2022: A book about books for book people

Did I bring this book with me for some *light* reading on a bachelorette party weekend? Absolutely I did. Would I recommend you do the same? Probably not. Unless you're ready to be convinced that the best thing you could do would be to immediately apply to library school and spend the rest of your life as a librarian. Which I am strongly considering right now.

This book was a fabulous ode to the library, how it shaped a woman's life, and how they protect and serve our communities at all levels. Orlean spends time diving into how the homeless benefit from access at their local public libraries, as well as how wealthy billionaires participated in saving some of these revered institutions. Oh yeah, and the Los Angeles Central Library burned down in 1986.

Although that is the primary premise of this book and digging up some facts about it was the reason it was written, the book almost didn't feel like it was about the fire. Sure, it was present in every chapter, but the more I learned about the characters who were currently working at the library or who had been an employee in the past, the more I felt like this book would have been better served as a straight up Library memoir. I guess the fire helped to anchor the story and give it a narrative, but (spoiler alert?) they never concretely find out who did it or how the fire actually was started. So the narrative ended up feeling like an unnecessary plot device instead.

Thank you to everyone who recommended I read it, because you were 100% right, this was right up my alley!