Book Discussion Groups

  1. COVID-19 UPDATE: Curbside Pickup & Returns            

    In response to COVID-19, the library building is closed to the public until further notice. We are offering contactless curbside pickup service, which can also be used to return items.

    Programs & Services While Closed


    We continue to offer a wide range of programs and services online. Check our Library at Home webpage or subscribe to our bi-weekly newsletter to stay up to date!  

Our Discussions Are Online!

We are offering most of our regularly scheduled book discussions online (via Zoom) while our building is closed to the public due to COVID-19. If you are interested in participating, please email the discussion contact (listed below) in advance for more info and to receive a Zoom invite. 

Upcoming Book Discussions

Date & Time Discussion Contact
Thursday
Sep 17
@ 7 pm
 Thursday Evening Book Group (via Zoom) 
The Heartbeat of Wounded Knee
by David Treuer
 Marshall Webster
Email
Tuesday
Sep 22
@ 10:30 am
 Tuesday Morning Book Club (via Zoom)
Our Time Is Now: Power, Purpose, and the Fight for a Fair America 
by Stacey Abrams
 Catherine Wilson 
Email 
Tuesday
Sep 22
@ 7 pm
 Great Books Discussion Series (via Zoom)
Poetry Comparison: 
Out of the Cradle Endlessly Rocking (Walt Wittman) & 
I Started Early and Because I Could Not Stop for Death (Emily Dickinson) 
 Marshall Webster
Email
Wednesday
Sep 23
@ 7 pm
 Mystery Book Discussion (via Zoom)
Strong Poison
by Dorothy L. Sayers
 Catherine Wilson
Email
Thursday
Oct 1
@ 2 pm
 The New Yorker Discussion Group (via Zoom)
 The Legal Fight Awaiting Us After the Election, by Jeffrey Toobin 
 Pete Sullivan
Thursday
Oct 8
@ 7 pm
 Thursday Evening Book Discussion (via Zoom)
The NIckel Boys
by Colson Whitehead
 Marshall Webster
Email
Tuesday
Oct 13
@ 7 pm
 Great Books Discussion Series (via Zoom)
Introduction to the Second Sex
by Simone de Beauvoir
 Marshall Webster
Email
Wednesday
Oct 14 
@ 7 pm
 Kanopy Film Discussion (via Zoom)
The Panama Papers
 Pete Sullivan
Thursday
Oct 15
@ 7 pm
 Jane Austen Book Discussion (via Zoom)
Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen
 Marshall Webster
Email
Tuesday
Oct 27
@ 10:30 am
 Tuesday Morning Book Club (via Zoom)
The Poet's Girl: A Novel of Emily Hale and T.S. Eliot
by Sara Fitzgerald
 Catherine Wilson
Email
Tuesday
Oct 27
@ 7 pm
 Great Books Discussion Series (Zoom)
In the Penal Colony
by Franz Kafka
 Marshall Webster

Book Discussion Group Descriptions

Great Books Foundation Discussion Series

A "Great Books" discussion concentrating on literary classics (both traditional and modern) meeting at 7 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Tuesday of each month. Open to all and no registration required.

  • View the complete schedule (with book selections) for 2020-2021.
  • In November and December this group only meets once a month (on the 2nd Tuesday).

Mystery Book Discussion Group

Come in, get cozy and enjoy a group discussion of some of the classic and lesser known authors of mystery and suspense from the Golden Age of Mysteries.  Meetings will be held every other month.

Teen Book Club

A discussion group for rising grades 6 through 8 held during the school year. Registration required; limited copies of the book are available at the Youth Services Desk each month. For more information please call 703-248-5034 (TTY 711) or stop by the Youth Services Desk.

The New Yorker Discussion Group

Enjoy reading The New Yorker but wish you had someone to chat about it with? Drop into the monthly New Yorker reading group to share your thoughts on what you’ve read in a variety of articles. The group meets on the first Thursday of the month from 2-3 pm. Pick up the articles at the senior center or at the circulation desk of the Mary Riley Styles Public Library. A librarian will coordinate the discussions.

Thursday Evening Book Group

A general book discussion held on the second Thursday of each month at 7:30 pm. Books are usually selected by the group 3 to 6 months in advance and alternate between fiction and nonfiction. Open to all and no registration required.

Tuesday Morning Book Club

A general book discussion held roughly every 6 weeks from September through June, usually on Tuesday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Focuses on a variety of fiction and nonfiction titles selected in advance (over the summer) by the group. Open to all and no registration required.

General Information

All library book discussion groups meet in the library’s Conference Room (unless otherwise noted) and light refreshments are usually served.

Registration

Advance registration is required for the Middle School Book Club. Please call 703-248-5034 (TTY 711) or stop by the Youth Services Desk for more information.

Available Copies of Books

A limited number of paperback copies of discussion books are available on a "first-come, first-serve" basis at the Circulation Desk or (for teen discussion groups) at the Youth Services Desk. You can also search our online catalog for any of the titles. And ebook and eaudiobook copies are frequently available in Overdrive. 

Have Your Own Book Club?

Thinking about starting your own book club with friends? Check out the Book Club To Go Kits, which include 10 paperback copies of a book, discussion questions, and more!