Recommendations

Personalized Picks

Need some book recommendations?

Fill out our Personalized Picks online form to tell us about what you want to read. Our experts will put together a custom book list based on your responses and e-mail it to you!

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Book Club Collection

Ames Public Library has multiple copies of many books that are popular with book clubs, and they can be checked out for 6 weeks! See the Book Club Collection list in the online catalog or view the PDF.

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Latest Library Notes

Take A Road Trip with an Audiobook!

by Ben Schrag

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 ar...

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A Visit from The Nutcracker

by Jill Philby

“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 Sta...

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“When My Husband Ran for President…”

by Megan Klein-Hewett

If you’ve lived in Iowa for any amount of time you probably know the last name Harkin. When you hear it, you probably think of Tom Harkin, long-time Senator from Iowa. Did you know that it was his wife, Ruth, who was the first in their family to run for office? She n...

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12 to Try Reading Challenge tracking sheet


Get recommendations for each month's "12 to Try" reading challenge category.  Find out more>> 

Gift Guides

Need gift ideas for a reader? Check out the lists below or download the printable lists:

 

 

 

Online Resources for Readers

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Novelist Plus

NoveList is a fiction database that provides subject heading access, reviews, annotations, and much more for over 120,000 fiction titles. It also includes other content of interest to fiction readers, such as Author Read-alikes, Book Discussion Guides, BookTalks, and Feature Articles. 

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