You’re not going to believe me when I describe Arcadian Books to you. On our trip to New Orleans, Kim was looking up things to do, and one of the things that came up was this unique bookstore. From the outside, it just looked like another place to pop in and out of as you peruse a town. But inside it was a whole different animal.

I have loved books as long as I can remember. When I was a kid, I checked out the same pirate book over and over again. At some point, the librarian just told me I could have the book since I loved it so much. There are books littering every surface of our house, and we’ve passed that on to the girls as well, as you might remember in a previous Life Lived Outside article entitled Bathroom Books. Some people buy shoes, some people buy fancy cars, some people buy plants. I buy books. That is my retail therapy. I know eventually everything will be digital, but there is just nothing that compares to a 100-year-old book. The paper, the leather. Anyhow, I’m getting carried away.

This bookshop was unique. It was floor to ceiling books. That’s not figuratively. Literally. Every surface, except for a narrow two-foot path was stacked floor to ceiling with books. It was exhilarating and frightening at the same time. We spent quite a while perusing the shelves and finally realized that in the chaos, there was actually an organizational system, just without the benefit of the space a larger store would have. We were interested in a few specific titles, so Kim asked the shopkeeper, and he (after putting the book he was reading down) quickly went to a precise pile and pulled out the requested book.

A very cool shop to be sure. If you are ever in New Orleans, check it out. I’m sure you’ll find something to keep your plants company on your shelves.