We hope you enjoy the latest edition of our VPL newsletter! Remember, you can subscribe by emailing library@vintonia.gov!

Join us as local Master Gardener Dana Sanders shares gardening tips at our library!

"Finding Margaret Fuller" by Allison Pataki

"Sleeping Giants" by Rene Denfeld

"The Morningside" by Tea Obreht

"The Princess of Las Vegas" by Chris Bohjalian

"The Messy Life of Jane Tanner" by Brenda Novak

"A Great Country" by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

"How to Make Herself Agreeable to Everyone" by Cameron Russell

"The Times: How the Newspaper of Record Survived Scandal, Scorn, and the Transformation of Journalism" by Adam Nagourney

"Iowa: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure" by Megan Bannister

Last week I finished reading "A Court of Mist and Fury", which is the second book in the "A Court of Thorns and Roses" series. Feyre, now a High Fae herself, has to learn and navigate the new world she is in with her new powers. Since she has been back from Under the Mountain, she has terrible nightmares of the things that had happened and what she had done. Her wedding to Tamlin should bring her happiness and joy, but Feyre is consumed with thoughts about the bargain she made with Rhysand. During the book Feyre learns more about the evilness of some High Faes and their courts. Will Feyre be able to keep her end of the bargain? Will she be able to learn and contain her new powers and save others? Check this book out to see what Feyre chooses with her future!

~Kellie

After reading this book, I felt as though I had travelled back in time, to an America that I didn't live through, but which now I understand in a new way. To begin with, Ms. Brooks does an excellent job of embodying not only characters from the past, but also of evoking the time period itself.

Of course, as a child of the 50s and 60s, I read "Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott, and wondered how the family managed without the father of the family. I pictured him as a strict but loving, scholarly man who went off unwillingly to fight in a war solely because it was his duty. I have come to imagine him in a new light.

I believe that a reader's perception of this novel will depend a great deal upon the age, political views, and whether or not he or she has read Alcott's books, which laid the groundwork for this book. I had a difficult time reconciling the taciturn educator of the original book with the wily and dishonest traveling salesman of this rendition of the story. Taken separately, both characters are believable, but the two men are so different in my mind that I cannot picture the Mr. March of this book as the one I've "known" for years as the father of Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. I do recommend the book, however, as it gives a very vivid and compelling account of the Civil War. I give it a 4/5.

~Connie

Eek! If you're a fan of horror, Riley Sager's "Final Girls" is perfect for you! I couldn't put it down until I found out who the true villain was at the very end. Suffice to write, I'm a big fan of Sager but I had to sleep with the lights on after reading this book!

"Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a club no one wants to belong to—a group of similar survivors known in the press as the Final Girls. Lisa, who lost nine sorority sisters to a college dropout's knife; Sam, who went up against the Sack Man during her shift at the Nightlight Inn; and now Quincy, who ran bleeding through the woods to escape Pine Cottage and the man she refers to only as Him. The three girls are all attempting to put their nightmares behind them, and, with that, one another. Despite the media's attempts, they never meet.

Now, Quincy is doing well—maybe even great, thanks to her Xanax prescription. She has a caring almost-fiancé, Jeff; a popular baking blog; a beautiful apartment; and a therapeutic presence in Coop, the police officer who saved her life all those years ago. Her memory won’t even allow her to recall the events of that night; the past is in the past.

That is, until Lisa, the first Final Girl, is found dead in her bathtub, wrists slit, and Sam, the second, appears on Quincy's doorstep. Blowing through Quincy's life like a whirlwind, Sam seems intent on making Quincy relive the past, with increasingly dire consequences, all of which makes Quincy question why Sam is really seeking her out. And when new details about Lisa's death come to light, Quincy's life becomes a race against time as she tries to unravel Sam's truths from her lies, evade the police and hungry reporters, and, most crucially, remember what really happened at Pine Cottage, before what was started ten years ago is finished." ~Goodreads (3.84 rating)

Happy reading, friends! ~Heather Egan/VPL Circulation Manager

Last night I started reading "The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson" by Ellen Baker. It tells the story of young Cecily, taken to an orphanage by her mother where she is sold to a mysterious man who owns a traveling circus. Fast forward to present day, when Cecily has a bad fall at home and must move into a care facility. Her family learns more about her childhood than they ever have before, and family secrets are brought to light.
I selected this book because I am a huge fan of books that take place in a circus. Among my favorites are "The Night Circus" by Erin Morganstern, "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen and "The Magician's Lie" by Greer Macallister. I'll have to read a bit farther into the book to see if this new title makes my list!
Published in February of 2024, Baker's latest novel currently has 3.95/5 stars on goodreads.com. Happy reading!
~Kelly

I loved this book! It's definitely one of my favorites so far. Signa has the ability to see spirits and use belladonna berries to travel the world between life and death. Her mother died when she was an infant. She has no choice but to live with guardians who are only after her inheritance. However, her life changes when she receives a letter offering her residence at Thorn Grove, home to the Hawthorne family: Elijah, Lillian, Percy, and Blythe. Unfortunately, Lillian had died of a strange illness 6 months prior, and her living daughter, Blythe, is suffering from the same mysterious sickness. Signa encounters the spirit of Lillian, who does not believe her death to be an accident. Signa must discover if Lillian had, in fact, been murdered and if Blythe is the next target. 10/10 recommend!

~Micah

Another completed puzzle thanks to our patrons! Yay!

Thanks to Steph Gibbs for sharing her crochet skills with our community at last night's Open Craft Night! We appreciate you!

Our boardroom has several mobile tables and chairs, free Wi-Fi, and a large smart TV available, and is perfect for meetings and clubs. Reservations are cheerfully accepted!

We are pleased to welcome our new library intern, Emily Johnson! Emily's internship is coordinated through the Workplace Learning Connection program at Kirkwood. Emily is learning all about library operations, including policy development, grant writing, program planning and more! Her primary focus has been helping us plan a bookmobile for our library. Join us in welcoming Emily Johnson!

Let's celebrate March Madness with some of these fun titles! #basketballlife #librarylife #gohawkeyes #gocyclones #godrake

Today we visited the Dementia Simulation House at UNI to help us better serve our patrons with dementia. Thank you to the team at UNI for providing us with tools for empathy, education and empowerment!

Our friends at the Dementia Simulation House at UNI gave us a recommended list of dementia education books for kids; check out these titles today!

~"I Smile for Grandpa" by Jaclyn Guenette
~"Weeds in Nana's Garden" by Kathryn Harrison
~"Granny Needs my Help" by Deborah L. Mills
~"Ice Cream with Grandpa" by Laura Smetana
~"Remembering for Both of Us" by Charlotte B. Wood
~"Grandma and Me" by Beatrice Tauber Prior & Mary Ann Drummond
~"My Grandma Has Dementia" by Adam Walker-Parker & Alex Winstanley

While we were at conferences, we shared information about our Summer Reading Program and the app, Beanstack, that we use for tracking and reading challenges. We did a drawing for a new book for families that registered early for the Summer Reading Challenge. Congrats to Nolan and Madison!

Library Hours of Operation

Mondays: 9a-5p

Tuesdays: 9a-6p

Wednesdays: 9a-5p

Thursdays: 9a-8p

Fridays: 9a-4p

Saturdays: 9a-Noon

Copy services: $0.20/black & white, $0.25/color

Fax services: $1.00 for 1-2 pages, $2.00 for 3+ pages

Free wifi

Boardroom available by reservation

Email: library@vintonia.gov
Website: www.vinton.lib.ia.us
Location: 510 2nd Avenue, Vinton, IA, USA
Phone: 319-472-4208
Facebook: facebook.com/heartofvinton