Bookstores have a magical property of distorting time. The moment I step inside The Writer’s Block on a Friday afternoon, everything slows down. I’m greeted by the comforting waft of fresh paperbacks and brewing coffee. Smooth jazz flows through the speakers. Colorful spines lining the shelves beg to be thumbed through with care.
My instinct tells me to book it to the back of the store, where my favorite horror novelists like Tananarive Due await, but giving myself over to other genres leaves room for discovery.
The poetry section leaps out to me. Emily Dickinson’s well stocked—and rightfully so. But I’m entranced by epic tales like Beowulf, and director Christopher Nolan’s upcoming adaptation of The Odyssey has landed Homer on my Greek poetry list. Leafing through Melania Luisa Marte’s Plantains and Our Becoming grounds me with her first chapter debunking the myth of the Afro-Latina.
Although reading is solitary by nature, a bookstore has a way of conjuring a community around it. Every corner of this place buzzes with activity. Teens fret over which Hunger Games prequel to buy (do we want Haymitch’s origin story, or President Snow’s?). Bibliophiles admire little Baron, the tuxedo-colored shop bunny. It almost feels as though the stuffed bird plushies that adorn the shelves are watching from their perches.
An hour in, I’ve got an armful of books in hand—Octavia Butler’s Fledgling, Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House,Misery. I’m buzzing from a heady day of book hunting. And after overhearing two staff members talking about the thematic ties between the video game Death Stranding and H. Rider Haggard’s Egyptian fantasy novel Morning Star, I strike up a lengthy conversation. Stephen King’s
Twenty minutes and three more recommendations later, I finally check the time. My brief browse has somehow swallowed the entire afternoon, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
THE WRITER’S BLOCK 519 S. 6th St. #100, 702-550-6399, thewritersblock.org. Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Read Local
The Analog Dope Store A lovingly curated selection of vinyl and books focused on people of color and social justice. 205 E. Colorado Ave., analogdope.com.
Copper Cat Books Cozy Henderson outpost featuring thousands of used books, a variety of genres and the occasional roaming cat. 1570 W. Horizon Ridge Pkwy. #170, coppercatbooks.com.
Las Vegas Books Not only do they sell, they also buy and trade used books. Don’t miss their $5 bag sale coming up on August 1. 4790 S. Eastern Ave., facebook.com/lasvegasbooks.
Click HERE to subscribe for free to the Weekly Fix, the digital edition of Las Vegas Weekly! Stay up to date with the latest on Las Vegas concerts, shows, restaurants, bars and more, sent directly to your inbox!
