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alicebme's review against another edition
3.0
On and on this book rambled and meandered, but it mostly traveled through interesting places. The imbalance of information was at time cringeworthy for me, but the freedom of writing a book like this,where the author inserts themselves into the story, allows for it.
novaturient_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
As a general statement, I am not a fan of nonfiction books. But this one was surprisingly good, especially for being nonfiction. I think it helped that the chapters alternated between history, the fire, and the current state of the library. It was a clever way to keep it interesting while still including a variety of information. You can also tell that the author put an immense amount of time and effort into being thorough with research for the novel.
This book made me feel appreciative for libraries. I’m not much of a library girl myself—I prefer to own the books that I’ve read—but the book portrays libraries in a truly beautiful way.
This book made me feel appreciative for libraries. I’m not much of a library girl myself—I prefer to own the books that I’ve read—but the book portrays libraries in a truly beautiful way.
bookwoman1967's review against another edition
4.0
Well, as a librarian, how can I not like this?
I do take exception with a couple of Orlean's assertions:
1.) That librarians "make a decent living." The entry-level salary in Los Angeles may be $60,000, but that is L.A., with its attendant cost of living, and elsewhere in the country entry-level is nowhere near that. Many director's salaries in small midwestern libraries are nowhere above the $40,000 range, and I cannot make a decent living in a public library without a second job.
2. That most librarians around the country are well-organized, vocal, and opinionated. I'll definitely give her last two adjectives, but again, unions outside of big cities like L.A. are rare.
My other quibble with the book is more in the advertising; it's given to seem like it covers more of the 1986 fire when it's largely about the L.A. library, its history, and the context of that in the world of libraries. As a librarian, again, I really shouldn't complain about that. Some of it read like it was right out of Library School Theory 101, but I suspect the material was new to Orleans and probably new to a lot of readers as well.
I was fascinated by the history of the library's architecture and its interesting librarians. My favorite quote is from librarian Althea Warren's 1935 speech that librarians should "read as a drunkard drinks or as a bird sings or a cat sleeps or a dog responds to an invitation to go walking, not from conscience or training..." I also adored the chapter on the library's phone reference department, which gives a spot-on picture of the work life of a reference librarian: 'Princenthal hung up her phone and shook her head. "Why would someone call here and ask, 'Which is more evil, grasshoppers or crickets?'" she said to no one in particular."
I do take exception with a couple of Orlean's assertions:
1.) That librarians "make a decent living." The entry-level salary in Los Angeles may be $60,000, but that is L.A., with its attendant cost of living, and elsewhere in the country entry-level is nowhere near that. Many director's salaries in small midwestern libraries are nowhere above the $40,000 range, and I cannot make a decent living in a public library without a second job.
2. That most librarians around the country are well-organized, vocal, and opinionated. I'll definitely give her last two adjectives, but again, unions outside of big cities like L.A. are rare.
My other quibble with the book is more in the advertising; it's given to seem like it covers more of the 1986 fire when it's largely about the L.A. library, its history, and the context of that in the world of libraries. As a librarian, again, I really shouldn't complain about that. Some of it read like it was right out of Library School Theory 101, but I suspect the material was new to Orleans and probably new to a lot of readers as well.
I was fascinated by the history of the library's architecture and its interesting librarians. My favorite quote is from librarian Althea Warren's 1935 speech that librarians should "read as a drunkard drinks or as a bird sings or a cat sleeps or a dog responds to an invitation to go walking, not from conscience or training..." I also adored the chapter on the library's phone reference department, which gives a spot-on picture of the work life of a reference librarian: 'Princenthal hung up her phone and shook her head. "Why would someone call here and ask, 'Which is more evil, grasshoppers or crickets?'" she said to no one in particular."
caseymaree's review against another edition
informative
slow-paced
2.5
Some interesting bits of information, but very dry and felt a lot to get through.
brendalovesbooks's review against another edition
4.0
This is a great read for book lovers, and an even better read if you work at, or are interested in, libraries. I don't usually read nonfiction, but I really enjoyed this.
brandinikkale's review
2.0
i wanted to love this book so much.
it felt 200 pages longer than it needed to be.
very chaotic and confusing.
and this is coming from a library lover.
it felt 200 pages longer than it needed to be.
very chaotic and confusing.
and this is coming from a library lover.
alanaheade's review against another edition
4.0
This book reminded me of why I want to be a Librarian and why I love the library