Category: Audio Books

Winners of the 2025 Libby Book Awards

- Stephanie Leave a comment

The 2025 Libby Book Award Winners have been announced! As a lover of book awards, I wanted to share some of the winners that are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Check out the 2025 Libby Book Award Winners website for a more comprehensive list of the winners and the runner-ups!

At the time of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions are provided by the publisher.

Winner for Book of the Year — Adult Fiction
The Women by Kristin Hannah

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances “Frankie” McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path.

As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is over-whelmed by the chaos and destruction of war. Each day is a gamble of life and death, hope and betrayal; friendships run deep and can be shattered in an instant. In war, she meets—and becomes one of—the lucky, the brave, the broken, and the lost.

But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

The Women is the story of one woman gone to war, but it shines a light on all women who put themselves in harm’s way and whose sacrifice and commitment to their country has too often been forgotten. A novel about deep friendships and bold patriotism, The Women is a richly drawn story with a memorable heroine whose idealism and courage under fire will come to define an era. – St, Martin’s Press

Winner for Book of the Year — Adult Nonfiction AND Winner for Audiobook of the Year
The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson

On November 6, 1860, Abraham Lincoln became the fluky victor in a tight race for president. The country was bitterly at odds; Southern extremists were moving ever closer to destroying the Union, with one state after another seceding and Lincoln powerless to stop them. Slavery fueled the conflict, but somehow the passions of North and South came to focus on a lonely federal fortress in Charleston Harbor: Fort Sumter.

Master storyteller Erik Larson offers a gripping account of the chaotic months between Lincoln’s election and the Confederacy’s shelling of Sumter—a period marked by tragic errors and miscommunications, enflamed egos and craven ambitions, personal tragedies and betrayals. Lincoln himself wrote that the trials of these five months were “so great that, could I have anticipated them, I would not have believed it possible to survive them.”

At the heart of this suspense-filled narrative are Major Robert Anderson, Sumter’s commander and a former slave owner sympathetic to the South but loyal to the Union; Edmund Ruffin, a vain and bloodthirsty radical who stirs secessionist ardor at every opportunity; and Mary Boykin Chesnut, wife of a prominent planter, conflicted over both marriage and slavery and seeing parallels between them. In the middle of it all is the overwhelmed Lincoln, battling with his duplicitous secretary of state, William Seward, as he tries desperately to avert a war that he fears is inevitable—one that will eventually kill 750,000 Americans.

Drawing on diaries, secret communiques, slave ledgers, and plantation records, Larson gives us a political horror story that captures the forces that led America to the brink—a dark reminder that we often don’t see a cataclysm coming until it’s too late. – Crown

Winner for Book of the Year — Young Adult Fiction
Heir by Sabaa Tahir

An orphan.
An outcast.
A prince.
And a killer who will bring an empire to its knees.

Growing up in the Kegari slums, AIZ has seen her share of suffering. An old tragedy fuels her need for vengeance, but it is love of her people that propels her. Until one hotheaded mistake lands her in an inescapable prison, where the embers of her wrath ignite.

Banished from her people for an unforgivable crime, SIRSHA is a down-on-her-luck tracker who uses magic to trace her marks. Destitute, she agrees to hunt down a killer who has murdered children across the Martial Empire. All she has to do is carry out the job and get paid. But when a chance encounter leads to an unexpected attraction, Sirsha learns her mission might cost her far more than she’s willing to give up.

QUIL is the crown prince of the Empire and nephew of a venerated empress, but he’s loath to take the throne when his aunt steps down. As the son of a reviled emperor, he, better than anyone, understands that power corrupts. When a vicious new enemy threatens the survival of the Empire, Quil must ask himself if he can rise above his tragic lineage and be the heir his people need.

Beloved storyteller Sabaa Tahir interweaves the lives of three young people as they grapple with power, treachery, love, and the devastating consequences of unchecked greed, on a journey that may cost them their lives—and their hearts. Literally. – G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers

Winner for Debut Author of the Year AND Winner for Best Science Fiction
The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

In the near future, a civil servant is offered the salary of her dreams and is, shortly afterward, told what project she’ll be working on. A recently established government ministry is gathering “expats” from across history to establish whether time travel is feasible—for the body, but also for the fabric of space-time.

She is tasked with working as a “bridge”: living with, assisting, and monitoring the expat known as “1847” or Commander Graham Gore. As far as history is concerned, Commander Gore died on Sir John Franklin’s doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, so he’s a little disoriented to be living with an unmarried woman who regularly shows her calves, surrounded by outlandish concepts such as “washing machines,” “Spotify,” and “the collapse of the British Empire.” But with an appetite for discovery, a seven-a-day cigarette habit, and the support of a charming and chaotic cast of fellow expats, he soon adjusts.

Over the next year, what the bridge initially thought would be, at best, a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic, evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry’s project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined. Forced to confront the choices that brought them together, the bridge must finally reckon with how—and whether she believes—what she does next can change the future. – Avid Reader Press / Simon & Schuster

Winner for Best Book Club Book
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe

As the child of a Hooters waitress and an ex-pro wrestler, Margo Millet’s always known she’d have to make it on her own. So she enrolls at her local junior college, even though she can’t imagine how she’ll ever make a living. She’s still figuring things out and never planned to have an affair with her English professor—and while the affair is brief, it isn’t brief enough to keep her from getting pregnant. Despite everyone’s advice, she decides to keep the baby, mostly out of naiveté and a yearning for something bigger.

Now, at twenty, Margo is alone with an infant, unemployed, and on the verge of eviction. She needs a cash infusion—fast. When her estranged father, Jinx, shows up on her doorstep and asks to move in with her, she agrees in exchange for help with childcare. Then Margo begins to form a plan: she’ll start an OnlyFans as an experiment, and soon finds herself adapting some of Jinx’s advice from the world of wrestling. Like how to craft a compelling character and make your audience fall in love with you. Before she knows it, she’s turned it into a runaway success. Could this be the answer to all of Margo’s problems, or does internet fame come with too high a price? – William Morrow

Winner for Best Fantasy
The Spellshop by Sarah Beth Durst

Kiela has always had trouble dealing with people. Thankfully, as librarian at the Great Library of Alyssium, she hasn’t had to.

She and her assistant, Caz, a magically sentient spider plant, have spent the last eleven years sequestered among the empire’s most precious spellbooks, preserving their magic for the city’s elite. But when a revolution begins and the library goes up in flames, she and Caz save as many books as they can carry and flee to a faraway island Kiela was sure she’d never return to: her childhood home. Kiela hopes to lay low in the overgrown and rundown cottage her late parents left her and figure out a way to survive without drawing the attention of either the empire or the revolutionaries. Much to her dismay, in addition to a nosy—and very handsome—neighbor, she finds the town neglected and in a state of disrepair.

The empire, for all its magic and power, has been neglecting for years the people who depend on magical intervention to maintain healthy livestock and crops. Not only that, but the very magic that should be helping them has been creating destructive storms that have taken a toll on the island. Due to her past role at the library, Kiela feels partially responsible for this, and now she’s determined to find a way to make things right: by opening the island’s first-ever secret spellshop.

Her plan comes with risks—the consequence of sharing magic with commoners is death. And as Kiela comes to make a place for herself among the kind and quirky townspeople of her former home, she realizes that in order to make a life for herself, she must learn to break down the walls she has built up so high. – Bramble

Winner for Best Horror
Bury Your Gays by Chuck Tingle

Misha knows that chasing success in Hollywood can be hell.

But finally, after years of trying to make it, his big moment is here: an Oscar nomination. And the executives at the studio for his long-running streaming series know just the thing to kick his career to the next level: kill off the gay characters, “for the algorithm,” in the upcoming season finale.

Misha refuses, but he soon realizes that he’s just put a target on his back. And what’s worse, monsters from his horror movie days are stalking him and his friends through the hills above Los Angeles.

Haunted by his past, Misha must risk his entire future—before the horrors from the silver screen find a way to bury him for good. – Tor Nightfire

Winner for Best Thriller
One of Our Kind by Nicola Yoon

Jasmyn and King Williams move their family to the planned Black utopia of Liberty, California hoping to find a community of like-minded people, a place where their growing family can thrive. King settles in at once, embracing the Liberty ethos, including the luxe wellness center at the top of the hill, which proves to be the heart of the community. But Jasmyn struggles to find her place. She expected to find liberals and social justice activists striving for racial equality, but Liberty residents seem more focused on booking spa treatments and ignoring the world’s troubles.

Jasmyn’s only friends in the community are equally perplexed and frustrated by most residents’ outlook. Then Jasmyn discovers a terrible secret about Liberty and its founders. Frustration turns to dread as their loved ones start embracing the Liberty way of life.

Will the truth destroy her world in ways she never could have imagined? – Knopf

Check out the 2025 Libby Book Award Winners website for the complete list of winners and runner-ups!

LEARN A LANGUAGE — Part 4 — GERMAN

- Jill Leave a comment

Continuing in our monthly series of language resources offered by The Library, our focus in April is GERMAN. While the German language is on the decline in the United States (according to census.gov), it is still in the top ten languages (other than English) that are spoken at home. And, while it is spoken in just over 900,000 homes across the nation, North Dakota is the only state in which German is the second most commonly spoken language according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. If you remove the Spanish language from the mix, 16 mostly Midwest and Western states emerge, revealing their German influence. The bulk of these German speaking populations are in Midwestern states, but the spread is from Alabama and Tennessee to the south and as far west as Idaho and Utah. Notable exceptions on the list in the Midwest are Minnesota (Hmong language), Michigan (Arabic), Illinois (Polish), South Dakota (Dakota), and Nebraska (Vietnamese), demonstrating our country’s diverse populations and the influence of immigrants from other nations.

In Iowa, German is the third most commonly spoken language. The Amish population in southeast Iowa accounts for some of that finding, although that does not completely explain the fact as German is the third-most spoken language in a lot of states that don’t have a significant Amish community. According to IowaPBS.org, “German immigrants historically were the second largest immigrant group (behind people from the British Isles) to settle in Iowa”. Beginning around 1840, millions of Germans began immigrating to the US. The entry point for many of these immigrants to the upper Midwest region and points west was Scott County (IA) where the first passenger railroad crossed the Mississippi River. In 1900, Joseph Eiboeck, a veteran German newspaperman, described Davenport as, “the most German city, not only in the State, but in all the Middle West, the center of all German activities in the State.”

These German immigrants spread widely into every county across the state – more than any other immigrant group – and by 1900, the US Census indicated that over half of the citizens in Iowa, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota were German immigrants or their descendants. By 1920, at least half of all farmers in Iowa were of German ancestry as well. Many of these Germans who settled in the Davenport area attempted to maintain a close-knit German community. They continued to speak their own language, published a local newspaper “Der Demokrat”, and formed their own social club, Turn Germeind, or Turnvereins (turner halls), which were an athletic and social gathering place for their community.

These immigrants also established the practice of going to parks for picnics, where they would listen to band music and drink beer. This brought alcohol consumption out of the saloons (that were typically only frequented by men) and perceptions slowly changed such that by 1900 the City of Davenport had over 100 taverns and beer gardens (Biergarten). Many orchestras and bands were formed within the city as well and they regularly played venues such as Schuetzenpark (which during its heyday, in addition to a music pavilion, also consisted of an inn, dance hall, shooting range, refreshments, bowling alleys, a roller coaster, and a zoo).  Music was such an important facet of German immigrant culture that their influence helped begin one of the oldest continually operating symphonic orchestras in the United States, The Quad Cities Symphony Orchestra. These are just some of the many cultural facets German immigrants brought with them from their homeland, becoming an integral part the “history and fabric of life in Iowa” as well as in the region and the country as a whole.

The decline of the German language is due to many factors including, among other things, the growth of industries in the area which draws in a talented and diverse workforce and impacts population growth. We also continue to see an influx of immigrants in the Quad Cities Area. We have a long history of welcoming immigrants, and our cities today continue to be a sanctuary for immigrants and refugees from around the world. Certainly, one factor that has impacted the decline was the Governor of Iowa’s ban on speaking the language in public near the end of World War I. Since the U.S. was at war with Germany, many Iowans became suspicious of their German neighbors. The governor issued a proclamation in May 1918 that prohibited anyone from speaking a foreign language in public, specifically German. German books were also removed from the library, and citizens of German birth were interrogated. After the war, many German descendants tried to hide their heritage and assimilate more closely with their neighbors. With the use of the German language declining, German names were removed from streets signs and towns, turner halls lost their popularity, and German businesses changed their names. Even Schuetzenpark was renamed Forest Park, for a time.

But, it’s not too late to reinvigorate the German language in our area!  In 2010, there were over 600 speakers of German in Scott County alone, with another 13,000+ statewide (MLA Language Map Data Center). Perhaps you have German heritage or have been influence by the culture that these immigrants have brought to our area. Maybe you have always wanted to travel to Germany and spend time in some of the beautiful alpine regions or see the architecture and museums of the Capital, Berlin. Whatever the reason you want to learn, we have lots of resources to help introduce you to the language.

Here’s just a sampling of the FREE resources available to you at The Library as you learn German. See our online catalog or ask a Librarian for more resources.

FOR A QUICK INTRODUCTION TO THE LANGUAGE:

15-minute German : learn in just 12 weeks by Sylvia Goulding

Fast talk German : guaranteed to get you talking (Lonely Planet)

Intermediate German for dummies

 

FOR A MORE LAID-BACK APPROACH:

101 conversations in simple German : short natural dialogues to boost your confidence & improve your spoken German  by Olly RIchards

Short stories in German for intermediate learners : read for pleasure at your level and learn German the fun way by Olly Richards

50 German coffee breaks : short activities to improve your German one cup at a time

German short stories for beginners and intermediate learners : engaging short stories to learn German and build your vocabulary

 

IF YOU ARE A VISUAL LEARNER:

German visual dictionary for dummies

5 language visual dictionary

 

MORE COMPREHENSIVE LANGUAGE COURSES:

 

Complete German by Paul Coggle

Langenscheidt German at your fingertips  by Tien Tammada

German by Paul Coggle

Basic German by Jolene Wochenske

Teach yourself German by Paul Coggle

#Language hacking German : a conversation course for beginners : learn how to speak German–with actual people–right from the start! By Benny Lewis

And, a Davenport Public Library cardholder, you have FREE access to the language learning program, Mango Languages.

 

FOR THOSE WHO PLAN TO TRAVEL:

German phrase book & dictionary (Berlitz)

Rick Steves’ German phrase book & dictionary by Rick Steves

German (Rough Guides)

 

NEXT MONTH…  LEARN A LANGUAGE — Part 5 — JAPANESE

The Weight of Blood by Tiffany D. Jackson

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Comprehension is key, and that hasn’t exactly been mastered by the citizens of this country.”
― Tiffany D. Jackson, The Weight of Blood

Tiffany D. Jackson is a young adult writer who writes with gusto and anger. Her books always stick with me for long periods of time and relate to stories in the news. My latest read, The Weight of Blood, was one I went into blind. The Weight of Blood is a retelling of Carrie by Stephen King, telling the story of a Georgia high school hosting its first integrated prom and a biracial teenager navigating a small town’s legacy of racism. This book is heavy and disastrous and necessary to read. Highly recommend.

Maddy Washington is an outcast in her small town of Springville, Georgia. She has always been the target of bullies. Having been homeschooled until her early teenage years, Maddie has never quite fit in. The school bullies are the least of her problems though. She has more serious problems to deal with. The precarious life she has made for herself is destroyed one day with the arrival of a surprise rainstorm. Her secret: Maddy is biracial. Her father Thomas has required Maddy to pass as white for her entire life due to his fanatical beliefs.

The students and some staff at Maddy’s school react badly to Maddy’s news. When a video goes viral showing students bulling Maddy, the school’s racist beliefs and history become news across the country. Things come even more to a head when the news discovers that Springville High holds two separate proms every year: a white prom and a black prom. In order to improve their image, students and administration decide to host their first integrated prom. This doesn’t go over well, especially when the white class president asks her Black quarterback boyfriend to take Maddy as his date to the integrated prom.

Maddy starts to hope that maybe a normal life is possible for her. The closer prom gets, the more excited she becomes. Some of her classmates are angry though, deciding that she needs to be taught a lesson. Flashing back and forth from 2014 and to present day, readers learn more about what happened leading up to prom in 2014 and how the Springville residents left alive after prom night are dealing with the shock of what happened that night.

This title is also available in large print and audiobook.

Online Reading Challenge – March Wrap-Up

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Hello Fellow Challenge Readers!

How did your reading go this month? Did you read a biographical fiction novel? Share in the comments!

I read our main title: The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. This book has been on my to-read list since its publication in 2018.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz is based on interviews that were conducted with Ludwig (Lale) Sokolov, a Holocaust survivor and Auschwitz-Birkenau tattooist. Lale’s voice is present throughout this book, something that I felt added to the depth, despair, and hope. Based on the true story of Lale and Gita, Heather Morris weaves the stories of two Slovokian Jews who survived the Holocaust with great care. As someone who has read dozens of Holocaust stories, both fiction and nonfiction, this book stands out to me. The emotions radiated through the pages, pulling me into their lives as they struggled to survive. Readers follow Lale as he is forced to Auschwitz-Birkenau in April 1942. His ability to speak multiple languages lands him a job as the tattooist, forced to permanently mark his fellow prisoners. Lale witnesses horrors for almost three years in the camps, but those horrors are also accompanied by acts of bravery and compassion. He uses his unique position to help his fellow prisoners, risking his life to secure food and medicine. While tattooing new prisoners in July 1942, Lale helps a young woman named Gita, a woman who Lale vows to marry once they survive the camp. The Tattooist of Auschwitz was a devastating, yet hopeful, read. This piece of biographical fiction is a good stepping stone to learn more about Lale and Gita Sokolov.

In addition to being the March Online Reading Challenge pick, this title was also made into a Peacock Original Series starring Harvey Keitel and Melanie Lynskey. I have plans to watch this series in the future to see how well it relates.

Next month, we will be reading a coming of age, or bildungsroman, novel!

In addition to following the Online Reading Challenge here on our Info Cafe blog, you can join our Online Reading Challenge group on Goodreads and discuss your reads!

Adult sibling relationships in fiction

- Beth Leave a comment

I’ve noticed a publishing trend of plots that revolve around the relationship between siblings as adults. Sometimes they share a tragic event in childhood that shape who they are as adults. More often the plot revolves around renegotiating relationships as adults, taking care of aging parents, and who gets the inheritance. Here are just a few examples of books that explore adult sibling relationships. Descriptions from the publishers. These titles are owned in RiverShare at the time this is post is published.

All That Is Mine I Carry With Me by William Landay: One afternoon in 1975, ten-year-old Miranda Larkin comes home from school to find her mother missing. So begins a mystery that will span a lifetime.  Investigators suspect Jane’s husband, but no evidence is found linking him to a crime. Jane’s three children are left to be raised by the man who may have murdered their mother. Two decades later, the remains of Jane Larkin are found. The investigation in awakened. The children, now grown, are forced to choose sides. With their father or against him? Guilty or innocent? And what happens if they are wrong? Available in regular print and large print.

 

The Liz Taylor Ring by Brenda Janowitz: In 1978, Lizzie Morgan and Ritchie Schneider embark on a whirlwind romance on the bright beaches and glamorous yachts of Long Island. Over the years, their relationship has its share of ups and downs, including a nine-month hiatus that ends with a stunning eleven-carat ring—one that looks just like the diamond Richard Burton gifted Liz Taylor after their own separation. Decades later, when the lost ring unexpectedly resurfaces, the Schneiders’ three children gather under one roof for the first time in years, eager to get their hands on this beloved, expensive reminder of their departed parents. But determining the fate of the heirloom is no simple task, unearthing old wounds and heartaches the siblings can’t ignore. They’ll have to decide whether to move forward as a family or let the ring break them once and for all. Available in regular print and audiobook on CD.

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney: It is a warm, funny, and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point after an ensuing accident endangers the Plumbs’ joint trust fund, which they are months away from finally receiving. The Plumb siblings have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems. Brought together as never before, Leo, Melody, Jack, and Beatrice must grapple with old resentments, present-day truths, and the significant emotional and financial toll of the accident, as well as finally acknowledge the choices they have made in their own lives. Available in regular print, large print, audiobook on CD, and ebook.

His and Hers by Alice Feeney

- Stephanie Leave a comment

“Sometimes I think I am the unreliable narrator of my own life. Sometimes I think we all are.”
― Alice Feeney, His & Hers

Alice Feeney is hands-down one of my favorite thriller writers. Looking for a new-to-me read, I found His & Hers by Alice Feeney, a novel released in 2020 that I missed! How?! Let’s get into it.

Anna Andrews may not have the personal life she wants, but she finally has the professional career she has worked so hard for. She is currently working as the main TV presenter for the BBC’s lunchtime news. Her job always comes ahead of her family, friends, and her ex-husband. When a news story involves a murder in the sleepy village, Blackdown, where Anna grew up, she is reluctant to go, but makes the journey anyway. As soon as she learns who the victim is, Anna has to stay to cover the story and to make sure that her secrets stay buried. CI Jack Harper needed a change when he left London and settled in Blackdown. Drawn into this murder case, the detective is suspicious of Anna’s involvement and immediately considers her a suspect. Secrets run rife in Blackdown and this outsider has their own share.

I listened to the audiobook and absolutely loved it. Alternating narrators, Feeney has written a dark, mysterious, fast-paced, and complex thriller that had me questioning what I thought I knew the entire time I was reading. Alice Feeney is the master of twists and AHHHH they got me good at the end of this novel. Can’t wait for her next book!

This title is also available in large print.

Online Reading Challenge – March

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Welcome Readers!

This month the Online Reading Challenge is focusing on biographical fiction. Biographical fiction tells the story of a real person while using fictional elements. Our main title for March is The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. Here’s a quick summary from the publisher:

In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners.

Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism—but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion. Risking his own life, he uses his privileged position to exchange jewels and money from murdered Jews for food to keep his fellow prisoners alive.

One day in July 1942, Lale, prisoner 32407, comforts a trembling young woman waiting in line to have the number 34902 tattooed onto her arm. Her name is Gita, and in that first encounter, Lale vows to somehow survive the camp and marry her.

A vivid, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful re-creation of Lale Sokolov’s experiences as the man who tattooed the arms of thousands of prisoners with what would become one of the most potent symbols of the Holocaust, The Tattooist of Auschwitz is also a testament to the endurance of love and humanity under the darkest possible conditions. – Harper

This title is also available in large print and CD audiobook.

Looking for some other biographical fiction? Try any of the following.

As always, check each of our locations for displays with lots more titles to choose from!

Online Reading Challenge – February Wrap-Up

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Hello Fellow Challenge Readers!

How did your reading go this month? Did you read a mystery that you enjoyed? Share in the comments!

I read our main title: The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex. I started reading a print copy of this book, but life got in the way, so I quickly turned to listening to the audiobook. Inspired by the true story of three lighthouse keepers disappearing from a remote tower in 1972, The Lamplighters dives into the lives of the keepers and those they left behind. The premise was fascinating and hooked me from the start. Flipping back and forth between 1972 and 1992, readers learn about what happened before the keepers disappeared and then 20 years later to present day. The circumstances surrounding their disappearances are never known, but theories abound. When a writer decides to interview the family members of the men in 1992, he hopes to find a united front, but instead discovers that the three main women have separated.

This narrative is tense, dark and unsettling. Saying that I enjoyed it sounds a bit wrong, but the exploration of the psychological impacts that lighthouse keeping, the tower, and grief have on everyone involved was intriguing. Multiple different points of view are shared, secrets are uncovered, and lives are woven together into a messy normal life. Seeing how the relationships change over time is typical of normal life with some changes. While this is a mystery, supernatural theories are explored. The ending wasn’t what I expected and I would LOVE to know your thoughts on it! While I know that we truly will never know what happened both to the real life men that disappeared and to the men in this book, the ending was challenging for me (I’m trying so hard not to spoil anything). Let me know your thoughts and concerns in the comments!

Next month, we will be reading biographical fiction!

In addition to following the Online Reading Challenge here on our Info Cafe blog, you can join our Online Reading Challenge group on Goodreads and discuss your reads!

February 2025 Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast Wrap!

- Brittany Leave a comment

In this blog post, I will give you helpful links to area resources, Library resources, and links to the books discussed in our February 2025 episode! If you have not listened to this episode yet, you can listen to Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast online or wherever you get your podcasts!

Romance Tropes!

It’s February and love is in the air! Our hosts shared some of their favorite romance tropes as well as least favorite and gave examples of some of their favorite reads! The books and tropes discussed in this segment are below!

One Bed Trope
– The People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
– Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot
– The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
Fake Relationship Trope
– A Proposal They Can’t Refuse by Natalie Caña
– Funny Story by Emily Henry
– The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory
– The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas
– The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
– The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
Enemies to Lovers Trope
– Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello
– The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood
– Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam (publishes in May – check back!)
Grumpy x Sunshine Trope
– Assistant to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
– The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
– It Happened One Summer by Tessa Bailey
– My Killer Vacation by Tessa Bailey
Forbidden Romance Trope
– The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore
Arranged Marriages/Honorable Marriages/Political Marriages Trope
– Dark Olympus Series by Katee Robert
Forced Proximity Trope
– The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren

 

 

The FRIENDS of the Davenport Public Library

The FRIENDS of The Davenport Public Library! The mission of the FRIENDS of the Davenport Public Library is to raise funds and manage an endowment portfolio that will provide resources to support the literary and educational purposes of the Davenport Public Library. In addition to all of this, they also operate our bookstores! To learn more about the FRIENDS and how to get involved, visit friendsofdavenportlibrary.org.  

 

 

The Librarians Celebrate Spunky Old Broads Day

Spunky Old Broads Day is a day to celebrate older women for their wisdom, courage, and vivacity, and is celebrated on February 1, but you can celebrate all month long! Below are the titles showcased in this segment!

– My Name is Barbara by Barbara Streisand
– Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Irin Carmon and Shana Knizhnik
– The Final Revival of Opal and Nev by Dawnie Walton
– The Marlow Murder Club Series by Robert Thorogood
– The Thursday Murder Club Series by Richard Osman
– Mrs. Plansky Series by Spencer Quinn
– Agnes Sharp Murder Mysteries by Leonie Swann
– Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
– The Stephanie Plum Series by Janet Evanovich
– Summertime Punchline by Betty Corrello

DavenportU Citizens Academy with Allie McWilliams

DavenportU Citizens Academy is a ten-session program aimed at connecting citizens to their local government. If you have ever been curious about how the City prioritizes projects or how heavy a firefighters turnout gear is – this academy could be for you!

“I look forward to meeting Davenport’s most engaged citizens in each year’s cohort,” said Davenport Mayor Mike Matson. “Even long-time residents of Davenport can learn something new at DavenportU.”

Each session of DavenportU takes citizens behind the scenes of City government with interactive experiences, tours, and presentations. From community and economic development to public safety and parks, DavenportU participants move around the City to learn about the inner workings of each department. DavenportU concludes with a graduation ceremony at the City Council Meeting on May 28, 2025.

Be sure to apply by February 21st here! 

Show Your Love for Our Library

Davenport Public Library is proud to be supported by our vibrant and diverse community! The resources on this page are intended to make it easy for you to share information about the value of The Library with your friends and family and to advocate with your elected officials and other community stakeholders.
Advocacy is critical for public libraries! By telling others about The Library, you are:
  • Showing how The Library positively impacts Davenport by connecting a diverse community to resources that educate, enrich, and entertain.
  • Spreading awareness of free services that many in our community may not otherwise know about or have access to.
  • Advocating for funding to meet our community’s needs through The Library’s resources.

To get more involved or to learn more about how to share your love, visit our Advocacy Page! 

Black History Month Reading Suggestions

February is Black History Month! Below are some titles that the hosts have enjoyed and hope that you will too!

The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Deacon King Kong by James McBride
James by Percival Everett
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
An American Marriage by Tayari Jones
Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam
Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward
Becoming by Michelle Obama
If Beale Street Could Talk by James Baldwin
The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead
Monday’s Not Coming by Tiffany D. Jackson
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

What Our Hosts Read In January

Beth’s Reads:
The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
Becoming Laura Ingalls Wilder: The Woman Behind the Legend by John E. Miller

Brittany’s Reads:
People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
Being Henry: The Fonz… and Beyond by Henry Winkler, narrated by Henry and Stacey Winkler
In Five Years by Rebecca Serle, narrated by Megan Hilty
The Love of My Afterlife by Kirsty Greenwood, narrated by Sofia Oxenham
A Dish Best Served Hot by Natalie Caña
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey, narrated by Leeanna Walsman
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Stephanie’s Reads:
The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, narrated by Michael Crouch
Girl Forgotten by April Henry
The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong, narrated by Ocean Vuong
Buried in a Good Book by Tamara Berry
The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont, narrated by Lucy Scott
Honey Mead Murder by Dahlia Donovan (Not Available in Rivershare)
Guilt and Ginataan by Mia P. Manansala, narrated by Danice Cabanela
The Pumpkin Spice Café by Laurie Gilmore
The Last One at the Wedding by Jason Rekulak
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé, narrated by Jeanette Illidge & Tapiwa Mugweni
On Spine of Death by Tamara Berry

If you would like to listen to our episode, it can be found wherever you get your podcasts. If you prefer listening on the web, it can be found here!

We love hearing from our listeners, please feel free to comment on this blog post, on our socials, or email us at checked.in@davenportlibrary.com.

2025 All Iowa Reads Selections

- Stephanie Leave a comment

The State Library of Iowa has announced the 2025 All Iowa Reads titles! I look forward to this announcement every year. Per the State Library of Iowa’s website, ‘Established in 2003, the purpose of All Iowa Reads is to foster a sense of unity through reading. Iowans are encouraged to come together in their communities to read and talk about a single book title in the same calendar year. All Iowa Reads consists of three programs, each with one title chosen per year: adults, teens ages 12-18, and kids ages 8-12.’ Resources such as discussion questions, author biographies and more related to each title are available on the State Library of Iowa All Iowa Reads website. Take time this year to read these titles and discuss with others! We look forward to hearing what you think of these selections.

At the time of this writing, all titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. Descriptions have been provided by the publishers.

Adult Selection

Distant Sons by Tim Johnston

What if Sean Courtland’s old Chevy truck had broken down somewhere else? What if he’d never met Denise Givens, a waitress at a local tavern, and gotten into a bar fight defending her honor? Or offered a ride to Dan Young, another young man like Sean, burdened by secrets and just drifting through the small Wisconsin town?

Instead, Sean enlists Dan’s help with a construction job in the basement of a local—the elderly, reclusive Marion Devereaux—and gradually the two men come to realize that they’ve washed up in a place haunted by the disappearance of three young boys decades earlier. As Sean and Dan’s friendship deepens, and as Sean gets closer to Denise and her father, they come to the attention of a savvy local detective, Corrine Viegas, who has her own reasons for digging into Dan’s past—and for being unable to resist the pull of the town’s unsolved mystery. And with each chance connection, an irreversible chain of events is set in motion that culminates in shattering violence and the revelation of long-buried truths.

Gripping and immersive, this crime novel by bestselling author Tim Johnston becomes so much more: a book about friendship and love and good hard work—and a masterful read about how the most random intersection of lives can have consequences both devastating and beautiful. – Algonquin Books

Teen Selection

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

These days, Tre Brun is happiest when he is playing basketball on the Red Lake Reservation high school team—even though he can’t help but be constantly gut-punched with memories of his big brother, Jaxon, who died in an accident.

When Jaxon’s former teammates on the varsity team offer to take Tre under their wing, he sees this as his shot to represent his Ojibwe rez all the way to their first state championship. This is the first step toward his dream of playing in the NBA, no matter how much the odds are stacked against him.

But stepping into his brother’s shoes as a star player means that Tre can’t mess up. Not on the court, not at school, and not with his new friend, gamer Khiana, who he is definitely not falling in love with.

After decades of rez teams almost making it, Tre needs to take his team to state. Because if he can live up to Jaxon’s dreams, their story isn’t over yet. – Heartdrum

Kids Selection

Jawbreaker by Christina Wyman

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.

Inspired by Christina Wyman’s own experience with a Class II malocclusion, Jawbreaker is a humorous and refreshingly honest story perfect for fans of Raina Telgemeier, Terri Libenson, Kelly Yang, Gordon Korman, and other endlessly funny and deeply heartfelt books that tackle big topics and universal coming-of-age experiences alike. – Farrar, Straus and Giroux (BYR)