Susan Orlean is an exceptional writer and her love for the written word and libraries is all over this work.

As she digs into the fire at the LAPL, this becomes a book about libraries and the people who inhabit them. The librarians and all of the ins and outs and backrooms and quirky people who make up the library. What she finds is something that we all have found at one time or another, a second home. A place of community, a place that levels the playing field for those who don't have the luxury of buying a lot of books or resource material. 

I often joke I would love to be locked in a library and after reading Susan's book, I really want to do that! I associate the library with my childhood, my first library card, the smell, all the adventures I took in those books.

Librarians are really lucky!

I loved this book and I hope you do as well.

Netgalley/ Simon and Schuster October 16, 2018

I wasn't able to get through this book -- not through any fault of the author's -- the subject just didn't capture me as I thought it might. However, it is well written and thoroughly researched, so I'm giving it four stars. It simply wasn't my cup of tea.

Another great read and information from Susan Orlean. She describes in depth not only a fire which pretty much decimated the Los Angeles Public Library in 1986, but details the library's history, its key players, and the years long search for the alleged arsonist. Following her own story of how she became a devoted reader, Orlean launches into the story of the LA library conflagration. She has seemingly thought of everything to include in this supremely riveting nonfiction read. One doesn't need to be a librarian to be engaged with this narrative; only someone who appreciates the written word and how important it Is to our personal well-being and that of the community it serves.

I didn’t want this book to end. Like the author, I grew up going to the library with my mother. We lived rurally so I looked forward to going to town, returning our books and checking out new ones. At that time there was a two-book limit! As a young and broke military wife, our Friday night “date” was the library.

Orlean has written a history of Los Angeles Public Library from the beginning, through the devastating fire in 1986 and it’s phoenix rise from the ashes six years later, remodeled and with a new wing. We meet many of the staff and directors over the span of its 100-year history. She says it’s simply “a storehouse of books,” but going deeper, she reminds us that books are an expression of culture, that books are a sort of culture DNA, the code for who, as a society, we are, and what we know. President Roosevelt gave the keynote at the American Library Association’s convention in 1942. “Books cannot be killed by fire,” he declared. “People die, but books never die.” No bibliophile needs convincing of this. She concludes with, why she wrote this book, “to tell about a place I love that doesn’t belong to me but feels like it is mine, and how that feels like a marvelous and exceptional thing.” Ray Bradbury wrote, “The library was my nesting place, my birthing place, it was my growing place.” This is a library/book-lover’s book.

The Library Book combines a thorough journalistic investigation with non-fictional storytelling. Orlean has a gift for detail, and her writing elates fascination. This book is one of the most unexpected page-turners I've ever read, genre and theme wise. With the LA public library great fire of 1986 as focus, Orlean takes us on a journey across time, connecting the fatal events of that day with the long history of the library and its significance as a place of refuge, physical and emotional, for the community. The author brings to life those who have made, and continue making, the library that space, threading anecdotes with biography and painting a colourful, nuanced and fascinating painting

As a complete book junkie, I LOVED this book. The history of the LA library was the glue that held this look at the state of the current library system together seamlessly. Interesting history...interesting look at the writer's love of books...interesting back stories of the employees of the library. Highly entertaining non-fiction. Not only for serious book lovers, but for readers interested in some great storytelling and history.

Susan Orlean writes so beautifully that I could get into any topic she cares to treat with a book. When I saw she was writing about libraries, I had high expectations. "The Library Book" managed to live up to all of them. It's part mystery (what caused a huge fire at the Los Angeles public library in April 1986?), part history (of Los Angeles as well as its library) and part romance (between Orlean and books, between all of us and libraries). Despite a huge cast of characters and 150-plus years of historical detail, the book never drags.

I enjoyed the parts if this title about the fire and rebuilding. The history of the library seemed a bit slow, although it provided significant background for the story.

A fascinating study of both the cultural meaning and value of the library as a concept, and the real work and many diverse purposes served by libraries today, through the lens of an act of library arson(?). Orlean manages to capture the pleasure of the library hardwired from childhood visits, of the release of memory as an adult that triggers the same in me as a reader.

Most fraught, and most effective, is her account of burning a book in an experiment - her recounting of this moment has a surprisingly transgressive charge, making the reader suddenly aware of how deep the cultural taboo goes, even in an age of disposable entertainment and devaluation of libraries. It's extremely effective in helping the reader viscerally understand the loss, both real and emotional, of a library's worth of books, of the sheer enormity of such an act of arson, while also revealing the extent to which this impact is culturally programmed.

I was only 6 years old when the Los Angeles library burned (and obviously preferred cartoons over the news) but I'm still surprised that this book is the first I heard of it. Being a lifelong avid reader and lover of all things bookish, libraries hold a special place in my heart. The story of the actual burning of the library was fascinating. I never knew fire was so complex. I had to pause several times in my reading to google the library, the events surrounding the fire, and facts about fire itself.

The author also covers the history of the Los Angeles library in great detail. I would have probably enjoyed the history better if it were separate from the story of the fire but the way it was included sporadically throughout the narrative disrupted the flow of the story about the events surrounding the fire.

What I learned from “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean?

A lot! My brain is nearly combusting from all the information about Los Angeles, libraries in America, librarians, history of the Los Angeles library, architecture of the Los Angeles library, people working at the Los Angeles library, the famous fire that nearly consumed the Los Angeles library, arson in general, search for the arsonist after the fire at the Los Angeles library, the renovation of the Los Angeles library, love of books in general, love of libraries in general and so much more.

Susan Orlean is a talented writer and she could write a telephone book in a way that would make it readable. Her love of libraries and books is touching, as well as her adoration for librarians. The research she had to undertook to write this book is breathtaking. I am in awe of her devotion and writing skills. At the same time I don’t think this book will appeal to wide audience. It is really only for devoted book enthusiasts and people fascinated by libraries. I love reading and history, but still some information in this book seemed trivial and unnecessary.

The history of the Los Angeles library is worth telling, but apart from the fire that nearly destroyed the building and the criminal investigation that followed there is not much compelling information to tell about it. The case of arson was never definitely closed, so what really happened and if there was an arsonist responsible for the fire – remains a mystery. The author recalls all the known facts, so it is possible for every reader to judge them and come to his own conclusions. I think there is too much information in the book about running libraries nowadays and people who work there. It is nice that the author talked to them and wrote about them in a book, but it wasn’t very interesting.

Overall, "The Library Book" is like a love song to libraries and books. I enjoyed reading it, even if I found some parts of it redundant.

I received "The Library Book" from the publisher via NetGalley. I would like to thank the author and the publisher for providing me with the advance reader copy of the book.

Wonderful book by a favorite author. If you love reading and libraries, you should buy this book! It describes in detail the fire at the Los Angeles Public Library and the conservation efforts that were taken, as well as the attempts to find a supposed arsonist.

This is a timely and lovely portrait of a cultural necessity, libraries and the strange and wonderful things and people you see in them. It was so well written, detailed, and delightful. I thought Orlean captured the human nature and unique eccentricity of libraries and how treasured they really are. I think this is a great book for anyone who loves books or just human stories about culture and learning. Its so well written.

I received an advanced copy of this book through NetGalley. This book had me from the very beginning. I love that it kept me engaged the entire time. I couldn't wait to see how it ended. I would highly recommend to all my fellow readers. Thank you for the chance to review this book!

As a lover of libraries, I wish I could have given this book a five. The book does provide some interesting information about the Los Angeles Public Library. However, the book misses some of the reasons that people love libraries and seems to follow a formula common in modern nonfiction.

The strengths of the books is that it provides a history of the Los Angles library and the people involved in running this institution. The book provides some interesting facts about the physical structure of the building. I found parts about the arson much more informative than I thought I would.

However, the book seems to follow a modern formula. I have reviewed several nonfiction books that seem to follow this formula. The book is basically a history/sociology book. However, the book is marketed as part "mystery" which I feel is done to make it sell. The author puts some information in about themselves and their motivations for writing the book in the main part of the book where I feel it is irrelevant.

Ms. Orlean says she wrote this book in part as a tribute to her mother who loved libraries. While this is a noble to write a book of about libraries, I feel this information belongs in the preface and acknowledgements of the book not in the main section.

Furthermore, Ms. Orlean states that she herself is not a big user of the library. She prefers to buy her own books. Therefore she herself is not an example of a libriayphile. She needed to found more library enthusiasts for her book. The book does not answer the question of why people made this major effort to save the library after the fire.

Some of my problems of the book may have to do with the Los Angeles public library. I was sad to see how much the homeless dominate the Los Angeles library. I think the Boston Public Library and some of the suburban libraries around Boston have tried to keep liberties to their original purpose; for people to do research and take out books. I am not saying that we should not help the homeless but rather that the public libraries should be for ALL not just the homeless.

Furthermore I like hanging out at the library. One aspect of libraries that I like is that they are one of the few remaining institutions in the United States that both the very poor and uneducated and the upper class use. Students and people who use libraries a lot will still like the fact that you can take out books for free. If you read a lot (more than a book a week) the cost of books can be prohibitive. Also if you live in a small place what is one supposed to do with all the books one’s read? I am a traditionalist in regards to libraries. I believe their primary purpose will continue to be as a place that people can both do research and take out books.

Thus, while the Library Book provided some interested history on the Los Angeles Public library, I felt it missed some of what makes libraries both well-loved and enduring institution.

I received a few copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a well written, researched, combination of history facts and good storytelling. I think people who love history will really love this book. I wanted to live this book but it's not my regular cup od coffee and was difficult for me to get through. I would still recommend it, though, because I know a few readers who would love it.

I was working as an intern for the Los Angeles Conservancy in 1993, when the repairs to the Central Library were completed and the library reopened. The Conservancy (which was founded by the same preservationists who fought to save the historic building) held their annual charity fundraising auction in the new library, and I have been completely infatuated with the building ever since.

When I saw this book was available on NetGalley, I immediately requested to read it. I had read other books and articles by Susan Orlean in the past, and was looking forward to reading her take on this building. And I was not disappointed. Orlean provided a thorough history of the institution, which has had its fair share of Los Angeles strangeness built in from the very beginning. One of the early chief librarians was Charles Lummis, a Harvard dropout who was offered a job as a reporter for the Los Angeles Times in 1884. A resident of Cincinnati, Ohio, Lummis decided, Forrest-Gump-like, to walk across the country from Cincinnati to LA--a choice that offers a premonition of the quirkiness of his character throughout his life. He was an inveterate womanizer, magazine editor, champion of the native peoples of the American Southwest as well as the head of the library. He is named as one of the earliest examples of the Southern Californian free spirit in the book Bohemia in Southern California.

The man who was accused of setting the catastrophic fire that gutted the library in 1986 was also a classic LA character--a wannabe actor who never told a story the same way twice, and who counted the leader of a charismatic religious organization as his alibi.

One of the elements I wasn't expecting was the affection for libraries and this particular library that is clear in Orlean's writing. She begins the book by telling the reader of her own early experiences with her neighborhood library, and how her fond memories from that time led her to undertake the research that resulted in this book.

Her in-depth history of the library itself, both the building and the Los Angeles Library as an institution, as well as her descriptions of the physical structure of the building, the mystery surrounding the fire, and the interesting process of trying to salvage as many books as possible after the fire made this a fascinating read. I also appreciated that she brought the story of the library right up to present day, including a discussion of the libraries changing role as a result of the rise of e-books and the redevelopment/gentrification of its downtown Los Angeles location.

I know not everyone will have the same personal connection to this building that I do, but I think this book will provide an interesting read to anyone who might want to learn more about the history of Los Angeles as a city and the changing role that libraries play in current society.

I received an advanced reading copy from Simon & Schuster via NetGalley. Thanks!

After arriving in LA, he was fairly quickly let go from the TimesEven so, I was surprised by how much affection Orlean expressed for the building and the institution of the Los Angeles Library. was reopened after the

Starting with a description of the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles public library that damaged over one million books, Susan Orleans investigates not only the arson but the history of libraries in the community. She touches on gender roles in libraries, architecture, social services and the various controversies that surround this beloved (by some) institution.

Writing: 5 Topic coverage: 5

Ostensibly the story of the massive 1986 fire that brought the Los Angeles Central Library to its knees, this book is so much more. With captivating prose, Susan Orleans tells the broader story — many meticulously researched threads exploring the fire itself, the arson investigation, the mechanics of book restoration, the building architecture, and the history of the L.A. library and of libraries in general. Sprinkled throughout are biographical vignettes of the players: librarians and Library Directors, volunteers who came in droves to help with the book rescue, firefighters, arson investigators, security chiefs and the hapless man accused of setting the fire. Each chapter starts with the catalog records of three to four relevant books and proceeds to delve into one of the threads in a little more depth.

The story is a very personal one for the author as well — her love of books and libraries shines through brightly. One (short) chapter covered the emotional trials involved with her actually trying to burn a book in order to experience the physical process.

Some tidbits:

• In Senegal a polite way of saying someone has died is to say that his or her library has burned.
• The shipping department moving books between branches: “It is as if the city has a bloodstream flowing through it, oxygenated by books.”
• “A library is a good place to soften solitude; a place where you feel part of a conversation that has gone on for hundreds and hundreds of years even when you’re alone.”
• A particularly impressive map collection — “it was one more piece of the bigger puzzle the library is always seeking to assemble — the looping, unending story of who we are”

Normally not a big non-fiction reader, I was absolutely unable to set it down and polished it off in a couple of days. Great for fans of Mary Roach.

I received an advanced copy of this book through Netgalley. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this. The author has a way with words! I will definitely recommend this book to my fellow readers!!! Thank you for the chance to review this book!!!!!