Yesterday, I went to Columbia with some friends to peruse a new bookstore in Five Points. We stopped at The Gourmet Shop for lunch first, which was nice because I hadn’t been there since well before the pandemic. I ordered their pepper jelly and ham on a croissant with a side of the tomato basil pasta salad while sipping on the blueberry lavender spritzer. I couldn’t finish all of my food and had to take about half of it home with me, but was reminded that they are quite a gem in the area for sandwiches and cocktails.
Afterward, we walked over to All Good Books to browse their collection. AGB opened earlier this year in March, so I was thrilled to finally see the place and it didn’t disappoint. I managed to talk myself down to two books: Bright Dead Things by Ada Limón and Autumn by Ali Smith. But, mind you, I was walking around with, like, four or five books for a large portion of the time before keeping one in my pile and replacing the others while snagging a completely different book at the last minute. As per usual. It seems like I know what I want until I’m down to the wire and decisions have to be made, then there’s no telling what will happen.
Ultimately, I’m happy with my purchases. I’ve read a collection of Ada Limón’s poetry before, Sharks in the Rivers, long before she was poet laureate and loved her writing voice. But I had yet to actually own any of her books, so this seemed like the perfect opportunity to make it official. Then I turned around at some point and saw Ali Smith’s seasonal quartet lined up expectantly, as though they were just waiting for me to finally notice them. As I have had that series on my TBR list for some years, I decided to get the first book in the series to start me off. (Which just reminds me that I still want to finish another series, one by Rachel Cusk—of Outline notoriety—but I didn’t spot any of her books. Which doesn’t mean they weren’t there, just that my eyes didn’t happen upon them.)
If you’re ever in the area or you’re a local who hasn’t visited yet, then I highly recommend adding All Good Books to your travel queue. They are a vital literary locale that I hope to visit for many, many years to come!
Lauren Michelle Brock 