• 'Land of My Sojourn: The Landscape of a Faith Lost and Found' by Mike Cosper
• 'The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster' by John O'Connor
• 'The Secret War of Julia Child' by Diana R. Chambers
• 'The Christmas Tree Farm' by Laurie Gilmore

I recently read 'The Bletchley Riddle' by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. If you want to read a historical fiction book, I don't know what better team there could be, other than Sepetys and Sheinkin. Both authors love history and writing for middle grade and young adult. They also are very decorated with many awards and achievements! 'The Bletchley Riddle' is a "middle grade historical adventure that follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s death. Nineteen-year-old Jakob Novis and his quirky younger sister Lizzie share a love of riddles and puzzles. And now they’re living inside of one. The quarrelsome siblings find themselves amidst one of the greatest secrets of World War II—Britain’s eccentric codebreaking factory at Bletchley Park. As Jakob joins Bletchley’s top minds to crack the Nazi's Enigma cipher, fourteen-year-old Lizzie embarks on a mission to solve the mysterious disappearance of their mother."-Goodreads rating 4.17

~Kellie Roberts, Children's Librarian

I love when my holds appear on the @libby.app after months of waiting! Ottessa Moshfegh's 'My Year of Rest and Relaxation' was a strange read and worth the wait. Set in the early 2000's and even ending with the Twin Towers collapse, a young woman tries to escape depression, grief, and the nastiness of her own character by over-medicating with prescription pills. It was a rabbit hole of dark delights and ill-begotten therapy. Check her out on the Libby app; she's a talented author. Happy reading, friends! ~Heather

This month I read 'The Frozen River' by Ariel Lawhon, my selection for our library's Community Book Club. Set in late-1700's Maine, we meet Martha Ballard, a powerhouse of a woman, mother, and midwife. In the story, Martha provides expert testimony during a rape trial, is compelled to seek answers on a suspicious death, helps deliver dozens of infants, and narrates all this and more through diary entries that give readers a glimpse of what life was like during this time in our nation's past.

I consider this a must-read for fans of historical fiction. If historical fiction isn't really your thing, you still may want to give this one a try!! Our library has several copies in both regular type and large type, so consider this title for your next book club!

Happy reading!

Kelly Henkle, Library Director

To encourage a sense of community and creativity, our library is holding a community quilt project. The blocks will be assembled into a finished quilt that will be auctioned off in the Spring/Summer of 2025. The proceeds from the auction will benefit future programming at the Vinton Public Library. We hope the project appeals to beginning quilters, experienced quilters, and everyone in between. Thank you for supporting our library!

• Submit a 9 1/2" X 9 1/2" unfinished quilt block
• Fabric available at the library
• Email library@vintonia.gov with any questions
• Team of quilters helping with the project

National Puzzle Day is January 29th, 2025, and we're celebrating with a puzzle swap! Between January 10th and January 22nd, drop off your puzzle and pick up one in exchange! Puzzles must be clean, in like-new condition, with all pieces included. Puzzles for all ages and difficulty levels welcome!

Join us for our monthly book club where you pick the book! This month’s theme is ‘Beginning Anew’; this could be a book with ‘Begin’ or ‘New in the title, or a story about a fresh start. Get creative and have fun with it!

• Thursday, January 16th at Noon
• Thursday, January 16th at 6pm

Pick the time that works best for you!

This friend won 1st place in our Gingerbread House Contest and took home a Pez Gingerbread House kit! Yay!

This friend was one of the winners of our annual Gingerbread House Contest! Yay! Check out his Gingerbread Garage complete with cars!

These area Cub Scouts deserve a big thank you for helping us with our sale! (VPL Note: The Book Sale has now ended.)

The library is even a great place for senior portraits!

Need help choosing a book? Check out the "Power of First Lines (Snow Edition!)" Three books set in a snowy landscape; check them out at the library!

Today we had some fun making gingerbread houses for our contest! We used Pop-Tarts and we think the results turned out pretty great!!

This guy is all smiles because he just got done reading 900 books! Download the Beanstack app and register for the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten Challenge. Children can earn prizes every 100 books!

Mondays: 9a-5p

Tuesdays: 9a-8p

Wednesdays: 9a-5p

Thursdays: 9a-8p

Fridays: 7a-4p

Saturdays: 9a-Noon

Sundays: Closed

Copy services: $0.20 per black and white, $0.25 per color

Fax services: $1.00 for 1-2 pages, $2.00 for 3+ pages

Notary services: No charge, call 319-472-4208 for availability

Free Wifi

Boardroom available at no charge; reservations required

Email: library@vintonia.gov
Website: vinton.lib.ia.us
Location: 510 2nd Avenue, Vinton, IA, USA
Phone: (319) 472-4208
Facebook: facebook.com/heartofvinton