Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection

by Ben Aaronovitch

‘You’re right, Peter,’ said Lesley. ‘No human being would stack books like this.’

Who you gonna call?

‘It’s not the book that’s important,’ I said. ‘It’s the reading.’

‘I’m the future, kid,’ said Mrs Phillip. ‘You’d better put your seat belt on because it only gets rougher from here.’

‘Oh, you have to make sure people know you’re in there,’ she said. ‘Otherwise somebody might close it and you’d be squished.’

‘Ah, yes, librarianship,’ said Ms Winstanley. ‘It’s not for the faint hearted.’

Or, more seriously, should you allow books to be damaged, death by librarian.

‘That would be the Brinkerhoffs from up the valley,’ said her father. ‘They’re the ones that grow horns.’