Ohioan Bookstores and Book Haul
Over May I had the opportunity (and pleasure) to take a road trip to Columbus, Ohio. It was my second time in the city and again I really enjoyed our trip there. This time around we explored German Village, a picturesque set of streets with cafes, art studios, and restaurants with German cuisine. Of course, my cousin and I had to check out some bookstores along the way.
The Book Loft, located in German Village, is a winding maze of rooms filled to the brim with books. Look to the ceiling and there’s book themed merch; shirts with Persuasion quotations and bags with Star Wars characters. Every wall and kiosk stacked with all the genres. We got lost in there and it was magical. My cousin, a fan of Acotar and Sarah J. Maas, met similar enthusiasts in a fantasy room and it was truly wonderful to see them all animatedly talking about their theories and favorite books. I loved going here and although my mom and aunt waited outside for what they deemed too long, it was worth it and I would 100% go back.
There I got two books. The first one was a fantasy book I had never heard of before. I really liked the cover of The Vorrh so that’s what drew me in and Jeff VanderMeer wrote one of the blurbs on the back so that kind of sealed the deal. The second book I got was The Dispossessed for my sister who has read most of Le Guin’s backlist.
The Vorrh by Brian Catling
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin
We found Epic Books by chance walking around a main street in Yellow Springs. On the side of what looks to be an old house there was a three room bookshop with a focus on “Religion, Philosophy, Literature, Healing, and the Occult.” I also did find a wide range of classics and used books, too. The lady was beyond nice and there was a bookstore cat!
Here I picked up Romance in Marseille and Agnes Grey. The former is set in the Jazz Age and was published posthumously over 80 years later. The latter is a Bronte novel I’ve heard a lot about but never read before. Both added to my TBR list for this year (fingers crossed).
Romance in Marseille by Claude McKay
Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte
Back in Columbus we found one more bookstore. Prologue Books is located in the heart of the Short North Arts District. This had such a variety of books and chairs stationed throughout so you could sit and read for a time. The selection felt very curated and I left with far fewer books than caught my eye.
Having read People From My Neighbourhood, I knew I wanted to read other works by Kawakami. Luckily, I found Strange Weather in Tokyo and began reading it right away. It’s a quiet novel, filled with small, tender moments. It treasures these small connections between people and was a great book to read on a longer flight. The second book here and the final book I bought on this trip was Moonbath by Yanick Lahens. The cover is abstract and eye-catching, and it’s about a family living in a small Haitian village told through four generations of a family.
Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
Moonbath by Yanick Lahens
Some honorable mentions of other bookstores we went to are Dark Star Bookstore and Gramercy Books.