This is not a cursory glance or an overview. It is a caring, in depth exploration into the history of collecting words on whatever material was used by human kind. And then how these collections of materials containing words were organized or managed, be it in a box, a trunk or, eventually a shelf or shelves or a room or a building. This book is a different approach to history.

Kellogg, Carolyn (October 11, 2018). "Who started the 1986 fire at the Los Angeles Library? Susan Orlean investigates in her new book". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019 . Retrieved April 13, 2019. Basically a young disillusioned chap, Tom, finds friendship with Maggie, a lonely ‘old lady’, the friendship, although unlikely turns into a life changing series of events for them both as amongst other things they face alcoholism, past secrets, first love ( Tom ), bullying and the centre piece of the book the imminent closure of their village library After falling out with his father over the time he spends in his room on his XBox, Tom discovered that the library could offer him some respite from the hours he spends at home alone. He is by nature very shy and awkward around people and prefers to stay at home where he feels safe. Because of this he doesn’t make friends, but he does feel the need for company sometimes. I wanted to end this review with a picture of the state library of Stuttgart (capital of my state) but when I showed it to a friend of mine and asked what he thought of it, he said it reminded him of a mall bookstore. I asked him if the US / Canada actually had bookstores that big and he said "several". Then he told be of the library of Chicago with its 7 stories and GARGOYLES. I feel … very small now and shall refrain from showing the picture. *lol* I really enjoyed the first half of this book, but as I continued, I began to get more frustrated. If you are curious about library history and the LA public library system, then I would definitely read this book, just to learn some history. Orlean's writing is strong and propels the book forward, at least making this a pleasurable read. I did really enjoy parts of this book, so I can't completely write it off.When their beloved library is threatened with closure, they band together. While trying to save the library, they just may save each other in the process. Her interaction with others is mostly limited to her sharing some jobs with her grumpy but reliable old neighbour in return for the occasional assistance on some other job too big for one.

And let's not forget that royal patronage was as essential to the scholar as to the ruler (a kind of symbiosis) since the ruler profited from insights or even scientific breakthroughs that meant they could establish or even expand their rule while the scholar had the means to pursue the sciences and in relative safety. This was such an enjoyable read. I adore books that center around libraries and literature, so I was excited to give this one a read. And although the library and its potential closure plays a part in this story, the real gem is the friendship between 16-year-old socially awkward Tom who lost his Mom and is slowly losing his Dad to alcoholism, and Maggie, a lonely 72-year-old widow who lost her son. Watching these two meet and form a friendship was just heartwarming. Throw in a cast of equally endearing side characters. An angry ram named Colin, tons of feels, a sweet ending and you have yourself a book worth recommending!

Paul is insistent that Tom begins earning money as soon as possible and begin to pay his way, and to this end, wants him to begin an apprenticeship at a local dog food factory. Tom wants more, and dreams of going to university, but has concerns about how well he will do in his exams. He is drawn to the popular, beautiful and bright girl at school, Farah Shah, who likes reading romantic fiction. After his father breaks his Xbox, Tom finds himself going to Compton Mallow Library, and begins reading romance novels, and it is where he meets Maggie, a group member of the weekly book club discussions. After trying to help Maggie when she gets mugged, the two of them start to become closer, each needing the other, a relationship that develops around their campaign to save the library from being closed. However, there are personal challenges to overcome for both of them. When he encounters that certain girl in the library, he manages to chat about books without being wholly overcome by the embarrassment that usually plagues him. Later, they learn that the library is under threat of closure and, together with Maggie’s book group and other library patrons, they vow to fight the council’s short-sighted plan. Point is.....I didn’t come close to having the experience that Susan Orlean had - with books and reading- as she did. I don’t have ‘mom & me’ reading memories to draw on and my dad died when I was 4. I recived a copy of The Library from NetGalley and Aria & Aries in exchange for an honest review, Bella Osborne's book is beautifully written, it made me cry in a good way, my heart feels full of hope, and five big stars from me.

An event occurs after the meeting which will begin a friendship between Tom and Maggie. She seems to be just what Tom needs. He loves helping out at her farm and the delicious Sunday meals that she makes for him, it’s more fun cooking for two!! Overall, I really liked the story and if you’re looking for a new character duo to love, you just might love Maggie and Tom! This was such a heartwarming novel. It effortlessly balances heavy topics with moments of hilarity. Initially, I wasn’t invested in this story, but when the pair’s storyline intersected I couldn’t get enough of these two. Thank you to Aria & Aries, Aria and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. Throughout the story, there are plenty of references to novels – and I cheered when I had read so many of these that Osborne includes. (My ‘To Be Read’ pile can sigh with relief!) The characters that centre around the library are entertaining and I found Christine’s solution of making a poster for every crisis to be especially funny. The library becomes synonymous to the community and is a stark reflection of the reality of our own community libraries. I did wonder how the fate of the library would be decided and could not foresee how Osborne would resolve this, especially as it appeared inevitable that the actions of the community cannot prevent its closure. However, if I am honest, I became more invested in Tom and Maggie’s stories, forgetting a little bit about the library and what would happen. I think this is because I loved their characters so much.The titular library does have an important role to play in the book but it is not the central focus point of the book. Instead, the story focusses more on the personal lives of Tom and Maggie, and even the people in the village where they all reside. I think the title creates different sort of expectations in your head, and when the book doesn’t match up to them, you feel let down, even though the book does its job pretty well. I must say, I loved all the book references scattered throughout the story. (Thankfully, I’ve read most of them and have the rest in my TBR. Else, this book would have made a big dent in my reading plans!) 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. The Library is a novel by British author, Bella Osborne. The audio version is narrated by Julia Franklin and Harry Lister Smith. Compton Mallow’s village library is many things to many people: for seventy-two-year-old Maggie, it represents a break from Providence Farm, some social interaction with her book club and a chance to read the papers; for sixteen-year-old Thomas Harris, it’s quiet place to study and revise for his GCSEs, and a source of the romance novels he hopes will teach him how to attract a certain girl. 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.

Naturally, this book is choke-full of names and dates since it recounts history and has to cover one hell of a lot of it. However, the names and dates don't necessarily have to mean too much to you so you don't have to feel intimidated by them. So long as you keep in mind how long the written word and libraries have been around and marvel at the evolution of both, you'll be fine.Two people - Tom is a lonely teenager. Maggie is in her 70s and lonely as well. What brings them together? A library! 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 I might have enjoyed more would have been if the authors had mentioned truly modern forms of the book. It seemed as if the authors weren't too impressed or in favour of ebooks and audiobooks weren't mentioned at all despite their influence on both literature and libraries. Pity. I always like reading books by this author and think this novel was far better than my last read… by a long way. I really enjoyed this one and thought the narrative was a perfect example of cosy escapism – what more could you want from a book?! 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.