Sept. 18, 2025 – 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.
Melanie has been a Patron Services Specialist since 2013 working mostly at the Downtown Library. Patron Services Specialists usually are the first point of contact for patrons. They greet patrons and find out what library services they need, which can be anything and everything. Some examples include making library cards, looking up books and authors, helping people on the computers and with printing, answering questions over the phone, and directing people where they need to go.
"My favorite part of working at the library is knowing that we have access to all types of information and entertainment," Melanie said. "I like telling people about all the services we provide, and that it is free!"
Browse Melanie's book recommendations below, and put books on hold in our catalog by clicking on their covers.
"The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise" by Colleen Oakley
This was a fun story of a 21-year-old college dropout and an 84-year-old woman on the run from the police. I liked the unlikely friendship that developed between the two women amidst their adventurous road trip. This novel had suspense and humor, and it was fun to go along for the ride with Tanner and Louise.
"The Magnolia Palace" by Fiona Davis
This work of historical fiction is told in two time periods from two different women's perspectives – the sixties and the roaring twenties. A model who is working on location at a world-famous museum in the sixties stumbles upon a mysterious message from the twenties. If she solves this mystery, it could be the answer to her financial problems, and she would solve a decades-long unsolved murder.
"Weyward" by Emilia Hart
This book weaves together the lives of three women told in three different time periods. We meet Kate in 2019, who seeks refuge in Weyward Cottage, Violet in 1942, who learns the truth about her mother, and Altha, who understands the natural world and must defend herself to maintain her freedom. We see each character deal with their life circumstances and learn about their ancestry and the powerful bond with nature that helps guide them. I liked this book because of the strong female characters who were so resilient and able to reclaim their power.
"Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America's Shining Women" by Kate Moore
"Radium Girls" tells the haunting true story of the young women who worked with radium in the factories to make glow-in-the-dark watches for the soldiers in World War I. The women were told that the radium was safe to use, and the women would inadvertently end up ingesting some of the radium. Quickly, the women began falling ill, breaking bones, and dying. They had quite the legal battles ahead of them, because it took a while for them to realize the radium was the common factor and for the company to accept responsibility for their employees' welfare. These courageous women fought for better workplace standards and regulations on industrial use of radium, which led to saving hundreds of thousands of lives.
"The Woman They Could Not Silence: One Woman, Her Incredible Fight for Freedom, and the Men Who Tried to Make Her Disappear" by Kate Moore
In this disturbing nonfiction biography, we learn about Elizabeth Packard, who was committed to a mental health institution in the 1860s by her husband. Her husband felt threatened by Elizabeth's intellect, knowledge, and independence because she spoke out against her husband's religious and political views. Men held all legal power, so he had her declared insane and committed to an asylum without a trial. While in the asylum, Elizabeth witnessed the horrific conditions she and the other women experienced. She began to write down the horrors she saw. She eventually was released and became an advocate for women's rights, brought about legislative changes, and mental health reform.