Blog Entries

Romantasy

The last few years have seen the remarkable rise of a new genre.  Romantasy, of course, is the cross of the fantasy (or even sci-fi) genre with the culture of the Roman Empire.  As all men know, there is a singular manly appeal to Roman times: loose fitting clothing, playing with swords, greeting other dudes with “hail” as we pass on the street, orgies.  Here are a few Romantasy titles for you to try.

The Hierarchy, the Roman analog in James Islington’s “The Will of the Many,” has been devouring its neighbors for generations.  Vis, orphaned in one ... Read Full Blog

Tailoring my 12

If someday, in the distant future, my tombstone should read, death by TBR (To Be Read) pile, I would smile from the great beyond. I’m in no rush for that to become a permanent fixture but I would consider it a life well lived. So many books, so little time. 

Since I read so voraciously it was getting overwhelming deciding what to read next. Then I found the Ames Public Library 12 to Try Challenge. The year-round adult reading program aims to open up new reading possibilities. Each month an open-ended prompt has given me some guidance and the perfect reason to hit so... Read Full Blog

National Plan for Vacation Day

If you earn vacation days at your job, think back to how many vacation days you took in 2024. Any chance you left some of those unused? If so, let 2025 be the year that you use every single bit of your earned vacation.

Americans leave about 600 million collective vacation hours unused each year. It’s time to chip away at that number, so today we celebrate National Plan for Vacation Day. At Ames Public Library we offer books, magazines and DVDs that might inspire your next vacation. Even if you’re planning a stay-cation, you can stock up on everything you need to chil... Read Full Blog

The Wonder of Wonderbooks

If you are looking to stay inside, cozy up with a good book, and want to get the whole family involved, check out our Wonderbooks and VOX Books!  Wonderbooks and Vox Books provide a great opportunity for everyone of any age to be able to engage with reading. 

If you have never seen or checked out one of these books, they are printed books that come with a charged audio player inside the front cover that allows you to have the book read aloud as you flip through the pages. It is a physical book and an audiobook all in one! These books can be especially useful f... Read Full Blog

All the things you can do from home

During winter I would prefer to snuggle up under a blanket at home and leave as few times as possible until it is spring. If you are like me and would like to therefore see what the library has to offer to your wintering self, let’s hop onto the Library’s website and apps and explore. 

You can stream and download a wide variety of titles in e-book and e-audiobook as well as a selection of magazines, movies, tv shows, music, comics and more through the library’s apps Libby, Hoopla, Kanopy, and Comics Plus. When you login to Libby, scroll down to recommendations rel... Read Full Blog

In the Christmas Spirit

This time of year, I love losing myself in a great Christmas novel. For me, “great” means teens enjoying seasonal glitz (snow, lights, music, etc.), lots of humor, a few plot twists and maybe a trace of romance. 

“Talk Santa to Me” by Linda Urban fits the bill perfectly. Francie’s (short for Frankincense) family runs a Christmas shop and a Santa school. I loved the dry, hilarious bits like her name:  her mom stared into the eyes of a wise man statue while giving birth. Francie is trying to settle into a new high school, save up for a Miata, and avoi... Read Full Blog

Take A Road Trip with an Audiobook!

There’s nothing quite like sharing the road trip with your loved ones! But to help pass the time, you need something to focus on while you drive. Audiobooks offer hands free entertainment that keeps everybody in the car entertained and keeps the driver safe. 

Road trips are also opportunities for unforgettable shared literary experiences. I can still vividly remember books I’ve listened to on road trips from years past, who I listened to them with, and where we went together. 

I recall a beautiful summer drive across South Dakota my wife and I took as a ne... Read Full Blog

A Visit from The Nutcracker

“The Nutcracker Ballet” is coming to CY Stephens Auditorium on December 14 and 15, 2024, but you can get a sneak peak with excerpts from the performance at Ames Public Library on Saturday, November 23, 2024 at 10:30am. The performance will be followed by an opportunity from Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to use your engineering and artistic skills in a Nutcracker design challenge using LEGO® or other materials. In addition, attendees will be entered into a drawing for free tickets to see “The Nutcracker” at Stephens Auditorium courtesy of Iowa State Center.

Lost and Found

It is not usually a pleasant task to clean my workspace, digging through the detritus of recent projects, notes from decades-old committee work and only then down to the worktop.  This time, however, I made an interesting discovery.  Tucked in a moldering folder in the back of a hand-me-down file cabinet were the papers of my predecessor’s predecessor, including an unpublished draft intended for this very column.  Thinking that this discovery would be of interest to readers (of the Ames Tribune and of books alike) here is the work of librarian Karel ... Read Full Blog

Trivia Fundraiser for Library Lovers

When I was young my siblings and I loved reading “The People's Almanac” by David Wallechinsky and Irving Wallace.  Different from traditional almanacs that were mainly lists of facts, “The Peoples Almanac” aimed to be a reference book to be read for pleasure; a book that would tell the often-untold true tales of history.  We read predictions of Nostradamus, memorized famous epitaphs, learned about famous natural disasters, all the while stockpiling random bits of information.  In retrospect I can see how this encouraged me to seek out informatio... Read Full Blog

Speed Friending, Take Three

by Clelia Sweeney

Speed Friending is the library program I find myself bringing up in conversation the most. I think any busy adult can relate to difficulty in making new friends, and finding social situations to make it happen. We have had great turnout to the two Speed Friending events we have held at the library so far. Come participate in our third on Saturday, September 28th, from 2-4:30pm in the library’s Auditorium!

This month, we have a display on the second floor of the library highlighting friendship stories and non-fiction help for making social connections. S... Read Full Blog

S.T.E.M. Reading

Looking for something to do this fall? Starting September 13th, every Friday at 10:30am the library runs our Storybook S.T.E.M. program in the Farwell T. Brown Auditorium! Enjoy a range of activities as the weeks go by all focused on an area or subject in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. We’ve had dance parties to make butter, LEGO challenges to create your own zipline car, and a slime lab where we made ooblek! Come sing and dance with us, read a book, and join us in creating!

Here are some fun books to check out from the library so that you can ... Read Full Blog

12 to Try

We’re so busy all the time that it is easy to get stuck in a reading rut, going back to the same authors or genres over and over again. But sometimes it is nice to stretch your legs a little bit, to try something new. Moreover, reading books a little outside of your normal comfort zone can help you consider other perspectives, and even find new favorites you may not have expected. The Ames Public Library’s second annual 12 to Try reading challenge offers you the opportunity to do just that.

Every month between September 2024 and August 2025 will feature a n... Read Full Blog

Tracy Loves Juvenile Nonfiction – Round 4: Let’s start at the very beginning

When I get an urge to learn about a specific topic, my first inclination is to check out a bunch of books on the topic and dive in. On some topics this works okay for me. But most of the time I realize that the books are starting from a level of understanding that I don’t have yet. In those cases, my next step is to head to the juvenile nonfiction section. Some may be too basic for me , but I can generally find something that meets my needs and prepares me to delve deeper.

Recently I did this with gardening books. Despite my mom’s best efforts while I was ... Read Full Blog

Back to School

We can feel it in the air at Ames Public Library’s youth department. School is starting soon. You can buy all the school supplies and figure out what teacher the kids will have, but how can you feel really ready? Why not try reading some books about school?

Young readers can be really worried, especially if they are going to start school for the very first time. One of my favorite books about starting school is “Mr. S” by Monica Arnaldo. It will have you and your child giggling up a storm! Another sweet picture book that deals with feelings is “First Da... Read Full Blog