2023 Staff Picks

2023 Staff Picks

December 21, 2023

The end of the year brings "best of" lists for everything you could think of. We asked the Waukee Public Library staff what books they enjoyed reading in 2023. Some of them also shared books they're looking forward to reading in the new year!

Wh...

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Author Spotlight: Marie Benedict

Author Spotlight: Marie Benedict

February 9, 2022

I’ve really enjoyed reading Marie Benedict’s stories about forgotten women in history—so I want to review a couple of books by her that I highly recommend.

The Personal Librarian

To expand on my mini review of my favorite book of 2021, the...

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Best Books of 2021

Best Books of 2021

December 27, 2021

I think we can all agree that 2021 was another rough year—to say the least. And while we're more than happy to say goodbye to 2021 in hopes of a brighter new year, it was a good year for books. To celebrate the year's end and the great reads of...

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Pride Month Reads

Pride Month Reads

June 15, 2021

After reading Detransition, Baby and Memorial back-to-back in May, I figured I should keep reading recent LGBTQ+ books and write some reviews for Pride Month. (We should pay attention to LGBTQ+ voices all year, of course, but the timing happily w...

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Anxious People

Anxious People

March 2, 2021

At the beginning of Fredrik Backman’s Anxious People, he writes: “This story is about a lot of things, but mostly about idiots. So it needs saying from the outset that it’s always very easy to declare that other people are idiots, but only if yo...

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World War II Books That Transport You

World War II Books That Transport You

February 16, 2021

Over the last few years, authors have created new and atypical stories that make me want to read more about World War II. Here are a few of my favorite stories that show different perspectives of the war—the correspondence between a Japanese boy a...

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New Year, New Perspective

New Year, New Perspective

January 16, 2021

It’s January. Time for resolutions and new beginnings. While leading a healthier lifestyle or finally sticking to a budget might be on your mind right now, I’m not going to give you a list of diet cookbooks or financial self-help selections. Inste...

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The Lincoln Conspiracy

The Lincoln Conspiracy

January 5, 2021

Prolific writer, Brad Meltzer, strikes again with The Lincoln Conspiracy

I enjoy that Meltzer has entered the adult non-fiction category—The First Conspiracy and now The Lincoln Conspiracy—exploring lesser known conspiracies that happened in...

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Tried & True Book Club Reads

Tried & True Book Club Reads

December 8, 2020

I’ve belonged to a book club for over 17 years. Women have come and gone, but the dynamic stays the same. It is a group of women in their 50’s brought together by a love of reading. We also understand the importance of our relationships within the...

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Bibliophile Mystery

Bibliophile Mystery

November 24, 2020

The mystery genre loves a good series, with many fan favorites going well past twenty books in a series. As a reader, this is pretty awesome—find an author and a character you like, and settle in for a regular dose of reading joy. This applies to ...

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