Chevy Chase
Neighborhood Library

DC's Wild, Wondrous Heart

Ecological, Historical & Poetic Explorations of Rock Creek Park

When many people think of our nation's capital, they focus on its political life. Yet residents here know our city environment encompasses much more than federal politics. At its heart lies my favorite area, Rock Creek Park. Over double the size of Central Park, it includes forests, streams, hills, fields, recreational and historical sites. Here residents and tourists can escape from urban stress, slow down, engage in recreation, and commune with nature.

Mansplaining

Well these certainly aged like avocados...

Books written by men who later found themselves in hot water about the very subject they claimed to be an expert on. Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari

Hilariously Bad Books

Books that are so bad that they're goo—well, no. They're still pretty bad. But at least they're entertaining. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

Worlds Where Senses Mix, Part Two

Explorations of Synesthesia in Adult and Teen Fiction

The last few decades have seen a resurgence of interest in synesthesia, the neurological condition in which a stimulus of one sense involuntarily evokes another sense (such as hearing colors or tasting words). Not only has synesthesia become a well-developed area of research within neuroscience, but many new works of literature, along with new attention on certain older works, have broadened awareness of this fascinating phenomenon.

The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl Cover

#QuirkyWomenOfColor

Sisters who are smart, silly and social-media savvy.

These women of color are taking the world (wide web) by storm and unapologetically telling their stories. The Misadventures of Awkward Black Girl by Issa Rae

Worlds Where Senses Mix, Part One

Explorations of Synesthesia in Children's Fiction

Young people are often taught that humans have five separate senses. However, the neurological condition of synesthesia, in which a stimulus of one sense involuntarily evokes another sense, challenges the assumed universality of distinct senses. Although once thought to be very rare, recent scientific research has found that as many as 4 percent of people have at least one of over 80 kinds of synesthesia.

The Game is Afoot

Celebrate the 130th Anniversary of Sherlock Holmes

The first Sherlock Holmes story was published in December of 1887 and, as evidenced by the popularity of the BBC’s show Sherlock, he still resonates with us today. Have you read all the original Arthur Conan Doyle stories?

FUNomenal Wordplay

Novels for Wordplay Lovers

For most of my life I've been fond of zany wordplay, such as palindromes, anagrams, puns, lipograms, pangrams, oxymorons, and alliteration. I have discovered some novelists who share a similar fascination and whimsically employ wordplay in their fiction, even as they also explore deeper themes. If you too are a wordplay enthusiast, check out the children's and adult novels below.

Comfort Reads for Troubled Times

So lately the term “self-care” has been very popular. (I can’t imagine why that could be.) The library is here for you in many ways. We have yoga and meditation classes. We have quiet and comfy chairs. My colleague Reza S. has some non-fiction recommendations for you.

Adults

Fiction about North Korea

And Fiction by North Koreans

So, um, North Korea has been in the news a lot lately. Now might be a good time to read some of their fiction. However, there really isn’t a lot of it that is available to the world outside North Korea. Until recently, there hasn’t been any unauthorized work making its way out of the country, which is exceptionally chilling, given that unauthorized fiction tends to find its way out of all authoritarian regimes. (People need to tell their stories.) However, this March saw the U.S.

Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library