Video games encourage creativity, problem-solving, and are an immersive way to tell a story. In other words, they’re a perfect fit for libraries! These titles were a couple of my favorites from last year. You can check them out today at the Iowa City Public Library. Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is a first-person […]
Book reviews
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Fully Booked at DMPL: Dystopian tales taking on new meaning in 2025
Recently, I’ve found myself falling back into my middle school routine of reading every dystopian book I can find. Whether it’s prompted by the dystopia-themed escape room I’ve been working on at Des Moines Public Library, or the fact Parable of the Sower was one of the most requested books at DMPL in January — […]
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Book Review: ‘Far From Broken’ by Kelsey Bigelow
According to the back of the book, Kelsey Bigelow’s Far From Broken (2024) collection is “an expansion of her spoken word album Depression Holders and Secret Keepers” which was released in advance of the book. I haven’t heard Bigelow’s work aloud, but I can say that there were several poems which seemed so clearly meant […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Disturbing the Bones’ by Andrew Davis and Jeff Biggers
As a teenager, Dan Brown changed my brain chemistry. My obsession with his books grew from my more youthful, and more naive, obsession with Indiana Jones — back before I understood that cultural artifacts should probably stay with their culture of origin. Dan Brown made me feel sophisticated and smart, creating an affection for political […]
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Book Review: ‘Hot Dreams’ by Rachelle Chase
Seasoned authors know that the best way to get readers invested in their characters is to make them as relatable as possible. Highlighting the flaws of central figures is essential in creating a story that sticks with readers long after the last page. Romance author (and Iowa native) Rachelle Chase accomplishes just that in Hot […]
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Fully Booked: Send your mind on a hike
I want summer weather. I want sweat on my brow and aches in my legs. July backpacking is on my list of goals this year: spending five days hiking for miles on an island with no wifi. I wish to filter away the brain-eating amoebas and drink a river with a straw. To sleep under […]
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Book Review: ‘The Wilderlands’ by R.E. Bellesmith
I have apparently never read fantasy before The Wilderlands by R.E. Bellesmith (November 2024). I didn’t know that. I thought the various books I read involving magic and the like were fantasy. Apparently there are levels. For folks like me who see themselves more often reading literary fiction, I hope this review will act as […]
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Book Review: ‘The Monsters We Make’ by Kali White
I grew up in the era of stranger danger. I was a generally anxious child even on my best days, a veritable nightmare on my worst; my family loves to tell the story of my weeping refusal to approach Santa Claus at a school event, unable to recognize the costumed man as my own father.
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘My Father Called Us Monkeys’ by Mario Duarte
When my friend Mario Duarte asked me to read his latest book, a series of connected short stories about a Mexican-American boy growing up in western Illinois called My Father Called Us Monkeys published by Ice Cube Press, I was both excited and a tad apprehensive.
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Book Review: ‘(Re)present: Racism and Resistance in Iowa’
Important books exist. They are written and published every day. There are people dedicated to creating and publishing work that changes and educates people. Sometimes, they put out important work that is accessible and educational and aimed at helping the youth in Iowa understand their home and their histories. (Re)Present: Racism & Resistance in Iowa […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Fully Booked: Novels that shake skeletons from their closets
I love narratives where the past, a past, any past, comes screaming into the present. It doesn’t matter if what happened is relevant to the heroes of the story or deeply woven into their family tree — it is their problem to face and they have to contend with it now. “The past is never […]
Posted inBook Reviews
Book Review: ‘Brazos’ by Justin Carter
This January, while visiting Tulsa with a friend, I made an effort to reconnect with my redneck roots. We went firing at an indoor gun range. Across the street was a church with a sign announcing the coming of its gun sale. Later, at the tattoo parlor, as his own gun pierced me with a […]
