Hello! Again! Sorry for the prolonged absence, but we’ve been working hard to get our space at 410 South Michigan Avenue, Suite 210, in shape for your next (or first) visit to the bookstore. We have a lot to talk to you about, so stop by and say hi.

For those of you that can’t make it to the store yet, here are a few things that we have brewing. Events! We’ve never been short on them but we have some pretty great ones lined up in June and July, so check out some of our event listings below and on our website. One of the biggest advantages of having a physical space is that you can come and purchase books for the events we’re hosting. All will come with a signed bookplate, or in the case of Group by Christie Tate, an actual signature! Phoning or emailing will work as well. One note about the event with Lisa Taddeo and Christie:  We still have a few of the incredibly cool, exclusive tote bags that come with a purchase of Animal, so act quickly! Not too late to register for that free event either, which takes place virtually on June 16th 7pm central. Just go to our website to join.

Thanks, as always, to all of you that have supported Exile this last year. We wouldn’t be here without you and look forward to actually meeting you and talking about books. We have more news to share with you in the coming weeks, so stay tuned! Oh, and check out our website, Instagram, Spofity, Twitter, YouTube, and any other site we’re forgetting. 

—Javier and Kristin 


Read! Listen! And thank you for supporting Exile in Bookville!


A few more views from our store:

Join us TONIGHT at 7:00pm central to help celebrate Pamela Erens’ new middle-grade novel, Matasha! Pamela will be in conversation with Andrew Medlar.

Pamela Erens is the author of the adult novels The Virgins, Eleven Hours, and The Understory, which have appeared on Best of the Year lists at NPR, The New Yorker, Kirkus, The New Republic, and Literary Hub and have been named finalists for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, the William Saroyan International Prize for Writing, and the John Gardner Fiction Book Award. Reader's Digest has named her one of “23 Contemporary Writers You Should Have Read by Now.” She grew up in Chicago and at age 14 published her novel Fight for Freedom: A Slave Girl’s Escape, still available from obscure used book sellers.

Andrew Medlar is Director of Book Operations at The New York Public Library, aka "BookOps," serving all 150 locations of NYPL and Brooklyn Public Library, and before this he worked at Chicago Public Library as Children's Librarian, Youth Materials Specialist, and Assistant Commissioner for Collections. He is a past president of the Association for Library Service to Children, currently serves as treasurer of the Jane Addams Peace Association, and is a proud recipient of the Illinois Library Association’s Davis Cup for “outstanding contributions in library service to young people.” Andrew lives on Long Island, New York, and in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood, and in 2017 The Wall Street Journal named him one of “the country’s most influential literary arbiters.”

We will have copies of Matasha at the store so swing by and grab yours or click on the link and get a signed copy delivered to your doorstep!

This is administered as a free event through Eventrbrite. Should you wish to donate to Exile in Bookville’s cause there is an option on the registration page.

Click here to register for free!

Join us on June 16th at 7:00pm central to help celebrate the release of Lisa Taddeo’s highly anticipated debut novel, Animal! Lisa will be in conversation with Exile VIP Christie Tate, author of Group: How One Therapist and a Circle of Strangers Saved My Life.

Lisa Taddeo is the author of the instant #1 New York Times bestseller, Three Women. She has contributed to the New York Times, New York magazine, Esquire, Elle,Glamour, and many other publications. Her nonfiction has been included in the Best American Sports Writing and Best American Political Writing anthologies, and her short stories have won two Pushcart Prizes. Lisa lives with her husband and daughter in New England.

Christie Tate is a Chicago-based author whose essays have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, McSweeney's, The Rumpus, and elsewhere. Her debut memoir Group was published in October 2020 by Avid Reader Press, and Reese Whitherspoon selected Group as its November book club pick. The paperback was just released on June 1st.

We will have signed copies of Animal and Group on hand at the store, so swing by and get yours or you can purchase books by both authors through their respective links (with signed bookplates!) and have it delivered to your door. Phone, email, or stop by to purchase a copy of Animal and receive one of these super cool, limited edition tote bags. We only have a few so act quickly!

Join us on Thursday, June 17th at 7:00pm central to help celebrate the release of Brenda Lozano’s new novel, Loop. Brenda will be in conversation with Exile VIP Maryse Meijer!

Born in Mexico City in 1981, Brenda Lozano is a fiction writer, essayist, and editor. She studied literature in Mexico and the United States. She edits the literary journal Make in Chicago, and she is part of Ugly Duckling Press in New York. In addition to Loop, she has published her debut novel, Todo nada (All Nothing, 2009), which is currently being adapted for the screen, a book of short stories Cómo piensan las piedras (How Stones Think, 2017), and her most recent novel, Brujas (Witches, 2020). In 2015, she was recognized by Conaculta and the British Council as one of the most important emerging authors coming out of Mexico, and in 2017 she was chosen by the Hay Festival as part of the Bogotá 39, a list of the most outstanding Latin American authors under the age of 40. Loop is her first book to be published in English. 

Maryse Meijer is the author of Heartbreaker, Rag, Northwood, and her most recent, The Seventh Mansion. She lives in Chicago.

We will have plenty of signed copies of both Loop and The Seventh Mansion at the store so swing by and grab yours or click on their respective links and get a signed copy delivered to your doorstep!

This is administered as a free event through Eventrbrite. Should you wish to donate to Exile in Bookville’s cause there is an option on the registration page.

Click here to register for free!

• Let us take on the role of personal shopper and help find that perfect book—or books—to make your holiday shopping less stressful! Just email us (books@exileinbookville.com) and let us know who you’re shopping for. You'll feel that weight lift off of your shoulders

• Having trouble finding that perfect combination of books for your aunt in Omaha who loves Chicago architecture and also has an affinity for true crime? We are more than happy to lend a helping hand by curating book bundles.