Monarch Books Brings Literature to Downtown

A young woman standing in front of a bookstore she owns.
Monarch Books owner Sydney-Anne Graves stands in front of her bookstore in downtown Lebanon. All photos by Zeva Rosenbaum.

While most high school seniors were preparing for graduation, 18-year-old Sydney-Anne Graves was opening Monarch Books on top of keeping up with school and sports.

Graves was working at the tea house across the street when the previous bookstore closed, and her boss at the time suggested it might be a good fit for Graves’ family. While her parents weren’t interested, Graves took a tour of the space and ultimately decided to give it a…