Sioux City Reads is a community-wide reading initiative with the goal of providing educational opportunities and fun activities while bringing readers together around one book in ways relevant to the Sioux City community.
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2026 Sioux City Reads Title
The 2026 Sioux City Reads title is The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger.
About The River We Remember:
In 1958, on Memorial Day, as the people of Jewel, Minnesota gather to remember and honor the sacrifice of so many sons in the wars of the past, the half-clothed body of wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn is found floating in the Alabaster River, dead from a shotgun blast. Investigation of the murder falls to Sheriff Brody Dern, a highly decorated war hero who still carries the physical and emotional scars from his military service.
Writing Contest: Submissions Due March 31
We want to know how the 2026 Sioux City Reads book impacted you! Write an original written work, no longer than one page, inspired by the 2026 Sioux City Reads title – The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger.
Submit your one-page work by Tuesday, March 31. One submission per participant, please.
A selection of finalists will be displayed at the Library in April and the winner will be announced on Reference Roundtable, Live on Facebook, on Thursday, April 2. The winning author will also receive a $25 gift card to Book People.
Recommended Reads & Discussion Questions
News and Updates
Sioux City Reads 2025 Nominee: Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World’s Most Notorious Diaries by Rick Emerson
The 2025 Sioux City Reads book nominee Unmask Alice: LSD, Satanic Panic, and the Imposter Behind the World's Most Notorious Diaries is a true story of contagious deception. It stretches from Hollywood to Quantico, and passes through a tiny patch of Utah nicknamed "the fraud capital of America." It's the story of a doomed romance and a vengeful celebrity. Of a lazy press and a public mob. Of two suicidal teenagers, and their exploitation by a literary vampire.
Sioux City Reads 2025 Nominee: Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers by Frank Figliuzzi
In the 2025 Sioux City Reads book nominee Long Haul: Hunting the Highway Serial Killers, former FBI agent Frank Figliuzzi follows the gruesome pattern of unsolved murders along American roadways.
Sioux City Reads 2025 Nominee: Among the Bros by Max Marshall
In the 2025 Sioux City Reads book nominee Among the Bros: a Fraternity Crime Story author Max Marshall had hoped to investigate a small-time fraternity Xanax trafficking ring when he arrived on the campus of the College of Charleston in 2018. Instead, he found a homicide, several student deaths, and millions of dollars circulating around the Deep South.
Q & A Session with Author Idra Novey on March 30
Idra Novey, author of the 2024 Sioux City Reads book, Take What You Need will join us via ZOOM for a live Q & A discussion at the Sioux City Art Center! Art Center attendees will be invited to ask their questions in a town hall style Q & A session. Social Hour begins at 2 pm with light refreshments - hors d'oeuvres and beverages. The Q & A Session will begin at 3 pm and seating is limited. Tickets will be available on a first come basis starting at 2 pm.
Locations:
Aalfs Downtown Library
529 Pierce Street
712-255-2933
Monday – Wednesday 9am – 8pm
Thursday – Saturday 9am – 5pm
Sunday (Sept – May) 1pm – 5pm
Click here for a virtual tour!
Free parking on weekends and after 5pm on weekdays
Morningside Branch Library
4005 Morningside Avenue
712-255-2924
Monday – Wednesday 10am – 6pm
Thursday – Friday 10am – 5pm
Saturday 9am – 5pm
Click here for a virtual tour!
Perry Creek Branch Library
2912 Hamilton Boulevard
Plaza Professional Center, Lower B
712-255-2926
Monday – Friday 10:30am – 5:30pm