Tom is a high school student who has had a rough time of it. His mother died when he was quite young and it’s just been his dad and him for a long time. He has watched his father spiral further and further down into depression and alcoholism. Most nights, if his dad is not at work, he will be drinking and lying on the couch until he passes out. The two don’t have much to talk about and his dad doesn’t question much about what Tom does in the evenings. Tom’s only friends are the online buddies that he plays games on his Xbox with. This past year - I’ve used the public library system daily .... a zillion times more in one year ( at age 66)....than ALL my past years combined. Some readers might be appalled -aghast at such ‘horror’. I’m only telling the truth. I wasn’t much of a reader as a kid - I remember some lovely walks I took alone or with a friend to the library as a child to listen to ‘the storytelling lady’......but reading wasn’t encouraged in my family. Not really. Actually nothing was encouraged - other than ‘good behavior’ at school and elsewhere. Many of you have heard this before - I’m a very late bloomer passionate reader. I fell in love with reading-for-pleasure accidentally as an adult the year the book “The Glass Castle”, by Jeannette Walls came out in the year 2006. I’ve already shared my reading process in my Glass Castle review..... Libraries will continue to exist as long as people use their resources. A thriving library is managed effectively by people who work to understand the needs of their community and develop their collections to meet those current needs and anticipate future needs. They are forward thinking. They're closing us down,' said Christine, followed by a dramatic sob as she clutched the podium for support.

This book is about the history of libraries, mostly in the western world, from ancient times until the current era. The authors, I have found, specialise in the history of early printed books, Reformation Europe and the book trade. It seems to me that they have written a book focusing on these topics while presenting it as a broader history of libraries. Only the last part (of 6) was about the 20th century, which after the devastating impact of the Second World War on libraries, saw the biggest technological revolutions since the invention of moveable type and printing presses – that is, the provision of computers for library users, electronic library management systems, barcodes, radio-frequency identification, the internet, ebooks – and which gets so little attention.However, while more and more towns seem to finally modernize their libraries and work hard to make more people want to come, some threats have never truly gone away: In addition to loaning books, music and movies, some libraries have a library of things, which enable people to borrow items such as sewing machines or specialty tools, which they wouldn't ordinarily have access to. We all judge a book by its cover. (Don’t deny it!) We also judge books by their titles at times. So if you see this book, you will certainly go for it because it is about the magical place we all love: the library. But does the content do justice to this title and cover? Not exactly. Two people - Tom is a lonely teenager. Maggie is in her 70s and lonely as well. What brings them together? A library!

This was such a lovely book about two unlikely people forming a bond thanks to their local library. Maggie is in her 70s, and lives alone on a smallholding with just her animals for company. The highlight of her life is the weekly book club at the library. She is an extraordinary character with hidden depths and a tragic secret.Tom is an awkward UK teenager who is at a major crossroads in his life. He needs to start thinking about his future which is difficult with no guidance. His mother died when he was eight, and his father is an alcoholic. Maggie is a seventy-two year old woman who is struggling with living alone on her farm. These two bump into each other at the local library which is slated to be closed. Can the library be saved? How will things turn out for these two? I am the lead editor of two monograph series: the St Andrews Studies in Reformation History, and The Library of the Written Word. In 2012-2015 I served a three year term as Vice-President of the Royal Historical Society. Maggie is a pensioner and has been happily alone for ten years, at least that's what she tells herself. When Tom comes to her rescue a friendship develops that could change her life. As Maggie helps Tom to stand up for himself, Tom helps Maggie realise the mistakes of her past don't have to define her future. Because make no mistake, stories have been accompanying humans all our lives and the history and evolution of homo sapiens is therefore accompanied by the history and evolution of stories told and recorded.

In case you missed it, this week (the week of Sept 6, 2021) a man tweeted about how people virtue signal with large libraries and that you really shouldn’t own more than x number of books (or have x number of shelf space) and that he didn’t believe people read more than two books a week. Needless to say the vast amount of book lovers called him out - and then he accused them of bragging about the number of books they read and virtue signaling. Then accused them of not going to the library. Which is strange because most readers buy a lot of books and borrow from the library. Not to mention, in some areas, local libraries are either very small or very far away. These dear characters develop a beautiful friendship with each other courtesy their beloved local library. And when they find that the future of the library is at stake, they decide to go all out to save it. I was so excited to read The Library: A Fragile History! A book dedicated simply and wholly to the subject of libraries? Yes, please! This is an exhaustive, detailed dive into a subject that is dear to most book lovers: namely the history of libraries and the roles they have played over the years. I fully expected this to become a new favorite. What is so delightful about Tom and Maggie is the way they not only bring out the best in each other but support each other through difficult times. Tom needs someone to care and nurture him and help him deal with his Dad while Maggie needs company and the joy of having a boy around, experiencing the delights of a farm for the first time. It was also lovely to see Tom open himself to learning new things, like yoga and discovering the joy of reading, to the point of becoming confident in talking about books with Maggie and others. It's not like what I read was a complete waste of time: I'm glad to know that as a consequence of the printing press, handwritten manuscripts in jewel-encrusted bindings lost a lot of their prestige as displays of wealth, so rich Italians in the sixteenth century instead showed off how rich they were by commissioning buildings, statues, and paintings, which after all are a lot more durable than ink on leather.Tom Harris is struggling. He is 16-years-old, has no close friends and tragically lost his mother when he was eight. His father is an unhappy factory worker drowning his sorrows in alcohol. A chance meeting at the town’s library with 72-year-old Maggie changes everything. Maggie is a flower child of the ‘60s and cares for animals on her small farm. A special bond is created that opens up a new world for Tom. And widowed Maggie’s life is brightened by the new friendship. When it is announced that their library is slated for closing, Maggie and Tom gear into action. But this is much more than a “save the library” story. It is a very touching book about how two people help each other fill a deep void in their lives.