Atomic Books Blog

We're getting out of town for 2014. Set a course for adventure. The final frontier. January -  Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson February -  How to Understand Israel in 60 Days by Sarah Glidden March -  Dharma Bums by Jack Kerouac April -  Chasing Che by Patrick Symmes May -   How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu June -  Assassination Vacation by Sarah Vowell July - Carsick by John Waters August -  Killing Yourself to Live by Chuck Klosterman September - Shenzhen by Guy Delisle October - Packing for Mars   by Mary Roach November - Carnet de Voyage by Craig Thompson December - When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead As always, the titles are 15% off for Reading Club members and all you have to do to join is tell us at the counter! Discussions for each title is the last Wednesday of the month, at Atomic Books in the Eightbar, 7:30pm (Happy Hour prices for club members)! Join our  Facebook Group  fo

The Baltozine Roundup is a regular feature wherein we take a look at what national periodicals are saying about Baltimore-area arts, events, people, and places. Be sure to pick up the magazines and read the full articles. The new issue of Girls and Corpses (Volume 7 Winter) features an interview with John Waters conducted by our pal Shawna Kenney. John: ... When I was younger we would always go to fires. That's when I was close with my father - watching peoples' houses burn. He wasn't a pyromaniac. That's how we bonded, because when he took me to fishing or sporting events, we were in trouble. But fires were another thing. We'd be sitting at the dinner table and hear sirens and we'd all run to the window, and me and my father would get in the car and chase fire engines. ... Maximum Rocknroll (#368) has a review an awesome review of Sick Thoughts new LP, Need No One (available at Celebrated Summer Records!) by Graham Booth. "... this music

December 24th (Xmas Eve) - 11am - 6pm December 25th (Xmas) - CLOSED December 31st (New Year’s Eve) - 11am - 6pm January 1st (New Year’s Day) - CLOSED Regular hours all other days which are: Monday - Thursday & Saturday - 11am - 9pm Friday - 11am - 11pm Sunday - 11am - 7pm

Here are some new titles that the staff at Atomic Books are way into this week. 8469 Volume 1 by Jeral Tidwell / Sarah Smith picked by Heleigh 8469 is a super-beautiful art book half-drawn by Jeral Tidwell, with the other half drawn by Sarah Smith. Any fan of Night Watch zine or Amigos de los Muertos can dig this. Alternative Movie Posters by Matthew Chojnacki picked by John As a remedy to the rash of uninspired, "Giant Photoshopped Actor Head" movie posters which festoon your local multiplex and are designed to do nothing more than sell a film's biggest stars, there has been a recent, welcome trend of illustrators and design firms creating iconic and playful images that exemplify the potential of the one-sheet. Over two hundred such works are collected in Matthew Chojnacki's Alternative Movie Posters: Film Art from the Underground , alongside interviews with the artists. Ranging from the nostalgic to the cartoony to the experimental, these posters h

Here are some new titles that the staff at Atomic Books are way into this week. 47 Ronin: Samurai Art by Kunisada by Jack Hunter / Utagawa Kunisada picked by Julia 47 individual portraits of the famously historical 47 Ronin appear in this book by the Ukiyo-e master, Kunisada. Paired with a retelling of their legendary story, as well as additional supplementary material by additional artists, this book is a respectable and lush experience. Considering the often taboo subject of Ukiyo-e portraiture representing individuals above the entertainment class, this book offers a thoughtful look into a genre which, to this day, still heavily influences comics and illustration. A Is For Atheist: The Anarchist's Coloring Book by Talking Bag picked by Benn Any kids book that promotes atheism, anarchism, and/or socialism is okay by me! This A-to-Z coloring book covers all the good, progressive bases, with the right amount of propaganda and images to color in. Complete Deep Girl by

Here are some new titles that the staff at Atomic Books are way into this week. Esopus #20 by various picked by Benn  The 20th issue of the arts journal,  Esopus, is the best one yet. It comes as a slip-cased collection of small, saddle-stitched, independent signatures with a CD and a poster. Inside you'll find Matthew Weiner's handwritten notes that were the inspiration for AMC's Mad Men , early drafts of Dean Wareham's Galaxie 500 song lyrics, photos of dioramas from the American Museum of Natural History, selections from The Mott Collection's Thatcher-era punk ephemera and much, much more. Each signature that you pull out is more remarkable than the last. Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood, and the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright picked by Benn It's the book the Church of Scientology doesn't want you to read. New in paperback! For most, that should be reason enough to check this out. If you read Jon Krakauer's Under The Banner of

Here are some new titles that the staff at Atomic Books are way into this week. 33 1/3 Volume 88: They Might Be Giants' Flood by S. Alexander Reed / Charles Philip Sandifer / Philip Sandifer picked by Benn It's been too long since we've had a new installment in the excellent 33 1/3 series , but Vol. 88 makes the wait worth it. While the selection of this book bolsters my argument with friends that Flood is the more important record, not Lincoln , it also serves as a fascinating look at how the success of this record marks the rise of geek culture. The nerds shall inherit the Earth. As You Were #2 by Mitch Clem (editor) picked by Haleigh Oh hey, look! A comic book about going to punk shows! Weird how I would like this, right? The first one was awesome. The second one did not disappoint me. I dig the mosh pit theme for it too. I can't really narrow down my favorite artist in this one, because I'm into almost all of them. Diableries: Stereoscopi

Starting TODAY our new hours are: Atomic Books North/Eightbar: Mon-Thu, Sat 11am - 9pm Fri - 11am - 11pm Sun - 11am - 7pm Celebrated Summer/Atomic South: Noon - 7pm Every Day We're always open later on event nights so just check ! Here's our current drink menu at Atomic Books Eightbar (which is open the same hours as the store). And yes, we sell carryout. LOCAL BEER (BOTTLES) National Premium Pale Lager - 5% ***DUCLAW*** Hellrazer IPA (Baltimore) - 7.5% Sweet Baby Jesus Chocolate Peanut Butter Porter (Baltimore) - 6.5%   ***EVOLUTION*** Exile ESB (MD) - 5.9% ***PEABODY HEIGHTS*** Pendulum Pilsner (Baltimore) - 4.5% Raven Lager (Baltimore) - 5.3% Tell Tale Hearty Ale (Baltimore) - 7.3% ***STILLWATER*** Cellar Door Farmhouse Ale (Baltimore) - 5.6% Existent American Farmhouse Ale (Baltimore) - 7.4% Stateside Saison (Baltimore) - 6.8% Why Can't IBU Ale (Baltimore) - 5.7% REGIONAL COLLABORATIONS (BOTTLES) Natural Selection (Flying Dog/

Here are some new titles that the staff at Atomic Books are way into this week. Burgermat Show by Burgerac   picked by Benn The perfect collection for folks who like excellent burgers and excellent design! Presented as a pull off sheet of fast food tray liners, Burgermat Show collects the results from a London art show where a chef, a burger blogger and a group of artists all teamed up. You get 24 different pieces of burger art and recipes - perfect for hanging on the wall or using as placemats. Guillermo Del Toro's Cabinet of Curiosities by Guillermo Del Toro / Marc Zicree picked by John Del Toro's CABINET OF CURIOSITIES is an irresistible look at the acclaimed director's creative process, including selections from his personal sketches and notes as well as details about Bleak House, his office and home-away-from-home. Taken as a whole it makes a strong case for why Del Toro, with his mix of pulp inspiration and refined taste, is frequently called a vi

Author Brian Tuohy ( The Fix Is In ) has come out with Larceny Games , a new book from Feral House about sports fixing. Tuohy has collected over 400 previously unreleased FBI files on the subject, and this book comprises his findings. Here is an excerpt from the section on the Baltimore Colts: Robert McGarvey (member of Philadelphia Detective Bureau): After Mr. Rosenbloom purchased the Baltimore Colts, which was in 1953, one of the several services I performed for him during the period of 1953-1954 was placing his bets, or assisting in the placing of his bets, on professional football games. During this period Mr. Rosenbloom bet frequently and in large amounts on professional football games.... Mr. Rosenbloom wagered to win and when he felt his own team would not win, bet against the Colts on such occasions."   And here is an excerpt from the section on The Baltimore Orioles: "... the FBI became informed about a string of potential game-fixing scandals of  which only

  We know that not everyone can attend our SPX-plosion Party and our signing with Peter Bagge on Friday, September 13 (6PM), but we still want to make sure people have an opportunity to get signed copies of their favorite books. Pre-order signed Peter Bagge books now. Orders must be received by 11:59PM on Thursday, September 12. Books will ship after signing on September 13. Apocalypse Nerd Bat Boy   Buddy Does Seattle   Buddy Does Jersey Other Lives Peter Bagge's Other Stuff Reset Woman Rebel: The Margaret Sanger Story Yeah!

The Baltozine Roundup is a regular feature wherein we take a look at what national periodicals are saying about Baltimore-area arts, events, people, and places. Be sure to pick up the magazines and read the full articles. Draft Magazine (July/August 2013) covers a few Maryland-area eateries and beers. "3 Brand New Kebabs" is an article about meat-on-a-stick makeovers. It features a contribution from Andrew Evans, barbecue champion and chef-owner of BBQ Joint in Easton, MD - a delicious-sounding recipe using braised pork belly. And there's a review of Flying Dog Brewery's Raging Bitch Belgian Style IPA. The beer get's an 88 rating (out of 100): "In the bouquet, a hit of caramel threads together the American hops' orange and lemon and Belgian yeast's white pepper and clove. Toasted grains with a touch of sweet bubblegum stretch over the tongue as clove and black pepper draw out the alcohol's spice. Grapefruit flavor and intense bittern

by Cassie J. Sneider Dan suggested I pick up the goat's head, but touching an actual dead goat's head with my bare hands seemed like the sort of thing that might ruin the rest of my night. There were a lot of people gathered backstage watching the show from the wings, so I asked a stranger to get gloves. He was a friend of Salt Peter, the old bassist, and the bartender had to pull the latex gloves from a first-aid kit, which made me wonder how sanitary the process of cutting lemons and limes could be if there weren't any gloves to be found outside of dire medical emergencies. When I got onstage, I danced around a little before I picked up the goathead. Someone from the crowd had smuggled it in and thrown it onstage at the singer, but missed and it ended up at the feet of the guitarist, who took a step back, but kept playing. The smell was terrible. When I finally picked it up, my fingers sank in like touching an old cantaloupe. Something about it reminded me of that