It’s hard to find an upside to terminal cancer. But Lennox Randon used that diagnosis to spur the writing of a slam-bang, take-no-prisoners, life-embracing crime novel. He also pulled together two other guys in a writers’ group, and they, too, have finished books. It’s not a stretch to call that making the best of a [...]

Learning to read takes practice, and summer is the perfect opportunity for kids to “dig into reading” because it’s a chance to read for fun in a relaxed setting. Reading over the summer directly impacts children’s cognitive skills, increases their vocabulary and helps motivate them. “We encourage all families to make time for reading year-round, [...]

  IOWA CITY — The blue and white bus sat in the middle of the Ped Mall last Saturday, its new logo — Antelope Lending Library Bookmobile — encouraging people to stop and ask questions. “What it this?” “Will it work like a regular library with cards and everything?” “Do you need more books?” Antelope [...]

*Editor’s note: Ten years after his death, the University of Iowa Press has published “The Raptors of Iowa” (University of Iowa Press, 2013; $29.95), a 32-page, full-color collection of wildlife artist James F. Landenberger’s paintings of Iowa birds, from the common turkey vulture to the red-shouldered hawk of Mississippi River woodlands to the little northern [...]

Books are blooming here like the violets in a springtime yard — so many wonderful picture books, and they enrich our world, like violets in a springtime yard. — “Harlem’s Little Blackbird: The story of Florence Mills” (Random House, 2012; $17.99) written by Renee Watson and illustrated by Christian Robinson. Florence Mills was the child [...]

What better time to introduce a picture book titled “Thunderstorm” than at the start of Iowa’s flash-crash-boom season? Award-winning artist and author Arthur Geisert will launch his latest creation Saturday afternoon (5/11) at the bar across the street from his home studio in Bernard, a village off Highway 151, south of Dubuque. National Public Radio [...]

1. “The Hit” Baldacci 2. “Let’s Explore Diabetes with Owls” Sedaris 3. “Fast Metabolism: Eat More Food and Lose More Weight” Pomroy 4. “Whiskey Beach” Roberts 5. “Orphan Train: A Novel” Baker Kline 6. “The Great Gatsby” Fitzgerald 7. “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” Seuss 8. “The Light Between Oceans: A Novel” Stedman 9. “Paris: [...]

‘Excuse me. Are you a big reader?” I asked that question several times Tuesday. The responses ranged from “Not really,” to “I used to be.” I had fewer odd looks than I expected. Most people were curious to know why I asked. Twenty paperback copies of Lisa Genova’s “Still Alice” were my answer. I was [...]