Bookstore-hopping #2: Baltimore, USA

Reviewing indie bookstores in Baltimore

“I felt a haunting loneliness sometimes, and felt it in others—young clerks in the dusk, wasting the most poignant moments of night and life.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

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Welcome back to Novel Curations, a publication that curates worthy reads and sometimes worthy bookstores.

I visited my sister at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) for a couple weeks during late March and early April. I had ambitious bookstore-hopping plans, but I was somewhat thwarted by Baltimore’s appalling car-centric infrastructure. It was really quite difficult to get around as someone without a car.

That complaint aside, I enjoyed eating blue crab at L. P. Steamers and visiting the George Peabody Library. Also, Kneads Bakeshop has great glazed donuts.

Here are my reviews of the few bookstores I did manage to visit, with notes on what else you can do in the area.

Atomic Books

This bookstore specializes in comic books, but it also carries a decent range of general fiction and non-fiction. They also sell cute, quirky trinkets and other merchandise related to the comics.

Front view of Atomic Books.

The shop is small, but the selection is pretty good, and the interior has a cohesive aesthetic.

Many people, including myself, enjoy the experience of walking around a city, jumping in-and-out of shops—Baltimore is not great for that. It’s far too car-centric. However, Atomic Books is in a relatively good location, with other smaller vendors and restaurants within a few blocks of it. I had lunch at Golden West Cafe, and it was pretty good. You can also find vintage stores, such as Balto Vintage, on nearby blocks.

Greedy Reads Remington

This is an airy, spacious, curated bookstore that primarily carries contemporary fiction and non-fiction. It features staff recommendations, written on pieces of paper attached to the shelves.

Front view of Greedy Reads. The shop extends on far to the left.

It’s a very nice space—not at all stuffy, with high ceilings, natural light, and plenty of room to move. You could spend a lot of time browsing without getting uncomfortable.

Of all the bookstores I visited in Baltimore, I think I enjoyed this one the most.

Right across the street from Greedy Reads Remington, there is a small indoor food market. You could get a bite to eat here; there is also a restroom for public use. The shop is a few blocks away from the Johns Hopkins main campus and is within walking distance of the Baltimore Museum of Art.

There are two Greedy Reads: this one (Remington) and another on Aliceanna St. I haven’t been to the one on Aliceanna, but it also looks worth a visit. That one is closer to the harbor and various seafood restaurants. It could be a good place to spend some time before getting a bite.

Bird in Hand

This is more of a cafe that also sells books. It is a cozy space and has a surprising amount of books (with staff recommendations), but it is not the most comfortable to browse in because of all the tables. It is right across the street from the Johns Hopkins University bookstore and within walking distance of the main campus.

Side view of the Bird in Hand. It was difficult to get a good shot from the front.

I would not recommend stopping by just for the books. However, the cafe itself is nice (albeit a bit crowded), and it could be a fun experience to buy a book and read it with a coffee and a pastry.

Red Emma’s Bookstore and Coffeehouse

Also somewhat close to the Johns Hopkins campus, Red Emma’s Bookstore puts an emphasis on social justice topics. It has an attached cafe.

It looks very big, but its selection for my particular interests was not that extensive.

This is a specialized bookstore, so I would suggest checking it out if you are interested in the type of books they tend to carry. They seem to carry a lot of non-fiction on LGBTQ, feminism, African diaspora, labor, police, prisons, etc.

I’m much more interested in fiction, but I found their selection in that area to be rather limited.

All the books I was interested in were upstairs.

I didn’t explore the neighborhood too much because it was not a very nice area. I felt safe enough, but if you go there, I would recommend moving during daylight hours. It is walking distance from Bird in Hand (like a 15 min walk, if a remember correctly).

Charm City Books

This is a very cute neighborhood bookshop. It mostly carries contemporary novels, children’s books, games, and stationery. It also has an extensive section dedicated to memoirs.

The shop owner was the only one there when I visited. She had her two dogs with her, a very friendly pit bull and a disgruntled chihuahua.

The immediate area around the shop is very residential. However, I did walk from here to the Edgar Allan Poe grave. It is also within walking distance from The Walters Art Museum and Lexington Market.

Note in Lexington Market: As its name would suggest, this is a large indoor food market, but it is also a transportation hub, so it is relatively easy to get to from many different parts of the city. I ended up in that area several times on my trip. It is not a nice neighborhood. I felt uneasy during the day, so I would never go there at night.

Honorable mentions

Johns Hopkins Barnes & Noble: This is the university bookstore of Johns Hopkins, and it has a very extensive selection of books as well as university merch. I found it too sterile and creepily empty, but if you really need something in particular, it is probably a good place to look.

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