DC Public Library discussion

Tell us about fiction you've read that was set in the DC area. Was it good? Who would you recommend it to?

The obvious first choice would be anything by George Pelecanos, whose crime novels are unrivaled social histories of the city.

The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears by Dinaw Mengestu is set in Logan Circle (back before it was quite so fancy). It's a really good read too.

Thanks Carrie-- I had no idea that book was set here!
Tony- do you recommend any of his books specifically? I read one and found the plot pretty bare. ATM I can't remember the title - I think it was about a dogcatcher?
ETA I just looked it up and it is called "Drama City." I think the problem is that I went in expecting a mystery novel, based on what I had been told, and was then disappointed by a lack of suspense.

There's Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes series. I've only read one book from the series, Murder at the Library of Congress, and wasn't very impressed, though I would still recommend it to someone who wants to read a mystery set amongst the famous DC landmarks.
Also, Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol does a great job of showcasing DC landmarks.

Maria wrote: Tony- do you recommend any of his books specifically? I read one and found the plot pretty bare.

Well, his books aren't "mystery" books -- there's no whodunnit element, rather, they are "crime" books with some procedural elements. It's all about the characters and the context, not any solving per se.

One of my favorites of his is The Big Blowdown, which is set in 1940s DC.

The other obvious choice is Pulitizer-winner and D.C. native Edward P. Jones' short story collection Lost in the City, which is a pretty amazing set of stories.

Emilie wrote: "There's Margaret Truman's Capital Crimes series. I've only read one book from the series, Murder at the Library of Congress, and wasn't very impressed, though I would still recommend it to someone..."

Did you pick that one because it involves libraries? I did! It's also the only Margaret Truman book that I've read, and I felt the same way about it. She definitely knows her DC people and places, but the conclusion to the mystery wasn't great.

Hi everyone, I found this great list already on Goodreads! How many have you read? http://www.goodreads.com/places/1098-...

Also, what about kids books set in DC? There are the Melonhead books by Katy Kelly.

Maria - Yup! I chose Murder at the Library of Congress since LoC is probably my favorite building in all of DC!
Laura - That list is great! I have quite a bit of reading to do.

The problem I have with the Goodreads list is that most of the books on there are either White House/Congress/Supreme Court "Federal City" thrillers or mysteries that do very little to illuminate the DC that 99% of us live and work in.

I'm actually invovled in a digital project that would focus on fiction set in the rest of the city, such as the Pelecanos books, or Edward P. Jones, or something like Kia Dupree's Silenced, or Julian Mazor's Washington And Baltimore, or Sam Munson's The November Criminals, or this book I just learned about A Detailed Man. More details on that project when and if it gets funded.

So I just finished Boomsday, which is the second satirical novel I've read by Christopher Buckley. He makes good-natured fun of the political process and those involved as well as Washington culture. His books don't take place entirely in DC, but it is always a backdrop for his characters, many of whom have presidential aspirations.

Several years ago I read a book called The Frequency of Souls by Mary Kay Zuravleff. It is set in the DC area and is quite entertaining. Ms. Zuravleff spoke at the Palisades Library once and was very entertaining herself. She has another book called The Bowl is Already Broken which is set in a Museum of Asian Art very much like the Freer, where Ms. Z worked. I haven't read it nor have I read Dupont Circle by Paul Kafka - Gibbons but would welcome comments from anyone who has read either.

'The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty

'WASHINGTON, D.C.' by Gore Vidal.

'The Night Gardener' by George Pelecanos

+1 'The Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears' by Dinaw Mengestu

We've got a pretty good list going here, so I made a DC Reads shelf for us. I'll do my best to keep it up to date.

Laura wrote: "Also, what about kids books set in DC? There are the Melonhead books by Katy Kelly."

Laura, I was just thinking of adding some children's books to this thread!

Here are a few that I know of:

The People in Pineapple Place by Anne Lindbergh
The Flunking of Joshua T. Bates by Susan Shreve
The Jackson Jones series by Mary Quattlebaum

And speaking of adult books, When the White House Was Ours by Porter Shreve (yup, Susan's son) is set here in the 70s and centered around a group of adults and teens at an alternative/hippie free school.

We just got in A Detailed Man, which Tony had mentioned earlier. The author, David Swinson, is a former DC police officer. The back says:

"Half of DC Police Detective Ezra Simeon's face is immobilized from a persistent case of Bell's Palsy -- he must drink through a straw and eat carefully to avoid chewing through his own cheek. He has been detailed from robbery to the cold case department while he heals, but his half-frozen world begins to heat up when he inherits the high-profile case of a murdered escort he alone thinks may be the victim of a serial killer."

We also just received three books from the Washington Writers' Publishing House:

- When We All Get to Heaven by Katherine Kimrey
- Tin Mines & Concubines by Hilary Tham
- The Square at Vigevano by Laura Brylawski-Miller

For kid's books:
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and his Orchestra by Andrea Pinkney (This covers Ellington's childhood in DC, before moving up to Harlem.)
You Can't Take a Balloon into the National Gallery by Jacqueline Preiss Weitzman and Robin Glasser (This is also focused on the touristy areas, but it's still a neat "I recognize that" tour.)

There is a new series called Capital Girls that looks like Gossip Girl set in DC among politicians' daughters. It's definitely not my usual reading material, but I'm curious about it. Has anyone read it or does anyone plan on reading it and can report back?

A few of us just created a list for the National Book Festival: www.dclibrary.org/bookfest

Thanks Laura! I'll make sure we have all of those on our bookshelf since I heard they were all recommended by staff.

I've read two YA books set in DC recently that I liked. Come to think of it, both were mostly set in Georgetown, though they also visited other parts of the city. And they were both about angry/angsty teenage girls who don't fit in. Rachel Cohn's novel You Know Where to Find Me takes place in 2000s DC, and there is a lot of talk about statehood and representation and other local issues. Some people might find that the author gets a little preachy about these subjects, as she does tend to mention them every 30 pages or so, but I liked it.
Radiant Days by Elizabeth Hand went back and forth between an art student at the Corcoran in 1970s DC and Arthur Rimbaud in 19th-century France (the magical time warp portal was in Georgetown at one of the C&O Canal locks). I work on Wisconsin Ave, and I loved the parts where the author would describe all the stores and restaurants up and down the street.
So I would highly recommend either of these books, but go into them knowing that they are more about setting a mood and an atmosphere than driving a plot forward.

Hey folks, good news! Our DC Fiction project was funded, and we had our first organizational meeting today. We're in the process of putting together our master list of books and authors, sketching out our event plans, and generally getting excited. Watch this space for further details.

Maria wrote: "I've read two YA books set in DC recently that I liked. Come to think of it, both were mostly set in Georgetown, though they also visited other parts of the city. And they were both about angry/ang..."

Thanks for mentioning these! I was aware that Radiant Days was set here, but I didn't know that You Know Where to Find Me was. I just learned about a new(ish) YA novel called Gone, Gone, Gone by Hannah Moskowitz--it's set here, or at least in the area, and the main focus is a developing relationship between 2 boys, but the sniper attacks are the backdrop.

There is a great list of DC lit geared towards new residents in yesterday's post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/enterta...

It is a mix of fiction and nonfiction, and clued me into some promising-looking titles I wouldn't have come up with on my own, such as House Mouse, Senate Mouse, Go-Go Live: The Musical Life and Death of a Chocolate City and The Tears of Autumn.

And of course it made me feel guilty for not having read Reveille in Washington, 1860-65, which has been on my to-read list for years.

Ooh, thanks for sharing that list, Maria! I've added a bunch to my "To Read" list.

I've read Dupont Circle and very much enjoyed it. I was able to relate to it quite a bit as a GW grad and employee, and I've lived around Dupont for years.

I also enjoyed The House on Q Street. It's set during WWII and is the story of a family that moved to the city because the father was working on the bomb. It is told through the oldest daughters voice.

Hi folks, the DC Fiction project I alluded to in message 12 of this thread is much closer to going live. Our IT partners are building the web site and the Reading Series planning is well underway, and all systems are soon to be go! The project is called "DC by the Book" and I'll post here once we're live!

And just to give you a sense of the scope, our initial list of novels and short-story collections has 250 titles. And we've got a long-list of several hundred more...

Laura wrote: "Also, what about kids books set in DC? There are the Melonhead books by Katy Kelly."

Laura, There is a great middle grade mystery series, (ages 8-12) about a psychic investigator called Gilda Joyce. In Gilda Joyce: The Dead Drop Gilda travels to Washington DC for an internship at the Spy Museum and experiences some pyschic disturbances.

Stand the Storm by Breena Clarke. Set in mostly in Georgetown, its the story of slaves and the newly free. And the difficulty in staying free in a Capitol city not yet emancipated.

I just finished The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, an alternative history novel by law professor Stephen Carter that imagines what would happen if Lincoln had survived his assassination (attempt) and then been impeached for actions taken during the Civil War.

I didn't love the book, but I think a lot of readers would. I thought the focus would be more on the alternate history/differences and changes from real history aspect, but it was more of a courtroom drama, which I don't tend to enjoy (with the exception of To Kill a Mockingbird). But fans of John Grisham or the Spielberg movie "Lincoln" will probably enjoy it.

The DC aspects, however, were a lot of fun to read about! 1860s DC is referred throughout as "Washington City" and most of the action takes place on or near the mall, with characters occasionally venturing out into "George Town" or "Tennally's Town." DC society and its mores are explored, both black and white, and the story ventures into the homes of many historical figures. The transportation was fascinating too - the different sorts of private carriages and trains and horse-driven public transports that were needed to get to different areas. No one ever seemed to walk anywhere, which I found surprising since the distances described were pretty short.

Also, at the book club meeting we held for "The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln," a member recommended Future Washington, an anthology of sci-fi stories set here.

I just read The Girls' Guide to Love and Supper Clubs which is set in Dupont, Logan Circle and the Tidal Basin. The main character lives at 17th and Church St NW and the details about the streets and architecture are spot on. Too bad it's a totally predictable chick-lit romance.

I read "The 500" by Matthew Quirk last summer, and it was quite an exciting read. Very fast-paced, and definitely a page turner.

The Southeast Library book club read Breathing Room by Patricia Elam a few months ago, and they loved it. We are trying to get the author to come to a few talks for us in August.Breathing Room

Maria wrote: "Tell us about fiction you've read that was set in the DC area. Was it good? Who would you recommend it to?"

Reading The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln is a treat for me! What a way to learn history -- as if it didn't happen that way! Intrigue! Lots of courtroom scenes. I may just read more Stephen Carter. Recommend to wannabe lawyers.

One of my favorite books set in DC is Nice to Come Home to by Rebecca Flowers. You get a great sense of many of the neighborhoods, particularly Adams Morgan. Its a great read!

I don't see that you've added Thomas Kaufman -- author of the Willis Gidney mysteries, Drink the Tea and Steal the Show. Heartily recommend and well-grounded in DC geography.

Also Mary Kay Zuravleff's first book, The Bowl is Already Broken, very enjoyable story of a DC museum and quite different from her book about the refrigerator enginner (listed on the DC Reads shelf).

Also: I thought Meg Cabot's [YA] All American Girl was fun and worthwhile, and I remember thinking the settings, including arts classes held above a Dupont Circle ice cream shop and record story [seemed like Larry's Ice Cream and the late lamented Melody], were spot on.