Et Cetera

This month I read 'The Frozen River' by Ariel Lawhon, my selection for our library's Community Book Club. Set in late-1700's Maine, we meet Martha Ballard, a powerhouse of a woman, mother, and midwife. In the story, Martha provides expert testimony during a rape trial, is compelled to seek answers on a suspicious death, helps deliver dozens of infants, and narrates all this and more through diary entries that give readers a glimpse of what life was like during this time in our nation's past.

A LaPorte City student is among 34 Iowans nominated for acceptance to U.S. military academies by U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.Brayden Bohnsack, La Porte City, was nominated to enter the United States Air Force Academy during the 2025-26 academic year.“I’m honored to nominate these 34 extraordinary Iowans to our nation’s prestigious military academies,” Grassley said in a news release.

I recently read 'The Bletchley Riddle' by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin. If you want to read a historical fiction book, I don't know what better team there could be, other than Sepetys and Sheinkin. Both authors love history and writing for middle grade and young adult. They also are very decorated with many awards and achievements! 'The Bletchley Riddle' is a "middle grade historical adventure that follows two siblings at Bletchley Park, the home of WWII codebreakers, as they try to unravel a mystery surrounding their mother’s death.

I'm currently reading 'The Blue Sisters' by Coco Mellors, which explores topics I've been gravitating towards recently: grief after the loss of a family member, coping mechanisms (which often lead to self-medicating,) and family addiction. I don't know if it's the holiday season or the fact that several family members have passed away unexpectedly in the last few months, but I want to read about the sad bits of life and Mellors is delivering so far.

Upper Iowa University is pleased to announce July and August 2024 graduates and their respective degrees/honors. Local graduates are as follows:July 2024 GraduatesLori Marie HugLa Porte City, IABachelor of ScienceCommunication StudiesMagna Cum LaudeTia Layne HunterVan Horne, IABachelor of SciencePsychologyCum Laude MeritumAugust 2024 GraduatesAmy L

VPL Note: We have a large selection of books by Jan Brett in our Children's Library, including her latest title 'Alice in A Winter Wonderland.' Check them out today!"With over forty-one million books in print, Jan Brett is one of the nation's foremost author illustrators of children's books. Jan lives in a seacoast town in Massachusetts, close to where she grew up.

I have finally found a book that showcases the true wretchedness complete and utter heartbreak can cause after the sudden, unexpected ending of love. And the hilarity beneath it all! Dolly Alderton's ‘Good Material’ is a book I wish I had read during my divorce: I might have come out of it a little less injured.Alderton knows her way through the warped landscape of love and loss and writes with such humor that I found myself laughing and crying throughout each chapter to the point of absurdity.

On December 12, Mount Mercy University pinned over 30 nursing graduates at the Nursing Pinning Ceremony. Graduate Tiffany Schnor ’24 was featured as the student speaker at the event.  The following nursing students received their pins at the Nursing Pinning Ceremony.Atkins, Elizabeth UdelhovenKeystone, Tiffany SchnorVinton, Ben NoringCongratulations nursing graduates! Located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Mount Mercy University is the regional Catholic, Mercy University that promises students of diverse backgrounds, ages and faiths a challenging, practical education that inspires them to discover knowledge, build community and live their values.

I recently finished 'When Christmas Comes' by Andrew Klavan. I appreciated Klavan's writing so much that I read the second and third books in the series as well. Melancholy and atmospheric, this is not your average Christmas 'feel-good' tale. Cameron Winter is a former US intelligence officer coming to terms with his violent past and lavish yet emotionally neglected childhood.