West End
Neighborhood Library

Takeout service available Monday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 to 7 p.m. Closed from 2 to 3 p.m.every day for sanitizing.
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Marquis-style text for "The Greatest Man in the World"

Film Screening and Discussion

"The Greatest Man in the World"

The library will sponsor a screening and discussion of "The Greatest Man in the World," from the American Short Story Collection as seen on PBS and adapted from the classic short story by James Thurber (1894-1961) in celebration of the DC Public Library's summer reading program.

Skeletons around a table

Let's Talk About Death

What is a Death Cafe?

At a Death Cafe, people, often strangers, gather to drink coffee and eat cake and discuss death, dying, and end-of-life issues.

Graphic illustration of "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty"

Escape from the Ordinary . . .

'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' by James Thurber

Join us Tuesday, July 14, at 12:30 p.m. as we take turns reading aloud the classic American short story "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" by cartoonist/author/playwright and celebrated wit James Thurber (1894-1961), and then as we discuss it afterward, in celebration of the DC Public Library's summer rea

Robinson Crusoe book cover

Book Club Pick o' the Month

'Robinson Crusoe' by Daniel Defoe

The West End Fiction Book Club will meet Tuesday, July 21, at 12:30 p.m. to discuss Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe, a classic tale of survival and adventure (published in 1719) and one whose everyman hero makes Robinson Crusoe a natural pick for the DC Public Library Summer Reading Program on the theme "Every Hero Has

Lost city of Z

True Tales of Adventure!

In the thick of it from your armchair

It seems that every time I'm about to start reading a novel, I come across a work of nonfiction so intriguing it elbows its way to the top of my reading list. My reading preferences of late remind me of a scene in the movie Sideways, in which the lead character, an aspiring author, discusses his novel with his friend's future in-law.

A Lion in Paris by Beatrice Alemagna

Loneliness in Words and Pictures

Complex emotions for kids

Loneliness, a complex and strong human emotion, finds a home in everyone: children and adults alike.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen

Picture Books for Adults

Catching up on children's literature

If you are an adult and you don't spend much time with children, it's probably been years since you've even thought about picture books. We all have our favorites from childhood, but as time goes on, so does the world of new children's literature. Here are a few recent books you won't regret spending some time with. They only take a couple minutes to read, and they're great mood enhancers - so don't be embarrassed to read them on Metro! 

Image of early book cover for "Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis

Book Club Pick o' the Month

'Babbitt' by Sinclair Lewis

The West End Fiction Book Club will meet Tuesday, June 23 at 12:30 p.m. to discuss Sinclair Lewis's Babbitt (1922), largely a satire of American culture, society, and behavior, and a bestseller too that gave us the word "Babbitt" meaning "a person and esp.

Antique photo of boat on C&O Canal

'The Grand Old Ditch'

The past, present, and future of the C&O Canal

Judith Welles, a Canal Trust Board member and local history author, will provide historic highlights and photographs of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal, including the canal’s role in the Civil War, in a talk to be held Wednesday, June 10, at 7 p.m. 

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

New Nonfiction

Recommended reading for fans of the real world

This list is for readers who try to keep up with current social and political norms. Whether you're looking for inspiration or just making conversation, you'll find plenty to talk about - or base major life changes upon - in these new nonfiction titles:   Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

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