March 2012

Helen of Troy by Bettany Hughes

Helen of Troy has become an ultimate character of lust, beauty and power. But who was the real Helen of Troy? Hughes explores the life of Helen, an aristocrat from the Greek Bronze Age.

Discussion will be held on March 26th at 6:30 p.m. in the First Amendment Room at our Eldridge branch.

February 2012

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

Catching Fire is the second book of the Hunger Games trilogy. We read the first book in December. New members will want to read the first book before attending this discussion.

Discussion will be held on February 27th at 6:30 p.m. in the First Amendment Room at our Eldridge branch.

January 2012

Harry Truman's Excellent Adventure: The True Story of a Great American Road Trip by Matthew Algeo

Read about Harry Truman's post-Presidential road trip across America. In 1953, he and Bess tried to travel incognito, a feat that would be nearly impossible today. This is an interesting look at how much life in America has changed in the past 60 years.

Discussion will be on January 23rd at 6:30 p.m. in the First Amendment Room at the Eldridge Library.

For more on the book, click here.

December 2011

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games is the first book of a trilogy set in North America in the future. This is a bleak time, as the US has been divided into 13 districts, each one struggling to find enough food for its people. The ruling District has, for many years, held a competition called the Hunger Games. Two teens are chosen as Tributes, to be sent to an arena where they will compete for their district, and for their lives.

Discussion will be held on December 26th at 6:30 p.m. in the First Amendment Room at our Eldridge branch.

January 2011

Our January selection is The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson

The book tells the story of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago. Larson details the planning of the grand event, by Daniel Hudson Burnham who designed the plans on 600 acres and built over 200 new buildings.

Larson also tells the story of serial killer, H.H. Holmes, who exploited the city's fixation on the fair and built a hotel for fair-goers. He murdered many women, men, and children in his hotel and eventually confessed to 27 murders, though the count may be as high as 200.

Our discussion will take place on January 24th at 6:30 p.m in the First Amendment Room. Books are available now!

September 2010

The book for our September discussion is The Big Burn by Timothy Egan. It is essentially two stories interwoven, the friendship between Theodore Roosevelt and Gifford Pinchot which lead to the creation of the Forest Service, and the nation's largest wildfire in the summer of 1910. He describes the politics and passion behind the nation's conservation movement and ascribes much credit to the huge wildfire for fanning the flame, so to speak.

Our discussion will take place on September 27th at 6:30 p.m. in the First Amendment Room at the Eldridge branch library. Copies are available now at the library.

August 2010 Discussion

Marcelo in the Real World will be the topic of discussion at our August 23rd meeting. Though it is typically found in the Young Adult section of libraries, this novel will appeal to adults of all ages. It is the story of a 17 yr old boy, Marcelo, who has Asperger's Syndrome. He has always gone to a school for kids with special needs and is looking forward to working there over the summer. Suddenly, his father tells him that he needs to experience the "real world" and work in his law office over the summer. If Marcelo is able to follow the rules, he can go back to his special school. Otherwise, he will go to public high school for his Senior year.

Discussion will take place in the First Amendment Room of the Eldridge branch at 6:30 p.m., August 23rd.