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Arlington’s Top Reads in 2025

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What did Arlington readers check out this year?

2025 was another excellent year for Arlington readers with over 3.6 million checkouts.

Arlington's reading choices span a wide array of genres, including cookbooks, romance novels, biographies and picture books. We listened to eAudiobooks, read on our phones and stacked paper books on our nightstands. Still, certain titles stood out as particularly popular.

Here is a breakdown of the most popular adult, kids and young adult titles.

Composite of 10 book covers.

Two titles had more than 4,000 checkouts this year:

  1. "Onyx Storm" by Rebecca Yarros
  2. "The Women" by Kristin Hannah

The Empyrean series by Rebecca Yarros was a big hit with all three titles in the top ten.

Emily Henry had two titles this year with "Funny Story" and "Great Big Beautiful Life."

"The Women," "Funny Story" and "Iron Flame" are on the list for the second year in a row while "Fourth Wing," "Remarkably Bright Creatures" and "Demon Copperhead" are in their third year of being one of Arlington’s most popular reads!

"Throne of Glass" by Sarah J. Maas is one of the most popular teen reads for the third year in a row, but the rest of the top five are all books from The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins, with "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" keeping its position at number one.

Just like last year, our younger readers couldn’t get enough of "Wimpy Kid" by Jeff Kinney!

We’re excited to see what books Arlington will fall in love with in 2026.

Of course, there are always great books that don’t get the buzz and popularity and sometimes are overlooked.

Curious about the other excellent releases you might have missed this year? We have a curated list of Great Books You Missed in 2025 to help you find some hidden gems in our catalog.

Always free. Always open. Always reading!

Your favorite eCollection resources

The library’s digital collections had a standout year in 2025, with patrons turning to eCollections more than ever. From books and newspapers to online courses and career tools, these platforms have become part of everyday life for readers and learners across the Arlington community.
Libby remains the favorite for eBooks, audiobooks and magazines, while PressReader connects patrons to newspapers and magazines from around the world. One in four titles read on PressReader were international titles and in languages other than English, underscoring its role as a vibrant hub for global perspectives. Across all of our magazine platforms, patrons most enjoyed reading The New Yorker, The Economist, The Atlantic, People and Consumer Reports.

Learning platforms saw strong engagement as well. O’Reilly and LinkedIn Learning offered courses in artificial intelligence, technology, business and creative skills. Patrons especially enjoyed diving into top courses "WordPress: Ecommerce, Project Management Foundations" and "Pre-investing: Before Investing in Real Estate," and "Writing: The Craft of Story"—all designed to sharpen professional skills or introduce new hobbies and opportunities to online learners.

Mango Languages kept language learners busy with sessions in everything from Spanish to Japanese to American Sign Language, often right from their phones.

Specialized eCollections played an important role.

Value Line gave investors reliable financial research, Consumer Reports guided smart shopping decisions and Bookflix made reading fun for families by pairing children’s books with engaging videos. News lovers stayed informed with full access to the Washington Post Digital and Global Newsstream.

We welcomed several new eCollections this year. You can stream films and series through Access Video On Demand: Master Collection and Biblio+, explore American and global cuisines with AtoZ Food America, AtoZ World Food, and Eat Your Books and dive into research using AtoZ Databases and Social Explorer.

Career seekers will find guidance and opportunities in Vault Career Intelligence. With more than 70 eCollections available, there’s something for everyone.

Arlington's Top 10 eResources In 2025

New November Releases

We're grateful for authors and stories.

This November, we express our gratitude for the imagination and dedication of authors who give us stories to enjoy.

Marisa Kashino’s "Best Offer Wins" skewers the local real estate market in a twisted and darkly humorous novel of domestic suspense. After being outbid 11 times in 18 months for various houses in the D.C. area suburbs, Margo’s getting desperate. When she hears of a wonderful house that will soon hit the market, she’ll stop at nothing to get it.

Nils knows today is his last day on earth, but still goes to work as a ferry operator. As the passengers embark, he sees they are all ghosts from his past. Sailing his route through the Norwegian fjords for the final time, he waits for the ghost of his recently deceased wife in the wistful and quiet story "The Ferryman and His Wife" by Frode Grytten and translated by Alison McCullough.

While trying to negotiate a lighter sentence by returning stolen art from previous heists, an officer tells thief Myles Conner that only a Rembrandt would save him. So, while out on parole, Conner steals a Rembrandt in an audacious daytime theft from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. Anthony M. Amore’s "The Rembrandt Heist" gets into all the action and intrigue of a story that’s stranger than fiction.

In 1834, David Ruggles opened the first Black bookstore in the U.S., selling abolitionist literature and creating a place for Black people to gather and learn. It’s a template many Black bookstores to come would follow, despite harassment from the FBI and IRS, racism, gentrification and a shifting publishing marketplace. "Black-Owned" by Char Adams traces the history of the Black bookstore and the role those bookstores have played in their communities.

Middle grade readers will want to check out "How to Free a Jinn" by Raidah Shah Idil. When Insyirah and her mother move from Australia to Malaysia to take care of her ailing grandmother, Insyirah learns the women in her family can see jinn. As she gets used to life in a new place, she must also confront an evil spirit haunting her new school in this energetic adventure that blends family, mythology and faith.

Annie Fairfax has been cursed by the finfolk—vengeful creatures that live beneath the waves and were responsible for the shipwreck that killed her parents. Annie is a young female head of the whaling company that her village depends on for survival. Responsibility weighs heavily on her shoulders while the curse is getting worse. There might be a cure, but the cost may be too high in "Break Wide the Sea" by Sara Holland. Teen readers will be drawn in by this roiling and atmospheric tale blending horror, folklore and love.

Place Your Holds Now!

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Director’s Message: We’re Not Going Anywhere

Library Director Diane Kresh talking to a FOAL book sale customer.
Library Director Diane Kresh talking to a FOAL book sale customer.

Friday, Oct. 24, was the first full day of our twice-yearly Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL) used book sale, and Arlington’s longest running "recycling" program. I just ended my morning shift having rung up scores of shoppers who exited the library garage, weighted down by bags of books. I met young adults, older adults, retirees, babies, teachers, librarians and some furloughed federal employees who found themselves, sadly, with time on their hands.

FOAL book sale shoppers browsing the used books collection.
FOAL book sale shoppers browsing the used books collection.

All of them united by a love of books and reading.

The book sale is one of my favorite library events. A chance for me and the staff to engage with residents and patrons we might not usually see and whose generosity we depend on. Every penny that is earned by the book sales goes back to the library to pay for author talks, game nights, summer and winter reading challenges, equipment for The Shop and more.

Everything you can think of to keep our community educated, entertained and engaged.

Volunteer signaling to a book sale customer to check out.
Volunteer signaling to a book sale customer to check out.
Shoppers can find unbeatable deals on books, games, puzzles and more.
Shoppers can find unbeatable deals on books, games, puzzles and more.

As I worked the sale I talked with job seekers, home schoolers, young families and students. Many in our community are struggling. Costs of goods and unemployment are rising. Businesses are closing including Pirouette, across the street from Central Library and a warm and welcoming place to gather after a library event. There is no end in sight for the government shutdown and there is a lot of uncertainty and fears of what might come next.

One thing you can be sure of: Arlington Public Library is not going anywhere. Our doors are still open for reference help, quiet study, meeting friends or making new ones at our jigsaw puzzle tables.

If you haven’t stepped through our doors in a while, please do. If you’re a regular, thank you. We are all in this together.

Always Free. Always Open. Always Dependable.

Signatue of Library Director Diane Kresh.

Diane Kresh
Director, Arlington Public Library

MUSICAL CODA

New October Releases

The Spooky Season Is Here 👻

The nights are getting longer and whether you’re celebrating spooky season or the start of cozy season, it’s the perfect time to curl up with a blanket and a good book. 

Set in 2075 New York, the queer cyberpunk dystopian thriller "Local Heavens" by K. M. Fajardo retells "The Great Gatsby," showing the timelessness of its themes of wealth, class, loss and the damage careless people can cause while going after their desires.

You’d think that bargaining with a shadowy figure for a promotion would be standard at a workplace like Dark Enterprises, but while Colin does get promoted, he also unleashes an ancient evil. Mark Waddell’s "Colin Gets Promoted and Dooms the World" sees Colin trying to save the world because there are a few things he likes about it—his best friend, the new guy he’s been seeing, and of course, his new job. Welcome to Night Vale meets The Office in this darkly humorous horror satire that doesn’t skimp on the romance or action.

The college years often include bad grades, worse boyfriends, questionable fashion choices, late-night parties and learning who you really are. All of this is further complicated if you’ve already won the Nobel Peace Prize and are a global figure for surviving the death threats that haven’t gone away. "Finding My Way" by Malala Yousafzai is a candid and dynamic memoir as she confronts a public image that’s impossible to live up to and learns who she actually is, on her own terms.

November 10 marks the 50th anniversary of the sinking of the Edmund Fitzgerald, a Great Lakes shipwreck immortalized in song by Gordon Lightfoot. "Gales of November" by John U. Bacon is an absorbing and in-depth look at the wreck, as well as the importance and dangers of sailing on the Great Lakes. Most importantly, he introduces readers to the 29 men lost when she went down, their lives on board and on shore and the loved ones they left behind.

Allan Wolf and Jose Pimienta’s middle grade novel, "Vanishing of Lake Peigneur" tells the dramatic story of when a routine drilling operation on Louisiana’s Lake Peigneur went very, very wrong, creating a giant whirlpool and draining the entire lake away into the salt mines underneath. Narrated by the lake itself and detailing the lives of the people caught in the chaos, this is a gripping introduction to a little-known environmental disaster.

Beauty content creator Lyric plans to spend the holiday season continuing to build her platform and get the most out of her latest brand collaboration. When a spur-of-the-moment photo with new classmate, Juniper, goes viral, the girls decide to make the most of the moment and start fake dating for the clicks (and the accompanying money, which will fund their respective post-high school plans). But the line between reality and social media blurs quickly in "I’ve Got My Love To Keep Me Warm," Mariama J. Lockington’s slow-burn teen Christmas romance.

Place Your Holds Now!

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The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Remarks by Rev. Dr. DeLishia A. Davis

NAACP Arlington Branch president and pastor Dr. DeLishia A. Davis gave a powerful speech during the opening reception of the Virginia voting rights exhibition "From Barriers to Ballots."

The exhibitions were on display from Aug. 1 through Nov. 4, 2025, at the Bozman Government Center, Arlington Central Library, Arlington Historical Museum, Black Heritage Museum of Arlington and the City of Fairfax Regional Library.

This video was recorded on August 6, 2025, at Central Library for the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. You can read the transcript of the speech below or stream it online.

The initial moments of the speech referenced Davis's grandfather, the late Rev. Robert D. Boykin of Wilmington, North Carolina. He passed away on January 23, 2025 at the age of 97. 

The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Photo of President Lyndon B. Johnson shaking hands with Martin Luther King, Jr., at the signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Photograph by Yoichi Okamoto. Courtesy of the Lyndon B. Johnson Library.

The 60th Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965

Good evening, friends, neighbors and beloved community,

Today, we gather to mark the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965—one of the most significant victories of the Civil Rights Movement and a profound declaration of American democracy.

This legislation was not gifted to us. It was earned through sweat, sacrifice and sheer moral courage. It was won on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, where people of every age and background stood against hatred and brutality to affirm the dignity of the vote.

Painting of “Bloody Sunday—Selma, 1965” by artist Ted Ellis. This painting was unveiled during the 50th Anniversary celebration of the March from Selma to Montgomery. From Wikimedia Commons.

The Vote is Precious. It is Almost Sacred.

As the late Congressman John Lewis, a hero of that bridge, once said: “The vote is precious. It is almost sacred. It is the most powerful nonviolent tool we have in a democratic society, and we must use it.”

The Voting Rights Act gave legal power to that sacred tool. But 60 years later, we find ourselves in a sobering moment—a time when voting rights are once again under attack, when voter suppression wears new clothes, and when equity remains a dream deferred for too many.

Let us be clear: To truly honor the Voting Rights Act is not just to remember it—it is to defend its purpose. Because the same forces of racism and injustice that required its passage still seek to silence and divide us today.

Pinback button reading “Black Folk Must Vote,” ca. 1965. Courtesy of the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

The Arc Bends Toward Justice.

As Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., reminded us,“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

However, friends, it does not bend on its own. We must bend it. With action. With truth. With an unrelenting commitment to justice. We must fight for accessible, fair and inclusive elections. We must demand policies that affirm human dignity and racial equity. And we must do this work—together.

Photo of John Lewis, 1965. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, LC-USZ62-121285

Make Good Trouble.

John Lewis also urged us to make “good trouble, necessary trouble.” So, we must. Because the dream of an anti-racist, just society is not a relic of the past—it is a calling for our present and a hope for our future.

Let us link arms like those who came before us. Let us vote, speak out, organize and refuse to be silent. Let us protect not just the laws of democracy, but the soul of it.

May we keep walking, keep marching, keep making good trouble and keep the promise of justice alive for generations to come.

Thank you.

(Song)

We shall overcome, we shall overcome, we shall overcome someday.

Deep in my heart, I do believe we shall overcome someday.

We’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand, we’ll walk hand in hand someday

Deep in my heart, I do believe we shall overcome someday.

About Reverend Dr. DeLishia A. Davis

Reverend DeLishia A. Davis is the current president of the Arlington branch of the NAACP. She has been a Methodist pastor for nearly three decades and has served congregations in Ohio, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia.  

In addition to her pastoral duties, Rev. Davis serves as the Chaplain of the National Council of Negro Women in Northern Virginia, providing spiritual guidance and support to empower women of color.  

As a board member for People for the American Way, Rev. Davis works to protect and expand the rights of all citizens. Beyond her advocacy work, Rev. Davis is also a dedicated English literature teacher. 

Arlington, VA Suffragist Mary Morris Lockwood

The Charlie Clark Center for Local History (CCCLH) sat down with Nancy Tate to talk about the origins of the women's suffrage movement and the historical marker for Arlington suffragist Mary Morris Lockwood (1871–1936).

Tate is a longtime member of the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City and has served as the executive director of the League of Women Voters of the United States.

The marker is located next to the Arlington Science Focus Elementary School, at 1501 North Lincoln Street, across from Hayes Park, in Arlington, Virginia 22201.

This interview was recorded on May 30, 2025, at the Charlie Clark Center for Local History and is part of the VA voting rights exhibition "From Barriers to Ballots." You can read the transcript of the interview below or stream it online.

The transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Image of Mary Morris Lockwood, weekly newspaper "The Suffragist," June 6, 1914, Library of VA.

Mary Morris Lockwood, Silent Sentinel

Mary Morris Lockwood lived in Arlington, VA, and was actively involved in the civic life of her community. She was also engaged in civic reforms. For instance, she helped found the library system of Arlington, St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and the Federation of Women's Clubs. She is particularly known as a very active suffragist.

Suffragists were women and men who worked very hard over a 72-year period to ensure equal voting rights for women.

And she did that living right here in Arlington. Both by setting up chapters of some of the suffrage groups in the state, raising money, lobbying her federal legislators from this district and marching in parades.

Parades were a common tactic to draw attention to the suffrage movement. Lockwood marched, for instance, in the very well-known 1913 march down Pennsylvania Avenue when thousands of women from around the country came to DC to show support for women’s right to vote.

She's particularly significant because she was one of the so-called Silent Sentinels, the women who stood in front of the White House every day for a year in 1917, holding banners saying: "Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?"

This photograph shows picketers marching from the National Women’s Party headquarters to their posts in front of the White House in 1917. Courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

A Letter from Mother

They were trying of course to influence President Woodrow Wilson to support a constitutional amendment to provide voting rights to women. It took him a while, but he ultimately urged Congress to pass it. And in 1919 Congress finally did that, sending it on to the state legislatures to ratify.

The 19th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified in 1920, guaranteeing that the right to vote could not be denied on the basis of sex. **

But it was a hard-fought fight right to the end, because the amendment only passed by one vote in the legislature of the last state, Tennessee.  And that only happened when one young male legislator flipped his vote after receiving a letter from his mother urging him to do that.

You can't get better drama than this story of women finally getting into the Constitution!

The Suffragist, June 14, 1919. The Suffragist was created in 1913 by Alice Paul and the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (later the National Woman’s Party) to spread women’s political news and garner public support for a suffrage amendment. Courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

It Took Many People

As a side note to that, these roadside markers are meant to honor and commemorate the many, many people who worked for over 72 years for women’s suffrage. Mary Lockwood was only one of the many who had become invisible over the years. As part of the 2020 centennial of the 19th Amendment, a wide range of efforts were undertaken to highlight the work of these suffragists.

And it's significant to know that there were active suffragists in Virginia, because the Virginia General Assembly was completely against women voting. They fought it to the very end.

Women like Mary Lockwood, who were going around the state and trying to educate people and get support, may be even more heroic than other suffragists around the country because they were facing so much hostility.

Sign, ca. 1920, designed to be placed in the window of a home so that all who passed would know that the woman within had exercised her right under the 19th Amendment and registered to vote. Courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

Organizing for Women’s Suffrage

The organized efforts to get the vote started in 1848. It took until the late 1800s, when some of the state legislatures, particularly in the Western states, began to allow women to vote. How they did that varied. Some of them allowed women to vote on every race up to president. Some said only the school board race, some said everything except the school board race. I guess in the West it was easier to see the equal contributions that women were making.

Regardless of the differences between states, it took multiple suffrage campaigns in every state to achieve voting rights for women.  It took petitions. It took marches. Sometimes it was legal action. Sometimes women such as Susan B. Anthony went to vote, knowing it was illegal, just to highlight the injustice of being arrested or fined for exercising their voice as citizens.

Women's suffrage postcard, 1915. A popular anti-suffrage argument claimed that entering the supposedly masculine world of politics would take away from women’s femininity. This postcard directly refutes that argument by giving examples of other tasks women commonly performed that were not considered feminine but were not thought to take away from their "womanliness." Courtesy of the National Museum of American History.

By the 1900s, More Momentum Was Building for the Women’s Vote

The women's rights movement started as part of the abolitionist movement. Over the years different groups evolved, and the movement splintered somewhat. There's a lot of complexity to this story, which we don't have time to go into here.

By the time you get into the 1910s, momentum was building. By 1918, women were already voting for president in a number of states. Senators and congressmen who had been elected from those states started making Congress more receptive to the suffrage arguments.

And during World War I, when so many women were doing so such much to support the war, it became harder, even for President Wilson, to ignore their exclusion from the body politic. In fact, he used this rationale in urging Congress to pass the amendment.

Photo of the historical marker for suffragist Mary Morris Lockwood, located at 1501 North Lincoln Street, across Hayes Park in Arlington, VA.
Photo of the historical marker for suffragist Mary Morris Lockwood, located at 1501 North Lincoln Street, across from Hayes Park in Arlington, VA.

Virginia Did Not Change its Own Constitution Until 1952

Just to get back to Virginia—and most of the Southern states—which, I must say were against women's voting rights because, of course, they were against Black voting rights. And why would they want Black women to vote when they were already trying to suppress the Black men? That was a block of states that was pretty hard to move.

The 19th Amendment passed in 1920. Women in some of the states had been voting since at least 1910. If every state had been left to handle the issue on its own, those of us who live in Virginia would have waited a whole lot longer to vote. Virginia did not change its own constitution until 1952.

It's quite a wonderful story and there are so many people who worked so hard to make women’s voting rights a reality. As I’ve said, many of their stories have not been told. Increasingly, there is an effort such as these roadside markers to tell those stories.

I’m happy to share such stories—like that of Mary Lockwood—with you.

**  It needs to be noted that the 19th Amendment did not enfranchise U.S. women who continued to be excluded from voting for reasons other than their sex. That included those who were not considered citizens (such as members of tribal organizations), those who were prevented by state Jim Crow laws, and those who lived in the District of Columbia.

About Nancy Tate

Nancy Tate is a longtime member of the Arlington League of Women Voters, now the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City (LWV-AAC). She has served as president of the LWV-AAC and currently serves as chair of the history committee.

From 2000-2015, Tate served as the executive director of the National League of Women Voters, known as the League of Women Voters of the United States.

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan, grassroots organization working to protect and expand voting rights. It operates at all levels—federal, state and local—to ensure everyone is represented in our democracy.

New August Releases

Great Reads for the Final Weeks of Summer

We’re very studiously ignoring the pumpkin spice that has started appearing on the shelves and are trying to enjoy these last few weeks of summer.

Summer Reading goes until September 1 and if you need help finishing, try one of these great new releases.

Four robots open a noodle shop and need community support when robophobes try to shut them down in the heart-warming "Automatic Noodle" by Annalee Newitz.

R. F. Kuang is a favorite of literary genre fans and she’s back with "Katabasis." This dark academia enemies-to-lovers story features two grad students using Orpheus and Dante as travel guides as they venture into hell to retrieve their advisor so they can get the recommendations they need.

August 6 and 9 mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Garret M. Graff’s oral history, "The Devil Reached Toward the Sky" covers everything from the giddy science of splitting the atom to the haunting and tragic effects on the survivors.

In the 1970s, the Bronx was burning. While the fires were largely blamed on tenants, Bench Ansfield’s "Born in Flames" shows that the fires were actually set by landlords themselves in a massive case of insurance fraud.

There are two horror books set in Blitz-era London for young readers coming out this month!

Middle grade readers will be terrified by Ryan James Black’s "The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham" when a scavenging orphan sets loose a shadow monster. He’s always been a lone wolf, but now he has to band together with other street orphans to destroy the creature.

In "Death in the Dark" by Bryce Moore, teen readers will follow the sleuthing of the prime minister’s daughter, Mary, as she tries to catch a gruesome serial killer while dodging the falling bombs.

Place Your Holds Now!

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The Voting Rights Act of 1965

New Exhibition Features Work of Former Voting Rights Activists

To commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act, Arlington Public Library has partnered with community organizations for the exhibition “From Barriers to Ballots—The Fight for Equal Voting Rights in Virginia,” to tell the stories of activists in Arlington and Northern Virginia who fought for voting rights.

At six locations in Arlington, Alexandria, and Fairfax, visitors can discover the stories of Annie E. Harper who hailed from the historic Black community of Gum Springs, VA; Hall’s Hill (now High View Park) activist Portia A. Haskins; and former Green Valley resident and community organizer John Robinson. Their tireless work impacted local communities in Northern Virginia and had vast implications for voting rights nationally, resulting in a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on March 24, 1966, that ended the Jim Crow era poll tax in Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas.

The exhibitions will be on view during regular opening hours from Aug. 1 to Nov. 4, 2025, at Bozman Government Center, Arlington Central Library, Arlington Historical Museum, Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, Sherwood Regional Library (Aug. 1-31), and City of Fairfax Regional Library (Sept. 1-Nov. 4).

Exhibition partners include the Arlington Historical Society, the Black Heritage Museum of Arlington, the League of Women Voters of Arlington and Alexandria City and the NAACP Arlington Branch.

Funding for “From Barriers to Ballots” has generously been provided by the Friends of the Arlington Public Library (FOAL).

Content for this exhibition has been provided by the Charlie Clark Center for Local History (CCCLH) and the following media contributors: Arlington County Department of Voter Registration and Elections; Bethlehem Baptist Church, Gum Springs, Virginia; City of Fairfax Regional Library, Fairfax County Public Library; Library of Congress; Library of Virginia; Norman Rockwell Museum and the Virginia Museum of Fine Art.

Join the library and community partners at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 6, at Central Library for the opening reception of the exhibition to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Find more events featuring voting rights history.

New June Releases

Kick off your Summer Reading with these new books.

June is here. With the end of school and the start of summer, this month gives us a great selection of books to kick off Summer Reading.

In "Making Friends Can Be Murder" by Kathleen West, six Minneapolis women, all named Sarah Jones, connect via Instagram and become friends. When a Sarah Jones who isn’t in the group turns up dead and one of their own is the prime suspect, they band together to investigate in this playful and quirky mystery.

The "Phoenix Pencil Company" by Allison King explores memory and story when a college freshman tries to reunite her grandmother with her long-lost cousin. In dual timelines, Monica journals in an online app while caring for her ailing grandparents. Meanwhile, her grandmother tells her story of espionage and betrayal when she was young in Japanese-occupied Shanghai. A luminous family saga awaits.

People often wonder at the point of studying such “silly” things as the tubercles on humpback whales, Yellowstone’s bacteria, or Gila monster venom. In "The Salmon Cannon and the Levitating Frog," Carly Anne York explains how discoveries build on discoveries and lead to important breakthroughs, such as more efficient wind turbines (the humpback whales) COVID-19 PCR testing (Yellowstone’s bacteria) and Ozempic (Gila monster venom).

From a carpet woven in the 3rd or 4th century BCE and discovered during an archaeological dig effected by the Russian Revolution, to one woven in 21st century Pakistan for commercial export, "Threads of Empire" by Dorothy Armstrong examines the conditions in which these objects were made, moved and found, and the people’s lives they touched along the way. An intriguing look at history that might literally be beneath our feet.

When Esme’s friend says she’s "too intense" from chasing after her mother’s approval, Esme vows a chill summer at the pool with her swim team. But a growth spurt has made Esme really fast this season, so her mother has started to take an interest. Unfortunately, her focus on winning and being the best feels unsportsmanlike to Esme. In Wendy Wan-Long Shang’s middle-grade book "The Best Worst Summer of Esme Sun," Esme must learn to listen to her inner voice as she balances her mother's approval with being a good teammate in this heartwarming story.

Last summer, Mandy’s best friend was killed in an accident. This summer, her family is back at the same vacation spot while Mandy, a true-crime podcaster, and the police start looking back into the case. Was it really that accidental? And how much fault does Mandy have? "Now She’s Dead" by Roselyn Clarke is a dark, twisty mystery that will keep teen readers guessing right to the end.

Place Your Holds Now!

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Library Director Diane Kresh shares her book recommendations to celebrate Pride.

Pride Guest List

Commemorate Juneteenth with these great reads.

Juneteenth

Celebrate WorldPride And Pride Month With Us

Share the Love

Come as you are to Arlington Public Library as we celebrate WorldPride and Pride Month with fun programs, creative book displays and our "Diverse Voices" book lists!

Discover Pride Programs

Pride Events

Queer Joy Art Party–Teen & Adult Edition

June 4, create hats, tote bags and fans in preparation for DC and WorldPride Fest and Parade. Grades 6-12 are welcome at 4:30 p.m., and adults can start their projects at 6 p.m.

RSVP

Take a Chance Book Club

June 9, join us to talk about "I Kissed Shara Wheeler" by Casey McQuiston (Young Adult).

RSVP

Family Art Night: Pride Month

For children and their adults. June 9, experiment, problem-solve and use your creativity by making a work of process-oriented art.

Join Us

Pride Lecture

June 16, Dr. David Powers Corwin (they/them) from George Mason University will focus on how it is possible to support the elimination of discrimination of those who do not fit society's traditional view about gender and sexuality.

RSVP

Never Too Old Book Club

June 17, join us online on ZOOM to talk about "Last Night at the Telegraph Club" by Malinda Lo. Because you're never too old to enjoy YA!

RSVP

Take-and-Make Rainbow Pride Bracelet

For children and teens. June 21, pick up a 'Take-And-Make bag' at Columbia Pike Library and make a rainbow Pride bracelet at home.

Join Us

Teen Pride Crafternoon

June 24, celebrate Pride Month by making keychains. Trace a pride design or draw your own design onto our special shrinky dink paper and shrink it into a fun new keychain!

Join Us

Glencarlyn Book Club: “Orlando”

June 24, join us at the library for a book discussion on "Orlando" by author Virginia Woolf.

RSVP

Teen Rock Painting at Glencarlyn

June 25, to commemorate Pride month, show your love of painting rocks with a Pride theme. All materials provided.

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Love is Love LGBTQIA+ Book Club

June 28, join us for a fun discussion of LGBTQIA+ themed books! Our monthly selection for June features "The Guncle Abroad" by Steven Rowley.

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Pride Guest List: Diane Kresh's 2025 Picks

Library Director Diane Kresh shares her book recommendations to celebrate Pride.

Diane Kresh's 2025 Picks

Learn About Arlington’s First Openly LGBTQIA+ Elected Official

In 1997, Jay Fisette became the first openly LGBTQIA+ person elected to office in the state of Virginia when he won a seat on the Arlington County Board. Listen to the oral history.

Oral History

Explore LGBTQIA+ Voices

The library maintains many Diverse Voices book lists for all ages, genres and interests designed to educate, raise awareness and entertain.

LGBTQIA+ Voices






















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