct—and frankly much better way than you—is exclusive. It’s just fun to share his love. - Recommended by Josh

HIGH FIDELITY by Nick Hornby

Because he’s neurotic, super-affected, and all too contemplative and you are neurotic, super-affected, and all too contemplative (we all are). Because he is pop-culture obsessed and so are you. Because of this revelation: “Which came first—the music or the misery? Did I listen to music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to music?” - Recommended by Josh