We hope you enjoy our latest VPL Newsletter; to subscribe, email library@vintonia.gov. See you at the library!

• 'The Unwedding' by Ally Condie
• 'Clear' by Carys Davies
• 'Eruption' by Michael Crichton and James Patterson
• 'Left for Dead' by Eric Jay Dolin

What do humans need?

At first glance, this seems like a question we’ve all been asked in elementary school science. However, when you sit down and try to answer this question, you’ll find that the third-grade answer of food, water, and shelter feels shockingly inadequate when applied to modern life. This is the question that Becky Chambers’ heartwarming masterpiece “A Psalm for the Wild-Built” attempts to answer. It is a very simple book in plot, yet shockingly complex regarding mood and emotion. The story is about a young monk’s search for purpose and self-fulfillment in a future where humans have been all but exiled from the natural world. It is a tale of ennui and is quite melancholy at times, but I think that the overarching themes are freedom and hope. The main substance of the book is told through a series of conversations between a monk and a robot that hike through the wilderness. They speak of disconnection from the natural world, the individual's duty to a larger society, and many other things that can be applied so easily to the times we live in now. In short, if you have ever felt lost or purposeless in modern society, this is a must-read.

~Loren, VPL Volunteer

This book is the perfect funny, light-hearted read to kick off summer. My favorite things about this book are:

1. Strong and witty female characters.

2. Learning that true love can start on Reddit. I didn’t even know there was a DM feature!

3. The guy that is maybe a little too perfect but who, without a doubt, proves that not all guys with J-names are the worst.

I also read “Yours Truly” by the same author and enjoyed it just as much!

-Krystal T-VPL Patron

"Still Alice" by Lisa Genova tells the story of Alice Howland, Harvard professor and mother of three, who is diagnosed with Alzheimer's at the age of 50. We read this book for our Staff Book Club, and we felt like we were right there with Alice every step of the way. The author holds a degree in Biopsychology from Bates College and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University and her background informs her work.

In The New Yorker article titled "A Place Beyond Words: The Literature of Alzheimer's," Stefan Merrill Block calls this the 'go-to book for caretakers and early-stage sufferers.'

Published in 2007, it currently has 4.32/5.0 stars on goodreads.com and was adapted into a 2014 film starring Julianne Moore.

~Kelly Henkle, Library Director

Nantucket is a fiction series by Elin Hilderbrand. The fourth book, 'Swan Song,' will be available soon in regular type and large type at our library!

Stop by the Vinton Parks & Recreation Department Farmer's Market this Thursday, June 6th! Our library table will feature information on our Summer Reading Program, our bicycle powered bookmobile, and our newly formed Memory Cafe. We will be opening library cards and will have drawings for books and more! See you at the market!

Thanks so much to this great group of Northport students that helped with our Green Thumbs gardening program! Our gardens look great!

Stop in and check out all of the great summer prizes you can enter to win! Kids can use their participation tickets from programming events to enter and adults can enter once per week! We will draw winners Friday, August 2nd @ 10am!

We had a great Summer Reading Kick-Off Party! You still have until Friday, June 7th, to register for the Summer Reading Program for a chance to win Lost Island passes.

Thanks to the generous support of our community members, we are excited to begin our Sunshine Storytime series at Vinton parks this summer with our new bike-powered bookmobile! VPL Children's Librarian Kellie will be bringing library books to parks for children to check out and will be reading stories as well! See you at the park this summer!

Traveling this summer? We'd love to see your vacation pictures reading on the beach with your VPL books, or the libraries and bookstores in the places you visit! Here is picture of a library in San Pancho, Mexico from one of our VPL patrons!! Happy Summer!!

We have so many volunteer opportunities at the library this summer! If gardening is your passion: consider volunteering for our Green Thumbs program! When the weather gets warmer, we will need watering and weeding weekly! Contact Heather @ 319-472-4208 or via email at hegan@vintonia.gov!

Keep those vacation pictures coming! Here is a bookstore in Paris that one of our patrons visited!

June is Pride Month! Check out our latest display that showcases both fiction and non-fiction titles!

Of course, if technology is your thing, we've got your covered! We have free Wi-Fi, digital apps, four computers, and a public printer. We have something for everyone at the Vinton Public Library!

Meet Malea, our June Kid Librarian!

Meet Glenn, our June Kid Librarian!

Hours of Operation:

Mondays: 9a-5p

Tuesdays: 9a-6p

Wednesdays: 9a-5p

Thursdays: 9a-8p

Fridays: 9a-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