Good Company: Roundabout Books
A local bookseller, a historic post office, and your next good read.
A book you’ve been meaning to read. An author you haven’t met yet. A story that helps you see a place a little differently.
You’ll find a couple of them waiting in your room at The Westman, chosen by Cassie of Bend’s Roundabout Books & Café. They’re part of a reading collection shaped by the history of our building, the Pacific Northwest, and the pleasure of finding something unexpected on the bedside table.
Before there was a reading list, though, there was a bookseller who wanted a bookstore.
It started with a book club.
Cassie had lived in Bend for five years when she began thinking about opening an independent bookstore. She saw a growing community and wanted a place where readers could gather, discover books, and find their next recommendation.
So she brought the idea to her book club—and asked them to talk her out of it.
“Of course they didn’t!”
Within a few months, she had enrolled in a bookstore bootcamp, written a business plan, found a location in NorthWest Crossing, and secured a small-business loan. Roundabout Books & Café began taking shape.
What she describes today reaches well beyond the shelves. It’s a place for author conversations, book clubs, children’s storytimes, and the everyday exchanges that happen when people share something they love.
For Cassie, an independent bookstore’s work includes making room for debut authors, regional writers, and voices readers might otherwise miss. The recommendations are personal. The connections extend into the community.
A collection with a sense of place.
When we asked Cassie to select books for The Westman, she began with the building.
Our former post office offered plenty to work with: letters, correspondence, public service, and the many ways people stay connected. Its early years and architectural character suggested another thread, while Bend and the wider Pacific Northwest supplied a third.
The resulting list brings those interests together with books guests may already have on their own reading lists.
“It would be a nice surprise when a book you’ve been meaning to read shows up in your hotel room!”
Some selections explore the written letter itself. How the Post Office Created America considers the institution behind its delivery, while The Correspondent tells its story through letters. Others turn toward the region: Astoria offers a historical perspective, and Brian Doyle’s Mink River brings readers into the life of a fictional Oregon coastal town.
Cassie calls Mink River “an iconic example of Pacific Northwest fiction.” She also encourages readers to spend time with the writing of Oregon poet Ellen Waterston.
Her own favorite from this first collection? The Great Gatsby. Its pull between the past and the possibilities ahead continues to resonate with her.
Find a little time to read.
Ask Cassie why physical books still matter, and she talks about the experience of living with one: turning pages, making notes, getting sand in the creases, or leaving a trace of coffee behind.
Those small, sensory details become part of how she remembers a story. Reading a physical book, she says, invites her to slow down, stay curious, and think a little longer about the characters and their lives.
A stay away from home can make room for that kind of attention. A few pages before heading out. Another chapter after a walk. An afternoon with no particular urgency to finish.
How to enjoy The Westman’s book program.
Each guest room holds a couple of books from Cassie’s selected list, available to enjoy while you’re on property. You’ll also find a copy of the full reading list at the front desk if you’d like to explore the rest of her recommendations.
There’s no required starting point. Pick up what catches your attention and see where it takes you.
To continue exploring, visit Roundabout Books & Café in NorthWest Crossing. Browse the shelves, order something from the café, and ask the booksellers what they’re excited about. You may leave with something you never would have chosen on your own.
Our building once welcomed stories arriving by mail. We like that it’s still a place to discover them.
Ask our front desk for The Westman reading list during your stay.