Bibliophilia: A Novella and Stories

by Michael Griffith

A collection of stories includes the novel-length title piece in which a post-menopausal university librarian is pressed into reluctant duty as a sex cop and patrols the aisles to prevent illicit student couplings.

Genres: Short Stories, Books About Books, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a librarian who has to act like a cop way too often, I found the premise of the title novella promising. The story was amusing, but not enough to make me want to read the short stories in the rest of the book.

[Jerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title novella is worth the price of entry. It's about a sex cop in a campus library. Another book about books. And raped citrus.

[Sean Kinch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Myrtle tracks down the young man who’s been raping fruit in the library: “He looked like a typical graduate student—that is to say, like a pervert in training.”

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enter comic writing wth scepticism - Is this REALLY going to be funny? Or will it be light-hearted and cornball, playing off pat stereotypes and silly puns?

Well, this was a tad slow to start, and I was sceptical about the premise - library nookie cop? - but I came around pretty fast because this really WAS funny. Myrtle and Seti, our two underdog leads, are so weirdly likable, their precarious situations so finally compelling and human that I found myself reading the novella almost in a single sitting. Seti - Egyptian college student at LSU to learn "hydrology" in the wettest America possible. Myrtle - aging librarian suffering a mid-life and mid-career crisis as she takes a job at the LSU library patrolling the stacks for copulating students. Griffith's prose - full of tongue-in-cheek double entendres and wordplay - is silly though also quite clever in places, and I enjoyed his giggling jabs at Americana. Totally worth a read.

Michael Griffith teaches at the School of Letters, which is why I picked it up. I'll be proud to see him this summer and tell him how much I liked it!

[LadyTea · Rating 2 out of 5]

Much like other reviewers, I found the title novella engaging and quite funny in a cerebral, yet bittersweet way. I kind of predicted the the ending, but I enjoyed the journey despite nagging suspicion about the outcome.

As for the other stories included, I too did not connect with them and therefore did not finish...but isn't that wonderful part of short stories? You can focus your reading on the pieces that interest you most.

[Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Griffith dazzles in writing fully-formed characters, placing them in unique and absurd situations, and examining the true human condition. Sometimes rude and raunchy, often funny, sometimes sad, this novella and collection of stories makes me want to read more of Michael Griffith.

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, fascinating stories with fascinating characters.

[Fraemone · Rating 2 out of 5]

somewhat unexpected, but really too indulgent for me. one of the few books i didn't finish (only read main story and one short one before giving up).

[Citizen Pioneer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wish the characters would stop asking themselves redundant questions and just tell the damn story.

[Maui · Rating 4 out of 5]

DNF.

This has been a very slow read. The book didn't pull me in and I didn't want to pick it up on some days.

Maybe I'll get back to it at some point but right now I'm off to the next one.

[Jack Coleman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Novella was ok. I found it to be funny and cerebral.Sex in the stacks theme to tacky for me.