There’s no better way to get in the Halloween spirit than with a spooky read. From ghost stories to thrillers to true crime, pick one of these up when you want to hide under the covers with a good book.
Collection
It Just Got Easier to Find a Great Book
Don’t have time to search all the book reviews to find your next perfect read?
Save time and stress with our curated lists, tailored for almost every genre or interest.
Everyone has a story – the Library can help you find yours!
Library Receives Grant for Breast Cancer Materials from VBCF
Breast Cancer is a Cruel Disease
Information gained from trustworthy, vetted resources can assist those with cancer to discover treatments, conquer fears, and gain strength.
Start your Breast Cancer research with these books to help patients, caregivers and survivors navigate the complicated world of breast cancer diagnosis, treatment and survivorship:
These materials have been provided by a grant from the Virginia Breast Cancer Foundation. Since 2000, the VCBF has financially supported local libraries and library systems across the Commonwealth. providing more than $60,000 in funding, helping libraries to purchase breast health books, e-books, periodicals, DVDs and other materials to to support women and their families in their community.
Grab & Go Express Book Collection
Read More, Wait Less
If it's on the shelf, you can check it out!
The new Grab & Go express book collection contains bestselling adult fiction and nonfiction, ready to be checked out immediately.
New titles will be added to the Grab & Go collection on a regular basis.
Where to Find Grab & Go Books
Look for the Grab & Go express book collection on designated shelves at Central Library and the Branch Libraries. There is no Grab & Go collection at the Connection: Crystal City Pop-Up Library.
You will also find Grab & Go copies of your favorite eAudiobooks and eBook titles in our Overdrive collection.
Don't see any Grab & Go titles on the Library shelf or in Overdrive? That means they are all checked out at the moment. But check again soon, as someone could finish and return one at anytime!
How does Grab & Go work?
14 Day Loan Period - Borrow Grab & Go titles for up to two weeks.
No Holds, No Renewals - Books cannot be renewed or placed on hold. They do not display in the library catalog.
Late Fines - $.30 a day.
Digital Readers - Electronic titles will return automatically after 2 weeks. If you don't see any Grab & Go titles in Overdrive, that means they are all checked out.
Done Reading? - Return your Grab & Go title for the next reader to discover!
Read for Your Health
Because Information is the Best Medicine
Each of these book lists is designed to help you learn more about the topics focused on during Health Week at the Library:
Brain Health
Community Health
Family Health
Heart Health
Mental Health
You can also access the Health & Wellness Resource Center for free with your library card. Search online for reputable information on diseases and conditions, alternative medicine, drugs and herbs, providers, terminology and current health news.
Women Making History, Past and Present
Take Home an Award Winner
March is Women’s History Month
Explore something new by a woman who was recently nominated for or won the National Book Award.
The mission of the National Book Award is “to celebrate the best literature in America, expand its audience, and ensure that books have a prominent place in American culture.”
What Was Most Popular in 2018?
The Most Popular Titles of the Year
We're declaring it official - Arlington is a book town.
How do we know? Library patrons borrowed more than 3 million items from the Library and placed more holds and read more eBooks in 2018 than ever before. See the 2018 Impact Report
So which titles had Arlington turning pages, and staying up way past bed time?
Top 100 Books (plus DVDs and Magazines too)
Arlington loves politics, thrillers, literary fictions... and Elephant and Piggy! We read and watched our way through these top 100 titles for adults, kids and teens.
Top 50 Fiction Books for Adults
We love historical fiction, literary fiction, speculative fiction, spy thrillers, southern odysseys, sweeping sagas, coming of age tales, dystopian nightmares - and everything in between.
Top 50 Nonfiction Books for Adults
Arlington read about politics, class, education, leadership, eviction, more politics, code breaking, science, the FBI, cleaning, dying, art, and so much more.
Be the First to Place Holds on These New Books
10 New Books - Coming In January
You probably know that we order hundreds of new books every month... But do you know that you can place holds on them before they even arrive?
Our top picks for books on order in December include:
- A British spy...
- A Tunisian shopkeeper...
- Thrilling adventures in a desert kingdom...
- Help for folks dealing with unemployment over 55...
- And (of course) a generous dose of true - and false - crime
8 New Audiobooks - Available Now
For our eAudiobook fans, we've also highlighted eight of our favorite new downloadable audio titles, featuring:
- Encouraging pep talks...
- Thoughtful autobiographies...
- Fascinating serial killers...
- A bride of the Donner Party (could this possibly end well?)
eAudiobooks are visible in the catalog when they are added to the Library's collection, and available now for hold/checkout.
Happy Reading!
Exploring World War 1
Looking Back 100 Years Through Words and Pictures
Car Hit by Shell, June 1918
While often in the shadow of the war that would follow, World War I saw conflict on a global scale: 17 million people were killed and large swaths of Europe’s landscape still bears visible scars.
The Great War saw the end of empires, and birthed the modern age, and at the end, it marked the entrance of the United States as a major player on the world stage. The crucible of World War I not only forged military leaders who would make their name in the next war, but also a generation of writers now firmly enshrined in the English-language canon.
Events at the Library
- Wednesday, June 21 – “America and the Great War” – Author talk with Margaret Wagner
- Thursday, Sept. 14 – “War Against War” – Author talk with Michael Kazin
Explore the Library Collection
There can be no way to showcase all of this history in a single booklist, so we’ve started with a World War I Overview, mixing fiction and nonfiction, and covering broad topics, trends and regions in order to present the best introduction our collection can offer.
But these titles are just a small selection of the Library’s collection on World War I. You can find more of our lists in the catalog by searching “World War I Collection Spotlight.”
You can also explore World War I in pictures and letters through our featured exhibit in the Center for Local History’s online Community Archive.
We will add more booklist topics throughout the year as we continue to commemorate and remember the war’s 100th anniversary.
Homepage image from the Center for Local History, 230-6659 Car Hit by Shell, June 1918.