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When in Omaha
March 26, 2007
When I left hometown Omaha, Neb., five years ago, I didn't think it would follow me. But it did. Conor Oberst. (I once saw him cry at a show after he fell on a monitor and hurt himself. It was pretty great.) The Faint (who wear tighter jeans than I do, yet are way, way less sexy than corn-fed ol' me). A NYTimes "36 Hours in:" article. And now, Kurt Andersen in this Sunday's Times travel mag: three pages about how Omaha is becoming hip.
Among the in-town destinations Andersen catalogued, Jackson Street Booksellers stood out. It's Andersen's favorite used bookstore in the country. I've got a porterhouse-sized soft spot for the store, too. It's where, for $4, I bought The Book That Changed My Life: Journey to the End of the Night. And they've got up on the wall an original Hunter S. Thompson for sheriff sign. So, great. When you're in Omaha, buy some stuff from them.
Also, tucked into a box at the end of the story is a mention of Brother's Lounge, which is my favorite bar on the planet. I moved apartments to live across the street. I drank my first (and 500th) boilermaker there. It's where one near-feral ex-girlfriend threw a bourbon in my face. (Bourbon will sting a fella's eyes something awful. But she's fat now, so I'm okay with it.) And, of course, there's a trove of NSFW stories. All of which is to say I'm really fond of Brother's and don't want to see it ruined by indie rock carpetbaggers. So, great. When you're in Omaha, drink somewhere else.
But, this is a blog about books and the like. So, here: books by writers who live in (or very near) Omaha. Some are new. Some are old. They're all good, though.
The River Wife by Jonis Agee
Devils in the Sugar Shop by Timohthy Schaffert
White Man's Grave by Richard Dooling
The Cleanup by Sean Doolittle
I forget anyone?
Posted by Jonathan Segura on March 26, 2007 | Comments (0)
