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What Members Thought
Loved this book. A nice weaving together of the history of the Los Angeles Public Library, the story of the fire and rebuilding of the library, and a wonderful tribute to books and librarians.
Recommended for all book lovers.
Recommended for all book lovers.
This may end up being one of my favorite books of the year. Susan Orlean certainly knows how to craft a story. Like the author, I grew up in libraries and hold some of the dearest memories among the stacks of books. So while I was already biased towards liking the book, she did something beyond my expectations- she taught me about libraries, her personal history, and a mystery about a fire in the LA branch, all in one book. The read was at times poignant, at times funny, other times fascinating
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A very readable and warm book about a) the fire at the Central Library in LA in the 1980s and whether the guy historically thought to have set it actually did it, b) a history of the library and public libraries in general (a bit) and c) what the Central Library offers now as a public institution in the 21st century. Orleans wove them all together. Each chapter is headed by titles of books (and their call numbers - nerd catnip) pertaining to the subject of the chapter.
4.5! I was captivated by this book. Although, that may have something to do with my library employee nerdiness.
I think everyone who has worked, does work, and will work in a library needs to read this book. I've worked at my library for almost 17 years, and it was interesting to see what an investigative reporter can find when researching a library. I've been here so long that I kinda forget what people know and don't know about the day to day life in a library. I wasn't a big fan of the fire angle b/c I have some issues with fire in general, but overall this was a good book.
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I read this for Task #19 (a book of non-violent true crime) for the 2019 Read Harder Challenge. I enjoyed it but it definitely dragged at times. As someone who loves libraries, I appreciated the historical aspects of it but I would have preferred that it focus on the history of the library/libraries OR the fire. The bouncing back and forth was frustrating at times.
Aug 26, 2018
Katie
marked it as to-read
Nov 05, 2018
Maria
marked it as to-read
Nov 25, 2018
Jamie Dornfeld
marked it as to-read
Nov 27, 2018
Kerry
marked it as to-read
Dec 02, 2018
Rossie
marked it as to-read
Jan 16, 2019
Dora
marked it as to-read
Feb 05, 2019
Slynne
marked it as to-read
Apr 11, 2019
Natalie Cummings
marked it as to-read
May 07, 2019
Sarah Fletcher
marked it as to-read
