History Reads Book Club
This book club, in partnership with the McLean County Museum of History, will focus on books about Illinois history. These may include fiction, nonfiction, biography, or books by local or other Illinois authors. History Reads meets quarterly in February, May, August, and November at 7pm. See specific dates below. The group will meet in the Governor Fifer Courtroom on the second floor of the museum, except the November meeting, which will meet in the Library's Community Room. Join us as we explore the richness of Illinois' history and its people. Copies of each book will be available to check out at Bloomington Public Library. New members are welcome at any time. Ask a librarian at the Reference Desk to receive your copy of the book. See below for details about the titles we'll discuss in 2018.

February 6
They fought like demons : women soldiers in the American Civil War
by DeAnne Blanton

A study of the hundreds of women who disguised themselves as male soldiers to fight on both sides of the Union and Confederate conflict chronicles the stories of Jennie Hodgers, Frances Clayton, and Loreta Velazquez, among others.
May 1
Dandelion wine
by Ray Bradbury

Twelve-year-old Douglas Spaulding knows Green Town, Illinois, is as vast and deep as the whole wide world that lies beyond the city limits. It is a pair of brand-new tennis shoes, the first harvest of dandelions for Grandfather's renowned intoxicant, the distant clang of the trolley's bell on a hazy afternoon. It is yesteryear and tomorrow blended into an unforgettable always. But as young Douglas is about to discover, summer can be more than the repetition of established rituals whose mystical power holds time at bay. It can be a best friend moving away, a human time machine who can transport you back to the Civil War, or a sideshow automaton able to glimpse the bittersweet future
August 7
The outlaws of Cave-in-Rock : historical accounts of the famous highwaymen and river pirates who operated in the pioneer days upon the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and over the Natchez Trace
by Otto Arthur Rothert

Exceptionally rare and valued by book collectors, Otto A. Rothert’s riveting saga of the outlaws and scoundrels of Cave-in-Rock chronicles the adventures of an audacious cast of river pirates and highwaymen who operated in and around the famous Ohio River cavern from 1795 through 1820 (adventures featured in Disney’s Davy Crockett and the film How the West Was Won). Once sporting the enticing sign "Liquor Vault and House for Entertainment," this beautiful cavern location decoyed the unsuspecting by offering a venue for food, drink, and rest.
Compellingly lively, The Outlaws of Cave-in-Rock is nonetheless the work of a scholar, a historian who documents his findings and leaves a detailed bibliographical trail. Presenting many eyewitness accounts, Rothert supplies the lore and legend of the colorful villains of Cave-in-Rock. Always maintaining the difference between stories he tells with historical authority and those that are pure speculation, Rothert provides both a fascinating narrative and a valuable regional history.
November 7 
Due to the election in November, this session will meet on the first Wednesday of November and take place in the Library's Community Room
American years
by Harold Sinclair

 
Book Discussion Kits
The Bloomington Public Library has collected multiple copies of recent bestsellers and other popular titles and created Book Discussion Kits that may be checked out by book discussion groups.
Each kit has between six and 15 copies of a title and can be checked out for up to eight weeks at a time. You may check out up to two Book Discussion Kits at a time. Book Discussion Kits may not be renewed.
In our online catalog, search the phrase book club kit for a list of titles. This list can also can be found by clicking HERE.
Bloomington Public Library
205 E. Olive St.
Bloomington, Illinois 61701
309-557-8940
www.bloomingtonlibrary.org/