Library Closed May 3
Both locations of the Cedar Rapids Public Library will be closed on Friday, May 3, for all-staff training.
News & Updates
Community Engagement Librarian Meredith Crawford Named a ‘Mover & Shaker’ Award Winner by Library Journal
May 1, 2024 – Library Journal named Meredith Crawford, Community Engagement Librarian at the Cedar Rapids Public Library,
Check These Out: Books that Left a Lasting Impression with Artist in Residence Akwi Nji
April 29, 2024 – Cedar Rapids Public Library 2024 Artist in Residence Akwi Nji's work at the library has focused on the power of books, the written word, and the intersections of words, poet
Check These Out: Staff Book Picks with Lexi
April 22, 2024 – The Cedar Rapids Public Library is made possible by our incredible staff. And we are staffed by book lovers. To celebrate the people who keep our library running, we're highlighting different staff members and five books they love.
Recommended Reads
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Starter Villain
Inheriting your uncle's supervillain business is more complicated than you might think. Particularly when you discover who's running the place.
Charlie's life is going nowhere fast. A divorced substitute teacher living with his cat in a house his siblings want to sell, all he wants is to open a pub downtown, if only the bank will approve his loan.
Then his long-lost uncle Jake dies and leaves his supervillain business (complete with island volcano lair) to Charlie.
But becoming a supervillain isn't all giant laser death rays and lava pits. Jake had enemies, and now they're coming after Charlie. His uncle might have been a stand-up, old-fashioned kind of villain, but these are the real thing: rich, soulless predators backed by multinational corporations and venture capital.
It's up to Charlie to win the war his uncle started against a league of supervillains. But with unionized dolphins, hyper-intelligent talking spy cats, and a terrifying henchperson at his side, going bad is starting to look pretty good.
In a dog-eat-dog world...be a cat. -
Assistant to the Villain
Once Upon a Time meets The Office in Hannah Maehrer’s laugh-out-loud viral TikTok series turned novel, about the sunshine assistant to an Evil Villain...and their unexpected romance.
ASSISTANT WANTED: Notorious, high-ranking villain seeks loyal, levelheaded assistant for unspecified office duties, supporting staff for random mayhem and terror, and other Dark Things In General. Discretion a must. Excellent benefits.
With ailing family to support, Evie Sage's employment status isn't just important, it's vital. So when a mishap with Rennedawn’s most infamous Villain results in a job offer—naturally, she says yes. No job is perfect, of course, but even less so when you develop a teeny crush on your terrifying, temperamental, and undeniably hot boss. Don’t find evil so attractive, Evie.
But just when she’s getting used to severed heads suspended from the ceiling and the odd squish of an errant eyeball beneath her heel, Evie suspects this dungeon has a huge rat...and not just the literal kind. Because something rotten is growing in the kingdom of Rennedawn, and someone wants to take the Villain—and his entire nefarious empire—out.
Now Evie must not only resist drooling over her boss but also figure out exactly who is sabotaging his work...and ensure he makes them pay.
After all, a good job is hard to find. -
House Cat
This is not a book about cats. Nor is it a book on interiors. It is somewhere in-between: a look at how cats and interiors interact, and how cats become a fundamental part of one's home. Really, it is about how a cat completely takes over their home.
House Cat is a celebration of fifty-seven charismatic cats and the incredible spaces that they nonchalantly wander. From Grace Coddington's famous felines in their cosmopolitan New York apartment all the way to the farmhouse cat who has no idea that his owner is the great Bunny Williams.
Paul Barbera's stunning photography transports you from a ninety-one-story-high penthouse above Billionaires' Row straight to a Mexican hacienda-inspired home complete with nine cats. It is the ultimate pairing of enviable abodes and the mischievous cats that call them home.
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Cyclopedia Exotica
"Dhaliwal created a fictitious community facing xenophobia, fetishization, and media misrepresentation. It's resonating with her thousands of Instagram followers."—Robert Ito, The New York Times
“The characters in Dhaliwal’s stories sparkle. They’re tenderly rendered and their problems are real... The struggle of the cyclops unfolds in metaphors for race, sexuality, gender, and disability, tangling with ideas about fetishization, interracial relationships, passing, and representation.“—Carmen Maria Machado, author of In The Dream House
Following the critical and popular success of Woman World—the hit Instagram comic which appeared on 25 best of the year lists—Aminder Dhaliwal returns with Cyclopedia Exotica. Also serialized on instagram to her 250,000 followers, this graphic novel showcases Dhaliwal’s quick wit and astute socio-cultural criticism.
Doctor’s office waiting rooms, commercials, dog parks, and dating app screenshots capture the experiences and interior lives of the cyclops community; a largely immigrant population displaying physical differences from the majority. Whether they’re artists, parents, or yoga students, the cyclops have it tough: they face microaggressions and overt xenophobia on a daily basis. However, they are bent on finding love, cultivating community, and navigating life alongside the two-eyed majority with patience and the occasional bout of rage.
Cyclopedia Exotica is a triumph of hilarious candor. -
Black Clover, Vol. 34
The NEWEST Black Clover #34 is here!!
In a world of magic, Asta, a boy with anti-magic powers, will do whatever it takes to become the Wizard King!
Asta is a young boy who dreams of becoming the greatest mage in the kingdom. Only one problem—he can't use any magic! Luckily for Asta, he receives the incredibly rare five-leaf clover grimoire that gives him the power of anti-magic. Can someone who can't use magic really become the Wizard King? One thing's for sure—Asta will never give up!
As the Clover Kingdom reacts to the news of Asta’s apparent death, the young magicless knight awakens in the mysterious Land of the Sun. Can he survive the hard training there and gain a new power that can challenge Lucius? -
Polar Vortex
What do you do when your mother can't remember who you are? You catch the first flight from your adopted home of London to your original hometown of Cedar Rapids, lowa, where she's hospitalized, injured, and struggling with the swirling disorientation of dementia. You take responsibility for finding her new (and, perhaps, final) home--although insurance is running out and you might have to finally patch up your bitter relationship with your sister. And you try not to think about death, lurking around every corner . . . or the coming polar vortex, growing closer and closer as snowflakes swirl ever faster outside.
With cinematic illustrations and moving yet humorous prose, award-winning author and cartoonist Denise Dorrance shares the two most haywire months of her life: the phone call after her mother is discovered lying confused on the living room floor, the mingled shock and familiarity of a harsh Midwestern midwinter, the attempt to settle her homesick mother into a care facility, the limiting and limitless inanities of the US health care system, and the impossible decisions about what comes next. Incorporating vintage postcards, photographs, and letters, Dorrance brilliantly captures the sadness, frustration, and gallows humor of suddenly having to care for an aging parent and facing the moment of transition between life as you've long known it and life as it must become.
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You Don't Look Sick
You've just been diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. Now what?
Being diagnosed with ulcerative colitis can be overwhelming, but it doesn't have to be. In You Don't Look Sick: Quick and Dirty Tips for Surviving Ulcerative Colitis, author and ulcerative colitis veteran AW Cross gives you a first-hand, non-medical perspective about what to expect from your illness and how to get through it with your sanity (and your favorite underwear) intact.
Through a unique blend of practicality and humor, you'll learn how to:
-Cope with the physical consequences and emotional impact of ulcerative colitis
-Pack a survival kit and leave your bathroom with confidence
-Dress, eat, and have sex
-Deal with healthcare professionals and enjoy your stays in the hospital
-Endure poop jokes and use social media responsibly
-Put on your big boy/girl pants and deal with it
Whether you've just been diagnosed or struggled with UC for years, if you're determined not to let your illness define you, this book is for you.
If you'd rather wallow in self-pity, have no sense of humor about your illness, and hate kittens and babies, DON'T BUY THIS BOOK! -
The Tale of the Gravemother (Are You Afraid of the Dark #1)
NEW SERIES! This is Vol. 1!
From master horror writer Rin Chupeco comes the nightmarish first novel in an all-new middle-grade horror series inspired by Nickelodeon's hit TV classic, Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Everyone in Southridge knows about the legend of the Gravemother. They know how to leave offerings by the abandoned house she was supposedly murdered in to pacify her. They know better than to trespass on her property. But not everyone believes in the tale--especially not 14-year-old Rhett, who lives around the corner from the old mansion.
Then it's announced that the Gravemother's place is one of several to be demolished to give way for new townhouses. When disaster strikes the construction site and strange sightings of a woman in white begin haunting the neighbors, Rhett must figure out how to put the ghost permanently to rest before it's too late.
Perfect for fans of the Five Nights at Freddy's series, these terror-inducing tales--told by members of an all-new Midnight Society--are sure to keep readers up at night. -
Dog Man: the Scarlet Shedder: a Graphic Novel (Dog Man #12): from the Creator of Captain Underpants
TITLE will be RELEASED March 19, 2024!
Book #12. Our canine superhero returns in DOG MAN: THE SCARLET SHEDDER, the suspenseful and hilarious twelfth graphic novel in the #1 worldwide bestselling series by award-winning author and illustrator Dav Pilkey!
P.U.! Dog Man got sprayed by a skunk! After being dunked in tomato juice, the stink is gone but the scarlet red color remains. Now exiled, this spunky superhero must struggle to save the citizens who shunned him! Will the ends justify the means for Petey, who's reluctantly pulled back into a life of crime in order to help Dog Man? And who will step forward when an all-new, never-before-seen villain unleashes an army of A.I. robots?
The fun and creativity continue with Dog Man with Love: The Official Coloring Book. And for more heartfelt graphic novel adventures, join Flippy and Li'l Petey in the Cat Kid Comic Club series. And don't forget the series that started it all: Captain Underpants!
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Begin Again
In his first illustrated book created specifically for readers of all ages, Oliver Jeffers shares a very brief history of humanity and shares his dreams for where we go from here.
With his bold, iconic art, Oliver Jeffers follows the human path from the dawn of our species through history, sharing profound, sometimes poignant, commentary on our present, and then offers a challenge: Where do we go from here? How can we create new stories and new systems that allow all of humanity to flourish? How can we journey toward a collective and robust future?
Illustrated in his world-renowned art style, Oliver Jeffers’ reflection on the patterns that have led us to where we are today, the stories we have governed ourselves by, and those we might adopt going forward, is insightful, moving, and powerful. A must-have for anyone who wants the next generation to inherit a world to be proud of--and a perfect gift to share with those you care about.