Chevy Chase
Neighborhood Library

Twisted History

Alternative History Novels

Alternative history fiction posits the question "what if?" about historical details large and small and how one change might have impacted the world. These five alternative history novels feature different time periods and different changes that will have history fans rethinking how they look at the world. The Boleyn King by Laura Andersen

Nonfiction for the English Major in All of Us

or Literary History

Delve into the history around some of your favorite literary works, figures, and time periods. Ever wonder how so many great authors and works of literature came to be? These books will take you on a journey of literary history.

Cozy Mysteries for Bibliophiles

Each of these mysteries features a librarian, bookstore owner or employee, author, or other bookish character or setting along with the usual murder and mayhem.

Scary Christmas to All, and to All a Good Night!

Holiday Ghost Stories

Ghosts and Christmas go together like figgy and pudding. Don’t believe me? A Christmas Carol, one of the most famous Christmas stories of all time, has four ghosts. There is also a BBC series called A Ghost Story for Christmas where for several years, the BBC aired a spooky story either just before or on Christmas. Here are some spooky Christmas books for adults and two for the little ones. Enjoy!

Get Your Gears Turning with these Steampunk Books

Where Fantasy and History Meet - and Twist

Are you a fantasy reader who has never found a historical novel you liked? Or the opposite – a historical fiction lover left cold by most fantasy novels? Steampunk might be just the genre for you! Steampunk is blatant historical anachronism, blending and bending history and fantasy to great effect. Try one of these books for a trip back in time - with a twist.

Obama Master Reading List 2008-2016

One thing I'm going to miss about President Obama: the man reads. The busiest man in the world still makes time to read. He is a role model for us all. He reads good stuff too. So in honor of the Reader-in-Chief, I have compiled a master list of all the books that the president was reported to have read from 2008 until the present. Please let me know if I have missed any. 2016

Funny Pop Culture Books

Beach season may be over, but the need for "beach reads" never goes away. For me, a beach read is rarely a novel. My ideal relaxation book is usually light, funny, non-fiction and usually about some aspect of pop culture. (I realize that this a very specific genre.) I've picked some of my favorites below. If you aren't in the mood for fiction the next time you go on vacation give one of these a try!

Herman Melville in Fiction

It happens more than you think....

Fans of Herman Melville are an interesting group. To quote playwright Tony Kushner, ''One falls in love with him, and I certainly have, completely, as most of the other Melville freaks have". Fans include Maurice Sendak, Moby, and the current President of the United States of America.

Crime and Punishment Lecture Series

The Chevy Chase DC Library will begin its yearly lecture/discussion series on September 20, 2016. The theme for the 2016-2017 series will be "Crime and Punishment." In this series, we will be reading 10 works of fiction from different eras and genres that explore humankind's struggle for systems of justice that work for all. Every meeting features a lecture from a guest professor from a local college, followed by a discussion of the work. The guest lecturers appear courtesy of the Friends of the Chevy Chase Library.

Adults

Chevy Chase Library Book Club

'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel

The September selection for the Chevy Chase Library's Book Club is Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. Station Eleven takes place in a post-pandemic America, where a troupe of actors and musicians travel the country to perform for the survivors. We will meet on Tuesday, September 6 at 7 p.m., upstairs in the meeting room.

Chevy Chase Neighborhood Library