In the quiet, insulated early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisconsin native Gary Hines was feeling restless. His wife, Jean, suggested that he sit down and write some stories from his life to share with their daughters. Nearly three years later, that small collection of stories has blossomed into a full-blown memoir titled A River of Memories: A Midwestern Boy Lives Out His Dreams. […]

Looking for ways to have fun and help others this summer? Visions of Hope: Activities and Prayers to Start a Revival by Pella author Karen Fitzsimmons is a Christian activity book that children and adults can complete together. […]

Spring flowers may be blooming outside, but Oskaloosa author Merle Lee Mann is bringing a touch of wintry magic to readers with his newly released children’s book, Troy the Llama Gets a Guitar for Christmas. The story begins just a few days before the holiday. A young llama named Troy is excited to decorate the barn and bake cookies with his friends and family, all the while dreaming of the guitar he hopes Santa Claus will bring him. […]

How many times have you heard someone call themselves a nobody? Or have you ever called yourself one? Why did you say it? And is it really a bad thing to be a nobody? Author Merlin Bylsma covers these questions and more in Nobodies in a Somebodies’ World… […]

A new biography for middle schoolers hit the shelves this Women’s History Month: My Name Is Dixie: Designer of the Iowa Flag, written by T. E. Waldmann-Williams, Ph.D., and illustrated by Cindy Gordon. As the title suggests, the book chronicles the life of Dixie Cornell Gebhardt, the Knoxville native behind the design of Iowa’s state flag. But the story doesn’t begin with that well-known symbol. […]