The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan-353 pages

Three women from very different backgrounds come together to save the community's beloved library during the Blitz in World War II London.  When the library walls suffer destruction the women move a large number of  books to the underground where the residents shelter every night for protection from the bombs.  Through reading stories and coming together as a community it passes the time and brings everyone closer.

Very well written.  I enjoyed it very much.

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

373 pages

★★★

Finding a sticky note with a list of classic books, Aleisha has to work at the struggling public library to help her brother take care of their mom. Mukesh finds an overdue library book among his wife’s things after she’s passed. They meet at the local library and help each other through their struggles through books and friendship.

This was just a random audiobook I saw on hoopla that sounded decent and it lived up to that expectation. It wasn’t bad but it didn’t blow my socks off. It was pretty cute but I found myself bored pretty often. I would recommend it as a simple, cozy read.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

288 pages

★★★★

In this thriller, four strangers become friends after they all hear a scream in the library while sitting at the same table. After a body is found, the four strangers as they try to discover who the killer was. They come to discover that the killer was one of them.

This book had its ups and downs but overall I would say it was pretty good. The mystery was well-written and I enjoyed the characters but Gentill tried to add a unique element to the novel by writing it as a manuscript being sent to an editor and the editor’s notes in return, which revealed to be a mystery in itself. It was an interesting concept but it felt too meta for me because the main character in the manuscript was ALSO a writer and it just got confusing. Also the end of that mystery ended abruptly and didn’t have much suspense to it, so it felt unnecessary by the end.

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

 

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson-322 pages

     

Lonely librarian June Jones has never left the sleepy English village where she grew up. Shy and reclusive, the thirty-year-old would rather spend her time buried in books than venture out into the world. But when her library is threatened with closure, June is forced to emerge from behind the shelves to save the heart of her community and the place that holds the dearest memories of her mother.

Joining a band of eccentric yet dedicated locals in a campaign to keep the library, June opens herself up to other people for the first time since her mother died. It just so happens that her old school friend Alex Chen is back in town and willing to lend a helping hand. The kindhearted lawyer's feelings for her are obvious to everyone but June, who won't believe that anyone could ever care for her in that way.

Being a library lover I enjoyed this book very much.  It contains many wonderful stories from the different patrons and what the library has meant to them over their lifetimes.  You are hoping all along that June finds the courage to break out of her comfort zone and solve the puzzle of what is really going on with the county council.  She finally sees what an asset she has been as a librarian and as a community leader.  Strangely enough, June takes a train to an interview so that worked out well with our statewide challenge!

Bibliovores by Bill Barnes

Bibliovores: An Unshelved Collection by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum - 120 pages

Another great collection of Unshelved comics featuring the Mallville Public Library and its workers.  I really enjoyed reading this comics and would suggest them to anyone working in a public library.

Library Mascot Cage Fight by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum

Library Mascot Cage Match by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum - 120 pages
Book Club by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum - 120 pages

The adventures at Mallville Public Library continue for librarians Mel, Dewey, Tamara, Colleen, and Buddy the Beaver.

Two more collections of the Unshelved comics.  I'm enjoying reading these comics.

Reads Well With Others: An Unshelved Collection by Gene Ambaum & Bill Barnes

Reads Well With Others: An Unshelved Collection by Gene Ambaum & Bill Barnes - 119 pages

Another collection of Unshelved comics.  I'm really enjoying reading these.  A definite must read for anyone working in a library.

Large Print by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum

Large Print: An Unshelved Collection by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum - 128 pages

The librarians of the Mallville Library are back.  Dewey, Mel, Colleen, and Tamara share there experiences as librarians and dealing with the public.

I really like this comic and enjoyed reading this collection.

What Would Dewey Do? An Unshelved Collection by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum

What Would Dewey Do? An Unshelved Collection by Bill Barnes & Gene Ambaum - 129 pages

This is a collection of the library themed comic strip Unshelved.  I would highly recommend this comic for anyone working in a library.

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe

The Librarian of Auschwitz by Antonio Iturbe-424 pages

I wanted to read this for a while because it is based on the true story of a girl interred in Auschwitz who secretly curated a small library. The Nazis didn't allow books or teaching of any kind, so it was dangerous and risky to have this hidden library and school in the middle of a concentration/extermination camp. While it is a story worth telling the translation into English and/or the author's writing was left wanting a bit. The story is not told only from Dita's (the librarian) perspective but also from a handful of other perspectives and the transitions between voices aren't always clear. Overall, it is a story worth reading, but be aware that the writing (and/or the translation) is a bit underwhelming.

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine

Ash and Quill by Rachel Caine - 352 pages
The Great Library Book 3

In this world the Great Library of Alexandria never burned and it serves for hundreds of years as the keeper of the world's knowledge.  Original copies of books are kept behind lock and key and the public can only access approved texts through their blanks that act like an eReader.  Those with the talent for quintessence manipulation are kept as prisoners in the tower in order to keep the Library's infrastructure functioning.   

But there is corruption at the heart of the library where power and wealth are being hoarded at the expense of those the Great Library is supposed to serve.  A group of rebels is continuing their quest to overthrow the Library's tyranny and restore it as a force for good in the world.  The action in this book takes place in the besieged Burner city of Philadelphia where the American colonists have been resisting the Library for over a hundred years. 

This series definitely needs to be read in order.  It's a fascinating look at the power of the printed word and the danger inherent in those who want to keep that power for themselves.     

What Would Dewey Do? by Bill Barnes

What Would Dewey Do? by Bill Barnes -- 128 pages

Volume two of our favorite library comic strip! I'm still wondering if I would enjoy this if I didn't work in a library. I think I would, but maybe not as much.

The Poe Estate by Polly Shulman

The Poe Estate by Polly Shulman  256 pages

Sukie's been lonely since the death of her big sister, Kitty - but Kitty's ghost is still with her. At first that was comforting, but now Kitty's terrifying anyone who gets too close. Things get even weirder when Sukie moves into her family's ancestral home, and an older, less familiar ghost challenges her to find a treasure. Her classmate, Cole, is also experiencing apparitions. Fortunately an antique broom's at hand to fly Sukie and Cole to the New York Circulating Material Repository's spooky Poe Annex. As they search for clues and untangle ancient secrets, they discover their histories intertwine and are as full of stories of love, revenge, and pirate hijinks as some of the most famous fiction.

I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan

I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan, 157 pages

As someone who works in a public library, I can really appreciate Gina Sheridan's stories.  Although, I can see some employees of the public library refraining from reading this, as they experience a lot of these moments on a daily basis.  I think it would be neat if all the patrons would read this book and see what it is really like to stand behind any desk at the public library. What it all boils down to is we are all here to help the patrons.  This book shared some very humorous stories.  I like how Gina had the chapters divided based on the Dewey Decimal System.  Some especially funny tidbits occur on page 41, questionable book titles, for example, The Hungry Games, and page 74 What is "Whiffy?"  Read the book to find out more.  I Work at a Public Library was a very quick and funny read!!

I work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan

I Work at a Public Library by Gina Sheridan  152 pages

From a patron's missing wetsuit to the scent of crab cakes wafting through the stacks, I Work at a Public Library showcases the oddities that have come across Gina Sheridan's circulation desk. Throughout these pages, she catalogs her encounters with local eccentrics as well as the questions that plague her, such as, "What is the standard length of eyebrow hairs?" Whether she's helping someone scan his face onto an online dating site or explaining why the library doesn't have any dragon autobiographies, Sheridan's bizarre tales prove that she's truly seen it all.
Stacked high with hundreds of strange-but-true stories, I Work at a Public Library celebrates librarians and the unforgettable patrons that roam the stacks every day.

The History Of The Library by Barbara A. Somervill

The History of the Library by Barbara A. Somervill, 32 pages

Scott and Dan are going on a scavenger hunt in the library.  5000 years ago there were no books.  Early libraries collected public information. Around 530 B.C., Greeks developed libraries for people to read and do research. Probably, one of the most famous libraries was the great Alexandria Library.  Around 47 B.C., Caesar burnt that library.  The Chinese get the credit for inventing paper and and printing around 730.  In the middle ages, private libraries became popular.  In 1731, Ben Franklin, founded a lending library.  In 1800, the Library of Congress was started.  In 1876, the country saw free public libraries.  In 1876, Melvil Dewey introduced the Dewey Decimal Classification System.  Nowadays, the future of the library is moving towards technology.  Are we ready for the library of the future?

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra

Wild About Books by Judy Sierra, 30 pages

Molly McGrew, the Springfield Librarian, accidentally drives her book mobile to the zoo.  She starts to read Dr. Seuss.  All the animals want to learn about reading.  There are cute rhymes how the animals read their books.  They even have the Zoolitzer Prize.  They like books so much, they open the Zoobrary!

Betting the Rainbow by Jodi Thomas

Betting the Rainbow by Jodi Thomas-294 pages

This is the the much anticipated seventh book in the Harmony series.  In this one we meet several new characters..and are reunited with old ones.  Reagan Truman has settled in to make a go of her uncles apple farm.  Her life would be perfect if only her boyfriend Noah McAllister would put his rodeo days behind him.  But when a bombshell is dropped on her doorstep she begins to wonder how many other lies he has told her and convinces herself to never allow him back into her heart.  She is sponsoring a poker tournament to benefit the local library..so when Dusti Delaney finds out that there is a big purse involved she enlists her childhood friend Kieron O'Brian to teach her the game.  By the time the tournament is over she has learned much more than poker from Kieron O'Brian!  Then we meet up again with loner Ronny Logan..who is settling into a secluded cabin..refusing to get attached to anyone when Austin Hawk crosses her path one too many times.  Jodi Thomas does not disappoint her loyal readers again.

Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, And Gangsters In The Public Library by Don Borchert

Free For All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangsters In The Public Library by Don Borchert, 223 pages

I loved this book!  Maybe, I liked this book so much because working in a public library, I see so much of what he wrote about go on in our library.  I actually found myself laughing out loud.  Of course, our library's mishaps barely rival Don's, who works for the Los Angeles Public Library.  Of course, he writes about the usual things librarian's run across: fines, people having multiple cards, and the unruly kids. Some of the more shocking stories he shares are how he found a sex toy in the outside book drop and how the bathroom was being used as a drug dealers warehouse.  I especially loved the part where one year for the summer reading program they offered a trip to Houston and how one little girl kept checking out books and saying she read them all.  There was nothing they could do to stop her.  She had quite a few tickets in the drawing and of course she won.  The following year they went back to pencils and pens for prizes.  Or, the part where they use to serve wine with staff lunches in the library.  My favorite chapter is MMM, where the staff labels the patrons in their record as MMM.  I wondered what does that stand for?  At the end of the chapter, we find out it means patrons who Make Me Mad.  But, my all time favorite is how they charge $5.00 for a new library card!

The Lonely Library by Kristin Ostby

The Lonely Library by Kristin Ostby, 32 pages

I love this book!  I loved the fact you could put on someone else's shoes and be transported somewhere else!  This book is based on the PBS show Franny's Feet. Franny Fantootsie (cute name) visits her Grandfather's shoe repair shop.  Oh no, the librarian needs her shoes fixed.  The librarian's shoes takes her to the library. Franny is transported to the biggest library with gazillions of books.  She meets Henry Mouse and Sally Cat. When it is time to leave, she ends up back at her grandfather's shoe store.  A blue bookmark flutters out of one of the shoes. Another treasure for Franny.  What an adventure she has had!  Where will her feet take her next time?