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It's beach-read season! While you might prefer to read *on* a beach, the next best thing is reading *about* a beach. Pick one of these up to explore the shores. This is an all-ages list of books.

Because the only "summer slide" around here should be on a playground

More featured collections

ICPL Recommends

Viewfinder book cover
Viewfinder book cover

Viewfinder

Christine D. U. Chung

jGRAPHIC NOVEL Chung
Graphic Novels, Picture Books, Science Fiction, Adventure

"Arriving on an Earth devoid of people, a young space traveler discovers a viewfinder that reveals how the planet used to be, in this wordless, adventure-filled graphic novel about resilience and the extraordinary place we call home"--

This debut wordless graphic novel from Christine D.U. Chung and Salwa Majoka is a stunner! It has just the right amount of suspense and world-building to keep younger readers turning pages quickly. Keen-eyed and repeat readers will notice ample opportunities for a sequel as well. Fans of The Wild Robot and adult viewers of Scavengers Reign will feel right at home. -Casey

Chilean poet : a novel book cover
Chilean poet : a novel book cover

Chilean poet : a novel

Alejandro Zambra

FICTION Zambra Alejandr
Fiction

"The internationally acclaimed author, heralded as one of the most important writers of his generation, returns with the most substantial work of his career: an emotionally captivating, very funny novel about fathers and sons, ambition and failure, and the many forms of family"--

Added by Alex

The boys book cover
The boys book cover

The boys

Garth Ennis

COMIC Boys
Graphic Novels

This is in my top 5 comics of all time. Gritty/dark and entertaining. -Mykle

A botanist's guide to parties and poisons book cover
A botanist's guide to parties and poisons book cover

A botanist's guide to parties and poisons

Kate Khavari

MYSTERY Khavari Kate
Mystery, Suspense, Adventure, Science

London, 1923. Newly minted research assistant Saffron Everleigh attends a dinner party for the University College of London. While she expects to engage in conversations about the university's large expedition to the Amazon, she doesn't expect Mrs. Henry, one of the professors' wives...

I devoured the first two Botanist's Guide books last summer and was pleasantly surprised to find that the latest installment is here! It did not disappoint. If you have yet to try any of the Saffron Everleigh series and enjoy dark academia or murder mysteries, now might be the time to start at the beginning! -Casey

Enlightenment : a novel book cover
Enlightenment : a novel book cover

Enlightenment : a novel

Sarah Perry

FICTION Perry Sarah
Fiction

"Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay have lived all their lives in the small Essex town of Aldleigh. Though separated in age by three decades, the pair are kindred spirits--torn between their commitment to religion and their desire to explore the world beyond their small Baptist community. It is...

In Sarah Perry’s “Enlightenment,” the past is a circle. In her latest novel, we meet Thomas Hart and Grace Macaulay. Steeped in a shared unshakeable faith, they both don’t belong to their small English village or their small Baptist church—or at least they don’t feel that way. While the decades that span between their ages makes their friendship unlikely, they bond through turning their eyes to the past, and more importantly the cosmos. It’s 1997 and Hart, a newspaper columnist for the “Essex Chronicle,” is told by his editor to write about Hale-Bopp, the great comet visible to the eye that year. This assignment leads Hart down a rabbit hole. He develops a new love of physics, and more importantly, an obsession with a local astronomer who vanished a century before. This need to solve the mystery of Maria Vaduva alters the course of thirty years (or was this always the course?), stretching and straining the relationship of Thomas and Grace—two people in orbit. You can argue with yourself about what is the gravitational pull. It is a splendid book. -Anne M

Desert song book cover
Desert song book cover

Desert song

Laekan Zea Kemp

jE Kemp

"A family sings and plays music on a desert evening, in harmony with the nearby wildlife and the ancestors above."--

This is an incredible symphony of intergenerational family members at one with the desert summoning their ancestors in a ceremonial feast for the ears. The illustrations are gorgeous and I could not help poring over each page. The language is sumptuous, "I see the moon, giant and watchful. A memory of the sun," "and the rain on our tin roof sounds like applause". A treat for the young and the young at heart! -Victoria

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Stop by the ICPL Bookmobile during the Iowa City Farmer's Market! 8 to 11 a.m. June 22, July 20, August 17, September 21, October 26. Scan here for weather alerts, regular scheduling and more info about the Bookmobile! Link: icpl.org/bookmobile. Iowa City Public Library.
World Wednesday. German Schultute. Iowa City Public Library.
Adults. English Conversation Group. Iowa City Public Library.
The Iowa Libraries Adventure Pass Program
Get Making with Creativebug.
Staff Picks Just for you - get recommendations on what to read next
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News

by Shawna May 24, 2024
The Summer Bookmobile schedule begins Monday, June 3 and runs through...
by Katie May 10, 2024
Don't miss the Annual ICPL Arts & Crafts Bazaar on Saturday,...
by Katie May 1, 2024
Today is Johnson County Great Give Day!...
by Stacey April 26, 2024
This May, we’ll review some essential Google offerings, make stamps...
by Katie April 22, 2024
Towncrest Wellness Apothecary Give Back Days run Monday, April 22 to...
by Katie April 18, 2024
Tonight, Thursday, April 18, 2024  from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, join us...