What we’re about
A book club for lesbian, gay, bi, trans, and queer people in Silver Spring and surrounding areas in MD and DC. We read a variety of genres, not limited to LGBTQ-themes, and meet once a month to discuss a book and socialize.
Our book club is way to meet other LGBTQ people in the area for socializing and friendship, and of course to read and discuss books. As a group we read one book a month and then get together to talk about it. Members suggest books to read and we select upcoming books as a group. We read a variety of genres, primarily fiction — novels and short story collections — with the occasional non-fiction book or memoir. We're not limited to LGBTQ authors or themes, although we read those too. See this page for how our members have rated our recent books.
We hold the book discussions at members' homes, on a rotating but voluntary basis, and the host provides light snacks and drinks. We generally meet on the third Thursday of the month, and our locations are usually not within walking distance to the metro.
We're looking for members who want to actively attend discussions so please don't join if you're not interested in participating.
Upcoming events (4)
See all- Glory Days: Stories by Simon RichNeeds location
We'll be discussing Glory Days: Stories by Simon Rich, in person at a member's home. The address will be posted in the event chat a week before the meetup.
Find the book here on Bookshop.org. The book does not seem to be available at Montgomery County Public Libraries right now.
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An "absolutely hilarious and singular" (Tommy Orange) collection of "laugh-out-loud" (People) stories about millennials entering the abyss of middle age—from Thurber Prize-winning author Simon Rich, "one of the funniest writers in America" (NPR).Simon Rich returns with a batch of can't-miss stories in which Super Mario turns forty and is forced to “take-a stock” of his life and how “messed up it’s-a become.” Goliath struggles to control the media narrative in the lead-up to his death match against David, a small, beloved child. And a long-discarded participation trophy reminisces about the glorious field day in 1993, when he wound up in the arms of a jubilant, asthmatic Simon Rich.
High-stakes and heartfelt, Glory Days mourns the death of youthful innocence and hails the beginning of something approximating wisdom.
- The Power by Naomi AldermanNeeds location
We'll be discussing The Power by Naomi Alderman, in person at a member's home. The address will be posted in the event chat a week before the meetup.
Find the book here on Bookshop.org and here at Montgomery County Public Libraries.
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In this stunning bestseller that inspired the Amazon Prime series, praised as "our era's Handmaid's Tale," a fierce new power has emerged-and only women have it (Washington Post).
In The Power, the world is a recognizable place: there's a rich Nigerian boy who lounges around the family pool; a foster kid whose religious parents hide their true nature; an ambitious American politician; a tough London girl from a tricky family.
But then a vital new force takes root and flourishes, causing their lives to converge with devastating effect. Teenage girls now have immense physical power: they can cause agonizing pain and even death. And, with this small twist of nature, the world drastically resets. From award-winning author Naomi Alderman, The Power is speculative fiction at its most ambitious and provocative, at once taking us on a thrilling journey to an alternate reality, and exposing our own world in bold and surprising ways.
"Captivating, fierce, and unsettling...I was riveted by every page. Alderman's prose is immersive and, well, electric." -New York Times Book Review
- James by Percival EverettNeeds location
We'll be discussing James by Percival Everett, in person at a member's home. The address will be posted in the event chat a week before the meetup.
Find the book here on Bookshop.org and here at Montgomery County Public Libraries.
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AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - SHORTLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD AND THE BOOKER PRIZE - KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER - A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view
In development as a feature film to be produced by Steven Spielberg - A Best Book of the Year of the Year so Far for 2024: The New York Times Book Review, Esquire, W Magazine, Bustle, LitHub
"Genius"--The Atlantic - "A masterpiece that will help redefine one of the classics of American literature, while also being a major achievement on its own."--Chicago Tribune -"A provocative, enlightening literary work of art."--The Boston Globe - "Everett's most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful."--The New York Times
When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
While many narrative set pieces of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.
Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a "literary icon" (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.
- A Psalm for The Wild Built and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky ChambersNeeds location
We'll be discussing The Monk and Robot duology by Becky Chambers -- A Psalm for The Wild Built, and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. Each book is relatively short (160 pages) and there are two books in this series, so we're discussing both of them!
We meet in person at a member's home -- the address will be posted in the event chat a week before the meetup.
Find the books on Bookshop.org here and here, and at Montgomery County Public Libraries here and here.
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Winner of the Hugo Award!
In A Psalm for the Wild-Built, bestselling Becky Chambers's delightful new Monk and Robot series, gives us hope for the future.
It's been centuries since the robots of Panga gained self-awareness and laid down their tools; centuries since they wandered, en masse, into the wilderness, never to be seen again; centuries since they faded into myth and urban legend.
One day, the life of a tea monk is upended by the arrival of a robot, there to honor the old promise of checking in. The robot cannot go back until the question of "what do people need?" is answered.
But the answer to that question depends on who you ask, and how.
They're going to need to ask it alot.
Becky Chambers's new series asks: in a world where people have what they want, does having more matter?
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A Prayer for the Crown-Shyis a story of kindness and love from one of the foremost practitioners of hopeful SF.
After touring the rural areas of Panga, Sibling Dex (a Tea Monk of some renown) and Mosscap (a robot sent on a quest to determine what humanity really needs) turn their attention to the villages and cities of the little moon they call home.
They hope to find the answers they seek, while making new friends, learning new concepts, and experiencing the entropic nature of the universe.
