#71: Burnt Books

A bodega with a spicy secret

The Shop: Burnt Books

Greenpoint, Brooklyn 1014 Manhattan Avenue 

Burnt Books got a lot of hype when it debuted last year, with write ups in New York magazine and other local rags. These write ups did not quite emphasize that Burnt Books is literally just two bookshelves of used books in a bodega. Just two bookshelves, folks! Despite being somewhat underwhelmed with the breadth of the selection, I did have a lot of fun poking through these shelves, as eclectic as any random used bookstore in Brooklyn. The rotating selection in my recent visit included a series of sci-fi novels by William Shatner, a Daniel Clowes art book, some ultra vintage Dr. Doolittle novels, and more. It’s a fun time for those like me who love digging through obscure finds, but I would call this shop not worth the trip unless you live in Greenpoint or LIC. The bodega had some strange finds itself, such as a whole shelf of Price is Right keychains, Men in Black branded durags, and large buckets of various tea bags. This bookstore begs the question: why doesn’t every bodega have a rack of used books?

What I got:

Books of Blood Volume Three

I love Clive Barker— I adore the Hellraiser film franchise and read his comics when I was way too young for such horrors. Books of Blood is an anthology series which helped Barker rise to fame in the 1980s. This volume contains the story “Rawhead Rex,” later adapted into a film that Barker disowned! 

What Evan Got:

The I Hate To Cook Book

I was joined on this adventure by my old friend and Greenpoint guru Evan Barden who says: “I wouldn’t say I have a collection, but I really enjoy these mid-century easy reader cookbooks. Often they are sold by a company that makes food products, so you’ll see a Mcormick spices cookbook and everything secretly tells you how to use their products. This one seems more like a guide for housewives, but the chapter titles are all really snarky like ‘Chapter 6: Company’s Coming (or Your Back’s Against the Wall).’”

Thanks for joining me Evan and good luck with the cooking!