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Grab a coffee and a book at these York-area bookstore-cafes


If you like some caffeine with your Kafka, or a little java with your John Grisham, the region offers a host of bookstores with cafes. Here are a few within an easy drive of York.

Books-A-Million

Location: 3000 Whiteford Road, Springettsbury Township

Contact: 717-757-6371; www.booksamillion.com

Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday

Why go: BAM's Joe Muggs' Cafe is the meeting spot for a host of different book clubs. Or, come on your own for the fresh-baked cookies, or favorites like the baked potato soup or the chicken panini.

Barnes & Noble

Location: Red Rose Commons, 1700 H Fruitville Pike, Lancaster

Contact: 717-290-8171; www.barnesandnoble.com

Hours: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

Why go: Starbucks coffee and coffee drinks, sandwiches and baked goods make this a spot for leafing through the latest best-seller or a flipping through your favorite magazine.

Upcoming events: 3 p.m. Aug. 22 book signing and Q&A with William Costopolous, author of "Soul Witness".

Barnes & Noble: Tollgate Marketplace

Location: 620 Marketplace Drive, Bel Air, Maryland

Contact: 410-638-7023; www.barnesandnoble.com

Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday

Upcoming events: 7 p.m. Aug. 22, author signing with Ronald Malfi, author of "Little Girls".

Midtown Scholar Bookstore

Location: 1302 N. Third St., Harrisburg

Contact: 717-236-1680; www.midtownscholar.com

Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.

Why go: Counter Culture coffee in a former department store and movie theater filled to the rafters with hundreds of thousands of books. You could spend an hour just on the bargains filling the book carts outside the store.

Upcoming events: Folk singer John Gorka performs 8 p.m. Sept. 25.

Ongoing groups include: Midtown Chess Club meets 11 a.m. Wednesdays, Sci Fi & Fantasy Book Club meets 7 p.m. the third Wednesday of the month; Almost Uptown Poetry Cartel meets 7 p.m. Thursdays, Midtown Writers Group meets 6 p.m. the first Monday of the month.

The Rabbit and the Dragonfly

Location: 51 N. Market St., Lancaster

Contact: 717-579-1043; www.therabbitanddragonfly.com

Hours: 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Friday and Saturday

Why go: Enjoy a Square One coffee or a soda from Appalachian Brewing Co. as you browse classic and fantasy literature by authors such as C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. Or, try one of their soups or sandwiches, including their most popular sandwich, the Gimli: roast beef and cheddar with house-made creamy horseradish sauce on wheat bread.

Upcoming events: Singer-songwriter Olds Sleeper performs 7:30 p.m. Aug. 28; Chris Kauffman, lead singer of the indie rock group Waiting for Cadence, performs 7 p.m. Sept. 4; Vinyl Spinning Night with Adam Brown 6 p.m. Sept. 11; Author Curtis Smith will do a book reading and signing 6:30 p.m. Sept. 25. Also, Open Mic Night at 7 p.m. Thursdays; Cereal and Cinema at 10 a.m. on the first Saturday of the month with a children's movie and a variety of cereals to eat.

The Reader's Cafe

Location: 125 Broadway, Hanover

Contact: 717-630-2524; thereaderscafe.net

Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday-Saturday. Friday evening for scheduled entertainment events. Closed Sunday.

Why go: Sip a latte, cappuccino or espresso, or enjoy a tarragon chicken sandwich in the balcony of this former church in downtown Hanover. The store's book selection which ranges from hard-to-find volumes to those on the Indie Bestseller list.

Upcoming events: Sue Reifsnider, whose pen name is Wendi Hartman, will be signing copies her book "A New Season," from 9 a,m. to noon on Aug. 29.

Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse

Location: 30 W. North Ave., Baltimore

Contact: 443-602-7585; redemmas.org

Hours: 8:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 8:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday.

Why go: The conversation is sure to be lively at this self-described "radical" bookstore named after the late anarchist and political activist Emma Goldman. Red Emma's also features a cafe serving Thread Coffee and vegan and vegetarian dishes.

Upcoming events: 7:30 p.m. Aug. 20, a discussion about culture, race and community with Natasha Bowens, author of "The Color of Food: Stories of Race, Resilience and Farming"; 7:30 p.m. August 27, author and activist Boots Riley