Literary Libations | November Book Club

Join fellow book lovers for Literary Libations, a free monthly book club hosted in the Parlor Room at The Study at Morrison House. Taking place one Wednesday each month, this gathering offers a relaxed and welcoming space to dive into your next read—whether it’s a timeless classic, a trending release, or the latest must-read from BookTok.

Sip on themed cocktails and mocktails inspired by the book of the month, pair them with small plates from The Study’s bar menu, or linger after the discussion to indulge in a seasonal tasting menu.

Literary Libations isn’t a formal, structured discussion—it’s a cozy salon for mingling, exchanging ideas, and diving into new worlds together. Conversation starters and thoughtful prompts will be scattered around the room, but the conversation is all yours to shape.

Slaughterhouse-Five, an American classic, is one of the world’s great antiwar books. Centering on the infamous World War II firebombing of Dresden, the novel is the result of what Kurt Vonnegut described as a twenty-three-year struggle to write a book about what he had witnessed as an American prisoner of war. It combines historical fiction, science fiction, autobiography, and satire in an account of the life of Billy Pilgrim, a barber’s son turned draftee turned optometrist turned alien abductee. As Vonnegut had, Billy experiences the destruction of Dresden as a POW. Unlike Vonnegut, he experiences time travel, or coming “unstuck in time.”An instant bestseller, Slaughterhouse-Five made Kurt Vonnegut a cult hero in American literature, a reputation that only strengthened over time, despite his being banned and censored by some libraries and schools for content and language. But it was precisely those elements of Vonnegut’s writing—the political edginess, the genre-bending inventiveness, the frank violence, the transgressive wit—that have inspired generations of readers not just to look differently at the world around them but to find the confidence to say something about it.Fifty years after its initial publication at the height of the Vietnam War, Vonnegut's portrayal of political disillusionment, PTSD, and postwar anxiety feels as relevant, darkly humorous, and profoundly affecting as ever, an enduring beacon through our own era’s uncertainties.

Info: The first 15 minutes of the book club will be used for guests to get settled, maybe order a cocktail or small plate from the bar, and allow for wiggle room for anyone running late!

Info: Our local host will welcome you and your fellow book lovers to the space. Following an introduction of the book, our host will pose a question or prompt to ignite discussions amongst the group!

Info: There is no formal ending to our Literary Libations book club. Feel free to sip, mingle and discuss for as short or as long as you'd like!

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Morrison House Old Town Alexandria, Autograph Collection, 116 South Alfred Street, Alexandria, United States