The first feelings I had while walking into Exile in Bookville (Fine Arts Building, 410 S Michigan Ave suite 210, Chicago, IL 60605) were of light and belonging. The bright winter sun came through the large windows, dappling across a myriad of intriguing titles.
I started on the right of the bookstore (as oriented from when you walk in) and spied several books on witches, witchcraft, folklore, and the general occult that I was particularly drawn to. A tad overwhelmed by the choices that appealed to me, I made my way to the middle room. While there were beautiful titles, notebooks, and records abound, none caught my eye as much. Then I moved onto the final room and was once again flooded with a sense of belonging.
Shelf after shelf, there were titles that I had heard of, had read and loved, and that piqued my interest. I grabbed a book I had been meaning to read Murder in the Dressing Room (a murder featuring a drag queen as the amateur sleuth) by Holly Stars (a drag stand-up comedian and writer). However, I made note of several other titles (but, I do have a budget after all).
I then returned to the section that had overwhelmed me. After looking at the books again, I approached the register to ask for advice. I was torn, I told the bookseller, and wanted her recommendation. She quickly and knowledgeably told me about the witchcraft books I was torn between and which she'd recommend if I was only picking one. She then told me about a few of the other books that had caught my eye, including one on cursed objects. The author of the cursed objects book had also written a book on cults which also caught my eye. I read the author's bio and learned that he, J. W. Ocker, had also written a book about cryptids. I asked the bookseller if they had that book and she said no, but that now that she knew of it, she would carry it.
Ultimately, I added Ocker's book Cursed Objects: Strange but True Stories of the World's Most Infamous Items to my pile and went to check out. The bookseller was kind enough to include a freebie of Eerie Legends: An Illustrated Exploration of Creepy Creatures, the Paranormal, and Folklore from around the World by Ricardo Diseno and Steve Mockus to my bag.
Overall, I highly recommend Exile in Bookville. The space is immaculate and welcoming, the books are a great mix of the familiar and the intriguing unknown, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly.
(Prompt by Kimisha Cassidy)
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