Oxford Exchange in Tampa: Book Haul

We meant to work all day while still here in Tampa, but took some time off this afternoon to go to the Cigar City Brewery and then Del Rio's for dinner (a great Cuban place). But before that, we stopped by the Oxford Exchange Bookstore, which was recommended to us by Liz at USF (thanks!). What a great, well-curated, unique bookstore! Definitely worth it. I haven't bought books in awhile, and I'm sorry to say I splurged. (Well, not too sorry.)In this first photo, just a few notes. I've wanted the Lethem collection for awhile---can't wait to dig into that. Snow I have in another edition, but the font was just not right for me, so this Everyman edition is a godsend. Weirdlife is about the search for unusual lifeforms. It's a good refresher as I dive into the second Southern Reach novel, Authority, on a couple of areas of interest.Peter Nadas' sprawling novel set during the middle of the last century just was too enticing to pass up---just an amazing-looking book that I'm going to be immersed in, I'm sure. Ann wanted Miss Dreamville and the new Karen Russell collection, so I added on Swamplandia, to give it another go. The Nabokov biography I had to buy since I collect all things Nabokov, including nonfiction about him. This is probably around the 80th book in my collection. Its slant is that there is a lot of politics and whatnot in the backdrop and subtext of the master's work. To which I say, well, DUH. Too bad a world-class style and verve can blind us to what's staring out right in front of us.Ann also wanted the New American Haggadah, which looks fascinating for a number of reasons. Viola Di Grado's novel from one of my favorite imprints, Europa, just grabbed me from the first paragraph and I couldn't pass it up. Similarly, Speedboat by Renata Adler, a reprint from the 1970s, captured me and wouldn't let me go. It's from another of my favorite presses, New York Review of Books, which does such a wonderful job of bringing fiction into the world that might not otherwise be in print. Buying How Fiction Works was another case of having an edition where I hated the font. This more portable, better-designed edition I'm already having more luck with. I don't agree with Wood on everything, but it's useful to engage with his ideas.I was so happy to find The Best of Archy and Mehitabel---a lovely set of poems/adventures featuring a cat and a cockroach. Without Michael Moorcock mentioning Archy to me a decade ago I never would've discovered these too joyful miscreants. Ann wanted the Book of Nice, which I pointed out was from the same publisher has her perennial favorite Bad Cats. And the Oxford Exchange also has lovely notebooks, of which I purchased two.The ambiance of the Oxford Exchange bookstore is rather amazing---the curating of the bookstore is eccentric in a meaningful rather than frivolous way. It is on the small side, but it makes the space count, and the selections seemed to hit my sweet spot rather more often than not. The many props, including manual typewriters and card catalogues, lend a real weight to the place as well. Beyond the bookstore is a more general gift store, a coffee shop, and a restaurant. All of it combined lends itself to a great experience---and across the street is the University of Tampa, with its steely minarets and nice river walk. I highly recommend you check out the bookstore if you are in the area.