Aug. 19, 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 books they love.
Jessica is the library's Senior Administrative Assistant. She started working at the library in 2012 and assists the library Director, Board of Trustees, and leadership team, doing everything from project management to maintenance coordination to preparing the monthly Board packets to leading library tours. In short, she keeps the library running in ways big and small.
"I love that my job is always different. Our library has shifted over the last twelve years – always looking to do better for our community – and it’s been a lot of fun to be part of that," she said. "While I don’t have much patron interaction, I work on some exciting projects that can impact the library and our community. I’ve always loved libraries and books. To give back to my hometown library through my career is really gratifying."Browse Jessica's book recommendations below, and put them on hold in our catalog by clicking on their covers.
"State of Wonder" by Anne Patchett
I’ve always admired this author and her ability to weave a story – and this one is fully immersive. The story follows Marina, a research scientist, from Minnesota to the jungles of Brazil on a two-fold mission: find her former mentor to report back on a drug’s stalled development and discover the truth of her work partner’s death when he failed to return from the same jungle.
"Sea of Tranquility" by Emily St. John Mandel
I’m addicted to audiobooks, and this is the first audiobook I restarted immediately after finishing the book. The author has a concise but loaded writing style. This speculative fiction doesn’t disappoint – imagining a future living on the moon and the possibilities of time travel – while also delving into the impacts of recurring pandemics and rebuilding an interrupted life. I’ve read this author’s work since devouring "Station Eleven," published in 2014.
"The Magicians" (novel and series) by Lev Grossman
Almost every child fantasizes about finding hidden magical realms and leaving the mundane behind. But Quentin Clearwater never outgrew that hopeless hope. Until one day, he is invited to sit an exam for a magic college in upstate New York. The first book of this trilogy, "The Magicians," speculates how magic can fit into our world (and others), and how childhood dreams are not always magical.
"Cloud Cuckoo Land" by Anthony Doerr
Written in a style reminiscent of "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell, Doerr shifted from historical fiction in "All the Light We Cannot See" to imaging the future and how humankind finds resilience and connection. The story is told through characters’ paths to survival in 1453, 2020, and some unknown future time; the connecting thread is an ancient text, "Cloud Cuckoo Land," and the importance of storytelling. As soon as I finished the book, I needed to find another reader to discuss the surprise ending.
"Dear Edward" by Ann Napolitano
Books can stay with me long after I’ve read them, and this one is no exception. Twelve-year-old Edward is the sole survivor of a commercial airplane crash. This coming-of-age story explores how to find yourself again when you’ve lost everything and how to live again instead of simply exist when others did not survive. I loved this thought-provoking and poignant tale, and was rooting for Edward as he found his way again.