D.C. is a book town, equally obsessed with our Little Free Libraries as we are with our local bookshops.

Why it matters: With extreme weather and smoke keeping many of us indoors, it's as good a time as any to catch up on those books you totally promised you'd read this summer. But you don't have to do it alone!

What's happening: Scroll through TikTok or other social media apps and you'll soon find #BookTok, a devoted community of readers who have revived a Luddite pastime for many — and turned it into a group thing.

What they're saying: "Popularity and interest in reading has always remained constant despite our phones and screening services getting in the way," says My Nguyen, assistant manager at D.C. Public Library's West End branch.

• However, she says, access to book clubs has grown in recent years, thanks to the proliferation of video chatting which means people can gather without being constrained to a physical space.

State of play: There are plenty of book clubs across the city that can keep you on target with your reading, and cater to your favorite genres. Here are a few of the communities on our radar:

• BookTok Book Club — a D.C. Public Library group that reads books popular on TikTok. It meets every month at the Southeast Neighborhood Library branch.
• Bold Fork Books in Mount Pleasant runs a club focused on cookbooks (with the option to bring a dish!). The next meeting is Aug. 2 at 7pm.
• Sci-fi, queer lit, romance, social justice, and young-adults-for-adults monthly book clubs are offered at East City Books.
• Solid State Books has a horror book club that meets monthly every third Wednesday and — very intriguing — another one focused on books we love to hate, so come every third Monday of the month (every other month) with the books you refused to finish or hate-read.
• Poetry lovers can find their club at Lost City Books every first Wednesday of the month or visit a club devoted to books translated from other languages.

💭 Chelsea's thought bubble: Since joining a book club, my appetite for reading non-journalism-related words — which has wavered over the years — is back. Not only am I excited to talk about our monthly pick with my friends, I also get great recommendations.

Between the lines: D.C. Public Library patrons can sign up for Discover Summer, an all-ages summer reading program that tracks your reading on the Beanstack app.

Pro tip: You get entered for a raffle that could earn you tickets to a D.C. United game, Artechouse, and the International Spy Museum.

The bottom line: "When you share a table and a text with other people, this gives you the opportunity to share ideas, to learn, to listen, to grow and maybe to broaden your perspective," Nguyen says.

📚 The Smithsonian canceled an Asian American literary festival just weeks before it was scheduled, saying it didn't meet its planning expectations. But organizers say that isn't true and are demanding more answers.

🏛️ Congress is having a busy summer of meddling in D.C.'s affairs, including trying to prevent D.C. from implementing traffic changes and using funding for abortions and the sale of marijuana.

⚽ The Women's World Cup is in full swing, giving some D.C. bars the chance to stay open after-hours (read: 3am) to show the games.

🦪 Popular restaurant Oyster Oyster is welcoming even more patrons with its casual Oyster Garage, its new adjourning space that will sell Sicilian pizzas, natural wines, and local oysters.

🚓 D.C.'s new chief of police is a U.S. Park Police veteran. Pamela Smith replaces former chief Robert Contee as the city battles a rise in crime.

🪵 Solid State Books: "Loot" by Tania James.

• A historical fiction novel by a D.C.-based author about a young woodcarver whose prized work is stolen by British forces.

🗣️ Politics & Prose: "Do Tell" by Lindsay Lynch.

• A gossipy romp through Hollywood's Golden Age, written by an author originally from D.C. who briefly worked at the bookstore. Politics & Prose tells Axios that Lynch wrote the first draft in their break room.

⭐ East City Bookshop: "The Daydreams" by Laura Hankin.

• A fun read about the reunification of stars from a popular teen show — 30 years later.

👀 Kramers: "What the Neighbors Saw" by Melissa Adelman.

• A new thrilling mystery set in the D.C. area. When a devoted father is found dead on the banks of the Potomac River, the community is divided and suspicions grow.