Lit. on Fire Books

The vibes of this bookstore are amazing. Super friendly environment with a wide array of books that are right up my alley. It has used and new books as well as stickers/pins/flags. They’re almost always doing something to help build community. Highly recommend supporting this small business over the big box stores.

Lit. On Fire is a wonderful bookstore. The owner is kind and welcoming while juggling a one person show. It is full of books, yes, but most of all full of community. Its a rare space, a storefront with welcomes all people to stop in and lounge without paying to stay there. Thank you for being a community gathering hub in Peoria. Support the store through Libro.fm (audiobook app) if you can. And stop in sometime, sit on a couch, take a pamphlet for an even happening in the Peoria Area. You won't regret it.

I have many questions understanding how this business is run. The concept is fantastic, but the unreliability of store hours/closures really hits hard. An unreliable safe space. Oxymoronic. I also don’t understand how this business is profitable. The hours are limited so if you have a 9-5, you may not make it unless it’s an open mic night. The social media accounts associated to this business are more like a personal account than a business account. I know the owner has had a rough go of it but I don’t need to be reminded of that by videos of crying and reasons why the shop is closed (again). Just say you’re closed. The community is very much in need of places like this but the reliability factor really takes a toll on the people who need it. It seems the owner has a following, but again seems to use the victim card a little too heavily. Life is hard.

This is one of the best indy bookstores I've been to outside of Chicago. The selection was powerful for its size with a healthy balance of new/used books. They have great ambience and a nice (but not too much) selection of notions, art, and zines for sale as well. The owner was generous with their time and made great local recommendations for our visit. We got some great used Star Trek paperbacks and postcards for our trip. 10/10 would visit again and so should you.

Beautifully laid out bookstore hosting a forward thinking selection of charged topics, mostly biased in a predictable direction, what we expected; the main room clean and inviting for the open mind. Got myself tickled surprised stumbling upon a new comic book styled adaptation of The Hobbit, didn't purchase, now I regret. Very much there had been more celebration of literature's full magic, iconic authors, celebrated series, unique publishers, instead of just a couple main topics. Noticed the solo staff quietly holding down the side room at the back corner checkout, oddly not near the entry. The second oddity was a bewildering array of invisible god replacements: fortune telling, card reading, and general assortment of materials bent on using the star charts and crystal as religion. Always amusing to see attempts made to replace a simple prayer and book based church, that's remained unaltered for four thousand years, the endless chaos of frantic scrabbling at palm lines, tea leaves, and incense doesn't go along with the rest of the progressive socially cared for collection here. However I understand how quickly the mind starts to make up its own sense of self with the easiest options at hand not necessarily the ones that will last or prove worthwhile.

I’m new to Peoria as of May & Lit On Fire has been a safe haven for me! I love the events & the way Jessica, the owner, cares so much about our community & providing inclusive spaces for us to gather. It’s super special to have such a place to land when everything else is new to me currently. I am grateful for Jessica & the way she shows up for our community through events, being social justice focused, & COVID aware!

A fantastic indie bookstore with a wide selection of both new and used books. I love Lit on Fire!