Books about Books and Libraries

“The tranquility is shattered by a woman’s terrified scream. Security guards take charge immediately, instructing everyone inside to stay put until the threat is identified and contained. While they wait for the all-clear, four strangers, who’d happened to sit at the same table, pass the time in conversation and friendships are struck. Each has his or her own reasons for being in the reading room that morning―it just happens that one is a murderer.”

A story within a story, this mystery will keep you guessing. It may not be for everyone as it switches back and forth between the writer and her pen pal and the story she is writing. Overall an interesting story structure that kept me reading.

4.25 ⭐

“Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve, hoping to escape her stifling life in England.  But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.”

I love stories about pack-horse librarians and this one didn’t disappoint. These women are trying to be independent in a time and place where women were supposed to be at home. Based on the real pack-horse librarians, this historical fiction novel will put you in the saddle with these women as they face dangerous terrain and conditions to deliver books to barely accessible homes.

4.5 ⭐

“This funny, poignant, classic love story unfolds through a series of letters between Helene Hanff, a freelance writer living in New York City, and a used-book dealer in London at 84, Charing Cross Road. Through the years, though never meeting and separated both geographically and culturally, they share a charming, sentimental friendship based on their common love for books.”

A quick read and one that stayed with me. I highly recommend this sweet story revolving around a love of books. This is one of my favorite books of all time and the best part of all is that it is a true story.

5 ⭐

“In the 1980s, a young adventurer and collector for a government library, Abdel Kader Haidara, journeyed across the Sahara Desert and along the Niger River, tracking down and salvaging tens of thousands of ancient Islamic and secular manuscripts that were crumbling in the trunks of desert shepherds. His goal: preserve this crucial part of the world’s patrimony in a gorgeous library. But then Al Qaeda showed up at the door.”  –From the Publisher

This was an eye-opening look at librarians on the front lines protecting books from a regime intent on destroying history. My knowledge of this area of the world is sorely lacking and this book was a good start to changing that. Heart-breaking and awe-inspiring, if you want to read more nonfiction this year and love books about books, this is definitely one to pick up.

4 ⭐

“Nine months after the death of his beloved wife Amanda left him shattered, Peter Byerly, a young antiquarian bookseller, relocates from North Carolina to the English countryside, hoping to outrun his grief and rediscover the joy he once took in collecting and restoring rare books. But upon opening an eighteenth-century study of Shakespeare forgeries, he discovers a Victorian watercolor of a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to Amanda.

Peter becomes obsessed with learning the picture’s origins and braves a host of dangers to follow a trail of clues back across the centuries—all the way to Shakespeare’s time and a priceless literary artifact that could prove, once and for all, the truth about the Bard’s real identity.”

Charlie Lovett books are always a winner for me. The amount of research and historical detail he adds to his books is captivating. The fact that he is from nearby Winston-Salem is a bonus. He chooses subjects that will transport you. Whether you want to call this book a historical thriller or literary mystery, it is a superbly written tale.

5 ⭐

“Daphne always loved the way her fiancé Peter told their story. How they met (on a blustery day), fell in love (over an errant hat), and moved back to his lakeside hometown to begin their life together. He really was good at telling it…right up until the moment he realized he was actually in love with his childhood best friend Petra.

Which is how Daphne begins her new story: Stranded in beautiful Waning Bay, Michigan, without friends or family but with a dream job as a children’s librarian (that barely pays the bills), and proposing to be roommates with the only person who could possibly understand her predicament: Petra’s ex, Miles Nowak.”

I am not a big fan of the romance genre because they are predictable–you always know they will get the happily ever after. BUT Emily Henry convinces me to go along for the ride and I love it! Funny Storyfollows two seemingly opposites, Daphne and Miles, and their forced proximity as broken hearted roommates. I loved how their story evolved and both characters grew throughout the book. Funny and heart-warming, a great romance read for everyone!

5 ⭐