On the morning of April 29, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. As the moments passed, the patrons and staff who had been cleared out of the building realized this was not the usual fire alarm. As one fireman recounted, “Once that first stack got going, it was ‘Goodbye, Charlie.’” The fire was disastrous: it reached 2000 degrees and burned for more than seven hours. By the time it was extinguished, it had consumed four hundred thousand books and damaged seven hundred thousand more. Investigators descended on the scene, but more than thirty years later, the mystery remains: Did someone purposefully set fire to the library—and if so, who?

Weaving her lifelong love of books and reading into an investigation of the fire, award-winning New Yorker reporter and New York Times bestselling author Susan Orlean delivers a mesmerizing and uniquely compelling book that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In The Library Book, Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

Along the way, Orlean introduces us to an unforgettable cast of characters from libraries past and present—from Mary Foy, who in 1880 at eighteen years old was named the head of the Los Angeles Public Library at a time when men still dominated the role, to Dr. C.J.K. Jones, a pastor, citrus farmer, and polymath known as “The Human Encyclopedia” who roamed the library dispensing information; from Charles Lummis, a wildly eccentric journalist and adventurer who was determined to make the L.A. library one of the best in the world, to the current staff, who do heroic work every day to ensure that their institution remains a vital part of the city it serves.


I love libraries and books about libraries and books about books, so naturally I was excited to read this one.  Orleans' examination of the devastating fire and her ruminations about books/reading in general are fascinating, but The Library Book still got dull for me in places.  It made for such slow reading that I actually put the volume down several times.  In the end, I enjoyed the read overall, but I didn't love it like I thought I would.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:


If this were a movie, it would be rated:

There's nothing quite like Oktoberfest in the small, German-themed town of Leavenworth, Washington.  Crowds of beer lovers swarm the streets, bringing enthusiasm, money, and chaos to the otherwise quiet village.  Sloan Krause, the manager of a start-up brewery, is excited for the opportunity to bring attention to the new bar while showcasing the brilliant Cherrywizen she and Nitro's owner, Garrett Strong, have been cooking up.  When she learns that a film crew is in town to make a documentary about beer, she's thrilled with the publicity it could bring for Nitro.  The fact that its "talent" is a spoiled child star who offends everyone he meets is an annoyance, but one she's too busy to dwell on.

When Mitchell Morgan's dead body is discovered behind a beer tent, Sloan is as shocked as the rest of her community.  Certainly, the "star" had made his share of enemies, but who hated him enough to kill him?  Suspects are plentiful and include some of Sloan's nearest and dearest.  To clear their names, Sloan once again turns amateur detective, sticking her nose into places it doesn't belong.  The closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous her little investigation becomes.  Can she solve the case before it's too late?  Or will Sloan's be the next body on the coroner's table?

I'm not generally big on cozy mysteries, but I've become a fan of Ellie Alexander's books.  I especially enjoy this series featuring brewmaster Sloan Kraus.  The Pint of No Return, the second installment, is a light, fun mystery featuring likable characters set against a charming, colorful backdrop.  Alexander peppers the story with details about beer-making, which is interesting, even to someone like me who knows nothing at all about the industry.  Plotwise, there's nothing too original or surprising here, but the tale kept me engaged.  I enjoyed The Pint of No Return and will definitely keep reading this diverting series.

(Readalikes:  Death on Tap by Ellie Alexander)

Grade:

• A newspaper photo of Cecily Grayson, whose husband died in the explosion, became almost instantly the iconic image marking the day's horror.  The subsequent scrutiny changed her life, thrusting every detail about her and her family into a spotlight she doesn't want.  What if Teo Jackson, a filmographer who's making a documentary about the event, uncovers the guilty secrets Cecily keeps about that day?
• Kate Lynch used the explosion to escape her restrictive life as a wife and mother.  Now a nanny in Montreal, she lives in fear of being recognized.  What if someone discovers her true identity?  Kate can't go back, but neither is she really moving forward ...
• 24-year-old Franny Maycombe was adopted as a baby and is obsessed with finding her birth mother.  As she watched news coverage of the explosion she knew that her last chance to know her bio mom was going down in flames.  Now she's an activist who's passionate about making sure the victims get their due compensation, but does she really have a right to the position?   

It's been nine months since Eden Wallace's husband died and yet, she can't move on.  The 35-year-old widow has become so paralyzed with grief and anxiety that she barely leaves the house.  She's given up on her photography, her job, and any kind of social life.  Her fear of the dark has become debilitating.  Even Eden has grown tired of her grief, so when she discovers that her husband pre-paid for a week-long couple's retreat at a dark sky park near Lake Michigan for their tenth wedding anniversary, she decides to go on her own.  It's time to put her fears to rest so she can finally start living again.

When she arrives at the retreat, however, she's dismayed to discover that the cottage reserved by her husband is not a private suite.  Six college friends have also booked the place for the week.  Although reluctant to stay, Eden is reassured by the group's charismatic leader that they're happy to share their accommodations—at least for the night.  Knowing she can't drive home in the rapidly-approaching darkness, she stays.

Hours later, one of the college friends is dead and everyone is a suspect, including Eden.  Required by police not to leave town, Eden has little to do other than investigate her roommates.  Each had motive and opportunity, but who harbored enough hate to kill?  As suspicion falls more heavily on Eden, she has to ask herself a most disturbing question—could she, in her desperate, sleep-deprived state, have committed murder?  If she can't even trust herself, who can she rely on?  What really happened that fatal night?  Who is the true murderer?

The premise of Under a Dark Sky by Lori Rader-Day intrigued me from the beginning.  I'd never heard of a dark sky park, but it certainly makes for an irresistible murder mystery setting.  The novel's characters are likewise intriguing, each a complex, flawed human capable of killing.  With its twisty, engrossing plot, this book makes for a fast, furious read.  I couldn't look away until I got to the ending, which wrapped everything up with a tight, satisfying bow.  This is my first read by Lori Rader-Day, but it for sure won't be my last.  I loved this thrilling page turner.

(Readalikes:  In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware) 

Grade:

Harper is an event planner with dreams of taking over the Charleston wedding scene . . . until she meets the biggest Bridezilla of her career. She needs the job, but the only way to keep it is to hire a temperamental chef with big dreams of his own.

Janie is a classical cellist booked to play a posh Charleston wedding. She’s excited to have the lucrative gig until the groom’s brother, Emmett, shows up and asks her to help him play a song he wrote for the happy couple. The only trouble? Emmett is her unrequited high school crush.

Lily has been Dahlia's best friend, partner-in-crime, and now her maid of honor . . . until suddenly there's no wedding, and she's left to clean up Dahlia's biggest mess of all. She's been friends with Deacon, the jilted groom, for just as long, and it's up to her to rescue him after Hurricane Dahlia blows through.