Register here to receive Zoom links for Novel Conversations discussions.
Novel Conversations is a book group that alternates between classic novels and more recent works of fiction and nonfiction. Participants are welcome to come to all the meetings or just those that sound interesting. Multiple copies of each book are available for checkout in the library and are, whenever possible, made available in large print, audiobook, and ebook editions.
Novel Conversations meets the third Thursday of each month from 7:00-8:00 pm on Zoom.
Thursday, January 21 : Song of Solomon by Toni Morrison
Milkman embarks on a physical and spiritual journey, with the help of his aunt and best friend, helping him to reconnect with his past and find his self-worth. Based on an African-American folktale about slaves who escape by flying back to Africa, Song of Solomon won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1993.
Register here to receive Zoom links for It’s a Mystery Discussions.
‘It’s a Mystery’ is a mystery book discussion group that has met at the Coralville Public Library for over twenty years. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 am, and you are welcome to join in any time. Come when the book sounds good, or to every meeting.
Everyone is welcome to join the lively discussion!
Wednesday, February 10 : In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Capote, with help from his friend Harper Lee, interviewed residents of Holcomb, Kansas about the 1959 murders of four members of the Herbert Clutter family. In Cold Blood is the second-best selling true crime book ever (after Helter Skelter).
Register here to receive Zoom links for Novel Conversations discussions.
Novel Conversations is a book group that alternates between classic novels and more recent works of fiction and nonfiction. Participants are welcome to come to all the meetings or just those that sound interesting. Multiple copies of each book are available for checkout in the library and are, whenever possible, made available in large print, audiobook, and ebook editions.
Novel Conversations meets the third Thursday of each month from 7:00-8:00 pm on Zoom.
Thursday, February 18 : After Midnight by Irmgard Keun
Keun’s 1937 novel captures the tension, contradictions, and hysteria of pre-war Germany. It is filled with humor, even as it describes the growing threat of the Nazis and their rise to power.
Maty St. Clair, Ben Peterson Professor of Chemistry
This Thursday Forum will explore the issue of water quality in Iowa. The forum will begin with a brief introduction to the history of water technology and regulation in the United States, including the Clean Water Act (1972) and Safe Drinking Water Act (1974). As a primarily agricultural state, Iowa’s most significant water quality issues include excess nutrients and bacteria. We will discuss the impacts of those pollutants on human health and the environment, examine efforts to assess the problem (including our own Coe Water Quality Lab) and review a recent lawsuit by Des Moines Water Works against drainage districts in northwestern Iowa. We also will assess the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, Iowa’s plan to reduce the impact of its contribution to the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone.” Finally, we will take a look at other headline-grabbing water-quality issues with contaminants such as lead, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”) and viruses, with an eye toward anticipating future developments.
Register here to receive Zoom links for It’s a Mystery Discussions.
‘It’s a Mystery’ is a mystery book discussion group that has met at the Coralville Public Library for over twenty years. We meet on the second Wednesday of each month at 10:00 am, and you are welcome to join in any time. Come when the book sounds good, or to every meeting.
Everyone is welcome to join the lively discussion!
Wednesday, March 10 : A Will to Kill by RV Raman
“In this kickoff to a new series, Raman brilliantly evokes Agatha Christie’s classic country estate mysteries for modern-day India. It’s an ingenious plot, and Raman takes obvious delight in teasing out the suspense to great effect” (CrimeReads).
Maty St. Clair, Ben Peterson Professor of Chemistry
This Thursday Forum will explore the issue of water quality in Iowa. The forum will begin with a brief introduction to the history of water technology and regulation in the United States, including the Clean Water Act (1972) and Safe Drinking Water Act (1974). As a primarily agricultural state, Iowa’s most significant water quality issues include excess nutrients and bacteria. We will discuss the impacts of those pollutants on human health and the environment, examine efforts to assess the problem (including our own Coe Water Quality Lab) and review a recent lawsuit by Des Moines Water Works against drainage districts in northwestern Iowa. We also will assess the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, Iowa’s plan to reduce the impact of its contribution to the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone.” Finally, we will take a look at other headline-grabbing water-quality issues with contaminants such as lead, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”) and viruses, with an eye toward anticipating future developments.
Maty St. Clair, Ben Peterson Professor of Chemistry
This Thursday Forum will explore the issue of water quality in Iowa. The forum will begin with a brief introduction to the history of water technology and regulation in the United States, including the Clean Water Act (1972) and Safe Drinking Water Act (1974). As a primarily agricultural state, Iowa’s most significant water quality issues include excess nutrients and bacteria. We will discuss the impacts of those pollutants on human health and the environment, examine efforts to assess the problem (including our own Coe Water Quality Lab) and review a recent lawsuit by Des Moines Water Works against drainage districts in northwestern Iowa. We also will assess the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy, Iowa’s plan to reduce the impact of its contribution to the Gulf of Mexico’s “dead zone.” Finally, we will take a look at other headline-grabbing water-quality issues with contaminants such as lead, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals”) and viruses, with an eye toward anticipating future developments.
