I can't stop talking about this memoir of African American life and prison life in the 19th Century. The Life and the Adventures of a Haunted Convict by Austin Reed is "the first known prison narrative by an African American writer," editor Caleb...
Author Archive for Melody
Friday, Feb 5, 2016
The next Project Green Second Sunday Forum is on Valentine’s Day—Sunday, February 14, 2016. Jonathan Poulton will present on Daylillies—Past, Present, and Future. If you can't wait until then to get your garden on, but also don't want to go...
Tuesday, Nov 17, 2015
NaNoWriMo is more than halfway over. Looking for inspiration to get you past writer’s block? Consider consulting dictionaries and encyclopedias on specific subjects. Last week, someone stumbled upon our encyclopedias on the short Reference...
Tuesday, Nov 3, 2015
Emily Flake's Mama Tried: Dispatches from the Seamy Underbelly of Modern Parenting hilariously pokes fun at experiences of expectant and first-time parents, particularly those of women who established careers and were fully independent thinkers...
Friday, Oct 30, 2015
Okay, I'm using the term "read" here liberally as I'm really listening to her audiobooks. But the sentiment is the same: after a long aversion to mainstream romance and mystery, what do Janet Evanovich's stories have for me ? Caving in to one of...
Monday, Oct 12, 2015
Zinio for Libraries App As of last Friday, the Iowa City Public Library has five new digital magazines we're offering on Zinio . Plus, Zinio is offering a new app for Kindle Fire/HD users now, too! The above Zinio link directs you to a page where...
Wednesday, Sep 30, 2015
Part 2: e-magazines on Zinio A yarn-bombed car in Alicante, Spain. Source: Wikipedia. Today I wanted to focus exclusively on the craft magazines we have on our digital magazine portal Zinio. Like yesterday's post about crafty e-books on Digital...
Tuesday, Sep 29, 2015
"Mr. Whiskers and his knitting needle" from MonotonousG on DeviantArt. Love to knit, sew, or quilt? We have books for you! In addition to the great recommendations from Library Director Susan Craig , I wanted to share my own ways to find crafting...
Tuesday, Aug 25, 2015
The headstone of Iowa City historian, Iriving Weber. Findagrave.com Use this guide to find obituaries and articles in Iowa City area newspapers. To access the premium databases listed here, you must reside in Iowa City or one of the library’s...
Monday, Jul 20, 2015
Recently I wanted to take a new cookbook home with me, but I was on my bike and didn't want the extra weight. The answer to my woes? Finding an e-book cookbook! I wound up checking out the Gourmet Vegetarian Slow Cooker and found an excellent (and...
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About Melody
I've been at the library for more than 10 years now, and I still find joy when choosing the best books for our readers. My current reading journey is taking me book by book through different genres. I'm challenging myself to find books that are enough outside my wheelhouse that I'd pass them by on first glance. The genre I'm looking forward to...