COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa — Book lovers in Louisa County seem to have a hankering for the true crime and mystery dramas!
Twice a month on our 4 p.m. show, The Current, we bring you a book-club-style segment called "Current Reads." We chat with libraries all over our viewing area to hear what people are reading in their community. For this edition, we head south of the Quad Cities, to the Columbus Junction Public Library.
The library's director, Mandy Grimm, joined us with the library's most popular reads this summer. It turns out, they all fall into a similar genre:
- "The 24th Hour: Is This The End? (A Women's Murder Club Thriller)" by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro is another installment in the popular Women's Murder Club series. It follows four friends, SFPD Sergeant Lindsay Boxer, Medical Examiner Claire Washburn, Assistant District Attorney Yuki Castellano and crime writer Cindy Thomas. As the women are all gathered at a restaurant to celebrate Cindy's wedding, another woman is assaulted. Lindsay makes an arrest, Yuki takes on the case, Claire examines the victim and Cindy covers it. But things begin to unravel when a shocking reasoning for the plaintiff's spotty memory is revealed. Suddenly, there's a killer on the loose, who might knock the Women's Murder Club down one (or two) members.
- "A Fatal Inheritance: How a Family Misfortune Revealed a Deadly Medical Mystery" by Lawrence Ingrassia sits right at the intersection of a memoir and a medical thriller. The author lost his mother, two sisters, brother and nephew to totally different cancers. Ingrassia weaves his own moving family history in with meticulous research into cancer's history and discoveries, all while holding onto hope and looking toward the future. This particular book shocked the Columbus Junction Library staff. It was a patron request and not the library's typical non-fiction choice. However, it's flown off the shelf this summer!
- "Butcher & Blackbird: The Ruinous Love Trilogy, Book 1" by Brynne Weaver has gone viral on TikTok for its spicy romance. It's a friends-to-lovers dark romantic comedy following two rival murderers. While the two continually collide in a bloody, dangerous game, they begin to fall in love. But the ghosts of their past are only a few steps behind. This series has been wildly popular with Columbus Junction's ebook readers.
And if you want to keep the true crime vibe going, the library will be hosting "Shadows & Stories" in late October. This year is Columbus Junction's sesquicentennial. To celebrate, the public is invited to a walk through the town's cemetery. During the tour, guides will talk about ten short stories of true crime vignettes from Columbus Junction's past. This is tentatively scheduled for October 20 at 4 p.m.
On the lighter side, the library is also hosing "Cake Wars" this August. From now through Aug. 19, participants can stop by the library to pick up a box of cake mix, some frosting, and a cake pan. All you have to do from there is make your cake and submit a photo for social media voting later this month!
Tune into The Current from 4 to 5 p.m. on weekdays to catch live interviews impacting you, your family and your hometown as well as all of the biggest headlines of the day.