Adults

The River We Remember by William Kent Krueger is set in 1958 in a small Minnesota town. 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. Vote for this title, or one of the two other options to become the 2026 Sioux City Reads title! Voting open now through November 30.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore begins in August 1975 when a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. Vote for this title, or one of the two other options to become the 2026 Sioux City Reads title! Voting open now through November 30.

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn is a haunting and powerful story of female friendships and secrets in a Washington, D.C. boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. Vote for this title, or one of the two other options to become the 2026 Sioux City Reads title! Voting open now through November 30.