My Top 5: New York Times Bestselling Author Katherine Center

Our seasonal My Top 5 series resumes for the unofficial start of summer—highlighting our region’s creators, makers, and leaders—and revealing their favorite ways to write their own Houston stories in their free time.

This week, just in time for the summer reading season, we’re proud to showcase 12-time New York Times bestselling novelist Katherine Center, whose latest book The Love Haters hits shelves and delivery routes today. A native and lifelong Houstonian, she shares her five favorite things to do around H-Town when she’s not working on her next project.

You can also hear from her in person next week, when she joins the folks from Blue Willow Bookshop to discuss her latest book and storied career at Memorial Drive Presbyterian Church on Thursday evening, May 29, 2025. Register now or learn more.

My Top 5 Things to Do in Houston

by Katherine Center

Line Dancing with Cross The Line Dancing—Houston – Line dancing instructor Britt Beresik is a Houston treasure! She teaches classes all over town, and her sweet enthusiasm for music, and dance, and teaching at all levels is totally inspiring. I started going to her classes a couple of summers ago with my daughter—and I was so intimidated because I was a total beginner… but the truth is, even if it’s outside your comfort zone, it’s a blast every single time.

Bori Korean BBQ – This is our family’s number one spot to go out to a fancy dinner—and we love both the Montrose and Spring Branch locations. The food is delicious—and so is the soju—and the tables have built-in grills. There’s something so enjoyable about grilling right there at your table—just so much anticipation and pleasure in the whole process—and going there always feels like a special night.

The Menil Collection – My favorite museum in Houston. It’s somehow magnificent and homey at the same time? I used to lead classes of school kids through the collection when I worked for Writers in the Schools back in my twenties. From the main building itself—carefully designed to bring in natural light without harming the art—to the majestic oak trees gracing the grounds, the whole experience is inspiring and nourishing. 

The Continental Club – The Continental Club in Midtown is an amazing and charming spot for live music. It’s in a historic building with great charm, and it’s just the right size to feel like you’ve gathered with other people for some collective joy without feeling overwhelmed by the masses. Lovely and special—and very Houston.

Buchanan’s Native Plants – On a nice Texas day, you cannot beat walking around the lovely grounds of Buchanan’s Native Plants in the Heights. We’ve been shopping there for decades—starting when we lived nearby, and still making the pilgrimage on pretty Saturdays even after moving to a different part of town. Even if you’re not a huge gardener, just walking around is a treat—but you might grab a butterfly habitat plant or two while you’re there. Sunny, lovely vibes!

About Katherine Center

Katherine Center is the New York Times bestselling author of 12 novels, including The Bodyguard, Hello Stranger, Things You Save in a Fire, and The Rom-Commers. Her latest The Love Haters is fresh off the presses today, in May 2025. Center writes deep, nuanced, laugh-and-cry rom-coms that brim with hope and healing. BookPage called her “the reigning queen of comfort reads.” The movie adaptation of her novel Happiness for Beginners became a Netflix movie in 2023 and hit the Global Top Ten in 81 countries, and the movie of her novel The Lost Husband hit #1 on Netflix in 2020. She continues to live here in her lifelong hometown of Houston, with her husband and their fluffy-but-fierce dog. You can find her on Instagram and Facebook, and join her mailing list at KatherineCenter.com.

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