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Review content:
As Paul Gaugin once said (and Tom Robbins later plagiarized), ""The ugly is sometimes beautiful. The pretty -- never."" This place ain't pretty. It is, however, beautiful. Hooked on Books is the best little bookstore on the Front Range.
First, I think you deserve fair warning about the ugly. There have been some reviews ""around"" that mention rude service from the staff. I'm pretty sure they're all talking about the same person, and, well... yeah. I've been coming to this bookstore for thirty years, and I have yet to see even a glimmer of recognition in that one employee's glance. Don't take it personally. See the guy in the blue apron who actually comes out from behind the counter? Ask him. He's MUCH more helpful.
(Actually, I think every good bookstore needs one standoffish, borderline rude employee to lend the place a little credibility. Have you never been to the Tattered Cover? Do you not remember the Chinook, for God's sake? That place was Wax Trax with books!)
There are some who would think the decor is also ugly. I am not one of them. To me, a towering pile of more-or-less alphabetized books is all the decor a place like this could need. The comfy, overstuffed reading chairs are there. I don't need them to come from Ethan Allen. Others might find the general fiction section to be a bit overwhelming. It snakes around and between several other sections in a coil that seems to change direction every time I start to get a handle on it. That's where the aforementioned Helpful Bookman comes in handy: he's there to help. Seriously. He's always RIGHT THERE. I don't know how he does it.
Here's the beautiful.
First of all, the smell. That alone can completely change the kind of day I'm having. Sometimes, I'll just go to Hooked on Books to stand in the back and breathe. The books-to-square-foot ratio in there is astonishing.
Second of all, Mary. She's the owner, and she's wonderful. She's built an unpretentious little empire in that strip mall, and she's kept me in books my whole life. She's not always there, but when she is, I get a smile and a greeting by name. Keeping that little bookstore afloat for thirty years has always been a labor of love... and a love of books. She's built a little place that feels like home.
Then there's the selection. Sure, the prices are better at garage sales, but this is Colorado Springs, and I'm not looking for back issues of guns and ammo. I'm looking for all the books on my Amazon wishlist that I'd much rather buy from local businesses, instead of the online behemoth that's killing them. The general fiction section is quite extensive, with a good selection of recent releases in excellent condition. The sci-fi section is much more organized, and the selection is the best I've found in Colorado. The used books in this section tend to be a little more beat-up, but there are also several cases of discounted new releases. The history section, unlike those in most used bookstores, is no mere textbook depository, and the Colorado history section is downright impressive. Even the dirt-cheap clearance cart out on the sidewalk has a pretty good selection. And yes, they have The Hunger Games.
This is the first place I look for the books I want to read, and it's usually the last. It's my favorite.
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