Arts & Culture
What Baltimore Is Reading
In honor of the Baltimore Book Festival, we surveyed locals to see what they're paging through.
The Baltimore Book Festival is this weekend and we’ve already laid out the best food-related authors, as well as a list of 10 favorite books from a library expert. But we wanted to see what you are reading. So we canvassed neighborhoods, coffee shops, libraries, and outdoor benches to see what makes Baltimore truly the city that reads.
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
“It’s about twins in Ethiopia who are orphans. One is a doctor and so am I so I can appreciate from that angle. It’s really a family story about love.” —Angela G.
Jake Drake Class Clown by Andrew Clements
“I grabbed a random book out of my mom’s classroom. I like reading truth and comedy. I also read dictionaries, biology books, and reading at night. Sometimes I stay up way past my bedtime to read. I like to be well stocked on knowledge.” —Philip J.
Native Americans: A Resource Guide by Laura Nauta
“I’m reading about Native Americans in the Southwest. I come here every day and pick a random book.” —James G.
God and the Gay Christian by Matthew Vines
“I have a Master’s Degree in Theology. I actually went to school in the South [Liberty University]. I’m just exploring the theology behind relationships, all relationships and obviously same-sex relationships.” —Chelsea Gregoire
Mental Floss
“It’s a really cool magazine, different and quirky things. There’s a lot of trivia. I get it from the library.” —Chuck H.
The King by J.R. Ward
“This is the 12th book in the ‘Black Dagger Brotherhood’ series, about vampires. It’s been a quick read because you want to see what happens and you get connected to the characters.” —Stephanie B.
One Last Thing Before I Go by Jonathan Tropper
“It’s the same author as This Is Where I Leave You and I just really like the writing style.” —Tara H.
The Bible
“I read it every day. I became a Christian when I was 29, and I’m 51 now. My favorite book is Genesis.” —Rosa C.
The Lords and the New Creatures by Jim Morrison
“This book is out of my personal library. I have to say I’m a big fan of art in general. Jim Morrison, his father was an admiral in the Navy and he graduated from UCLA. He lived a silver-spoon life. He was able to express that through rhythm and blues. He went out like a shooting star.” —Joseph S.