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charnrudai's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
laniedays's review
3.0
A heartwarming quick read. Good to enjoy over a cup of tea. Definitely could have been longer & more suspenseful but I appreciate it for what it is.
judyward's review against another edition
4.0
The importance of books and reading in the lives of children provides the theme of this novella.
cj_mo_2222's review against another edition
5.0
Baltimore PI Tess Monaghan volunteers her services to discover who has been stealing books from a newly-opened children's bookstore in her neighborhood. Tess loves books and feels so strongly about having a local bookstore available for her daughter that she is willing to try to solve these crimes on her own time. Unfortunately, it takes more time than she had planned on to catch this thief.
"The Book Thing" is one of the stand-alone short stories in the Bibliomysteries series. This series includes short stories with different characters, written by a variety of best-selling authors each in their own unique style. The common theme in this diverse group of stories is books. "The Book Thing" is a mystery about who is stealing books from a bookstore, but it is ultimately story about the love of books. In this story, Tess realizes that everyone should be able to pick their own favorite books and express their love of books in their own way.
Followers of the Tess Monaghan series will enjoy seeing Tess uncover the mystery behind the sudden rash of book thefts as well as the chance to see Tess spending quality time with her young daughter. As always, Tess's hometown of Baltimore plays a big role in the story and I love how "The Book Thing of Baltimore" is woven into the story. Readers who have enjoyed any of the other stories in the Bibliomysteries series, but are unfamiliar with the Tess Monaghan series, will not be disappointed in this installment.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Open Road Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
"The Book Thing" is one of the stand-alone short stories in the Bibliomysteries series. This series includes short stories with different characters, written by a variety of best-selling authors each in their own unique style. The common theme in this diverse group of stories is books. "The Book Thing" is a mystery about who is stealing books from a bookstore, but it is ultimately story about the love of books. In this story, Tess realizes that everyone should be able to pick their own favorite books and express their love of books in their own way.
Followers of the Tess Monaghan series will enjoy seeing Tess uncover the mystery behind the sudden rash of book thefts as well as the chance to see Tess spending quality time with her young daughter. As always, Tess's hometown of Baltimore plays a big role in the story and I love how "The Book Thing of Baltimore" is woven into the story. Readers who have enjoyed any of the other stories in the Bibliomysteries series, but are unfamiliar with the Tess Monaghan series, will not be disappointed in this installment.
I received this book from NetGalley through the courtesy of Open Road Publishers in exchange for an honest review.
wordnerdy's review against another edition
2.0
I'm not counting this toward my yearly totals, since it's so short, but wanted to comment on it--it's a longish short story involving Lippman's heroine Tess solving a mystery of missing books at a children's bookstore. It's VERY heavy handed about "physical books are special and e-books are the devil" at time, and the plot is kind of depressing. Special props for name-dropping Betsy-Tacy and Edward Eager though!
(A review copy was provided by the publisher.)
(A review copy was provided by the publisher.)
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Crossposted at Booklikes.
This is a Tess mystery and concerns books. Someone is stealing children’s books. Nice short story. It is about setting books free, and the conflicting feelings that many book owners/readers/hoarders feel about their collections as well as eBooks. Nice lovely short story for a reader.
This is a Tess mystery and concerns books. Someone is stealing children’s books. Nice short story. It is about setting books free, and the conflicting feelings that many book owners/readers/hoarders feel about their collections as well as eBooks. Nice lovely short story for a reader.
francomega's review against another edition
3.0
Pleasant short story about the mystery behind missing books in a small children's bookstore in Baltimore.
kellyhager's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first of two Laura Lippman stories I didn't know about. This is made even better (or worse, depending on your perspective) by the fact that it's a Tess Monaghan story.
Everything about this story was perfect. I love the fact that it's set around various Baltimore bookstores. (There is a Children's Bookstore in Baltimore, although it's not this one, and The Book Thing is also real.)
And I especially love the fact that it's a Tess Monaghan story. Tess has been gone for ages, although we have a new novel-length installment of her series coming up soon.
This one is just a short story, but it's wonderful.
Highly recommended.
Everything about this story was perfect. I love the fact that it's set around various Baltimore bookstores. (There is a Children's Bookstore in Baltimore, although it's not this one, and The Book Thing is also real.)
And I especially love the fact that it's a Tess Monaghan story. Tess has been gone for ages, although we have a new novel-length installment of her series coming up soon.
This one is just a short story, but it's wonderful.
Highly recommended.
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