June 29, 2026

By Paula Cornell

The doors of Kent’s House of Books open onto a clean, light-filled space lined with colorful spines and the faint smell of crisp paper. This year marks the bookstore’s 50th anniversary— a milestone owed in no small part to the community that has sustained it for decades.

House of Books first opened in 1976, founded by Carol Hoffman Matzke and her then-husband, John Hoffman. Matzke, who passed away earlier this year, leaves behind a lasting legacy in the store she built. Today, it’s in the hands of general manager Benjamin Rybeck. Rybeck has managed two other bookstores, but says few communities compare to Kent, where the town’s identity as a literary haven still holds.

“This is a smart group of people up here,” he says. “They care about books—not just because this is their local store. They care about this store because we care about books.”

Independent bookstores have weathered decades of disruption— from big-box retailers to Amazon to e-books. That House of Books continues to thrive is both rare and telling.

“You can’t discount the spirit of opinionated New Englanders,” Rybeck says. “People who care deeply about their town, their community. This is their place. Their home. They know every inch of it.”

For your next read, start with the staff picks wall or check the calendar for upcoming events. This summer brings authors Jenny Jackson and Grant Ginder for a talk and signing moderated by local author Amy Poeppel. The monthly book club is revisiting titles popular in 1976 in honor of the anniversary.