The City What Reads

Summertime Picks and Favorite Reads from Baltimoreans.

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Atomic Books Special Announcement

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Atomic Books turns 21 years old this year, and we have some exciting new plans to help us celebrate becoming a legal adult. This Spring, our friends next door at doubledutch boutique are moving into a new location on the 1000 block of W 36th St. We and Celebrated Summer will be expanding into 3616 Falls Rd. Atomic Books will be the entire first floor of the Oddfellows Building. One side of the first floor will be used and rare books and records, continuing our focus of contemporary art, graphic novels, small press literary fiction. Celebrated Summer will continue to carry punk, metal, indie, soul, reggae and have room to stock more new releases in vinyl. And also, we're adding a listening station! In the back of the current Atomic Books location, the space of the record store and our office will be converted into a bar area for our events and clubs. We’re calling it the Dead Poets Society and it will be open during store hours. Dead Poets Society will also be a bottle sh...
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Baltimore Record Shops - 40 Years Ago

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Baltimore has had a long, rich history of record shops.   40 years ago, the city region had over 15 stores selling records. Here's how they were described in a city guide called Bawlamer: An Informal Guide To A Livelier Baltimore from 1974, published by the Citizens Planning and Housing Association. Athenaikon Music Center (4717 Eastern Ave.) Greek records, periodicals, and cookbooks. A must for budding belly dancers. Downtown Sounds (529 N. Howard St.) In the heart of downtown shopping district. Records and tapes. The sounds were from Broadway to soul. For The Record, Inc. (Howard & Fayette St., 217 E. Baltimore St., Reisterstown Road Plaza) Baltimore's discount record shop. Sales weekly, largest collection of contemporary records. Excellent stock of standards, folk, classical, and "old rock". The staff was knowledgeable and helpful in all areas. Italia Kanta (3512 E. Lombard St. ) A converted rowhouse in the heart of Highlandtown, this...
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Atomic Reading Club 2026: Little Big Ideas

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  (bookmark art by Jordan Jeffries)  We know people are into binge-reading right now - 1000 page novels, 15 800-page books in a series, etc. - but we think in 2026, we're going need more time to do other things. So, we've gone in the other direction - novellas and short books. But don't let the page count fool you - these books say more than most (and they do it with fewer pages!).  OUR 2026 LITTLE BIG IDEAS READING LIST January - Train Dreams by Denis Johnson Libro.fm Audiobook February - Hope In The Dark by Rebecca Solnit Libro.fm AudioBook March - All Systems Red by Martha Wells Libro.fm AudioBook April - Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow by Tom King / Bilquis Evely May - Little Lumpen by Roberto Bolano Libro.fm AudioBook June - Faltas by Cecilia Gentili July - I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman Libro.fm AudioBook August - Jane: A Murder by Maggie Nelson September - The Employees by Olga Ravn October - Orange Eats Creeps by Grace Krilanovich Libro.fm A...
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