Classic Books

* We meet inside Zazzy * Bring something to read, as we often take some time at the beginning telling each other about what we're currently reading. * I have a favor to ask of you. To offset the cost of Meetup fees (\~$200 a year), I kindly request that you consider a small donation to my my [Pledge account](https://www.meetup.com/a-different-type-of-book-club-arlington/#pledge). 😊 **NOTE: NO DISCUSSION OF POLITICS: 12/31/21 UPDATE** For the sake of polite company, moving forward, we will avoid the discussion of politics at meetings of the book club. Please let me know if you have any questions. **NON-ATTENDANCE / NO-SHOW POLICY** If you have said that you will attend this event, but no longer are able to attend, please kindly update your status to "Not Attending" so that someone on the waitlist is able to RSVP. **Because this Meetup group is popular, and typically has a waitlist, effective immediately, I'm instituting a two-event no-show policy. If you RSVP as "Attending" but do not show at two events, you will be removed from this Meetup group.** We look forward to seeing you! Best, Jay

📚 Do you love reading, but wish you had a structure and a community to share your insights with? Join our small circle of curious minds (just 4 members per gathering) as we come together for an hour of focused reading—in the calm setting of a library or the cozy atmosphere of a café. Here’s how it works: First part: Quiet reading on your own—bring a book you’re exploring, whether it’s philosophy, history, psychology, literature, or anything meaningful to you. Second part: We regroup and each person shares key takeaways, insights, or questions sparked by their reading. This sparks a structured yet free-flowing conversation around ideas, perspectives, and personal reflections. Why join? Add structure to your reading habit. Discover new books, authors, and ideas through others’ choices. Build real connections by sharing and listening deeply. Socialize around something meaningful instead of small talk.

Let's talk about it!

Alright Beavers, it’s time to emerge from the lodge and get back on the pitch! Practice is officially back this week, and we’re capping off the first week with a session that is—quite literally—a big deal. We’ll start with a **fun touch session** to shake off the rust and work on our ball handling. After we’ve built up a proper thirst, we’re heading straight to **Audacious Alewerks** for a post-practice social. **Why you shouldn't miss it:** It happens to be **Pickle Day** at the brewery! Since we’re Beavers, we usually stick to wood, but this Saturday we’re making an exception for some fermented cucumbers. **The Game Plan:** * **Touch Rugby:** Fast-paced, low-contact, high-fun. 🏉 * **The Weather:** Looks like it will be a wonderful warm and sunny day! * **The After-Party:** We’re heading to Audacious Alewerks in Falls Church. * **The Goods:** They are bringing back the **"Kind of a Big Dill" Pickle Gose Ale**. If beer isn't your thing, they’ve got **pickle martinis**. * **The Grub:** **Bad Ass Pickles** will be there from Noon–4:00 PM doing tasting flights. Word on the street is they go great with grilled cheese. **The Details:** * **When:** This Saturday, March 7th. * **Where:** Larry Graves Park then Audacious Alewerks. * **RSVP:** Do it now. Let’s kick the season off right. See you on the pitch!

Saturday is forecast to be 78 degrees and sunny. We did this hike last month but skipped the park because the trail was covered by ice & snow. No such problem this time. We will meet at noon by the Tenleytown metro station and walk down Nebraska to Foxhall Road and back up the Glover Archbold Trail. We will stop at the National Cathedral and then wend our way back to Tenleytown. The starting point for the hike is a hop and a skip from a Whole Foods store with the best peanut butter cookies in the D.C. area. ❶ **What we'll do:** * From the meetup point we'll walk southeast along Wisconsin Ave NW, turn left at Nebraska Ave NW and follow it southwest to Foxhall Rd NW, * We will hook a left on Garfield Ave. and follow to the Glover-Archbold Trail through the woods back to Cathedral Ave. We will cross Wisconsin Ave and stop at the National Cathedral. We will then wend back to Tenleytown via 36th St., 37th St., and Van Ness. * Total distance is around 5 miles and should take about 2 hours, . The surface is paved and slightly downhill on the way out, and a slightly uphill mix of pavement and woodland trails on the way back. This is a fairly easy walk. * [map is for prior version of the hike; update pending] Google map: http://tinyurl.com/y9bthc7a ❷ **How to get there:** * Metro (recommended): The Tenleytown - AU Metro Station is on the Red Line. See the Metro Trip Planner at https://www.wmata.com/ * Driving: If you must drive, the Tenleytown - AU Metro Stationstreet address is 4501 Wisconsin Ave NW, Washington, DC 20016. There is limited parallel parking in the area, but mind the street signs and leave plenty of time to find a spot! ❸ **What to bring:** Plenty of water, comfy shoes. ❹ **Weather:** The forecast is sunny and a high temperature of 78F. Updates here: https://tinyurl.com/sw2ejvu8 ❺ **Advisory**: As a reminder, this is an adult group, and you are ultimately responsible for your own safety and well-being during events. No one under 18 years of age is allowed at this event, either as members or as guests, to include babies in carriers and/or strollers. Dogs must be leashed at all times. ❻ **Administrative stuff:** There are restrooms near the meetup point at Whole Foods, Chick-fil-A, Panera Bread, Starbucks, and Target and at the Cathedral.

Love audiobooks and nature? Looking to connect with fellow book lovers? Come **Book It Around** with us! Shake off the Sunday Scaries and welcome Daylight Savings Time with an audiobook stroll around wooded Roosevelt Island. Walk a lap or more of the Island, depending on your pace, then join the group for warm drinks! We'll start a bit later than usual to ease into the "spring forward" shift. Monthly audiobook walks are FREE and held in accessible public spaces around the D.C. Metro area. These \~ 90 minute walks are often followed by a social gathering -- book swap, picnic, indie bookstore private shopping, etc. Get a little dose of nature, read a few chapters, and make a bookish new friend! All ages, fitness levels, and identities welcome. If the event listing says "full," ignore that, come anyway, and bring a friend -- the more the merrier! Questions? Email bookitaround AT gmail DOT com

This is part 2 of our discussion series on Infinite Jest. Participation in part 1 is not a requirement, anyone is welcome to join in. This meeting will be dedicated to talking about the first 620 pages of Infinite Jest. We will be reading up until "(Mid November, YDAU) - WYYY Engineer goes sunning" We will also be discussing 2 of David Foster Wallaces essays. These are "Shipping Out" (aka A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again) and "Tense Present". They are not mandatory but reading these is highly encouraged. Feel free to read ahead but the discussion will only cover up until this point. This will be the second of four meetings planned for Infinite Jest. These meetings will be scheduled monthly. Each meeting will cover roughly 250 pages. We will be meeting in the National Portrait Gallery Atrium. To stay up to date with events and discuss meetings or books, you can join our Whatsapp group. Please message me to get added.

Join us to discuss Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend, by Rebecca Romney. We will be meeting in the food court, look for the table top sign with our group name. The book discussion will begin promptly at 3. If you’d like to purchase food/beverage, please plan on arriving early to do so.

We will meet outside as long as the weather is nice. If not, we will move inside. Look out for a comment the morning of each meeting with our exact location. As we are meeting in person, please remember to bring something to read as we usually spend some time sharing our current reads and/or reading when meeting in person. As a reminder, there is no assigned reading; please bring whatever you are currently working on. This group is super casual, sometimes we read and sometimes we talk the whole time. **** NO SHOW POLICY: Due to the high number of members on the waitlist recently we are having to reinstate our no-show policy. If you sign up and no-show to 2 events you will be removed from the group. Reminders are provided weekly to change your RSVP to allow those on the waitlist a chance to come to the meet-up, no 3rd chances with be given. Please be considerate to your fellow members. Thank you! I look forward to reading you!

New (old) location - La Madeleine at 500 King St! Hope to see you there

Join us for a fun Sunday afternoon as we explore two of Ballston’s most unique local spots! 📍 The Game Plan • 01:30 PM | Coffee at Gute Leute ☕ We’ll kick things off at this highly acclaimed Korean coffee shop (this is their first U.S. location), known for their “bubble coffee” and amazing "coffee omakase" experience. • 02:30 PM | Lunch at Himalayan Wild Yak 🏔️ After our caffeine fix, we’ll take a short stroll over to this great spot for Nepalese and Tibetan food. Think momos, flavorful noodle and curry dishes, and yes, if you’re adventurous—WILD YAK!!! 🐂 🚇 Getting There • Metro: Both spots are an easy walk from the Ballston-MU Station (Orange/Silver lines). • Parking: Street parking is available, or you can use the Ballston Mall garage (only $1 for 3 hours). • RSVP: Please keep your status up to date so we can provide the restaurant with an accurate headcount for the table. Can't wait to see you there!

This will be the first ever Book Club Meet up for this group! * We will be discussing Dating After the End of the World by Jeneva Rose (if you would like a free EPUB copy of this book to read on kindle, message me & I can send you the ebook) * ***Changed the book from Daggermouth due to it being independently published and hard to find in print**** * Feel free to attend even if you haven't started or finished the book ◡̈ ! * Small snacks will be provided. You’re welcome to bring your own snacks & drinks too! * Even if the meetup event shows full, you are welcome to come. If you can no longer attend the event, no worries, just please try to update your status on meetup for it.

**Our March pick is *God of the Woods* by Liz Moore.** **This month’s novel is an award-winning literary mystery that blends family drama with psychological suspense. It explores women’s voices and relationships while delivering an exciting, eerie, and deeply suspenseful story. The book is 576 pages in print or 14 hours and 35 minutes on audiobook.** Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore’s multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore’s most ambitious and wide-reaching novel yet.

Join us for our March Book Club gathering where we will come together to discuss *The Manor of Dreams* by Christina Li in a safe and welcoming environment. Make new friends who share your passion for books and connect with fellow LGBTQ book enthusiasts.

This Month's Book: The Magic Fish by Trung Le Nguyen. Join us for discussion at the Granville Public Library from 6 to 7pm. Follow us on Instagram: @granvillepridebookclub

Columbus libraries: [https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3262835](https://cml.bibliocommons.com/v2/record/S105C3262835) Location: [Knotty Pine Brewing](https://www.knottypinebrewing.net/) [Menu, scroll to the bottom](https://www.knottypinebrewing.net/menus-1) Book summary: Adunni is a fourteen-year-old Nigerian girl who knows what she wants: an education. This, her mother has told her, is the only way to get a "louding voice" -- the ability to speak for herself and decide her own future. But instead, Adunni's father sells her to be the third wife of a local man who is eager for her to bear him a son and heir. When Adunni runs away to the city, hoping to make a better life, she finds that the only other option before her is servitude to a wealthy family. As a yielding daughter, a subservient wife, and a powerless slave, Adunni is told, by words and deeds, that she is nothing. But while misfortunes might muffle her voice for a time, they cannot mute it. And when she realizes that she must stand up not only for herself, but for other girls, for the ones who came before her and were lost, and for the next girls, who will inevitably follow, she finds the resolve to speak, however she can--in a whisper, in song, in broken English--until she is heard

Let’s meet and discuss this fun but moving collection of wildly creative short stories. (Photo credit: TimesNowNews.com)