September Read: :How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims

 

I don't know too many librarians who don't want to read this novel--about a librarian, set in a library, written by a librarian. Oh, and it includes murdering misbehaving patrons. SHHHH.

Dear Margo. She's a nondescript middle-aged woman who's worked as a circulation librarian at the Carlyle Library for the past two years. She's efficient, helpful, and keeps to herself. Her past as Jane, a nurse, is far behind her. She still seethes a bit over the injustice of hospital administration and how she was treated, but she's managed to simmer down and build a new life far away from all of that. 

And then Patricia (Pa-tree-see-a) walks in--young and polished; the new reference librarian. Margo doesn't really care for Patricia at first-she is a change in the pleasing, calming routine Margo has created for herself. She's a ripple Margo doesn't need. 

Patricia is a newly minted librarian, and this is her first job. She's escaped a dismal relationship in Chicago, along with the crushing failure of a rejected novel she's written and no one wants to publish. Desperate to try something new, she's moved to Carlyle--a dull, boring, Midwest town. 

Margo is intrigued by Patricia--what exactly does she do all day at the reference desk? Why is she always writing in her little notebook? Patricia is also intrigued by Margo--those odd flashes of coldness in her eyes; the careful stillness about her. Not to mention that very weird episode in the women's bathroom, where a patron died and Patricia saw Margo acting very, very strange. 

It doesn't take Patricia long to figure Margo out--and oh, what a story to write! But she's torn--does she tell the police now, or after she's finished writing her novel? Will it ruin her chances at a successful novel? 

The tension increases between the two women, even as they share tidbits of their lives with each other. Margo's restlessness is coming back, and she's itching to return to those heady feelings of helping folks...die. 

This was one heck of a short novel. Margo is truly a psychopath, and her mental dialogue along with her belief she's innocent are disturbing. Patricia seems like a harmless person, but her inner dialogue definitely makes you a bit uneasy, too. Two peas in a pod? 

Most of the action takes place in the library, with a few key scenes at the apartment complex both Margo and Patricia live at; the library references are spot on and the patrons--well, yes, they're definitely shaped by real-life interactions as a librarian. 

If you want to read a quick thriller, this is the one. Margo/Jane is truly one unsettling character. I found myself lingering over her chapters, trying to dig a bit deeper to figure her out. Patricia is someone you think you want to know, but by the end, I'm not so sure. It would be an interesting book to discuss with a group. 

Rating: 5/6 for a psychological thriller that builds in tension, so much so that I was almost reluctant to turn the pages! "How Can I Help You" takes on a whole new meaning in this small town library. 

Available in hardcover, audio, and e-book.

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September Read: :How Can I Help You? by Laura Sims

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

 

Followers of my blog should know by now I read pretty much any novels set in and around libraries and bookstores. Lucky for me there are plenty of them! 

The Last Chance Library is a charming novel about a small English town fighting to save their library from closure. June Jones is a library assistant at the same library her mother worked at for years, until her death eight years before. 

June loves working at the library, and does it all: reference, help at the computers, shelving, and recommends--even to crabby old Mrs. B, who says every book she reads "Is shit". Only problem is the library has been left to become rundown due to endless cuts in the budget. Now the city council is going to determine if they should shut the library down completely, and replace it with a bookmobile instead. 

June, along with her faithful library patrons, is horrified and determined to do whatever they can to keep the library open. June, however, has been warned her job is on the line if she is caught working with the protesters. So instead, she goes undercover. 

This is all a big change for June. She's a bit of a recluse-works, goes home, and reads every evening. Her life stopped when she lost her mother, and she's been unable to move forward. Will the possibility of the library closing push her to leave her comfort zone?

The characters in this novel are all charming folks. Stanley in particular--he's an older gentleman who is at the library every morning, without fail. He's full of regrets for choices he made earlier in life, and sees Chalcot's library crisis as something he can finally stand up for and work hard to stop. His relationship with June goes beyond librarian and patron--they are friends, even if neither realizes it.

I enjoyed this novel very much and was pleased to see June's metamorphosis from a person living in the shadows to someone stepping out and standing up for herself. This tale shows the importance of libraries in people's lives and how it makes a community. So many people, from all different walks of life step into the library and it makes a huge difference in their lives. For many, it is a life-changing place. 

Rating: 4/6 for a delightful read about the power of community and friendships,  the importance of libraries, and living life to the fullest. 

Available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audio. 

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The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

I wasn't quite sure what to expect from Susan Orleans' The Library Book; a peek into the Central Library of the Los Angeles public library system, and the fire that devastated it in 1986. I was charmed and completely engaged in reading this ode to libraries, librarians, and the special, magical space libraries have in our culture. 

Susan Orleans brings her childhood memories of visiting her public library with her mother to the forefront, and that spark is reignited when she herself brings her son to a branch of the Central Library in Los Angeles. It's been a few years, but she immediately reconnects to her sense of wonderment and downright love of public libraries. That, and her interest in learning more about the mysterious 1986 fire set her off on her latest book project. 

 This fire that destroyed 400,000 books and damaged hundreds of thousands more; this fire that destroyed irreplaceable collections of early Los Angeles history; this fire that sent librarians into deep depressions as they processed their grief-yes, their grief--it was a major unsolved crime; was it ever solved?

 It's not just the fire that Susan Orleans examines, although it is a major player in this book. We get the best history of libraries in Los Angeles; full of quirky characters, odd balls, tough ladies working in what was considered a man's world (yes, libraries didn't even allow women to enter for quite some time!), and a history of early Los Angeles--this was by far my favorite part of the book. The sheer size of the Central library--along with the dozens of branches spread throughout Los Angeles--it boggles my mind how many people are required to run it every day, the sheer size of the collections, and the constant stream of patrons waiting to enter when the doors open at 10 AM.

Anyone who thinks libraries are not important today are simply clueless. Libraries are constantly changing to meet the demands of the public; they remain one of the few places around that welcome all-the homeless, the rich, the middle class, the poor, the illiterate, the well-educated. Those people who have nowhere else to go-libraries are a place to feel safe. And who wouldn't feel safe, surrounded by all those wonderful minds in all those books and materials just waiting to be picked up and examined? And it's all free. And there are people there who will help you with whatever information or resources you need. 

I loved reading the history of libraries in Los Angeles. I'm always interested in early LA and California, and this book offers a unique slice of it. It's a glimpse of the development of a library system that started from a very small space with a few books to a massive, sprawling system that serves millions of people, and all the challenges that were overcome in between. What's most interesting are the different talents each city librarian brought to the job over the first 100+ years of the LA library system. There is always work to be done. 

If you're a lover of books, or a librarian, buy this book. The inside covers make it look like a library book. You'll be fascinated by Harry Peak, the man who was suspected of starting the fire at Central Library. You'll be interested in what unfolds, and if he actually did it. He's just another quirky character in the life of the library. Most importantly, I hope, for you-that this will stir that desire to explore, read, and imagine that sometimes gets lost in our day to day world. Sit down and read a book. Wander the library stacks. Check out the website of your local library. Attend a program. It's all there, waiting for you. 

Rating: 5/6 for an engaging, delightful read about a horrible fire that could have ended the life of one library, but instead brought together a community to restore what was lost. Also a history of the Los Angeles library system-trust me, it's pretty interesting! 

Available in hardcover, ebook, and audio. 

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The Library Book by Susan Orlean