Kramerbooks.
Despite the fact that on some level, Kramerbooks is the competition (another independent bookstore in the area), I have nothing but praise and admiration for the store.
I went back to Kramer (for the 10,000th time) yesterday, just to make sure I would not mislead you with my praise. Trust me, between the books, the pie, the staff and the decor, it's an all-around A+.
Fun jazz music played in the background as I perused everything from Poetry to Travel. The ever-changing "Staff Picks" bookshelf has some intriguing titles and supplied me with a nice list of summer reading recommendations (Nothing to Envy, After the Quake, Golden Spruce, Power of the Dog).
The best part, however, was the encounter I had with a staff member. I had pulled out Tim O'Brien's In The Lake of The Woods (a must read for any The Things They Carried fan) to recommend to a friend. Within seconds, a staffer who had previously been shelving on top of a rather high stool, leaped from his perch with arms outstretched.
"One of my favorites," he exclaimed as his feet reached the floor. "Sorry, but I get really excited when I see someone who has read that book."
Any bookshop in which an employee risks physical harm to praise a novel, wins my utmost approval.
DC natives, if you haven't already discovered the magic that is Kramerbooks, now is the time.
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