Bucket O' Blood Books and Records

Bucket O' Blood Books and Records is a store that opened up this month that I have been meaning to check out since day one. Upon seeing the sign my girlfriend made a remark that this place looks perfect for me, to which I have to agree. You don't see many used bookstores that have the words 'Speculative Fiction' emblazoned out front.

I was expecting the selection to be very thin, since the place just opened, but I was pleasantly surprised by a large selection of pulpy goodness on the shelves. The proprietor, a knowledgeable guy named Marc, was helpful in pointing out a few more books with ridiculous covers after seeing my selections. The prices are all competitive, even on the low side. I bought a mint condition copy of Philip K. Dick's Time Out of Joint for $3, and that was the most expensive item in my purchase. I think Pulp-A-Week might have an official store as I definitely enjoyed my experience at Bucket O' Blood more than any other used book store in this city, and I wasn't forced to tear though a water damaged basement where most stores keep their sci-fi novels. Maybe when Margaret Atwood was speaking of the 'Genre Ghetto' she meant musty, out of order science fiction sections that are so embarrassing to most book store owners that they have to be kept underground like some mutant child.

I can't vouch for the records, but a quick peek looked like they were mostly metal and punk oriented, which should intrigue many of my friends. I didn't see a power pop section, so I moved on back to the books.

In summary- Bucket O' Blood is a very cool little store for enthusiasts of lasers and space boobs like myself. You should all check it out as I am sure the already sweet selection will get more robust over time. It's nice to see genre books get some respect in this city for once, especially by a guy who is passionate and knowledgeable about them. Make sure to double check the hours online before heading over though, as they are all over the place.