New adult titles!

• ‘The Correspondent’ by Virginia Evans

• ‘My Friends’ by Fredrik Backman

• ‘Austen At Sea’ by Natlie Jenner

• ‘My Name is Emilia Del Valle’ by Isabel Allende

• ‘One Golden Summer’ by Carley Fortune

• ‘Tough Luck’ by Sandra Dallas

• ‘Parents Weekend’ by Alex Finlay

• ‘Cold Burn’ by A. J. Landau

• ‘The Tenant’ by Freida McFadden

• ‘The Names’ by Florence Knapp

• ‘Drop Dead’ by Lily Chu

• 'My Magnolia Summer' by Victoria Benton Frank
• 'Shift: The RAGBRAI Documentary' by the Des Moines Register

Virgina stopped in to recommend Nora Roberts' Lost Bride Trilogy. 'Inheritance' and 'The Mirror' are both available for checkout in regular and large type at the Vinton Public Library. The third book, 'The Seven Rings,' will be available in Winter 2025. Happy reading!

Halfway through 'Olive Kitteridge', and I already feel like Elizabeth Strout has dethroned my last favorite novel (The Wedding People by Alison Espach). This book is a gem—thirteen interconnected stories revolving around the unforgettable Olive Kitteridge. Strout's writing style reminds me of Anne Tyler: she elevates the ordinary into something extraordinary, revealing how we're all subtly bound together, much like the game “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.”

Each joy, hurt, sadness, and fleeting moment feels tied to a larger communal story, one that we all help create—whether we mean to or not. I just adore Strout. She even weaves in one of my favorite poets, John Berryman, with the line: “I’ve made this awful pilgrimage...I’ve come back for more...” That one line encapsulates so much—the return to pain, the search for meaning, the sheer persistence of living.

Olive Kitteridge herself is a character built around this tough business of life. She’s flawed, sharp, and often difficult—but deeply human. Strout doesn't shy away from showing her rough edges, and in doing so, she makes Olive unforgettable.

This is a book that quietly changes you. Happy reading, friends.

~Heather

I recently watched the Amy Winehouse biopic 'Back to Black.' The writers gives a nod to the singer's musical influences early on in the film, including Sarah Vaughan, Lauryn Hill and Massive Attack. As a big fan of these artists, as well as Winehouse, I was hooked. Winehouse fans are sure to love actress Marisa Abela's performance; her embodiment of the look, style and swagger of Winehouse is uncanny. The film doesn't look away from many of the tragic elements of Amy Winehouse's life and career, yet also captures her grit, her love of jazz and the cathartic nature of her storytelling that propelled her to release the highest charting album from a British female artist in the US. I would highly recommend this film for Winehouse fans; it is available for checkout on DVD at the Vinton Public Library. There are many memorable quotes, but my favorite is "I don't write songs to be famous. I write songs 'cause I've got to make somethin' good outta somethin' bad."

~Kelly Henkle, Library Director

Kids, come join us at the Youth Community Garden this May!

• Monday, May 19th, 2025, at 3:30pm

The Youth Community Garden is located on the corner of East 2nd Street and 4th Avenue, near the Vinton Fire Station, in Vinton.

Thanks to our friends at the State Library of Iowa and the Blank Park Zoo, kids that sign up for our library's Children's Summer Reading Program before May 23rd, 2025, will be entered into a drawing for 1 of 5 sets of 2 free passes to Des Moines' Blank Park Zoo! Enter through Beanstack or in person at the Vinton Public Library! Happy reading!

This little bookworm just hit 500 books! Halfway to 1,000 and going strong!

Want in on the fun? Join the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge on the Beanstack app and let the reading adventures begin!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month! Be sure to check out our latest display helping to #MakeItOK

Huge shoutout to our amazing little reader who just hit 700 books in the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten challenge! That’s a LOT of stories—only 300 to go!

The library smelled like fresh chocolate chip cookies today! Our young cookie archaeologists took on the challenge of predicting how many chocolate chips were in their cookie, then mapped them out like scientists. Once the guesses were in, the excavation began—messy fingers, big smiles, and full bellies all around!

Our community quilt top is nearly assembled! It's exciting to see this project take shape; over a dozen local quilters have participated. When this quilt is complete, we will be using it to raise funds for our library; watch for more details!

Stop by the library tonight, May 8th, for a book for the weekend!

It’s Children’s Book Week and we’re shining the spotlight on the amazing Sophia Blackall! She’s a New York Times bestselling author, a Caldecott Medal winner for Hello Lighthouse (2019), and an all-around storytelling superstar! From Australia to Brooklyn to the Catskills, Sophia now co-runs the dreamy Milkwood Farm—a retreat for the children’s book community. Stop by the Vinton Public Library and check out some of Sophia's books!

Once upon a time, little Jory John was just a kid with a big imagination—creating stories, sketching comics, writing scripts, and building tiny worlds. Fast forward to today: Jory John is a #1 New York Times bestselling author, and a two-time E.B. White Read-Aloud Honor recipient! Some of his bestselling books are right here in this pic.

Wanna see more of his hilarious and impressive accolades? Head to his official website—you won’t regret it!

Congratulations to the winners of the April Library Love Reading Challenge!

Thank you to everyone who participated through the Beanstack App! Our lucky winners took home some awesome VPL swag bags. Great job and keep reading!

Congratulations to this lucky winner of our April Library Love Reading Challenge through Beanstack! She scored a fun VPL swag bag!

A big thank-you to everyone who participated—your love for reading inspires us!

Don’t stop now—join our 8 Books Summer Reading Challenge for Adults and keep the momentum going!

It's Children's Book Week, and we’re giving a BIG shoutout to fan favorite author-illustrator Alex Willan—and, of course, everyone's favorite grumpy goblin, Gilbert!

Follow Gilbert as he hilariously explains why unicorns, dragons, yetis (and more!) are the worst...

Spoiler: It might have more to do with Gilbert than the creatures themselves

Born in Louisville, living in Chicago with his pup Hurley, Alex brings a magical (and laugh-out-loud) world to life in every page!

We’re wrapping up Children’s Book Week with a big shoutout to even more amazing authors and illustrators! The shelves at Vinton Public Library are bursting with talent—and we’d love for YOU to come explore it! Swing by, find a new favorite, and celebrate the magic of children’s books with us!

Butterflies won our last 'This or That' challenge! Now tell us, chocolate or vanilla ice cream?!

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