Many of our libraries host in-person and/or virtual book clubs on a wide variety of topics - from new releases, to romance, the classics, books that have been turned into films, and even food and cookbooks.
Make sure to check our full calendar for any new book clubs that might pop up!
Current Book Clubs
Black Studies Book Club
Explore, engage, and discuss books from and relating to the Black radical tradition. We'll be reading classics from authors such as Martin Luther King JR., Malcolm X, WEB Dubois, James Baldwin, Audrey Lorde, as well as lesser known and contemporary works.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
BookTok Book Club
Have you found yourself on BookTok? Join this book club to read and discuss books popular on TikTok!
Location: Northeast Library
Contact: Janna Tanner
Busy Person's Book Club
A book club for the burned out! Do you want to discuss books and ideas, but have a hard time sitting down and reading? Whether you are too busy with work and family or too distracted by Tik Tok and 24 hour news, it can be hard to focus on a book. Get in the habit, or back in the habit, of reading regularly with our book club! We will read books that require minimal commitment - under 200 pages or up to about 6 hours reading - from a wide variety of genres. Some months we might just discuss a short story or an essay.
Location: Takoma Park Library
Calendars and Clocks Book Club
The Calendars and Clocks Book Club is a group that meets each month to read a book relevant to the time of year, focusing specifically on unique voices and books that speak to the sensibility of participants.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Capitol View Book Club
A neighborhood book club for readers of all kinds!
Location: Capitol View Library
Creative Minds Book Club
Join The Labs at MLK Library to participate in an art activity and discuss books focusing on creativity, innovation, and artistic development.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Ecology Book Club
This bimonthly adult book club discusses books on human ecology, sustainable living, environmental justice and post-fossil fuel futures. Books can be nonfiction, fiction or poetry.
Location: Cleveland Park Library
Contact: Rachel White
English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Book Club
Are you learning English and looking for a fun way to practice your reading, speaking and listening skills? Join the ESOL Book Club!
Location: Mt. Pleasant Library
Feeder's Advisory Book Club
A book club for those who love food. Do you love browsing through cookbooks and trying new recipes? Join us on this culinary adventure!
Location: Northeast Library
Contact: Shawn McDermott
I Never Wanna Grow Up Book Club
If Young Adult Literature is your preferred genre, drop in for an energetic conversation on award-winning titles written for teens.
Location: Tenley-Friendship Library
Inklings: New Fantasy Book Club
The Takoma Park Neighborhood Branch Library will host the “Inklings” New Fantasy Book Club, named in honor of the originator of the genre - J.R.R. Tolkien’s own fantasy book club. This club will meet in-person to discuss the works of current fantasy authors, with a focus on authors who use the freedom of the fantasy genre to subvert institutional and cultural norms.
Location: Takoma Park Library
International Booker Prize Book Club
Read and discuss novels that have won the Booker International Prize!
Please note: This is the second series. The group has already completed reading and discussing winners from 2016-2018.
Location: West End Library
Junior Book Talkers Book Club
So many books for kids to talk about! In this monthly book club for kids in grades 3-7, we'll chat likes and displikes about our selected book for each month.
Location: Chevy Chase Library
La Comunidad Reads with Lupita Aquino
The aim of this author-inclusive book club series is to challenge statistics by building a space in which Latine-authored books are magnified for all readers while stimulating Latine readership. La Comunidad Reads, and there are so many readers eager to learn more about Latine literature and the unique experiences of being Latine through our stories. La Comunidad Reads will provide an inclusive space where readers can form connections with each other and have discussions we are aching to have.
Learn More and Sign Up for the Next La Comunidad Reads Book Club Meeting
Long Story Short Book Club
When you're too busy to commit to a whole book, join this short story book club.
Long story short, we know you love a good story but you just don't have time to read a whole book. Join this bi-monthly book club as we read-a-loud and discuss short stories. We are reading American Classic short stories, all are available to read online.
Location: Southwest Library
Love in Color Book Club
It's the third year of the Love in Color Book Club and we're back again with more amazing books to delve into from some of the romance genre's best authors of color.
Do you love romance novels but never see yourself represented in them? If so, this book club is for you! The Love in Color book club is for people who love the romance genre and want to read books from a diverse set of authors. All of the books selected are written by an author of color with backgrounds from different parts of the world.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Contact: Adult Services
Middle Grade Book Club
Calling all middle schoolers! Let's get lost in a book together.
Location: Southwest Library
MLK Library Literary Book Club
Join the longest-running book club hosted by DCPL! We meet on the second Tuesday of every month at MLK Library to discuss a work of literary fiction. Recent titles include The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami, and Foster by Claire Keegan.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Contact: Adult Services (email to be put on the group mailing list)
Mt. Pleasant Reads Book Club
Mt. Pleasant Tween Reads Book Club
Mystery Book Club
Interested in a good mystery? Follow the clues with others just as interested!
Please note: This book club currently meets online
Location: Virtual Program
Contact: Tracy Myers
Not-So-Lazy Sunday Book Club
Chase away the Sunday scaries with a book club! The Not-So-Lazy Sunday Book Club discusses thought-provoking fiction and nonfiction works that address important issues of the day.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Page to Stage Book Club
Read and discuss the books that inspired Broadway musicals, enriching understanding and enjoyment of both!
Location: Northeast Library
Contact: Jeff Gluckman
Proust Discussion Group
This group will serve as moral support for individuals hoping to finish the entirety of In Search of Lost Time.
Either we know someone who's only read the first couple of volumes of In Search of Lost Time and just gave up, or we're one of them. No shame in that at all. Now is a chance to get to the finish line with other like-minded folks determined to say, "Why yes indeed, I've read the entirety of In Search of Lost Time!"
Location: West End Library
Contact: My Nguyen
Queer Book Club
Queer Book Club is a small but enthusiastic community that meets monthly to discuss queer-themed books spanning numerous genres. Join us on the 3rd Tuesday each month at 7pm. Meetings alternate every other month between in-person at the MLK Library and virtual.
Location: Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
Contact: Jordan Johnson
Teen Graphic Novel Club
Join your fellow teens once a month to discuss your favorite manga or graphic novels!
Location: Shaw/Watha T. Daniel Library
The Intimidating Book Club
Intended for those who have always wanted to read that one classic novel of gargantuan proportions but never did (or simply didn't finish). This group will read a notoriously lengthy book widely considered a classic, section by section, and meet monthly for a minimum one-hour discussion.
Location: West End Library
The Page Turners Book Club
Join us to read and discuss your next big page turner at Parklands-Turner!
Location: Parklands-Turner Library
Toni Morrison Book Club
Work your way through Nobel laureate and Pulitzer Prize winning author Toni Morrison's works.
Location: Petworth Library
Travel Fiction Book Club
Travel around the world right from your living room. Each month we will read and discuss a novel set in a different country.
Location: Southeast Library
Well-Read Black Girl Book Club
DC Public Library is excited to partner with Well-Read Black Girl to bring Glory Edim's legendary book club to D.C. readers! Well-Read Black Girl's goal is to introduce a cohort of diverse writers to future generations - contemporary authors who are non-binary, queer, trans, and disabled and to address inequalities and improve communities through reading and reflecting on the works of Black women. You are invited to be a part of this inclusive community as you build connections through culture!