[(How I Fell in Love with a Librarian and Lived to Tell about It)] [By (author) Rhett Ellis] published on

by Rhett Ellis

How I Fell In Love With a Librarian and Lived to Tell About It is the humorous story of a mild mannered small town preacher who falls in love with the town's newly arrived librarian, a beautiful young woman with a secret side to her personality. A happny ending follows their confusing, whirlwind romance.

Genres: Fiction, Romance, Humor, Adult

Paperback

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Antof9 · Rating 3 out of 5]

What a charming little book! It's not exactly what I expected it to be, but it was a quick, enjoyable read.

One thing I didn't really like about the pastor -- his concept that he had "two sides" -- he was fine speaking in public, to many people; but not to a really pretty girl. That's not two sides! That's how EVERY man is! LOL There's even a Will Smith movie about that! Oh well, a couple things I *did* like about the pastor -- his self-deprecating comments really endeared him to me. And the "does it sound preachy? oh well, I'm a preacher" comments cracked me up.

I also like the author's tribute to all librarians everywhere (at least, that's how I interpreted this paragraph):
The Clegmore Library got Internet access seven years ago, but given a choice between the World Wide Web and Mrs. Cunningham, I chose Mrs. Cunningham for information every time.

[Salsabrarian]

Booktalk: Read first line. So starts the story of a preacher who falls in love with the town's new librarian. Rob Smith has no problem preaching to his congregation or handling himself at social gatherings. But there is something about Myra Findley's beauty that has Rob absolutely tongue-tied and terrified. He manages to overcome his shyness just enough to begin getting acquainted with Myra. But one evening while shopping at the Food Fiesta he runs into Myra muttering to herself. She's making up rhymes: "Apple apple, Red red red, There are no apples, In my head." And "If we eat our lettuce, the germs won't get us." Myra doesn't even seem to recognize Rob when he says hello. Later, Rob watches as she doesn't just drive out of the store parking lot, she peels out of there like a bat out of--well, you know. What's up with the new librarian? And can a shy preacher find not just a way to help her but a way to her heart?

[Marissa Elera · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't remember where I heard about this book, but when I did, I requested it through ILL. I expected it to be non-fiction, but was surprised a little bit into it that it is fiction, and Christian fiction at that.

There is nothing negative about a book being Christian fiction, what counts is the story itself. This story was lacking any meat. While it is a nice defender of libraries in somewhat current times (though lacking on some realistic aspects of how libraries operate), the development of all characters leaves much to be desired. It seems that just when Robert and Myra finally get close enough to even hint at cultivating real love, the story ends. The title suggests such promise. Aside from the short car chase scene, there isn't much to threaten Robert's life, though.

It was just meh.

[Suzanne LaPierre · Rating 3 out of 5]

My pet peeves when it comes to fiction are:
(a) cliches like "the most beautiful woman in the world" and
(b) finding out what color hair and eyes a main character has on the first page of the book.

The fact that both of those occur on the first page of this book is probably what caused me to put it on the shelf without reading further ten years ago, after buying it online. Thanks to the "stay home" period of the pandemic, though, I pulled it out and gave it another chance. After the initial "sins" of the author, I found myself amused by the quirky librarian character and, to a lesser extent, the narrator. Rob, the narrator is a good-natured preacher who finds himself star-struck when a new librarian named Myra Findley moves to his small town. She seems to him to be perfect, but then he discovers another side to her. Meanwhile, a town villain is trying to shut down the library, claiming it costs too much and isn't needed. Religion does enter into the story. Overall, I had some issues with the book, but it was a quick and fun read.

(Spoiler alert) Myra, the librarian, seems perfect in the library- physically and in terms of comportment- but when Rob sees her in the grocery store or at the gas station, she is disheveled and compulsively rhyming to herself. This intrigued me. I was guessing that the library held some power to keep her together, or that there was some kind of magic portal effect (a favorite literary metaphor of mine - the library as portal). This isn't how the story unfolded, so I guess I need to write my own book if I want that to happen! (However, Myra did say that the library had a calming effect on her, so I guess it was true in a minor way.)

[Rex Libris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A short (only 101 pages of text) and quirky Rom-Com story. The protagonist is a minister in a small town in Alabama. He falls in love with the new town librarian. She has hidden issues he must help her with. Meanwhile the town politician wants to close down the library to save money.

Ellis has written a number of religious stories, and this sneaks in some theology beyond the protagonist being a minister. The librarian went to a church that was too judgmental, and the pastor wins her over to the church by emphasizing forgiveness and grace.

It is an OK book, a nice afternoon read on a cold, snowy, or rainy day.

[Heli · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite nice and easy read, and in the end a sweet story too. It was interesting to read as when I was younger, I thought I would become a librarian.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was at the library on a display of books with a religious tilt. It was very short and had a good story. It's a little dated - published about 20 years ago, but still ok.

[Wendy Abel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book from a display at our library full of books about books and reading and libraries because it was short, had our library's Christian sticker on the spine, and sounded interesting. It is a quick, light read, which was what I was hoping for. Due to its brevity, obviously the author couldn't flesh out many parts that I'd have liked to have seen a little more depth about, so I excused that. Having come from a small town, a lot of the small-town quirks were familiar and handled plausibly. There were some interesting plot twists that kept me engaged. However, I really wish that the author had named the particular disorder that the librarian suffered from, as I sometimes like to research such things further. I guess I'll have to try to figure it out on my own from the symptoms he shared. I loved how the author shared the pastor's inner thoughts and struggles about his insecurities and tendency to overanalyze, how he ultimately decided to follow his reporter friend's advice to "just go with it" since every person has his/her own set of issues, how he thus decided to pursue his relationship with the librarian in spite of her neurological issues, and how the librarian reacted to his proclamation of unconditional interest and acceptance. Overall, I enjoyed this book and liked the way it ended.

[Lorena · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book for the title, really - and the cute cover. Its basically light Christian fiction - small town minister falls for the newly-hired (public library) librarian. The religious aspect is pretty minimal, and the story has heart along with a non-too-deep plot.

[Leslie · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a syrupy, sappy love story about a small-town man who falls in love with the town's new (and only) librarian. It was okay but I'm not much for sap.

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short, quick read. Couldn't resist -- the librarian in me just had to read it!

[Debbie Griggs · Rating 1 out of 5]

Honestly, the worst book I've ever read.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

First person biographical, a little preachy, but still charming in its own way.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a librarian, I just had to read this one. It was a fun, quick read!