Home

Featured Collections On the shelf & ready to reserve

Because why fall in love when there's no dragon to ride?

These children's books explore the joys of friendship

More featured collections

ICPL Recommends

A sorceress comes to call book cover
A sorceress comes to call book cover

A sorceress comes to call

T. Kingfisher

SCIENCE FICTION Kingfisher, T.
Fiction, Fantasy

"From New York Times bestselling and Hugo Award-winning author T. Kingfisher comes A Sorceress Comes to Call--a dark reimagining of the Brothers Grimm's "The Goose Girl," rife with secrets, murder, and forbidden magic. *The hardcover edition features a foil stamp on the casing...

Added by Chelsea

Waifs and Strays book cover
Waifs and Strays book cover

Waifs and Strays

Helen Harper

OverDrive Audiobook
Fantasy, Romance

Nobody is just a cat lady. Kit McCafferty's life is quiet, unremarkable, and filled with cat hair. In the magical city of Coldstream, located on the border between Scotland and England, Kit is viewed as little more than mildly eccentric and mostly harmless. She passes her days caring for her...

I haven't picked up a Helen Harper novel for a few years, but I used to burn through her books like nobody's business. Her characters are cheeky and irreverent, getting into all sorts of hijinks and having a range of magical abilities. She is one of my favorite urban fantasy writers, and while the person reading her audiobooks has a rather thick alto brogue, it is well worth training your ear for a listen. -Melody

Smelly Peggy book cover
Smelly Peggy book cover

Smelly Peggy

Helen Stephens

jE Stephens
Kids, Picture Books

Meet Peggy--a very naughty dog who gets into a lot of trouble. Some of the things she loves doing: leaping on the bed in the morning and sticking her hairy bottom in Dad's face. Sweeping her human family off their feet with her favorite sticks. And most of all, rolling in everything stinky and...

Pet owners will be charmed and feel seen while reading this funny book about all the ways Peggy, an adorable terrier, is naughty and annoying. Interactive text makes the book a great read-aloud, as does the straight-shooter narrator, a red-haired little girl, who frankly discusses gross doggy behaviors. The highlight of the bright, fun illustrations are the dog's adorable facial expressions on each page. -Anne W

Balatro. book cover
Balatro. book cover

Balatro.

VIDEO GAME Switch Balatro

"Balatro is a hypnotically satisfying deckbuilder where you play illegal poker hands, discover game-changing jokers, and trigger adrenaline-pumping, outrageous combos"--Container.

This is highly addictive and unique poker-themed roguelike with a low learning curve, great for long flights. It also won Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best Mobile Game, and was nominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024. Playing on the Nintendo Switch might be a more mindful option, if you find that you get addicted to phone games easily. -Annie

The serviceberry : abundance and reciprocity in the natural world book cover
The serviceberry : abundance and reciprocity in the natural world book cover

The serviceberry : abundance and reciprocity in the natural world

Robin Wall Kimmerer

581.6 /Kimmerer

In The Serviceberry, Robin Wall Kimmerer reflects on the practice of harvesting serviceberries and the concept of reciprocity central to Indigenous wisdom. She contrasts this with the dominant economic system rooted in scarcity, competition, and resource hoarding. Kimmerer highlights how the...

Kimmerer has written another gem of a book. Though not as hefty in nature as Braiding Sweetgrass, this tiny book has some provocative ideas based on understanding reciprocity in nature, being part of a gift economy (which does not necessarily need to be scaled up). This book really highlighted what it means to be content with having enough, while also appreciating everything nature provides for us, with never asking for anything in return. When we take stock in everything nature "does" for us, we are more inclined to revere it and may tend it a little more carefully. When we buy from a store, the process is transactional. When we take a zucchini from our neighbor's free stand, make zucchini bread, and pass a loaf to another neighbor, we have created an authentic connection. This was a beautiful, hopeful read. Pro tip: you can likely get it right away on our Express shelf and easily be able to read it in the two weeks needed. -Victoria

Dare to bird : exploring the joy and power of birds book cover
Dare to bird : exploring the joy and power of birds book cover

Dare to bird : exploring the joy and power of birds

Melissa Hafting

598.022 /Hafting
Nonfiction, Animals, Nature

"Melissa Hafting is an ethical, passionate, and respected birder, photographer, and mentor. Her love for birding has helped shape who she is and has helped with her mental health, along with enabling her to cope with the difficult aspects of grief and loss after the death of her mother and...

Okay. I'll admit it. I just checked this book out for the pictures. When did I get into birds? Probably at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic when I would sit and stare out the window all the time. The Merlin Bird ID app taught me to appreciate all the different bird songs around me, and now, I just like looking at photos of beautiful birds. When I'm reading a book set in the British Isles and puffins make their way into the text, I tend to imagine the penguins I've seen at the zoo. But a puffin is not a penguin! And a book like Dare to Bird shows me the delightfully bright beak of a bird who lives half a world away. -Melody

NEW

More new materials

Check out our Digital Library

Library Listen & Paint. For all ages featuring the ICPL house band, the 781s. Friday, February 21. 5 to 6 p.m. Meeting Room A. Registration opens February 1 at 8 a.m. Iowa City Public Library.
Prenatal/Postnatal Yoga with Jenna from Hothouse Yoga. Saturday, February 1. 1 to 2 p.m. Storytime Room. Saturday, February 22. 1 to 2 p.m. Storytime Room. Iowa City Public Library.
World Club: Heritage Rhythms of African Ankle Bells. Tuesday, February 18. Storytime Room. 4 to 5 p.m. Iowa City Public Library.
Weekly Storytime. Chinese Bilingual Storytime, Mondays, 10:30 a.m. Spanish Bilingual Storytime, Tuesdays, 10:30 a.m. StoryJAM, Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m. Stories & More, Thursdays, 10:30 a.m. Book Babies, Fridays, 10:30 a.m. Family Storytime, Saturdays, 10:30 a.m. Iowa City Public Library.
Wintering Together. Extra events for adults in January and February. Iowa City Public Library.
Iowa City Public Library. English Conversation Group. Every Friday, January 10 to May 30. 10 a.m. to noon. Meeting Room E.
Get Making with Creativebug. Iowa City Public Library.
Staff Picks Just for you - get recommendations on what to read next. Iowa City Public Library.
Join us for the Winter Reading Program
Bookmobile schedule

News

PINNED
by Anne M November 18, 2024
By the end of December 2024, the Iowa City Public Library will no...
by Katie January 28, 2025
Join us for a brilliant evening at the Iowa City Public Library as we...
by Victoria January 24, 2025
ICPL's weekly writing group has relased their first Lit Mag...
by Shawna January 6, 2025
The Winter/Spring 2025 ICPL Bookmobile schedule is in session. The...
by Sam H January 3, 2025
The Iowa City Public Library (ICPL) will undergo essential HVAC...
by Sam H January 3, 2025
The Iowa City Public Library will undergo essential HVAC maintenance...
by Shawna December 26, 2024
The Winter/Spring 2025 ICPL Bookmobile schedule begins Monday,...
by Katie December 26, 2024
As we close in on the end of 2024 I want to thank everyone for their...
by Katie December 4, 2024