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3.99 AVERAGE
3.99 AVERAGE
I liked this book a lot, it just didn’t grip me enough to rank it higher. Her research is impeccable and it is a very interesting story. If you’re a fan of nonfiction, would absolutely recommend this!
I really enjoyed this! I think it’s s great book for anyone that loves the library and has a passion to see them continue to serve an important place in the community. I think history buffs would like it and I think there’s a lot there for mystery/true crime fans. This is the first book I’ve read bu this author but I really liked her style and pace and will seek out the rest of hers (from the library, of course)!
What a lovely experience it was to listen to this book.
Best book I've read! Loved how much I learned about libraries, Los Angeles, the LA Library, and popular culture. It was a little challenging to deal with the whiplash of topic from chapter to chapter, but I prefer that over the alternative -- Part 1: A History of Libraries, Part 2: The Alleged Arsonist, etc.
This book was not what I had expected at all. I was hoping for an in depth investigation into the fire of the library and the suspects. Instead, the story telling was choppy and it felt like she was trying to throw all the random facts about libraries into no particular coherent order.
informative
medium-paced
An interesting book that vacillated between the history of the Los Angeles library system and the burning of its central branch + subsequent investigation. Long-winded but pleasant, investigatory and introspective - I enjoyed this book, yet it took me quite awhile (6 months?) to get through. Definitely not a book for everyone, but given my love of libraries, it fit me.
Great read
Wonderful book for anyone that loves reading and libraries.. Lot of history and detail. Definitely want to visit the library next trip to LA
Wonderful book for anyone that loves reading and libraries.. Lot of history and detail. Definitely want to visit the library next trip to LA
Orlean describes her re-introduction to public libraries as a parent, an experience that brings back the fond memories of regular trips with her mother to the local library. Now living in Los Angeles, she becomes interested in the history of the Los Angeles main library when she takes a tour and finds out that the library experienced a devastating fire in April 1986. The cause was determined (possibly in error) as arson but a strong enough case could never be made against the one suspect, Harry Peak, a young man who aspired to be an actor and was prone to exaggeration about his life. This book could have left the Peak investigation behind. The more interesting parts of the book revolve around the library. Orlean occasionally gets into the weeds with side plots she finds interesting but the library's history, the differences of main librarians over the years, details about the fire, how the tragedy affected employees (which is only barely addressed), and the role of libraries in all communities prove to be more entertaining and enlightening than the story of a unreliable fame-seeking failed actor suspected of arson.