We’re so excited to announce that we now participate in the Iowa Libraries Adventure Pass program! The Iowa Libraries Adventure Pass is a partnership between participating Iowa libraries, museums, parks, and other attractions. This program allows our patrons (City of Solon residents and rural Johnson County residents) to visit our website and reserve a pass to an attraction…at no cost! We currently have passes available to the Des Moines Children’s Museum, the Science Center of Iowa, and the Quad Cities Fun Bundle (includes Niabi Zoo, Quad Cities Botanical Center, and Putnam Museum). Find all of the details on our website, solon.lib.ia.us, under the Services menu click on Iowa Adventure Pass. Have a question about the Adventure Pass or this process? Give us a call or stop by the Library, we’re happy to help!
Library Events
Saturday Storytime is for all-ages! Join us Saturday, July 13 at 10:30 a.m. to enjoy books, songs, and games together.
Kids in 1st-5th grades this fall are invited to join us Monday, July 15 at 10:00 a.m. as we get messy with Johnson County Farm Bureau while making Seed Bombs, a fun way to sow native plants and flowers. We will be doing our part in helping pollinators by spreading prairie life in our area as we dig our hands into soil, clay, and wildflower seeds. We recommend wearing clothes that you can get dirty. The mission of Johnson County Farm Bureaus Education Outreach is to educate youth about the importance of agriculture in our everyday lives.
Teen Tuesdays at 2:00 p.m. are for 6th-12th graders! We’re enjoying Poetry Day, Tuesday, July 16. Poetry isn’t just for old bards; it can be fun with friends. We’ll work on a collaborative poem, play silly poetry games, and create blackout poetry.
Have you thought about learning another language? Or are you looking for a resource to keep up your skills in a language? Join us at Tech Talk Thursday, July 18 at 9:30 a.m. to learn all about Transparent Language. This online resource is provided to library patrons looking to learn or maintain a language. You can use this great tool online or in the app on your smart device.
Library Access
Regular Library hours are Monday-Thursday, 9:00 a.m.-7:00 p.m. and Friday-Saturday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Closed Sundays.
Please note special library hours due to Solon Beef Days. Friday, July 19, we’re open 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. and Saturday, July 20, we are closed.
Don’t forget, the digital library is always available! Find an eBook, eAudiobook, magazines and more with Bridges, or with the Libby app on your favorite smart device. You can even stream classic films, discover new favorites, and more with Kanopy on your favorite smart device.
Everyone is welcome at the Library and our programs. Please contact us with access needs.
What’s New?
Whether it’s a bestselling author or a new author, you can be sure to find something new at the library.
Bear by Julia Phillips. Sam and Elena dream of another life. On the island off the coast of Washington where they were born and raised, they and their mother struggle to survive. Sam works on the ferry that delivers wealthy mainlanders to their vacation homes while Elena bartends at the local golf club, but even together they can’t earn enough to get by, stirring their frustration about the limits that shape their existence. Then one night on the boat, Sam spots a bear swimming the dark waters of the channel. Where is it going? What does it want? When the bear turns up by their home, Sam, terrified, is more convinced than ever that it’s time to leave the island. But Elena responds differently to the massive beast. Enchanted by its presence, she throws into doubt the desire to escape and puts their long-held dream in danger.
Husbands & Lovers by Beatriz Williams. Timeless and bittersweet, Husbands & Lovers takes readers on an unforgettable journey of heartbreak and redemption, from the revolutionary fires of midcentury Egypt to the moneyed beaches of contemporary New England. Acclaimed author Beatriz Williams has written a poignant and beautifully voiced novel of deeply human characters entangled by morally complex issues—of privilege, class, and the female experience—inside worlds brought shimmeringly to life.
Lucky by Jane Smiley. Before Jodie Rattler became a star, she was a girl growing up in St. Louis. One day in 1955, when she was just six years old, her uncle Drew took her to the racetrack, where she got lucky—and that roll of two-dollar bills she won has never since left her side. Jodie thrived in the warmth of her extended family, and then—through a combination of hard work and serendipity—she started a singing career, which catapulted her from St. Louis to New York City, from the English countryside to the tropical beaches of St. Thomas, from Cleveland to Los Angeles, and back again. Jodie comes of age in recording studios, backstage, and on tour, and she tries to hold her own in the wake of Janis Joplin, Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Joni Mitchell. Yet it feels like something is missing. Could it be true love? Or is that not actually what Jodie is looking for?
Sandwich by Catherine Newman. For the past two decades, Rocky has looked forward to her family’s yearly escape to Cape Cod. Their humble beach-town rental has been the site of sweet memories, sunny days, great meals, and messes of all kinds: emotional, marital, and—thanks to the cottage’s ancient plumbing—septic too. This year’s vacation, with Rocky sandwiched between her half-grown kids and fully aging parents, promises to be just as delightful as summers past—except, perhaps, for Rocky’s hormonal bouts of rage and melancholy. (Hello, menopause!) Her body is changing—her life is, too. And then a chain of events sends Rocky into the past, reliving both the tenderness and sorrow of a handful of long-ago summers. It’s one precious week: everything is in balance; everything is in flux. And when Rocky comes face to face with her family’s history and future, she is forced to accept that she can no longer hide her secrets from the people she loves.
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