The Library Book

By: Susan Orlean

Narrated by: Susan Orlean

Susan Orlean’s bestseller, New York Times Notable Book, and Reese’s Book Club Pick is “a sheer delight…as rich in insight and as varied as the treasures contained on the shelves in any local library” (USA TODAY)—a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution and an investigation into one of its greatest mysteries. “Everybody who loves books should check out The Library Book” (The Washington Post).

On the morning of April 28, 1986, a fire alarm sounded in the Los Angeles Public Library. The fire was disastrous: it reached two thousand 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 “delightful…reflection on the past, present, and future of libraries in America” (New York magazine) that manages to tell the broader story of libraries and librarians in a way that has never been done before.

In the “exquisitely written, consistently entertaining” (The New York Times) 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; brings each department of the library to vivid life; studies arson and attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago.

“A book lover’s dream…an ambitiously researched, elegantly written book that serves as a portal into a place of history, drama, culture, and stories” (The Minnesota Star Tribune), Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country.

Love Letter to Libraries

Such a worthwhile read.
Good storyteller
Quirky and interesting characters
Uplifting and hopeful
Highly recommend
I listened at 1.25 speed and that was just right.

Interesting, but all over the place

I decided to listen to this book based on the review and added mentions (New and Noteworthy, and the best seller sidebar) in The New York Times Book Review. I love books and I love libraries, and it seemed like I’d enjoy it. I did enjoy it, but found it not as great as I expected given what was written about it. The main thrust was, apparently, the fire in the LA library, but this theme was used as a way to detour back and forth to the history of the LA library, library functions, and go off on tangential topics like political book burnings. All the material was interesting, and clearly researched well, but it was really all over the place. I found the constant jumping around in time - early history of the library, the fire and the salvage, recent history of the library, homeless people in the library, book burnings, etc. - to have no reasonable organization. Given that one of the characteristics of libraries - and this is described in the book too - is organization and cataloguing, this book in some ways was not in character. It was almost a book written by a process of free association. The author’s reading of her own work was adequate, but nothing outstanding. I found it a bit slow and moved to the 1.25 speed, something I rarely do, but it was an improvement.

It's History

This does center around the Los Angeles city Library, however the book is rich in history and it makes you want to do your research to find out more about the events and people in the book. It reminded me of how much time I spent in my library's as kid. Makes me want to go my local library since it's been a while.

Interesting Information- Tough Listen

The author put together a very interesting semblance of facts, tidbits, overall book history. Things I'd never have known and did find beneficial to learn. I got a 3rd of the way through though and realized I could no longer listen. I realized the author's "reading voice" was actually bothering me. The author is a talented author. Narration may be a whole other ball game and explains why it is a professional field all is own.

Fascinating story; Unfortunate narration

This audiobook unfortunately suffers from unpolished narration by the author. Although hard to imagine an author bored of her own material, it seems so at certain points of the book. I'm glad I powered through. It is really well researched and presents a breadth of perspectives surrounding the library. At points, little gems and love letters to libraries that all book lovers will appreciate appear.