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heidilreads's review against another edition
4.0
Wow... I love books, but I am surprised how much I enjoyed this book on the LA public library.
soopbowl's review against another edition
4.0
Wow I'm actually so surprised I liked this book!!! This certainly isn't a book I would have ever reached for, I don't even remember why I did lolll.
lalawoman416's review against another edition
4.0
I really wanted to LOVE this book. I did. It had the makings of being my favorite book. A book about libraries. A book about MY library system. And yet... the only chapters I found amazing were Chapters 9 & 13. The rest were good. Good but not amazing. This is a good read about the history of the L.A. Public Library system. But it was a little disjointed. It wanted to be a history of the library. It wanted to tell the story of the 1986 fire in the library. It succeeded in the former and not so much in the latter. The latter story was disjointed, told in parts, peppered throughout the book, and, in the end, said not much more than you could have found in an L.A. Times article. Still, the things I learned from this book was worth the read and I strongly recommend it.
farahsarish's review against another edition
5.0
I LOVED this book! Well-written, engaging, and informative, this tells the story not just of the LA library, but of libraries in general and how much they give to the world.
alreadyemily's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 - A wonderful read - operated on multiple levels and wove a surprising number of storylines together in an interesting way. Lovely and hopeful.
awesomebrandi's review against another edition
4.0
The Library Book is a nonfiction book focused largely on the fire that occured at the Los Angeles Central Library in 1986, but also has a large amount of general library and book history in it. I really enjoyed Susan Orlean's writing style. I feel that she brings a lot of lyrical style to a non-fiction book, and especially with a book about libraries, there was a lot of emotional pull for me. Growing up, the library was always my happy place, and it still always brings a sense of peace to me. I enjoyed reading insight from librarians and learning more history about libraries in general.
The book also contains a bit of information about the primary suspect in the library fire, and while I felt there was a lot of compassion shown for him, it was probably my least favorite part of the book. It wasn't anything glaring, but it just didn't flow for me.
This book talks about a quite a few heavy and sad things (like books being burned, yikes), but also balances that out with a real passion for books, libraries and how they all connect in the human story. This book really spoke to my heart, and I would suggest it to any fellow book and library lovers.
The book also contains a bit of information about the primary suspect in the library fire, and while I felt there was a lot of compassion shown for him, it was probably my least favorite part of the book. It wasn't anything glaring, but it just didn't flow for me.
This book talks about a quite a few heavy and sad things (like books being burned, yikes), but also balances that out with a real passion for books, libraries and how they all connect in the human story. This book really spoke to my heart, and I would suggest it to any fellow book and library lovers.
rsteuber's review against another edition
Topic wasn’t all that interesting to me after awhile
lisbethivies's review against another edition
4.0
As an avid reader that has also been a long-time patron of the library, I jumped at the chance to read this title for the 2023 reading challenge Around the Year in 52 Books. While the true prompt was a book where books are important, I think anyone would say that a book entirely arguing that libraries are important works under the same umbrella. At least I hope so anyway!
The sheer amount of information contained in The Library Book overwhelmed me a bit at first. Starting with the narrower scope of a raging fire in the Los Angeles central library in 1986, the reader is soon taken on a journey that spans the entire history of the Los Angeles library system. That focus continues, at least geographically for the most part, but there are some segues toward libraries in general and the author's personal life. A broad lense look so to speak, it became both a blessing and a curse.
When I wasn't at school, home, or sports, I was usually at the library growing up. Even now, there are days I go just to spend the time despite being able to check out virtually everything online without having to physically go there. Given that long history and connection, I was surprised by just how many new things I learned from this book. And from so many various perspectives too. The chronological history of the head librarians of Los Angeles provided some humor as well as made connections to some of the events of those times. Another way the author argues the case that libraries can be an important part of the social structures of a community.
I do appreciate the scope of what is being attempted here, and I do find the information valuable despite the enormous net being used. The issue then becomes less about just how much is on offer, but in just how it's being offered. The Library Book, at least to me, felt more like three possibly even four separate books all interwoven together. There is the through-line of the Los Angeles library fire and the aftermath, including an arson investigation. There is the timeline and succession of the colorful people who led the Los Angeles system. Layered on top of that, the author's personal connection to libraries, research and interviews that helped create this book, and a case study for why libraries are important round out the remaining page count.
Each does have something to add to the story, some more so than others, a lot of the impact feels lost because everything gets scattered around. We jump forward, we jump back. One of those 'inner books' might have two, three, four chapters in a row then not be picked up again until 50 pages later. Perhaps it's just personal preference, but the skips made this less enjoyable a read than it otherwise could have been.
The sheer amount of information contained in The Library Book overwhelmed me a bit at first. Starting with the narrower scope of a raging fire in the Los Angeles central library in 1986, the reader is soon taken on a journey that spans the entire history of the Los Angeles library system. That focus continues, at least geographically for the most part, but there are some segues toward libraries in general and the author's personal life. A broad lense look so to speak, it became both a blessing and a curse.
When I wasn't at school, home, or sports, I was usually at the library growing up. Even now, there are days I go just to spend the time despite being able to check out virtually everything online without having to physically go there. Given that long history and connection, I was surprised by just how many new things I learned from this book. And from so many various perspectives too. The chronological history of the head librarians of Los Angeles provided some humor as well as made connections to some of the events of those times. Another way the author argues the case that libraries can be an important part of the social structures of a community.
I do appreciate the scope of what is being attempted here, and I do find the information valuable despite the enormous net being used. The issue then becomes less about just how much is on offer, but in just how it's being offered. The Library Book, at least to me, felt more like three possibly even four separate books all interwoven together. There is the through-line of the Los Angeles library fire and the aftermath, including an arson investigation. There is the timeline and succession of the colorful people who led the Los Angeles system. Layered on top of that, the author's personal connection to libraries, research and interviews that helped create this book, and a case study for why libraries are important round out the remaining page count.
Each does have something to add to the story, some more so than others, a lot of the impact feels lost because everything gets scattered around. We jump forward, we jump back. One of those 'inner books' might have two, three, four chapters in a row then not be picked up again until 50 pages later. Perhaps it's just personal preference, but the skips made this less enjoyable a read than it otherwise could have been.
mizzlroy's review against another edition
3.0
While this was well written and very informative, it wasn’t what I expected based on the description. I was expecting an expose of the fire and the man who (allegedly) started it, but it was more about the library business as a whole. It was interesting, but a bit dry at times. Had I not been listening to it on audio, I likely would have abandoned it.