• 'What the Wife Knew' by Darby Kane
• 'Grave Danger' by James Grippando

• 'Order of Swans' by Jude Deveraux
• 'Loose Lips' by Kemper Donovan
• 'The Queen of Fives' by Alex Hay

• 'It Had To Be You' by Mary Higgins Clark and Alafair Burke
• 'The Blackout Book Club' by Amy Lynn Green
• 'Shadows at Dusk' by Elizabeth Goddard
• 'Hidden in the Night' by Elizabeth Goddard
• 'The Extraordinary Deaths of Mrs. Kip' by Sara Brunsvold

• 'Realm of Ice and Sky: Triumph, Tragedy, and History's Greatest Arctic Rescue' by Buddy Levy
• 'Saved By A Song: The Art and Healing Power of Songwriting' by Mary Gauthier

• 'The Ultimate Scholarship Book: 2025' by Gen and Kelly Tanabe
• 'Good Energy' by Casey Means, MD
• 'Save Our Souls' by Matthew Pearl
• 'Fearless and Free: A Memoir' by Josephine Baker

• 'Rock Island Arsenal' by George Eaton
• 'The Man Who Talks with the Flowers: The Intimate Life Story of Dr. George Washington Carver' by Glenn Clark
• 'Rock Island Arsenal: In Peace and In War' by Benjamin Franklin Tillinghast

We have all 12 titles in the 'Heroines of WWII' series located in Large Type Fiction available! Check them out today!

• 'The Cryptographer's Dilemma' by Johnnie Alexander
• 'A Picture of Hope' by Liz Tolsma
• 'Saving Mrs. Roosevelt' by Candice Sue Patterson
• 'Mrs. Witherspoon Goes to War' by Mary Davis
• 'A Rose for the Resistance' by Angela K. Couch
• 'Season of My Enemy' by Naomi Musch
• 'Escape from Amsterdam' by Lauralee Bliss
• 'On My Honor' by Patty Smith Hall
• 'The Escape Game' by Marilyn Turk
• 'Beneath a Peaceful Moon' by Debby Lee
• 'The Starlet Spy' by Rachel Scott McDaniel
• 'Capturing Hope' by Angela K. Couch

'All Fours' by Miranda July was an odyssey down the turbulent road known as perimenopause but also a quiet nod to Virginia Wolfe's 'A Room of One's Own.' I have never read a book quite like this, in fact. Sometimes, I felt I was reading an autobiography more than a fictional work of literature but that only made the novel more appealing.

The main character creates a room of her own in a seedy little motel just 30 minutes from home in order to escape her life (her marriage, her child, the routine of being a wife/mother) that is so safe it's become boring and, in doing so, recreates her life, sexual desires, and her future. It was a wild ride. It is a Goodreads Choice Award and a Nominee for Readers' Favorite Fiction (2024) with a 3.64 rating. Check it out at the library and happy reading, friends! ~Heather

I recently read the 2025 All Iowa Reads book, 'Jawbreaker' by Christina Wyman. This is a MUST READ for all ages. If you fell in love with Auggie from the book 'Wonder' by R.J. Palacio then you will also fall in love with Max Plink in 'Jawbreaker'.

"Max Plink’s life just got a lot more complicated. Trouble at home? Check―with money tight, her parents haven’t been getting along lately. School bullies? Double check―especially if you count her sister, who is the worst bully of them all. Dental drama? Oh, you have no idea. With a mismatched puzzle of a jaw, Max has a Class II malocclusion, otherwise known as a severe overbite. She already has braces, which means she lives on Advil and soft foods after each orthodontist appointment. But now Max has to wear totally awkward orthodontic headgear nicknamed “the jawbreaker.” Could things get any worse?

Yes, they could. The journalism competition Max wants to enter has a video component. But being on camera means showing her face not just to her junior high classmates, but possibly the whole city. Going viral is the last thing Max needs, but winning this competition is what she wants most. Turns out, following her dreams is complicated, too."

https://www.statelibraryofiowa.gov/

~Kellie Roberts, Children's Librarian

Looking for a heart-warming beach read to warm your winter days? Then let me recommend 'A Happier Life' by Kristy Woodson Harvey. Virginia recommended I read this one, and I'm so glad I did! It tells the story of Keaton, a young woman who learns of her boyfriend's betrayal and uses it as an opportunity for a fresh start. She moves to her grandparent's old house in North Carolina, only to find it has been untouched since their passing decades prior. She stays with the intention of putting the house on the market, but makes friendships and discovers family secrets that enrich her life in unexpected ways. Highly readable, light, and lovely, with some romance thrown in...thanks Virginia!

I was also pleased to learn the author is cohost of a weekly web show, Friends and Fiction, along with popular authors Kristin Harmel, Mary Kay Andrews and Patti Callahan Henry. I feel in love with Patti Callahan Henry after reading 'The Secret Book of Flora Lea' and am looking forward to following these authors' show.

Happy reading!

~Kelly

Join us for our 2nd Annual Red Carpet Party at the library! We will be watching the celebrity red-carpet arrivals in Hollywood for the Academy Awards. Our night includes Oscar-themed trivia games, beverages, appetizers, and more! Formal dress is encouraged but not required. Thanks to a generous donation from Express Limousine of North Liberty, we are also holding a raffle for a 2-hour limo ride prior to the event. Purchase your raffle ticket at the library, or as an add-on during the Eventbrite ticketing process. Add on an optional VPL wine or beer glass for $15 as well. Beast & Bird of Vinton will be onsite selling a variety of beers and wine. All proceeds will benefit the 2025 Children's Summer Reading Program at our library. Thank you for your support!

VS Seniors: Stop into the Vinton Public Library to work on your college and trade school scholarship applications! We’ll have free printing, free envelopes, snacks, and experienced professionals on hand to help answer your questions and provide essay feedback.

We're holding three sessions for your convenience:
Saturday, 2/15/25 from 9am-12pm
Saturday, 3/15/25 from 9am-12pm
Saturday, 3/22/25 from 9am-12pm

Join us for our monthly book club where you pick the book! This month we reading books written by authors with red hair. Get creative and have fun with it! We're meeting at two different times; pick the session that works best for you!

*Thursday, February 20th, 2025 at Noon

*Thursday, February 20th, 2025 at 6pm

Join Jean Wilson (writing as J L Wilson) to discover the steps that go into crafting a novel. J L has 40 books in print and can give you an idea of the who, what, where, and how of publishing. Join her in one or all of these workshops, each 60-90 minutes long:

*Saturday, March 15th, 2025 @ 9am: Class 1
Gives you the basic tools of the trade: what goes into a novel, how to determine point of view, your author voice, software to use - the nitty-gritty.

*Saturday, March 22nd, 2025 @ 9am: Class 2
Digs into the Who and Why of your book. This is all about creating characters and finding their goals and motivations.

*Saturday, March 29th, 2025 @ 9am: Class 3
The Where and When of your book. Choose your setting and time period wisely because you will be living there with your characters as you write.

*Saturday, April 5th, 2025 @ 9am: Class 4
Jumps into Plots and Pacing, making sure your plot lines hang together and your pacing keeps your audience engaged.

*Saturday, April 26th, 2025 @ 9am: Class 5
Gives you an overview of publishing: where and how do you submit your work or self-publish it? What goes into that?

Space is limited: RSVP to library@vintonia.gov to reserve your spot today! This event is intended for adults and is offered at no cost.

We're counting down to this year's 2nd Annual Red Carpet Party, held Sunday, March 2nd 2025 from 5-7pm! Last year was a ton of fun; scan the QR code or visit https://www.eventbrite.com/.../2nd-annual-red-carpet... to get your tickets, limo raffle tickets and pre-order VPL wine and beer glasses to use at the event! The tickets are free-will donation; Trivial Dudes will be with us featuring Hollywood trivia, and we will watch the Academy Awards red-carpet arrivals on big screen tvs in the library. Beast & Bird will be onsite selling beer and wine, and we will have complimentary charcuterie boards for snacking. All proceeds benefit the 2025 Children's Summer Reading Program. Come party with us at VPL!! #redcarpet #librarylife

We enjoyed a wonderful presentation at our library last week as guest speaker and legendary cyclist Larry Ritland shared pictures and stories from his bicycle rides honoring the Women Air Force Service Pilots (WASPs) of WWII; for more information visit him online at The Old Cycling Veteran. #WomenAirforceServicePilots #librarylife

Our library is accepting 9 1/2" X 9 1/2" unfinished quilt blocks for our 1st Annual Community Quilt project! So far, we have nearly 30 blocks; bring yours in by Saturday, February 1st, 2025, to be included in this year's quilt! The finished quilt will be auctioned off in the coming months. Thank you to everyone who has donated squares, as well as Cheryl Roster and Donna Fleck for your quilting guidance and friendship!! Pictured is a log cabin square I made this past weekend. Happy quilting!

~Kelly Henkle, Library Director

Thanks to a generous donation from one of our readers our library was recently able to add several titles to our art history and art instruction collection:

~'The Arts: A Visual Encyclopedia' by Susie Hodge (Junior Non-Fiction)

~'Frida Kahlo' by Luis-Martin Lozano

~'Monet: The Restless Vision' by Jackie Wullschlager

~'Start Here: Draw/50 Ways to be an Artist without Trying' by Moira Clinch

~'Van Gogh: The Complete Paintings' by Rainer Metzger

~'Artist's Watercolor Techniques' by DK

~'Drawing with Children' by Mona Brookes

~'Art, Annotated: Your Expert Guide to 500 of the World's Greatest Works of Art' Aliki Braine

Today in our journaling class for adults we worked with creative affirmations. Try incorporating your own into your writing practice! Happy writing!

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