Despite being overshadowed by its metropolitan neighbor across the water and severely misunderstood by most of the folks I’ve talked to outside of the Bay Area, Oakland has given rise to a bevy of notable artists and creatives over the last century. If you’re looking to take your reading experience out into the East Bay, here are a few spots to swing through with your paperback.
1) Yes, I’m Gonna Mention Motherfucking Jack London—Shut Up
If you’re a turn-of-the-century lit nerd and Call of the Wild ever meant something to you, then Oakland is going to be a lovely haven of name-dropping. You can stop by the Oakland Public Library, where Ina Coolbrith worked and is credited with sparking a love of books in a young Jack London. You can also swing through Jack London Square, wave at his iron likeness by the docks and then stop for a drink at Heinold’s First and Last Chance Saloon to live out your fantasy of drinking where Jack London actually drank — if that’s a thing you’re into.
If it’s not, then consider at least taking your librarian friend for a walk along the water so that she can re-create her own Ina Coolbrith moment.
2) Get a Book at Walden Pond Books
A fixture in Oakland since the ’70s, with creaky wooden floors and bookshelves packed in tightly from one end to the other, Walden Pond Books feels like it could be home. The whole shop smells like you shoved your nose into the spine of an old book, and there’s an odd assortment of masks on the wall above the record section. The selection of new and used books seems endless, and yes, they still have $1 paperbacks on the sidewalk that are actually only $1. Special shout-out to the girl behind the counter who rang me up — thank you for not judging my impulse purchase of that book about the werewolf woman who has orgies with vampires.
3) And Then Read It at Boot and Shoe Next Door
Pop next door from Walden Pond and grab a cup of coffee at Boot and Shoe Service. I was only marginally disappointed to learn that this was a tasty coffee and brunch spot and not a combo coffee/cobbler shop — but hey, not all our dreams can become a reality. Boot and Shoe is a funky space that manages to feel like it’s kind of outside and kind of spacious, despite the fact that you’re sitting on a barstool in a corner. The coffee was good; the donut muffin was delicious; and there was just enough music and chatter in the background to provide that special white-noise mix that makes a weekend-morning reading sesh just right.
4) DIESEL, A Bookstore (Soon to be East Bay Booksellers)
More on the Rockridge side of town is DIESEL, A Bookstore, a spacious bookstore with bright walls, full shelves and a fireplace in the back. One of DIESEL’s biggest draws, however, is its exhaustive list of author events, where attendees can listen to Janine Kovac and Santiago Gamboa talk about their latest works. If you’re looking for a spot to see Oakland literary history in action, DIESEL is a must.
DIESEL also gets to be one of those exciting bookstores in the middle of a life change (no hot flashes required). Store manager Brad Johnson has bought the Oakland branch and will be transitioning it to his own shop, East Bay Booksellers.
5) Plum Bar
If you’re more of a boozy book reader, then end your bookworm tour through Oakland at Plum Bar. They specialize in seasonal ingredients for their cocktails, so everything tastes fresh and appropriate with respect to the year. Definitely get a few munchies while you’re there. I don’t want to go overboard and say they’re life changing, but I didn’t like brussels sprouts until I ate theirs, and my history with vegetables is complicated, at best. Finally, Plum Bar is on this list because they wallpapered their interior with pages from books. This will either hurt your soul or give you alternate reading material, depending on who you are as a person.
