The Speculative Fiction Book Group will meet Wed. Feb. 19^th at 5:15 p.m. on the 2^nd floor of the library to discuss Katherine Addison’s “The Goblin Emperor.” The youngest, half-goblin son of the Emperor has lived his entire life in exile, distant from the Imperial Court and the deadly intrigue that suffuses it. But when his father and three sons in line for the throne are killed in an “accident,” he has no choice but to take his place as the only surviving rightful heir. He must quickly adjust to life as the Goblin Emperor, lest he lose his throne—or his life.

For more information, contact Carmen Buss (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.

The History Book Group will meet at 6:00 p.m. Thurs. Feb. 20^th on the 2^nd floor of the library to discuss David Herbert Donald’s “Lincoln.” Donald depicts Lincoln’s gradual ascent from humble beginnings in rural Kentucky to the ever-expanding political circles in Illinois, and finally to the presidency of a country divided by civil war. He chronicles Lincoln’s tremendous capacity for evolution and growth, thus illustrating what made it possible for a man so inexperienced and so unprepared for the presidency to become a great moral leader.

For more information, contact Carmen Buss (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.

The Friday Book Group will meet at 2:00 p.m. Fri. Feb. 21^st on the 2^nd floor of the library to discuss Sarah Smarsh’s “Heartland.” Sarah Smarsh was born a fifth generation Kansas wheat farmer on her paternal side and the product of generations of teen mothers on her maternal side. During her turbulent childhood in the 80s and 90s, the forces of cyclical poverty and the country’s changing economic policies solidified her family’s place among the working poor. Through her experiences, Smarsh challenges us to look more closely at the class divide in our country and examine the myths about people thought to be less because they earn less.

For more information, contact Carmen Buss (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.

The Happy Hour Book Group will meet at Rubaiyat on Wed. March 11^th at 5:15 p.m. to discuss Margaret Wilkerson Sexton’s “The Revisioners.” In 1925, Josephine is the proud owner of a thriving farm. As a child, she channeled otherworldly power to free herself from slavery. Nearly a century later, Josephine’s descendant, Ava, is a single mother who has just lost her job. She moves in with her white grandmother Martha. But Martha’s behavior soon becomes erratic and threatening, and Ava must escape before her story and Josephine’s converge.

For more information, contact Carmen Buss (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.

The History Book Group will meet at 6:00 p.m. Thurs. March 19^th on the 2^nd floor of the library to discuss Gordon Chang’s “The Ghosts of Gold Mountain: The Epic Story of the Chinese Who Built the Transcontinental Railroad.” Chinese migrants spent years building the Transcontinental Railroad. Those who survived would suffer a different kind of death—a historical one, as they were pushed first to the margins of American life and then to the fringes of public memory. Award-winning scholar Gordon H. Chang draws on unprecedented research to recover the Chinese railroad workers’ stories and celebrate their role in remaking America.

For more information, contact Carmen Buss (Friday Book Group) or Kristin Torresdal (Happy Hour, History, and Speculative Fiction Book Groups) at 563-382-3717.