sarahsponda's review
2.0
Enjoyed the Saki, M.R. James, Italo Calvino, and Anthony Boucher stories. Could have done without the rest, mostly because they were depressing or obtuse.
emtobiasz's review
3.0
I really enjoyed the first few stories in this book, but they dropped into the mediocre soon after-- possibly because they all began to feature glum lady librarians who were unsatisfied with their lives. Still, I probably would have given it another star if it weren't for all the typos. They got really, really distracting.
Favorites:
Italo Calvino, "A General in the Library"
Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Phoenix"
Joanne Greenberg, "Gloss on a Decision of the Council of Nicaea"
Gina Berriault, "Who is it Can Tell Me Who I Am?"
Anthony Boucher, "QL 696.C9"
M. R. James, "The Tractate Middoth"
Favorites:
Italo Calvino, "A General in the Library"
Ursula K. LeGuin, "The Phoenix"
Joanne Greenberg, "Gloss on a Decision of the Council of Nicaea"
Gina Berriault, "Who is it Can Tell Me Who I Am?"
Anthony Boucher, "QL 696.C9"
M. R. James, "The Tractate Middoth"
sew's review
4.0
A unique volume of stories featuring libraries and librarians, primarily by well-known writers. I like to have a library school "therapy" read over school breaks, so I was happy when I randomly ran across this at the local free book store.
The editor doesn't provide much context for the stories he collects, but by putting them together invites interesting comparisons. I would guess that the stories were selected because of the diverse ways in which they treat the subject matter, rather than in an attempt to be comprehensive. It sort of feels like a random walk through a non-existent genre. It's not perfect, but there isn't much to compare it to.
The editor doesn't provide much context for the stories he collects, but by putting them together invites interesting comparisons. I would guess that the stories were selected because of the diverse ways in which they treat the subject matter, rather than in an attempt to be comprehensive. It sort of feels like a random walk through a non-existent genre. It's not perfect, but there isn't much to compare it to.
whimsicalmeerkat's review
3.0
Not bad as far as themed short story collections go. I was unable to read all of the book before having to return it to the library, but enjoyed what I did read. I particularly liked "The Phoenix" by Ursula K. LeGuin, and, for entirely different reasons, "Ed Has His Mind Improved." Overall, interesting book.
jeanp's review
2.0
Some of the stories are great. Others are so-so. Some seem like a bit of a stretch for the theme.
debnanceatreaderbuzz's review
4.0
I was expecting a cute book with a cute gimmick, a book with stories about librarians. What librarian wouldn’t buy that? I was surprised to find lots of good stories, stories that would have been good whether the main character was a librarian or a garbage collector. Favorites were stories by John Cheever, Saki, and Walter R. Brooks.
More...