The 2021 reading list begins with Kurt Vonnegut's "Mother Night." "The Talk of Iowa Book Club" is a team effort, and joining Charity Nebbe on this episode are two of the people she's worked most closely with to compile the 2021 reading list. Selected books should be available in mass market paperback. Many are either written by Iowans or people who have spent time in Iowa or have another Iowa connection. Some don’t have any connection to our state, but we’re sure that Iowans will enjoy them. January: Kurt Vonnegut's "Mother Night" “We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be.” That’s the most famous quote from “Mother Night,” a strange, cautionary tale from Kurt Vonnegut. The novel is told in the first person by Howard W. Campbell Jr. as he awaits trial for war crimes. He is an American who was living in Germany when World War II broke out, recruited to serve by both Nazis and the Allied Forces. The book is set in the past, but feels timeless and relevant today.