FINDING JOY
GET LOST IN A BOOK
N
othing online will ever replace that
book smell. Prefer to soak it up in
person? Baltimore is chock full of small,
independently owned bookshops and
historic libraries. Hampden’s Atomic
Books (3620 FALLS RD.) is a neighborhood institution that’s
known for its unparalleled collection of comic books
and graphic novels, zines, art books and pop-culture
treasures. This place has quirk in spades. The shop’s
tagline is, “Literary finds for mutated minds” — and
rumor has it that John Waters receives his fan mail here.
Newer to the scene is Greedy Reads (1744 ALICEANNA ST.),
a light-flooded book shop in Fell’s Point that was opened
last year by Julia Fleischaker, a Maryland native who
moved back after working in publishing for nearly
two decades in New York. A deep love of books and a
desire to create community drives her store’s ethos and
programming, which includes a book club and discussions.
The magnificent architecture of the historic George
Peabody Library (17 E. MOUNT VERNON PL.) is reason
enough to visit this spot — but once you get your fill of
Bird in Hand
32 Baltimore.org