Book #63 Read in 2018
The Library Book

This is a collection of short essays, written by authors or journalists, of what their libraries meant to them. It is a nice defense of why libraries are important and should be provided with adequate funding. I borrowed this book from the public library.

This book is mesmerizing. Whether you like reading about books or libraries, a good history tome, or intriguing (but weird_ people, The Library Book will keep you going strong from beginning to end.

Excellent read. The history of the fire and recovery is well written but also easy to read. The details do not make it dull reading.

The second half provides history of libraries and public reading. a must selection for anyone who loves books. Great gift for a professional.

I enjoyed this book overall. There were sections I loved. Many of the characters were interesting to learn about, especially those throughout the history of the library. I was engrossed by the portion describing the fire unfolding. I also appreciated how Orlean champions libraries. However, the order of the book did not make sense to me and felt as if I was jumping around randomly, both in the timeline and by topic. This would be a good fit for those looking to explore libraries, short character anecdotes of quirky individuals, and snapshots of history written in a compelling, detailed style. Those looking for a single cohesive story might not love it as much.

I enjoyed this work, and would recommend others give it a read. The author dreamily describes the importance of libraries, the impact of the Los Angeles Central Library fire, the investigation into the arsonist's life, really a mix of stories that jumps and skips between never really deciding exactly what it wants to be--maybe simply a library book to sit on a shelf, to be checked out because the blurb and title sound interesting. The nostalgia the book evoked- thinking about my small hometown library where I spent numerous hours as a child is a significant and probably a reason many will enjoy reading this book. Overall, I am thankful to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for the egalley of this book, which I received in exchange for my honest review.

In The Library Book, Susan Orlean delves into the history of the Los Angeles Public Library before and after a huge fire in 1986. The book is an introduction to a historic fire that largely escaped national notice because it was overshadowed by the Chernobyl nuclear disaster that also occurred that day. It is also a fascinating story of the people associated with the library system throughout its history, not to mention a love letter to libraries and what they represent both to the community and to the author personally. The language is flowery, abundantly sprinkled with adjectives, and sometimes over-dramatic (things are often introduced as “something/someone so adjective that it shocking fact”). Then again, if you’re going to write flowery prose, a love letter would be the place to do it. This story would interest anyone who grew up loving books and libraries.

This book was an absolute joy to read. When Susan and I spoke about it on The Secret Library podcast, she mentioned that she worked very hard to keep the length reasonable, but I gladly would have gone on reading for many more pages. This book had everything a book nerd loves: libraries, kooky characters, history, and the thread of a love of books running through the entire story.

Susan weaves multiple threads together in this book: the mystery of the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire, the history of the LAPL and those who have run it, the story of the prime suspect for the fire, and our relationship to libraries as a whole. I gobbled it up and loved every minute. I felt like I was right in the action as I explored the library alongside Susan, met those who work there, and immersed myself in library culture.

I think this is the perfect holiday gift for the book lovers this year. I know everyone on my list will be getting a copy. Interview with Susan will appear on The Secret library podcast on 10/18.

3.5 stars

I, like many avid readers, love libraries. I also love reading about libraries, bookstores, librarians, booksellers ... you get the gist.

In Susan Orlean's book we enter the world of libraries through the traumatic fire at the Los Angeles library in 1986. What I loved about the book was how the author took a single event and from that branched off in different directions to paint us an incredibly detailed portrait of the Los Angeles library, its history, architecture, the colourful characters that worked there and visited, and so much more. We're also taken through the arson investigation, the stranger than fiction lead suspect, and the attempt to save the library books that didn't burn in the fire but instead had water damage.

The book is very dense, there's a lot being covered and Orleans jumps back and forth with her focus a lot. What enthralled me at the beginning of the book, getting a burst of this story then a snapshot of something else, caused me to lose a bit of interest in the book towards the end. I found myself wanting to stick to a certain storyline, mostly the arsonist, rather than reading about the modern library and the services it offers. I suppose Orleans realised while researching the book that the fire alone couldn't sustain a whole book and so the other elements needed to be added in.

I really enjoyed reading about the history of the head librarians at the Los Angeles library, the gender issues and imbalance, the journey across various locations and the evolution of the library system we know today. There's a lot to enjoy in this book.

As a librarian, I'm naturally drawn to all things library but this book could appeal to so many people. Whether you're a history buff, a lover of literature or interested in why libraries are a powerful institution in this country, I believe you will enjoy the book. I had no idea this fire even took place so it was eye opening to me. I really loved the intro to each chapter with the bibliographic entry for books related to the chapter's content. It was adorable. Susan Orlean definitely did her research and it's clear she holds libraries near and dear to her heart.

Thank you to Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

This was indeed a love letter to libraries and library staff everywhere. I really appreciated the thought and research that Susan Orlean put into this book. So many interesting things I learned about crimes involving fire and arson, too.

All the things that are wrong with the world seem conquered by a library's simple unspoken promise: Here is my story, please listen; here I am, please tell me your story (Kindle location 4500).

A good book, easy to read, and appropriate for our benighted age.

The first two above are clear enough, I think. Let me explain the third.

I salute the iron will and singleness of purpose of those who are spending every waking moment attempting to correct the god-forsaken mess the world is now in. I try to do what I can, and I flatter myself that I am doing more than many. But unbroken concentration on the world's calamities does no one good, least of all oneself. I seek solace primarily in books. Many others do the same of course. An unscientific study of ads that appear frequently on my Kindle appears to indicate that, when escaping unpleasant reality, many seem to value a story of romance with a person who is both good-looking and rich. Others go for a trip to the stars, while still others go backwards in time to the age of sail.

For myself, I seek non-fiction books that indicate that life today is not quite as bad as it seems, and that remind me that tens of thousands of thoughtful people (including but not limited to the author) are going about their professions in a mindful fashion and making life a little better in the process. I love books like this. This is one of those books. It is optimistic but not dopey, hopeful but not sticky-sweet.

It is a big fat wet kiss for libraries and librarians everywhere – let me emphasize that a big fat wet kiss is a good thing. The very existence of libraries is an improbable triumph of civic goodness over the deafening chorus proclaiming that the pursuit of narrow self-interest is the noblest goal both of the individual and the society. On top of that, the library seems to have become an employment for choice for those whose contempt for normal values manifests itself in full-sleeve tattoos, multiple piercings, and a desire to see information flow as freely as possible. These things deserve to be celebrated.

The book's precipitating event which sends the author jetting (figuratively and literally) in all directions in a 1986 fire in the main downtown branch of the Los Angeles public library, so of course we get a lot of interesting information about arson and its investigation, the history of politically-motivated book-burning, the growth of LA from lonely outpost to modern metropolis, and how libraries changed and are changing with the times, among other topics. There are also a few autobiographical shards from the author about her bittersweet memories of childhood trips to the library. These last might try the patience of those who feel that personal recollections are inappropriate in a book of this type, but I didn't mind them, especially as they are well-written and the author returns to the main narrative quickly enough.

The book has an entertaining assortment of villains and ambiguous characters, so it's not all unicorns and rainbows. It has the sweep of history but also the personal touch. It has several hundred of pages of people trying, in their own small ways, to be helpful, even if all they can do is pass water-logged books, bucket-brigade style, from the smoldering library to waiting trucks, or tell you how to say “The necktie is in the bathtub” in Swedish.

The fact that I have never been to Los Angeles in my life did not reduce my enjoyment at all. Read this quietly cheerful book and remember it while enduring the dog's-breakfast we've made of the world.

I received a free electronic advance review copy of this book via Netgalley and Simon & Schuster.

Might be in the minority, but I didn't love this book. I was intrigued by the storyline, however I found the layout and writing to be disjointed and drawn out. I lost interest at times. The author clearly did extensive research and is a talented writer, but I just felt there was a lot of "fluff" and I wound up skimming through some sections.

An absorbing narrative non-fiction read. Susan Orleans masterfully tells the tale of the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire and libraries in general. It's an ode to libraries, a mystery, and a great read.

My grandmother was a university librarian, my first babysitter was the county library, and my first crush was Mrs. Pyle, my school librarian who wore purple earrings and chose me to stamp the date cards. So yes, I am a lover of libraries and everything about them; so is Susan Orlean. This New Yorker writer has a few bestsellers (think Orchid Thief) and her latest is sure to please many bibliophiles. Revolving around the story of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Central library, this is a love letter to all things "library" - the history, the buildings, the administrators, and the frontline people who devote their lives to books, as well as some investigative journalism over 'whodunnit.' I cannot tell you how many lines I highlighted or how many times I gasped aloud at the fascinating trivia on either Los Angeles or the library itself. I found this book completely engrossing, utterly fascinating, and extraordinarily well-researched. Highly recommend to anyone who has a love affair with books.

Like Susan Orlean, I am a lifelong reader. I have memories of going to my charming, basically two-room public library beginning in elementary school. I even remember the librarian who let me read adult books after plowing through the upstairs, children's section.

This book started--and basically ended--with Harry Peak and the 1986 fire at the Central Los Angeles Public Library. As far as I'm concerned, Harry Peak is the least interesting part of the book.

As a past employee of the Library of Congress for 35 years [although not a librarian], I am familiar with library culture, the stacks [I could vividly see the stacks at LAPL as described by Orleans], and some of the issues facing libraries. As a result, this book was fascinating. And, I learned a lot. Much about the history of the Los Angeles Public Library system, the evolution of libraries across the county [and worldwide], the science of fires and investigations, and so on. The struggles to build and rebuild the library. Architecture [oh, how I wish I could have seen and walked through the original building.]

The many characters that populated this book--librarians and patrons. Of this, not at all surprised. The community role of a library. The dedication of staff. All heartwarming.

Meticulously researched--down to the titles of books and call numbers preceding each chapter which enhanced the pleasure of reading this book. Many, many facts, statistics, and tidbits. For example: Ray Bradbury was a big user of the LAPL. He considered himself "library-educated" as for almost 13 years, he went to the LAPL almost daily, reading through every department. He was working on a book but wanted a better title than "The Fireman." He called the chief of the LA Fire Department and was informed of the temperature at which paper burned: Fahrenheit 451 --voila!

And some great descriptions: "...never been in a building as forlorn as this old library, with its bruised beauty, it's loneliness." And her mother--who introduced her to a love of libraries--but "...dark fingers of dementia got her in their grip, and they pried loose random bits of her memory every day."

Learning that in 2015, the person in charge of the LAPL's website said he observes someone trying to hack into the site almost daily with most tof the hackers from China or Russia! He noted, "...people hack into the library to rehearse hacking into bigger, more secure, and more valuable targets." Fascinating. And that young people now use libraries as office space. Informtaion on bookmobiles and other forms of libraries--book bikes, book boats, and so on.

Ironically, I read this book as a egalley. [Although there is also information on ebooks and OverDrive.] I LOVE going to my public library--one branch in particular [though without charm] and finding a new read, consulting with trusted librarians, and ultimately holding a book!

Often dense and not necessarily compelling, I forged ahead and was rewarded..

Rated on Goodreads. Shared on Instagram, Twitter, and in my weekly newsletter.

Did you know that a fire at the Los Angeles Central Library destroyed over 1 million books in 1986? The Library Book is a fascinating look inside the unsolved crime and an homage to libraries everywhere.

The Library Book by Susan Orlean will be published next month by Simon&Schuster and it is one of the most beautiful and important book that you will find around if you love libraries and books.
If you are in love for books and if you suffer to seeing them destroyed, it will be painful sometimes, leaving you breathless at some point, because this one is also the story of a big fire: the one that took place in the Los Angeles Public Library on April 29 1986.

200 employees, many branches, the Public Library of Los Angeles started another day optimistically. Weather was good, warm although the month was April, people serene, life was good.

A library is a special place for a lot of people and for the most diversified reasons. You find in a library students in search for the best book for a thesis, bookworms, the ones who, for killing a hour, decide to go to the library, the safest place of this world for reading.

There were many people in the library, when in that morning the fire alarm signaled that something was wrong.

No one took particularly notice of it: it happened every day that the alarm for a reason or another let them know that existed making some noise.

Anyway, firefighters arrived to the library with the idea of sorting out the problem in a second for continuing their morning day, when something went wrong: nothing to do, the fire alarm didn't want to be fixed. It sounded as if there was a real problem in the library. No one was seeing anything but for precaution the library was evacuated.

At first it was difficult to understand where the problem was but then, dramatic moments, firefighters understood that there was a real fire.

All Los Angeles firefighters available tried their best for stopping this fire for more than seven hours.
It was so big, it was so immense, and because of the meteorological conditions we can call it "The Perfect Fire."

A firefighter said, interviewed by the author, that the fire became at some point of the color of ice. He hadn't never seen a show like that one.

Los Angeles Public Library had an extensive collection of cookbooks, the biggest one in the world. All gone; a total of 400.000 books were killed by the fire, 700.000 damaged; most of them treated for two years in special places, and cuddles like premature babies, before to see the light again.

A fire like this one, so, a news like this one, you can think was in the first pages of all the newsmagazines of the world: no, because unfortunately another tragedy in Europe devastated profoundly minds, spirits and bodies of Europeans putting everyone in panic: Chernobyl. So the only newsmagazine that treated the news, largely and pretty cheerfully was the Pravda that for obvious reasons didn't want to remark the Ukrainian tragedy.

The Boston Globe wrote that the events in Chernobyl and Los Angeles had a "Ghostly Symmetry" because "Each raised the primal fear of a fire that was beyond control, along with our dread of menacing and unmanageable power."

The shock was total and complete. Stress unimaginable. A lady skipped her period for four months, other ones, apart developing post traumatic stress disorder, suffered also of physical illness caused by smoke. Some people, including firefighters spent days to the hospital treated because of smoke ingested.

In the while: who caused that fire? Suspects became also shadows, and librarians tried their best when possible to put in bad light other colleagues. The situation of the 200 librarians of the Los Angeles Public Library became so heavy that most of them searched for a job in other places without too many compliments, while, Harry Peak, a beautiful boy in search of fame, became the first, and main suspected of the Los Angeles Public Library's fire, finishing in jail for a lot of time.
Harry is dead but the author spoke with his sister Debbie. A long conversations with a special taste of beer, melancholy; a disgraceful haunted existences, their ones, tells, Debbie, where tragedies are common in the family. Harry would have been the only one in grade to make the difference; good at school, he wanted to become an actor, Hollywood so close, at just few miles from the town where they lived in, it was a difficult career. Harry was unlucky in the private sphere as well, becoming later homosexual. If stunningly beauty in their little town, there were many beautiful wonderful young boys in Hollywood and he was one of the many beautiful young boys who wanted to try to come out; who wanted to become a name. Let's leave alone the story of Harry, now; what to do now that most of the books of the Los Angeles Public library gone?
Established a committee, librarians of course knocked at the doors of influential people where money more available and "important." Hollywood.
Letters were sent to George Lucas and other eminent directors and stars and in total the library thanks to compassionate actors, directors, in a word, celebrities accumulated 10 million of dollar. It was created a Telethon for other funds, in total 2 million of dollars. The library received little donations from passionate and devoted people in love for books, who read the news or that had memory of their time spent in that library.
Also a little donation made the difference.

The author tells at first that when little she loved to spend with her mother several days per week, a lot of time to their library. They didn't have a lot of books at home. Some encyclopedias, erotic books but the rest of books borrowed from the library at home.

Growing up, Susan tried all her best for building, buying books, her own library. She started to buying books; they are fresh, so cleaned; she forgot the devoted library where her mother accompanied her all the weeks when she was more little; at the same time that moments remains so precious for the author and her mother; now that her mother is old, sick and unfortunately she doesn't remember the past as she loved to do before, these ones are the instants that the author loves to remember with more intensity.

It was for case that Susan discovered the story of the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library. It was an age that she didn't visit a library when some day her son told her he needed to go to the library. She accompanied him and the story started from...there. This book was born thanks to the indirect help of her son.

The author remembers that when the big fire of the Los Angeles Public Library took place she lived in New York City, but she didn't remember this news. No one treated this topic at first, but just the following days.

Beautiful also the story of the Los Angeles Public Library. I would have wanted to know the first two librarians: the second one was a drunker, for just a year at the library, the first one in love for smoking, he stayed closed to his office most of the time and when called he cried: "I guess that I should help, isn't it true?" Amazing.

Women in the case of the Los Angeles Public Library made the difference and were innovative.

Yes, because at first this library was born with an annual fee of five dollars.
It meant that just rich people could visit the library, cutting out a great portion of citizenship.
Not only: men could read books; women had just special places assigned to them (they were not free like men) in the library with magazines available to them. Children were banned.
The managers made the difference deleting the annual fee, opening to everyone, children included if more than 12 years old.
It was with them that the Public Library became important and plenty of great, good, rare books.

Someone steal books from the library? Of course. Massively also! You will read. If in the UK people love to steal Terry Pratchett, in the Los Angeles Public Library tastes are different but disappointment the same. Sometimes books are replaced, but it's not said.

Let's speak of books and their durability: The Da Vinci Code is a book very read and resists more or less a year in the public library before to be classified as used book. I love to ask when I order used books the ones owned at some public libraries. They lived a lot of adventures, experienced a lot of houses, spent time in a lot of tote bags, discovered a lot of owners; they don't have a precise soul, don't you think so? I love them, because they traveled a lot before to reaching me. And they're free. Their identity can't be classified. They were books that everyone owned for a while.

You can't believe it, but also people from the studios stole books. The modality: two people, one waiting outside, close to a window, and another one in the library launching the book to him.
When at the library they noticed this, let's call it, custom, well, they changed some guidelines.

A library is not just important for common people, lucky ones but also for homeless. The Los Angeles Public Library pays extra attention to them.

The shipping department of the Los Angeles Public Library is immensely interesting like all the little branches that a library knows in the various corners of the city.
You will discover great people, with immense personal stories and a great fascination for books. I don't want to tell you all the book, but you know, I am tempted.

The intense, felt, engaging writing-style of Susan is immensely beauty.
The New Yorker's forma mentis of the author: "I want to discover everything, tell me also the littlest thing that you remember, because it means the world to me" will keep you there, reading without interruption 'till the end.

You will also read of an experiment made by the author. Susan decided of burning a book for trying to see what she would have proved, and it was devastating.

When culture is killed, people are all more poor. This is a fact.

A chapter is dedicated to all that "people" who with cruelty during the centuries tried their best for killing libraries, books from the face of the Earth for a reason or another.

You will love and adore this book. Trust me!

More than highly recommended.

I thank NetGalley and Simon&Schuster for this eBook.

Many readers will be drawn to this nonfiction title following the success of Orlean's The Orchid Thief and other bestsellers. The book has facets of poignant memoir, history, and crime investigation; and while those various sections seemed erratically mixed, the author's passion for the topic help it to gel. Library lovers will find much to enjoy.

A book for book lovers! If you love libraries, you will love this book. It transports you back in time to an age before e-readers, and will leave you with a burning desire to read more books!

“The Library Book” by Susan Orlean is an excellent, compulsively readable study of the democratizing role of libraries in our national life. The book’s prime focus is a devastating fire, in which arson was suspected, that destroyed the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986 and the institution’s phoenix-like revival. However, the book encompasses much more than the story of the fire. The book also documents the history of the LA library and its role in city life, the early librarians that give the library form and character, and the architectural story of the building’s design.

Orlean also delves into the background of the man identified as the prime suspect in setting the fire, Harry Peak. He was an unsuccessful actor who found neither himself nor a much hoped-for career in acting, and, perhaps in compensation for his failures, told wild tales to impress his friends. In one of those stories, he claimed to have set the fire. As in her earlier work, “The Orchid Thief,” Orlean has a true talent and understanding for odd characters and an ability to describe them with compassion and sympathy.

Orlean also explores how the role of libraries has dramatically changed over the last century and how they have adapted and positioned themselves to be active participants in the digital age, thus ensuring their usefulness and role in the community. The advent of e-books as well as the Internet changed the scope of libraries—and luckily librarians realized the potential of these new tools of learning early enough to incorporate them into library evolution over the past 30 years. In one respect, the LA library fire occurred at the perfect time: the city’s library, as it reconstructed its central collection and facilities, was in a prime position to assume a leading role in libraries of the digital future.

Certainly, if public reaction hadn’t countered the threat posed by misinformed articles, such as the one published by Forbes this past summer asserting that Starbucks and Amazon can replace our public libraries, Orlean’s book would easily have accomplished the task.
Libraries today remain institutions open to everyone. After all, many people cannot afford Starbucks and Amazon, but they can afford an afternoon—or a year of afternoons—in the library. School kids still hang out after school at the library, just as I did when I was growing up. Book clubs, knitting circles, and other social groups still draw lonely people and build a sense of community.

“The Library Book” makes clear that while the library’s role has grown beyond simply lending books, it still serves its early, democratizing function—to make books and other material available to a wide range of people—from well-off patrons to immigrants trying to get a foothold in a new land to the homeless people who have found a haven within libraries where they can escape the vagaries of weather and use computers. I would even go so far and assert that libraries in the US play a role similar to the role of piazzas, squares, and plazas in Europe. They provide public places where anyone can spend time, sit for a while, relax, read, or perhaps even shop. These are public treasures and are integral to a lively urban environment and the community spirit.

Orlean explains early in the book how she succumbed to a life-long love of libraries. Her mother took her regularly during her childhood to visit her local library, where she discovered the joy of books and the pleasures of reading. Although her library love went dormant for some years as she bought her own books and concentrated on her career, in the end, her son tugged her back to the public institution.

Orlean’s personal relationship to libraries struck a note in my own memories, of my mother taking me to the small library that was then located in our town’s city hall. She would take me to the even smaller children’s section, where I was well into working my way through the Nancy Drew and Hardy Boy mysteries.

My persistent worry then was what would happen when I had read all the books in the library. What then? Well before I finished all the library’s books, my mother took me to the much bigger library in the neighboring town and I knew I was well supplied for a decade or two of reading. A few years later, working in Washington, DC, I had borrowing privileges at the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian Institution Libraries in addition the the DC public library. Firsthand experience with these incredible collections of books underscores the value in our libraries that Orlean so vividly describes and provides me with further assurance that years later, I still don’t need to worry about running out of books.

Whether you borrow “The Library Book” from your local library, buy it at a neighborhood bookshop, or order it from Amazon, you not only will be guaranteed an excellent read, but you will also gain a better understanding of the importance of libraries in our national life.