This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Read it, loved it, but hadn't updated a review on Netgalley. Thanks for the galley, I ended up listening to a library audiobook because I didn't get around to reading the book in time.

The Library Book is so much more than a book about a library! It is a non-fiction book that reads like a mystery novel. You can't help but learn historical facts about the library and the Los Angeles fire. But you will also read about an arson investigation and mystery behind the fire. It's a wonderful read for anyone who loves books, the library and history!

I received an advance digital copy of this book though all thoughts are my own.

This was a fascinating history on the Public Library in L.A. , mysteries surrounding some of the fires, as well as some interesting facts of various Libraries throughout the world.

If you enjoy reading about the history of Libraries as well as Librarians like I do, you'll enjoy this book as it truly is a love story to Libraries and it's one of my favorite books that center around one of my favorite places to be in.

It was such a fun read and I'm so glad to have finally gotten a chance to enjoy it! It's a book that I know I'll be rereading at least once a year from now on!

I've always loved libraries. Since I was small enough to remember, they held the promise of so much...jumping into a great story or learning something new. I recall feeling excited when I looked for a book in the card file and then found it on the shelf, or just perusing the books and one would jump out at me. I'm always overwhelmed by the huge number of choices and the pressure to find just the right book.

When I saw The Library Book, I was immediately intrigued. The story about the Central Library fire is a focal point of the book, but the author uses it as a way to weave in the history of libraries and how important they have become to communities. They are no longer just a depot for books, but also a place for people to seek help or shelter when needed.

I was less interested in who or what caused the fire, as that seemed to be a weaker side story. I never felt a real curiosity about Harry, the suspected arson. I thought the author did a better job explaining how libraries have evolved over the years and how their importance has changed. She captured the essence and spirit of libraries. It also provided a great look at Los Angeles and how the city has grown in the last century.

If you are a lover of libraries and books, you'll enjoy this tremendously. (less) [edit]

Interesting read on one of the greatest fires to devastate a library. A little slow at times, but overall very factual and made me think.

Loved this book that recounts the history of the fire that damaged the L.A. library. It is a fast and informative read. I really liked the quirky characters involved in the story.

I wanted more from this book. A lot of it was about how a library works which (to be fair) might be interesting to someone who hasn't worked in a library for 15 years but I found myself wanting less about the author's love of books and reading and more of the actual crime and suspect(s).

Susan Orlean is a literary genius. Anyone can give a good plot summary, but her prose is wonderful. There's a reason why this book has been so highly praised. If you've never picked up a book by Susan Orlean - The Library Book, or any of her other works - I highly recommend considering it!!

The Library Book is an excellent book about the LA Central Library fire, its key suspect, how the library operates now, and the history and future of libraries (mostly LA's but with broader context, too). There's a lot of charm and verve in the storytelling and in the stories themselves.

I particularly enjoyed the sections about the LA library system's early librarians and the life and times of Charles Lummis. The structure was a little strange at times – sometimes a story is stretched needlessly across two chapters, while other chapters end abruptly – which I think is what I'm tempted to split hairs over.

A very enjoyable read.

This book is everything a librarian loves or any reader for that matter. A compelling mystery, some incredible history, sociology and psychology, and exquisite writing. To learn of the intricacies of the Los Angeles Library system, the tragic fire and all the goings-on behind the scenes was riveting. A must-read

I can't stop raving about this book. I really want to move to Los Angeles when I retire and work for LAPL. I gifted a copy to my mom.

Special thanks to Simon & Schuster for providing our copy in exchange for an honest & fair review.

This is such a captivating & well-researched book. true crime addicts & history buffs, this one is for you. Orlean is such an excellent writer.

Thank you for the opportunity to be an early reader.

I wanted to love The Library Book, but alas, I did not. I found the premise fascinating and couldn't wait to read about the fire that destroyed and damaged so many treasures at the Los Angeles library in 1986.

The book was extraordinarily well researched, the characters interesting, and the care taken to preserve what remained after the fire admirable. I also loved the book titles and catalogue information at the beginning of each chapter. But, despite all those things going for it, the narrative was difficult to follow, and the storylines were choppy. There were some awesome quirky characters, but their stories were left dangling too soon. I also found some of the storylines and details shared, while interesting, didn’t advance the story.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing a digital ARC of The Library Book in exchange for an honest review.

Great read. Took me a while to get into as not something I’d normally spend time on. Enjoyable, particularly for lovers of books.

A story? or a history of libraries? A fascinating narrative or a compelling case for why we all collectively need to care about libraries? All of the above?
The correct answer is all of the above.
Susan Orlean is a genuine certifiable Queen. This book was heartfelt and warm while also throwing out fistfuls of information and 300 pages of reasons to care about libraries, the people who use them, work in them and maybe...try hard not to burn them down. A mystery and a history all in one makes for a thrilling read.

I love a good metaphor or simile and I enjoy some alliteration every now and then as well. However, Susan Orlean uses all three of the above in nearly every sentence of every paragraph on every page. It got to be a lot and it really impeded my ability to read the actual story.

The meat of the book, however, is interesting and enjoyable, though also a bit of a struggle to get through. At it’s core, The Library Book is about the history of the Los Angeles Central library as seen through the lens of the 1986 fire that destroyed the building and left nearly 700,000 books damaged or destroyed. Orlean often weaves multiple story lines together which can be difficult to track as we jump to the distant past to the present to the near past while also looking to the future. While the information itself is interesting, many readers might find themselves having to slog through the intense and ever-growing cast of characters, dates, and facts.

Overall, it was a struggle for me to finish. The last few chapters especially felt like they dragged on far too long as Orlean discussed conference after conference after conference and included details interesting to her but perhaps not to the casual reader. I learned a great deal but probably would not recommend this book to others.

This book was fascinating and almost impossible to put down... This is one of the times when I resented how work cut into my reading time. I love how Orlean structured this tale and how invested I was in the fate of this place I have never visited and the people it touches on a daily basis.

Such a narrative arc for a nonfiction book! I found myself forgetting that I was not reading a novel in some parts. My librarian and book nerd friends all loved this but I think it enjoys an even broader audience among those hopeful through current world challenges.

This book was definitely well researched and chock full of interesting information. It did jump around in time which made it hard to keep track of and distracted me from the story the author was trying to tell.

I have to admit I read this book after it was published and did listen to part of it. The author was the narrator and she should stick to researching and writing and leave the reading to someone else. For me it really detracted from the book. If I read other books by her I’ll stick to reading.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.