Linzi Murray, owner of Reading in Public Bookstore and Cafe, lifted her pants leg, pointing to a tattoo on her left ankle. Although her dad, Keith, died of lung cancer 10 years ago, “he still jokes with me,” she said with a chuckle. They had a special bond, despite his drinking, her trauma as an adoptee and her own bouts of depression. He said to her, “As long as you follow joy, you’ll never go wrong in your life.”
“Follow joy” became her first tattoo. Two inches long, it’s a small but consistent reminder of what matters most as Murray enters her 30s, and her bookstore turns three years old.
Murray was adopted by her American parents as a 7-month-old in China in 1996. She was raised in Kansas City, and got used to navigating spaces in which she was the only Asian and/or Chinese adoptee. She decided to attend Drake University in Des Moines for college, graduating with a BA in graphic design and painting.
As a child, book-centric spaces proved safe and meditative for Murray. “My father was a musician and an alcoholic,” she explained. “He would binge on the weekends and my mom would take me to libraries and bookstores.”
She hoped to create this kind of escape with Reading in Public — a place where patrons can feel less alone and more understood. You can see these values at work in the store’s warm paint colors and thoughtful curation of books, from inclusive romance novels to new and classic sci-fi/fantasy to social justice books aimed at kids. It’s also evident in the many events hosted in the space: musical storytimes for preschoolers, ghostly storytimes for adults, a food-centric book club, a monthly moms’ gathering with the nonprofit Monsoon Asians and Pacific Islanders in Solidarity, and book release parties with author visits.
With hindsight, the first-time business owner readily admits that she lacked management skills at first, contributing to difficult work relationships and stress. The same year Murray opened Reading in Public, she gave birth to her son — “the first biological family I’ve ever known,” she posted on her Instagram, @ABookishEndeavor.
Her father had wanted everyone around him to be happy, she reflected, and was always worried about her being too serious. Along with her “stubbornness and leadership style,” Murray attributes her sense of humor to her father.
When his health worsened in 2016, Murray and her mom gathered the family to tell them, “It was time.” Everyone crowded into the hospice room and her dad, unable to speak, asked for a piece of paper. Looking at everybody from his death bed, he lifted the paper, which said, “Welcome.”
After he passed, “a huge gust of wind” flew through the room, Murray said, and she knew it was him.
As one force of nature left, another role model entered her life: Ingrid Fetell Lee, designer and author of Joyful: The Surprising Power of Ordinary Things to Create Extraordinary Happiness. Murray was hired as Lee’s graphic designer for three years in New York City, working on her website, course materials and other projects.
Fetell Lee was Murray’s “dream boss,” and her influence is evident in Reading in Public’s brand aesthetic. It wasn’t until Murray was in her mid-20s, working for Fettell Lee after her father’s death, when she felt the permission to be a kid and to be playful again.
“If you read [Fetell Lee’s] book, it changes the way you view the world,” she said. “People unknowingly seek permission to experience joy and to seek joy. They think it’s a frivolous thing, but everything I’ve seen and experienced, it’s not the case. So much of life is serious and out of control. If we don’t make that joy for ourselves, we’re not going to have enough of it.”
Many years of inner work, spiritual guidance and mental health therapy has helped her to understand that grief and joy can coexist.
As 2026 unfolds, she’s dwelling on the Beatles song “Blackbird,” which her dad happened to love: “You were only waiting for this moment to arise.” Murray, who gave birth to a son, is open to inspiration; maybe she’ll start drawing again, or gather up fellow writers and artists in the Des Moines metro, or write that book that’s been welling up inside of her. Whatever she decides to do, she has the perfect space for it.
Find more information about Reading in Public on Instagram at @abookishendeavor and @readinginpublicbooks. Store hours are Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.; and Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
