Tacoma has some great bookstores. Add to the list one Meta Books, which has opened quietly on Pacific Avenue near the University of Washington Tacoma. The store owned by former criminal defense attorney Timothy Lohraff doesn’t have a clear specialty, unless you consider hand-selected, generally awesome and strange books a specialty. I swore off reading books a while back, largely because I need to try putting to use some of the knowledge contained within the books I’ve already read. But after five minutes in Meta Books, I nearly fell off the wagon.

“I’m a lifelong reader, and I love bookstores,” says Lohraff. “I was a criminal defense attorney for 20 years. This is sort of a lifelong dream.”

Lohraff mentions the world-class William James Bookseller in Port Townsend among his inspirations. He even considered buying the joint at one point. Thankfully, that scenario fizzled.

“I thought, well, if I can’t buy one, maybe I can open one,” says Lohraff.

Though he is still filling the shelves with books he has collected over the years, the store is already packed with one of the tightest, most intriguing collections of books I’ve seen in a long time. The store has a strong cookbook selection, especially foreign ones, plenty of art and architecture, plenty of obscure spiritual tomes, some great reference books, and a strong start on rare and antique literature. The best part of this store, however, is Lohraff’s discerning taste and seeming desire to keep the collection tight and relevant. You won’t have to dig for hours to find the gems at Meta Books, and if you’ve a penchant for the weird ones, your chances are even better. Below are a few to whet your whistle.

Worth Reading

• A Configuration of Forces — Abstract and Expressionist Art by William Ingham. Signed, first edition.
• Volumes I and II of Clef/Verve Label Disocgraphies — chronicling the releases of seminal jazz labels during Norman Granz and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer eras.
• Synagogen in Berlin — a two-volume, pictographic tour of synagogues in Berlin during the 1930s and 1940s. 

[Meta Books, 1916 Pacific Ave, Tacoma,253.627-4440]