Booking It: Jackson, MS Lemuria Books

So Beloved and I had a few week days off together (NEVER HAPPENS) and wanted to get the heck out of town. I've been wanting to go to Lemuria Books in Jackson, MS for a long time. So when he mumbled something about "....stupid bookstore...HEY! There's a Bass Pro Shop!" we set out for Jackson which is about two hours from home.

I ran across Lemuria Books on Indie Bound, a site I check before every road trip in hopes that wherever we're going will have a kick ass independent bookstore. While I love to browse the racks at B&N (love) and BAM (less so) there is NOTHING quite like those random little, eclectic, tiny bookstores to increase my heart rate. Lemuria had a few things going in its favor: 1) It's relatively close 2) Claudia Gray will be there this fall and 3) Rachel Hawkins was JUST there in March.

RACHEL HAWKINS WAS THERE. And I didn't know of her existence because I hadn't read Hex Hall but I have now, I love it and I'm so sorry I didn't discover her in time to meet her!

So we went anyway. The store is in this well kept shopping complex called Banner Hall, right off the interstate and easy to get to and it is drop. dead. gorgeous. Like "OMG a place like this exists" gorgeous. Floor to ceiling wooden bookshelves and tiny little rooms and rooms of books. It was clean and relatively organized (don't want my indie bookstores too neat) and light and airy and dreamy...and and...other adjectives that end in -y. I skipped on over to the YA section (it was in kids, which is a no-no, but I forgive because the room was MAGIC), filled with beautiful covers and displays, piled up to the ceiling so that you have to use a ladder to get to them. The selection was amazing. I think they actually had one of everything. Staff was VERY helpful and friendly and my purchase came with a bookmark. Every purchase everywhere- even if you're buying cereal at Walmart, should come with a bookmark.

I loved it. Loved it enough that I'm glad I don't live closer because I already spend a large chunk of my salary on books and Lemuria's atmosphere makes you want to move in.

What did I buy??? WELL...you know what I bought:


Now I have my own copy :)

I would have loved to have taken a picture of their YA section but I didn't know if they'd mind. Maybe next time Lemuria?

Oh yeah, and then we went to the Museum of Natural Science and I did indeed see the two headed snake. It's OK to be jealous of this.

Visit Lemuria Books website: Lemuria Books and stop by if you're ever in the area.