Story Tags

Mile High With A Vampire

Movie vs. Book

Providing books that are similar to current popular movies!

The old conversation over whether movies are better than books feels older than time -- and yes I’m definitely #teambook! So for this list I thought it might be helpful to provide book recommendations based on popular movies that are currently in the theater. I hope that you enjoy this list and find a new book to read during the remainder of your summer holiday!

The Babysitters Coven by Kate Williams

Stranger Reads

8 Books Like Stranger Things

A lot of friendship. A little bit of nostalgia. A little bit of horror. A little bit of science fiction. And a little bit of fantasy. These are the things that make up the magic of Stranger Things, Netflix’s immeasurably popular TV show about a town plagued by a force of evil lurking just below its surface. If you just can’t get enough of the Upside Down and Hawkins, Indiana, check out one of these books for teens and adults with your library card.

Mary Shelley

Daughters of Mary Shelley

A Monthly Book Club Discussing Speculative Fiction by Women Writers

This will be our second series of yearlong celebrations of women authors and their influence: in 2021 we read and discussed works by Jane Austen and other writers who examined issues of family, male-female relationships, the institutions that enforce gender roles, and the ability of individuals to bend or break the rules of those institutions.

Portrait of Ori Soltes

Ori Soltes Lecture Series, Spring 2022

The Age of Adventure and Exploration

Update: This is a virtual program. Please email my.nguyen@dc.gov to register and for updates. Please see library staff for assistance with the reading materials, which are available upon request. All gatherings are from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Overview The West End Library Friends Present: Ori Z Soltes: The Age of Adventure and Exploration

Cover of Zinky Boys

Russian Literature Beyond the Classics

Perhaps you’re already familiar with (and maybe you've been put off by) Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Chekhov, and the other great 19th-century Russians. Or you want to find out what Russian writers have been writing during the past fifty years. Or maybe you simply want to read something different. This list contains a sample of works by Russian writers from recent decades; in them they examine the weight of history, the boundaries of the soul, and the oft-hidden dimensions of the world with the irony and depth of vision that we have come to associate with Russia's greatest writers.

Lock In cover - depicts many white and a few red figures around the title

Sci-fi Mysteries

Two great genres combined

I love “genre fiction”. Specifically, I love mystery, romance, fantasy, and sci-fi. I would estimate that about 98% of my reading in the past year has been in one of those genres, so it’s safe to say that I really love genre fiction. So much so that sometimes I like to add a little more genre to my genre fiction - I’m talking about sci-fi mysteries. That’s right, there’s nothing better than putting two of my favorite genres together in one delicious package.

The Dispossessed book cover image

Political Science Fiction

It’s overwhelming sometimes to be in Washington, DC; everyone’s political voices can start to ring in the ears like a cacophony. But, even with the inundation, it's often still rewarding to seek out books that portray political ideals and ideas in a subtler, even obfuscated way. If you're interested in engaging with political thought, but not necessarily the feedback loops that come with it, the below titles are well considered and may be enjoyable!

Poster Detail from Summer of Sci-Fi Display at the West End Library

2021 Summer of Sci-Fi Book Display

Visit the West End branch library to view the current items on offer

Make this your Summer of Sci-Fi at the West End Neighborhood Library. Staff have selected a number of mind expanding titles for your exploration and enjoyment, Items on display now through Labor Day weekend: SUMMER OF SCI-FI, by Brandon Minson   Fancy a Techno-horror thrill?  Prefer a Techno-thriller chill? Bewildered by the Multiverse?  Might a Space Opera reveal the secrets of the universe?

Patternmaster

My Baby Step into Science Fiction

Trekking along with my goal of branching out and reading different genres, science fiction was next on my list (after poetry). With every genre I read I always seek out authors of color/Black authors so the following books on this list are Black science fiction authors, talented voices that are not at the forefront of the genre.  

Dark Archive cover

March Staff Picks

Two ladies in London are back with a new mystery or challenge to solve. Travel to alternate worlds or out to the English countryside in these two novels. Copies are available to check out and download from the library system.

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