Zendaya visits another Bay Area bookstore in Danville, takes viral pic

Oakland-born Hollywood icon Zendaya has had a busy 2026 between "The Drama," "Euphoria," "The Odyssey" and "Dune: Part Three," but it appears she's still able to carve out some time to read. In addition to a trip to Green Apple Books in late May, she also visited another Bay Area literary institution: Rakestraw Books in Danville.

Rakestraw employee Amanda Brazil confirmed that Zendaya visited in mid-May. She brought along a family member whom she was visiting in the area.

"She was lovely, she was very friendly. She chatted with us about some of the books she's been reading, and just kind of browsed and asked for certain books and if we had them. She was fantastic. She was very cool," Brazil said. An Instagram post with a photo showing Zendaya holding copies of "Dune Messiah" and "The Odyssey" has gone viral, racking up 146,000 likes at time of publication.

At checkout, Zendaya had a stack of six or seven books, a mix of old and new titles, according to Brazil. Her haul included a copy of Emily Wilson's translation of "The Odyssey" (which Zendaya had naturally already read).

Brazil said Zendaya grew up going to the store, which opened in 1973. It regularly hosts readings from authors, with a sold-out David Sedaris event later this week, and Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize-winning Bay Area author of "Less," appearing on June 13. Historical fiction writers Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray will be another notable pair of guests, reading at the store on July 22.

In addition to her bookstore trips, Zendaya also visited a few other notable San Francisco businesses in the Richmond neighborhood, picking up candles and skin care products at Foggy Notion and dining at Pasta Supply Co., where she reportedly purchased a tin of worm salt.

Copyright 2026 Tribune Content Agency. All Rights Reserved.