• 'The Last Session' by Julia Bartz
• 'The Keeper' by Charles Martin
• 'The World's Fair Quilt' by Jennifer Chiaverini
• 'Witness 8' by Steve Cavanagh
• 'Say You'll Remember Me' by Abby Jimenez

• 'Yoko: A Biography' by David Sheff

• 'The Wedding Veil' by Kristy Woodson Harvey
• 'How Sweet It Is' by Andrea Christenson
• 'The Librarians of Lisbon' by Suzanne Nelson
• 'Julia's Joy' by Susan G. Mathis

• 'The Story She Left Behind' by Patti Callahan Henry
• 'The Champagne Letters' by Kate MacIntosh
• 'The Secret History of Audrey James' by Heather Marshall
• 'You'll Find Out' by Lisa Jackson
• 'Kate & Frida' by Kim Fay

• 'The Hanging Party' by William W. Johnstone and J.A. Johnstone
• 'Siskiyou Trail' by B. N. Rundell
• 'The Long Search' by Hunter Ingram
• 'Curse of Dead Man's Gold' by Bradford Scott

Emma Madison Master Meddler is a fantastic book!!! When I read it, it was very long - in fact no publisher would touch it. I am so glad someone did. I don't know if they shortened it for publication but it sure as heck is a wonderful book.

~Virginia

I am currently reading 'Back When We Were Grownups' (love that title!) by Anne Tyler and there's just something about Tyler's writing style that I absolutely adore: the ordinary becomes extraordinary. I always think "salt of the earth" when reading Tyler but that doesn't quite nail it either for me. Her style is simple yet profound at once somehow. If you haven't picked up a book by her yet, I urge you to do so immediately. I didn't start reading her until last year and kicked myself for waiting so long to do so.

"One morning, Rebecca wakes up and realises she has turned into the wrong person. Is she really this joyous and outgoing organiser of parties, the put-upon heart of her dead husband's extended family? What happened to her quiet and serious nineteen-year-old self, and what would have happened if she'd married her college sweetheart? Can someone ever recover the person they've left behind?"~Goodreads.com (3.56 rating)

Happy reading, friends! ~Heather

#librarylife #librarylovers #reading

Hello fellow readers!! Are you looking for a book about deception, love, and an overall thriller? Then check out the book 'Rock Paper Scissors' by Alice Feeney. I found it to be a quick read. There are multiple twists with an ending that is surprising yet complete.

Amelia and Adam know their marriage has been off for some time. Winning this weekend trip to Scotland might be just what their marriage needs. Both know this time together will make or break their relationship, but they didn’t randomly win this trip. One of them is lying, and someone doesn’t want them to live happily ever after. Ten years of marriage, ten years of secrets and an anniversary they will never forget.

I look forward to reading more by Alice Feeney.

Happy reading ~ Lisa

I recently read 'The Paris Express' by Emma Donoghue. Donoghue is an accomplished author of fiction, film and theater, and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize and other awards for her novel 'Room.' She went on to receive an Academy Award nomination for her screenplay adaptation of the book.

I'm lukewarm on 'The Paris Express' for a few reasons; here is the good, the bad and the ugly.

The good: I love books set on trains! The summary inside the book jacket grabbed me to the point that I let this book budge ahead of many others on my TBR. Also, while reading I learned a lot about actual events in 1890's Paris.

The bad: A lot of characters are introduced so quickly in the beginning of the story I felt as if I was on a train uncomfortably surrounded by strangers, when I longed to be in my own private carriage reading a book in the back.

The ugly: I found the backstories for many of the characters awkward and contrived.

We have this book, along with 'Room' on book and DVD available for checkout at the Vinton Public Library. 'The Paris Express' currently has 3.6/5 stars on goodreads.com.

Happy reading!

~Kelly Henkle, Library Director

Thanks to the American Library Association Libraries Transforming Communities grant, our library is a proud affiliate of the Next Chapter Book Club. We meet every Wednesday morning at 10am in the library board room. This is a book club for adults living with intellectual disabilities; we laugh, make friends and thoroughly enjoy our time together. We also take turns reading aloud from really good books! One of our books is called 'What Do You Want on Your Pancakes? Short Stories for All' by Tom Fish. For more information about the Next Chapter Book Club organization, visit https://nextchapterbookclub.org.

I recently read 'Impossible Creatures' by Katherine Rundell. The Vinton Public Library offers a selection of juvenile fiction large type books, so don't let the size of the book intimidate you. I found it was easy to follow with the bigger font and I enjoyed the pictures that the author added to share what the magical creatures look like. This book is jam packed with fantasy islands, magical creatures, and full of adventure!

Christopher, a human boy in the real world, visits his grandfather's house and meets a girl named Mal from a magical world called Archipelago. Mal is on the run and needs Christopher's help. Christopher sees how desperate she is and tags along with her learning all about the world and islands of Archipelago. Mal informs Christopher that the magic is fading, and the creatures are dying all over Archipelago. They race to all the islands searching for others to help and a solution to what is happening. Will Mal and Christopher be able to save Archipelago?

Katherine Rundell is an English author and academic. She is a Fellow in English Literature at All Souls College, Oxford. She has won many awards. Her recent awards include Waterstones Book of the Year 2023 for Impossible Creatures, and in 2024 Rundell was named the British Book Awards Author of the Year and Impossible Creatures won the Children’s Fiction Book of the Year.

When most readers want to review a book, they use Goodreads. However, there is another useful website for parents and children called 'Common Sense Media.' Common Sense Media offers a parents' guide to what they need to know about the book, reviews, and questions to ask after reading the book. I highly recommend checking out this site! https://www.commonsensemedia.org/

Enjoy-Kellie Roberts-VPL Children's Librarian

Show us your books! It's National Library week and we want to see what you're reading! Email hegan@vintonia.gov to have your pics included in our promotion!

Happy Friday! Be sure to track your reading using the Beanstack app for the chance to win prizes during our April Library Love Reading Challenge!

Interested in reading more books but unsure where to begin??? We suggest picking a genre first! Think Historical Fiction might be perfect for you? Check out the 5 titles below! Have a favorite? Share it with us! We love suggestions!

April is National Poetry Month! Interested in reading more poetry? Check out these collections available at the library:

~'The Poetry of Impermanence, Mindfulness, and Joy' by John Brehm (Editor)

~'Poetry Unbound: 50 Poems to Open Your World' by Pádraig Ó Tuama

~'Save Me an Orange' by Hayley Grace

~'Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude' by Ross Gay

Thanks to the American Library Association Libraries Transforming Communities Grant, our library has a Memory Cafe. Memory Cafes are held throughout the world to help improve the quality of life for individuals living in their homes with dementia. What is a Memory Cafe? At our library we meet twice a month, enjoy fresh baked cookies and freshly brewed coffee, and have a lot of fun. If you or someone you know is living with dementia, please come check out our VPL Memory Cafe! Our next meeting is Friday, April 11th, 2025, at 10am.

Interested in reading more books but don't know where to begin??? We suggest starting with a genre! Love Thrillers/Mysteries? Check out these 5 titles below! Have a favorite? Share below! We love suggestions!

Check out this library friend...she has read 400 books! Keep up the great work!

Thank you to Benton County ISU Extension for teaching us all about bunnies! We also had lots of friends scattered throughout the library playing chess or playing with friends.

In a reading rut and don't know where to begin??? Start by picking a genre and work from there! Check out these 5 titles if you're interested in Horror!

We had a great turnout at last Saturday's crochet lesson here at the library! We'd like to extend a huge Thank You to Steph Gibbs for volunteering her time and talents to help us learn something new!!

What a difference 5 years makes!! The circulation (materials checked out and renewed) at the Vinton Public Library took a hit during the Covid 19 pandemic when libraries and other organizations closed to the public in the Spring of 2020. This chart shows how our circulation has grown steadily ever since! Thank you for your continued support of the Vinton Public Library!

We receive a lot of community support here at the Vinton Public Library and we are so grateful! Thank you to these individuals, local businesses and organizations for supporting our 2025 Children's Summer Reading Program!

April is 'National Poetry Month.' Comment below and tell us who you think wrote this verse. We will post the answer tomorrow!

Meet Makinnley, our April Kid Librarian. Come check out her display!

Need an adult bookish challenge for the weekend? Check out the Book Bingo Challenge! Let us know in the comments how many you crossed out or if you get BINGO!

Fans of classic detective fiction will be happy to hear the newest book in the 'Magpie Murders' series by Anthony Horowitz, 'Marble Hall Murders,' is scheduled for release later this Spring! We have the first two books in the series here at the Vinton Public Library, with the third on order! Happy reading!

Want to enter our "Books & Cooks" Library Cooking Contest but need some inspiration??? Check out the author: Wanda E. Brunstetter! Many of her books have recipes at the end! Check her out today and be sure to enter our cooking contest on Saturday, April 12th @ 10:30am! We can't wait to see what you're cooking up!

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