Story Tags

Secret History

Killer Cliques

Friendships that go too far in Literary Fiction and Mystery

Tight-knit and exclusive, the groups of young people depicted in the following Literary Fiction and Mystery novels all become entangled to some extent with violence -- often of the fatal variety.   Formed for different reasons, these groups are similarly variable in their involvements in these acts of violence -- as well as in their members’ reactions, both immediate and ongoing.        

River Runs Through It

I've Got Rhythm

Fly Fishing and Music

I'll admit upfront that my mad teenaged crush on Brad Pitt was the main motivation for seeing the movie A River Runs Through It.

PKL Youth Advisory Now Forming

Earn Community Service Hours as a Library Youth Advisor

Teens!  Are you a respectful, responsible young adult aged 13-19 and interested in sharing your ideas about how the Parklands-Turner Library can meet your needs and the needs of other young people in our community? Visit the library today or phone 202-645-4532 and ask to speak with Ms. Auset for more information on how you can be a part of this exciting new group.

Maybelle and the Haunted Cupcake

Haunted Bakeries and Creepy Cakes

Books for a saccharine scare

Are you looking for a decadent and dark read? Check out these titles for a fun fright! For Young Readers (1st-3rd Grade) The Runaway Rice Cake by Ying Chang Compestine

Death in Venice

Death in Venice

The Seamier Side

My book club just finished Death in Venice by Thomas Mann. It got me to fantasizing about Venice, which is absolutely on my bucket list. I'm sure your image of Venice includes St. Mark's and the Grand Canal.

Cover-Devil in the White City

Criminally Addictive Reads

True Crime Tales that Read Like Mystery Novels

It seems like society’s obsession with all things true crime is at its absolute peak. Ever since eager listeners soaked up the first season of last year’s smash podcast, “Serial,” people can’t quench their thirst for more fast enough. If you’re one of those people who binge-listened to that addictive first season of “Serial” like I am, and then steadily made your way through HBO’s The Jinx, Netflix’s Making a Murderer, and FX’s The People vs. OJ Simpson—and you’re still hungry for more true accounts of murder and mayhem—then these books are a great place to start.

The Rook cover image

Who Needs Sleep When You Can Read?

Page-turners to keep you burning the midnight oil

Whether you're stuck in a book rut or just want to test the limits of how little sleep a person can survive on, reach for these books to keep you glued to every page and furiously reading until dawn. Library power user tip for the books everyone's reading at the same time: if there's too many holds on the physical book, try getting the ebook, eaudiobook, or audiobook instead. Ebooks are automatically returned when they're due, so the hold queue usually moves along faster. 

Smilla's Sense of Snow

A Sense of Snow

Mysterious Denmark

Visiting Copenhagen, Denmark, is on most people's bucket list. One can find a decidedly less touristy version of Denmark inside the covers of these mystery novels. This tour will probably not include the Little Mermaid or Tivoli Gardens, but it will be fascinating.

Man Without a Shadow book cover

Fiction With Science, Not Science Fiction

Even those of you who may question the existence of atoms live by the laws of science.  The laws of science apply universally, even in fiction.  Some literary worlds use those laws to solve mysteries, explore individual lives, or test scientific limits.  Others use them to speculate what might have been or may be.  Let’s leave the “What If?” questions for another day--here are some books that incorporate scientific knowledge without falling into science fiction.    

The White Wolf, by Franklin Gregory

Snowy Novellas

Stories that will stay with you long after the snow has gone.

That blizzard we got in January was a great start to making up for the first half of winter 2015-2016 being downright balmy with occasional wintry weather. I know it’s late in the game, but I’m not ready to give up on the idea of more snow.

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