• 'Badlands' by Preston & Child, large type
• 'Blonde Dust' by Tatiana De Rosnay
• 'The Bachelorette Party' by Camilla Sten

• 'Stuart Woods' Finders Keepers' by Brett Battles
• 'Murder Takes A Vacation' by Laura Lippman
• 'The Poppy Fields' by Nikki Erlick

• 'The Amalfi Curse' by Sarah Penner
• 'Bury Our Bones in Midnight Soil' by V. E. Schwab
• 'The Last Ferry Out' by Andrea Bartz
• 'This is Not a Game' by Kelly Mullen
• 'The River is Waiting' by Wally Lamb
• 'Gifted & Talented' by Olivie Blake
• 'So Far Gone' by Jess Walter
• 'Unshaken' by Shelley Shepard Gray

• 'Good Soil: The Education of an Accidental Farmhand’ by Jeff Chu
• 'Floored: A Woman's Guide to Pelvic Floor Health at Every Age and Stage' by Dr. Sara Reardon
• 'The Invisible Spy: Churchill’s Rockefeller Center Spy Ring and America’s First Secret Agent of World War II' by Thomas Maier
• 'The Blue Book: A Must-See, Can't-Miss, Won't-Forget Guide to Nantucket' by Elin Hilderbrand

In college, I was mesmerized by 'Lolita' by Vladimir Nabokov—it was the late '90s, and it struck me as a dark, twisted romance. But after reading 'My Dark Vanessa' by Kate Elizabeth Russell, my view has shifted sharply. Russell's novel tells the harrowing story of 15-year-old Vanessa Wye, an outsider and only child who is drawn into a manipulative, abusive relationship with her much older teacher at a prestigious boarding school. Told in dual timelines, the novel explores Vanessa's adult life as she struggles to reconcile her past and come to terms with the grooming she mistook for love. It's haunting, deeply unsettling, and pulls back the curtain on how predators can sometimes hide behind the prestige of academia. 'My Dark Vanessa' isn't just a response to Lolita—it’s a reckoning.

Check it out on the Libby App (4.10 rating on Goodreads) and happy reading, friends! ~Heather

I recently read two books by Kevin Wilson, and he really surprised me as an author. With ‘Nothing To See Here,’ I anticipated a quirky and colorful appetizer of a book. It ended up being so interesting, so unique, and so satisfying that I lingered and savored it as a main course. He starts out with an unbelievably bizarre premise: a young woman without any better alternatives agrees to babysit for siblings that are known to spontaneously catch on fire. From there, the story reveals itself as the young woman’s path to belonging.

His latest, ‘Run For The Hills,’ proved similarly interesting. A young man loses his mother, is estranged from his father, and begins a road trip to meet up with his three younger half-siblings. The catch is that he just recently learned they exist, and they don’t know he’s coming. It’s a story of found family in the truest sense of the phrase. It reminds me of ‘People Person’ by Candice Carty-Williams. ‘Run For The Hills’ is a very different book stylistically but touches on similar themes.

Wilson begins both novels with unique concepts and follows them through to a plausible conclusion. As a reader I genuinely enjoyed being along for the ride.

‘Nothing To See Here’ currently has 3.96/5 on goodreads.com, and ‘Run For The Hills’ has 3.93/5.

Happy reading,

Kelly Henkle, Library Director

Our library is holding a silent auction to raise funds for our adult programming. Thanks to the help of Cheryl and Donna, our quilt is now complete! Over a dozen local quilters submitted blocks and we are so pleased with the results. Stop in to take a look and place your bid!

Shouting a HUGE congratulations to our amazing library friend who just hit the 1,000 books milestone!

A huge shoutout to Dan Kirk, the one and only Juggler with the Yellow Shoes, for bringing the fun factory to the Vinton Public Library this morning! Dan wowed us with his incredible juggling, hilarious jokes, awesome balloon creations, and even some daring unicycle action! We laughed, we gasped, we had an absolute blast. Thanks, Dan, for the unforgettable fun!

Be sure to log your reading this summer!! Kids that complete our Beanstack challenge are guaranteed four prizes! Complete our Eight Books Summer Reading Challenge for Adults for the chance to win! #summerreading

Join Elise on Tuesdays @ 10 am at Riverside Park for Storytime and Bike Mobile library checkout!

Congrats to Chip H. on winning a VPL Swag Bag at our Farmer's Market Raffle! Stop by and see us at our next visit to the Farmer's Market on Thursday, July 17th from 5-7pm!

Big high-five to Olivia T for crushing the Beanstack 3rd–5th Grade Summer Reading Challenge! You rocked it, Olivia!

Big high fives to this library friend who has read 700 books. Keep up the great work!

Pro tip: Set a reminder on your phone each day to track your child's reading!

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