TBR Dubuque

There are so many exciting novels coming out in the next few weeks (Sep-Oct 2023), I thought I'd share some here, mostly as a way for me to keep track of what to read next. Cheers! ~Mike

The Fraud by Zadie Smith. September 5, 2023. In 1873 Victorian London, with the city mesmerized by the “Tichborne Trial,” wherein a lower-class butcher from Australia claims he is the rightful heir of a sizable estate and title, Mrs. Eliza Touchet becomes determined to find out if he’s really who he says he is or if he’s a fraud.

What You Are Looking for Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama. September 5, 2023. What are you looking for? So asks Tokyo's most enigmatic librarian. For Sayuri Komachi is able to sense exactly what each visitor to her library is searching for and provide just the book recommendation to help them find it.

Wound by Oksana Vasyakina. September 5, 2023. The lyrical and deeply moving story of a young queer woman’s journey across Russia to inter her mother’s ashes and to understand her sexuality, femininity, and grief.

Chenneville by Paulette Jiles. September 12, 2023. After recovering from a traumatic head injury, John Chenneville discovers his beloved sister and her family were murdered during the end of the Civil War and embarks on an odyssey across the Reconstruction-era South seeking revenge.

Land of Milk and Honey by C. Pam Zhang. September 26, 2023. A Chinese American chef who, lured to a decadent, enigmatic colony of the superrich in a near future in which food is disappearing, discovers the meaning of pleasure and the ethics of who gets to enjoy it, altering her life and, indirectly, the world.

America Fantastica by Tim O'Brien. October 24, 2023. A rollicking odyssey in which a bank robbery by a disgraced journalist sparks a cross-country chase through a nation corroded by delusion.

Absolution by Alice McDermott. October 31, 2023. Sixty years after they lived as wives of American servicemen in early 1960s Vietnam, two women reconnect and relive their shared experiences in Saigon.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Cynthia Nelms-Byrne

Cynthia Nelms-Byrne, our February C-SPL Reader of the Month is a "mostly" retired artist, who loves spending her free time watching films, or (especially) reading.

(See the past Reader of the Month posts here)

Q & A with Cynthia

Q. Can you tell us a little about your reading interests? 

A. I just like good writing, and read mostly fiction that has compelling characters and an unusual plot. I don’t like romances, stuff like 50 Shades of Grey, etc., but I do
like the classics, like Madame Bovary, and everything by Carson McCullers.


Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead, or any other book by Olga Tokarczuk.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. No sound at all, in my big chair or in bed, sunflower seeds for snacks.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most
exciting?

A. This House is Haunted by John Boyne. I just like everything I’ve read by him, and I’m anxious to find this one.

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they
should read it?

A. Anything by Jose Saramago, whose Blindness is an astounding look at a world
collapsing because almost everyone goes blind. Any of his books are great.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge
you?

A. One I’m reading now— 1491 by Charles Mann, which is about archeological research in the
Americas before and after Columbus. All those Mayan and Incan names and words
are making my brain fry.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every
book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. If something just isn’t engaging me a few chapters in, I quit. As I get older, I’m
ready to quit reading more quickly, as there isn’t enough time to read everything.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. Yes! When I read Alice and Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass at
age 7 and was so proud of myself.



Check out more of Cynthia's Favorite Books

Apply to be the next C-SPL Reader of the Month! 

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Sue Davis

The October C-SPL Reader of the Month, Sue Davis, is the owner of Dubuque's independent bookstore River Lights Second Edition. Anyone who has stopped in River Lights while Sue is working knows that she is always happy to share what books she's excited about and give a good recommendation. Here, she shares what books have made a big impact on her, what she's excited about reading, and more.

Q. What is the best book you have ever read?

A. My all-time favorite book is A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving (I’m a big Irving fan). My more recent passion is for A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. My favorite from this past year would be Virgil Wander by Leif Enger. But a close second would be Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton.

I get plenty of real life by being a devout NPR listener, so I gravitate toward literary fiction. There isn’t a genre of fiction that I don’t love. Young adult, Mystery, Sci-Fi, you name it. I love authors that bring characters to life and bring me into their stories. I still think about Owen Meany and John Wheelwright. And I smile when I think of the quirky characters that Leif Enger created.

I love a novel that makes me want to dig deeper into a time in history or culture that I’m reading about. A Tale for the Time Being started me on a journey into learning about Japanese pop culture, the philosophy of Proust, and the poems of Zen Buddhist, Eihei Dogen.

We all need a good laugh these days and I chuckled my way through Hollow Kingdom, a rather satirical but hopeful look at the apocalypse.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment?

A. I love listening to audiobooks. When I’m not working, I have my earbuds in and am multitasking through my day. If I wake up at night, I set the sleep timer and listen until I’m drowsy. When I have time to sit with a book, I hang on the screen porch when it’s nice out and in front of the fireplace when it’s not.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I’m super excited about the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale, The Testaments by Margaret Atwood. I re-read Handmaid’s about every other year and am a fan of the series but only Atwood can take me into the next adventure. I’m an admirer of Bill Bryson so am eager to read The Body coming October 15. I’m also looking forward to reading Will My Cat Eat My Eyeballs? by Caitlin Doughty. I think the title says it all!

Q. What book do you think more people should read and why do you think they should read it?

A. I’m an advocate for Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds (or anything by Jason Reynolds), a brilliant, electrifying novel about gun violence. Not just for young adults.

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. While I love poetry, I find it a challenge to read. It’s hard for me to quiet my mind enough to absorb the flow and decipher the meaning rendered. I challenge myself to read a volume twice a year.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. If a book doesn’t grab me at first reading or listening, I will put it aside. If I find myself thinking about it later I’ll go back to it – maybe I just wasn’t in the right frame of mind at the time or maybe (rarely) I didn’t like the reader.

Q. Do you remember when your love for reading began?

A. My love of libraries has always been strong. My father was the President of the Marshalltown Public Library Board for as long as I can remember, and I accompanied him there often. I loved to use the card catalog and get lost in the stacks.

Check out more of Sue Davis' Favorite Books

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See the past C-SPL Reader of the Month blog posts here.

Want to be the Next C-SPL Reader of the Month? Apply here.

June is Audiobook Month: Downloadable Audiobooks

June is Audiobook Month! There are only a few days left to celebrate in 2019, but Carnegie-Stout Public Library's collection of downloadable audiobooks are always available! If you've already installed the OverDrive app or Libby app, you're ready to go, but if you have questions about how to enjoy downloadable audiobooks, library staff are happy to help! To get you started, here are a few downloadable audiobook titles that you might enjoy:


Normal People by Sally Rooney
 Sally Rooney brings her brilliant psychological acuity and perfectly spare prose to a story that explores the subtleties of class, the electricity of first love, and the complex entanglements of family and friendship. The audiobook is narrated by Aoife McMahon




Shoot for the Moon by James Donovan
For the 50th anniversary, the epic story of Apollo 11 and the astronauts, flight controllers, and engineers who made it happen. Both sweeping and intimate, and based on exhaustive research and dozens of fresh interviews. The audiobook is narrated by Allan Robertson




A Dog's Way Home by W. Bruce Cameron
Lucas Ray is shocked when an adorable puppy jumps out of an abandoned building and into his arms. Though the apartment he shares with his mother, a disabled veteran, doesn't allow dogs, Lucas can't resist taking Bella home. The audiobook is narrated by Ann Marie Lee




Code Name Lise by Larry Loftis
The year is 1942, and World War II is in full swing. Odette Sansom decides to follow in her war hero father's footsteps by becoming an SOE agent to aid Britain and her beloved homeland, France. Five failed attempts and one plane crash later, she finally lands in occupied France to begin her mission.. The audiobook is narrated by Kate Reading

June is Audiobook Month: Fiction & History

June is Audiobook Month! To celebrate, borrow a Fiction audiobook from Carnegie-Stout Public Library's collection. Here are a few novels that explore how our ties to the past change our lives that you might enjoy:

Dear Mrs. Bird by A.J. Pearce
This is a heartwarming story of a young woman finding her way into adulthood during the tumult of the Blitz in WWII London. Emmy dreams of becoming a journalist, but ends up as a typist with a woman’s magazine that has a distinctly unhelpful advice column. Young British actress Anna Popplewell’s (The Chronicles of Narnia) narration is a good match for the plucky Emmy.


Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney
Memoirist Rooney’s first novel, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk, is a moving story of one woman’s life. On December 31, 1984, Lillian Boxfish sets out on a walk across Manhattan and recalls her 85 years of life, her career, loves, and losses.  Xe Sands’s expressive and compelling narration is a perfect match for this moving story.


Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver
Multiple award-winning author Barbara Kingsolver’s writing is character-driven and often political in both her novels and nonfiction. In Unsheltered, she explores the connections and parallels between a contemporary woman facing unemployment and the science teacher who lived in her New Jersey home nearly 150 years earlier. Kingsolver skillfully narrates her audiobooks herself.



Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson
Multiple award-winning author Jacqueline Woodson is best known for books for children and young adults. This lyrical novel for adults, Another Brooklyn, is the story of August, who returns to Brooklyn after her father’s death and finds herself remembering her childhood. Robin Miles skillfully captures the voices and moods of this haunting novel.

June is Audiobook Month: Notable Fiction

June is Audiobook Month! To celebrate, borrow a Fiction audiobook from Carnegie-Stout Public Library's collection. Here are a few titles from notable and prize-winning authors that you might enjoy:

Freshwater by Akwaeke Emezi
Nigerian writer Akwaeke Emezi is a 2018 National Book Foundation “5 Under 35” honoree. Their debut novel is a complex and character-driven story of a young woman struggling with multiple personality disorder. Emezi’s calm narration is a striking juxtaposition to the complex and disturbing story.



Florida by Lauren Groff
Lauren Groff’s haunting collection of short stories was a finalist for the 2018 National Book Award for Fiction. Her stories are character-driven, and her rich descriptions of the natural world make the setting stand out. Groff narrates the audiobook herself, to mixed reviews as some listeners enjoyed her pacing and others found her slight lisp distracting.



Heads of the Colored People by Nafissa Thompson-Spires
Nafissa Thompson-Spires's debut novel is a complex and quirky collection of stories that explore the concept of black identity amid the complexities of contemporary life. Heads of the Colored People was awarded the 2019 PEN/Open Book Award. Audie award winning narrator Adenrele Ojo narrates the audiobook and her narration is well matched to the writing’s emotional tone.


Home by Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s writing is lyrical and character-driven. Her many honors include a Pulitzer Prize, an American Book Award, and a Nobel Prize in Literature. Her 2012 novel, Home, is the story of a Korean War veteran’s quest to save his younger sister. Toni Morrison narrates the audiobook herself with skill and emotion.

C-SPL Reader of the Month: Luke Vorwald

April's C-SPL Reader of the Month is a paralegal, avid D&D player, and frequent library user. Luke Vorwald has been gracious enough to share all about his reading interests, the best snacks to accompany a book, and—if you're not getting into a story—what page number it's safe to call it quits.

Luke's Reading Interests  

I tend to lean towards fantasy and sci-fi as my go-to genres of books and novels. Rather seldom will I pick up a biography or a book on real-world history. For me, it's all about the story. If the book doesn’t have an interesting narrative, it will get a hard pass from yours truly. In my humble opinion, I get plenty of real-world experience in my adult day-to-day, and while that is important, I would rather spend what precious little free time I have reading something I wouldn't otherwise experience. The same for me is true with video games; why would I play a golfing video game (an extremely achievable real-world act), when I could be shooting dragons out of the sky with lightning bolts?

However, I have been branching out into some non-fiction work, although they would be more on the fantastical side. Books on the paranormal, cults, and lesser-known history are of particular interest to me. Even when it comes to “real world” stories, I love to be astounded and amazed.

I also spend a fair deal of my reading time on published Role Playing Games books, especially Dungeons and Dragons material. While not a traditional book one might use for casual reading, I find these books contain some amazing stories and ideas; furthermore, these books contain amazing stories and ideas you can actually participate in. Playing an RPG with other folks through the vehicle of these books is the closest one can come to actually experiencing and affecting the same stories we love to read. With the support of books such as these, we are able to create our very own version of The Hobbit by living as our very own personal Gandalf. I also enjoy D&D books on a separately nerdy level, being that I love their lore and world building. I really geek out on knowing the ins and outs of different cosmologies, creation stories, magic systems, and rules that come along with these worlds. This gives me more street cred when talking with other nerds.

To me, that which is not real is just as important as that which is real. Works of fiction are both tools to learn from to prepare ourselves for reality, as well as an extension of reality itself. Our species has been given the unique capability of living in both the real and the fictional, so it would be a shame if we didn’t exercise that capacity.

• “Things need not have happened to be true. Tales and dreams are the shadow-truths that will endure when mere facts are dust and ashes, and forgot.”
  ― Neil Gaiman, Dream Country

• “The purpose of a storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.”
  ― Brandon Sanderson, The Way of Kings

Q & A with Luke

Q. What is the best book you have read within the last year (or ever)?

A. Within the past year, I would have to give it to What the Hell Did I Just Read? by David Wong. I checked that book out on a whim (which is something I normally don’t do as I always have a large “to read” pile), and I was so pleased when I finished it. It was the first horror novel I had read in a long time to actual make me feel fear.

As for Ever… the choice is very difficult, but ultimately it has to be American Gods by Neil Gaiman. That novel was probably the most influential story I had ever read. I discovered it my first year on my own away from home in college, and it not only resonated with much of my core beliefs, but also helped to form new ones.

Q. What is your ideal reading environment (location, sound, snacks, etc.)?

A. Location: On my sectional in my living room, on the bed in my upstairs bedroom, a big comfy chair in a library, my futon in my old bedroom at my dad’s house, by the man-made pond of the Waterloo KOA, or on the bench under that huge oak tree on the corner of North West Arterial and JFK. During the fall, preferably.

Sound: Either rustling leaves or those long videos on YouTube of post-rock albums with no lyrics. I could also deal with some of those long lo-fi atmospheric videos as well.

Snacks: York Peppermint Patties, beef jerky, belVita blueberry crackers, Crown Royal Apple, some Stone Cliff wine, and a glass of milk. Not all at the same time though.

Q. What book are you most excited about reading next and what about it is most exciting?

A. I am most excited to read Fire and Blood by George R. R. Martin. I had finished A Dance with Dragons on this most recent Thanksgiving, and I am jonesing for more Ice and Fire. For me, as well as pretty much all the other fans of his work, I love to piece together the subtle connections Martin works into the story, as well as realizing how he takes classic fantasy tropes and filters them through a lens of realism.

I’m also pumped for The Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited by the McElroys, which I believe is to be released this year. Those good boys are just too funny and make content with a lot of heart.

Lastly, Jim Butcher, please will you finish and publish Peace Talks? Pretty please???

Q. What book has been the most challenging for you to read? How did it challenge you?

A. The book that challenged me the most would have to have been Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. As you can tell by the majority of the books provided as my favorites in the attached list, I primarily read fantasy and sci-fi. This book, however, is a western, and a very lengthy one at that. I decided to read it as the 4-part made-for-TV mini-series has a very special place in my heart, thanks to growing up watching it with my family. Lonesome Dove was such a challenge for me due to its lack of familiarity. There were no dragons, no vampires, and no magic systems to learn. The demons and monsters the protagonists faced came in the form of other men and from within themselves. This book is about as raw as it gets in terms of what it means to be human. While I had to completely readjust how I view a novel while reading it, I enjoyed it all the more for doing so.

Q. When do you decide to stop reading a book? (In other words, do you read every book to

the last page, or is there a moment when you decide to stop?)

A. A wise man once told me that in order to determine when it is ok to give up on a book, one must take 100 minus your age. The result is the page at which you can truly determine if the book is not for you and can toss it over your shoulder. I will admit I have not always followed this method, and I have given up on a book before the end. There have been times when I read books all the way through, only to find the rewarding lesson at the end was that I wasted my time. It seems to me I could have been using my precious reading time on books I actually would enjoy.

However, it's still worth giving books their fair shake. The Way of Kings was a bit of a rough go for me until about page 800 (out of approx. 1,200) when I first read it, but I am so glad I finished it (and all of the books that follow it).

However, if you don’t want to use the method I provided above, you could always use the Luke Vorwald Method: your heart will tell you when to raise the white flag. 


Check out  Luke's Favorite Reads for a list of books in the library catalog!