MAD Librarian: You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Library!

by Michael Guillebeau

2017 FOREWORD REVIEWS INDIE GOLD MEDAL WINNER FOR HUMOR NOVEL OF THE YEAR!


A Southern librarian fights back when the city cuts off funding for her library in this funny, angry book from award-winning author Michael Guillebeau.


Publishers Weekly said, “Guillebeau blends humor and mystery perfectly in this comic thriller…Guillebeau keeps things light with frequent laugh-out-loud lines.”


They weren’t alone. Other reviewers
“One of the most enjoyable books I have read this year…
"...quirky characters and lots of laughs.”
“A madcap adventure of a book where librarians have all the answers.”
“A wonderfully entertaining book! Every library should have this book on the shelf.”
“…jumps off the shelf and begs to be read…I would give it 7 or 8 on a 5* scale.”
“This book will make you angry while making you laugh out loud.”


Half of all income goes to the Awesome Foundation for Library Innovation.

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Mystery, Books About Books, Contemporary, Fantasy, Suspense

402 pages, Kindle Edition

First published December 1, 2017

About the author

Michael Guillebeau's book MAD LIBRARIAN won the 2017 Foreword Reviews Indie for Humor Book of the Year. He has published seven novels and two anthologies and over thirty-five short stories, including three in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine.

Reviews

[☆Dani☆ ☆Touch My Spine Book Reviews☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review: I give this book 3 out of 5 MAD Stars! This book had big potential to be a 5 starred book for me. I liked this book and the premise of the story but there was things I didn't enjoy as well. Pretty much the best way I could review it is by saying the premise was amazing but the author poured it on a little too thick. Some parts of this book I was laughing hysterically, other parts I was annoyed by the main character. I felt the story was overdone a little and could have done with a little less "MAD" shall we say. Overall, I liked this book and would be interested in the author's future works.
I received a eARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is one of those books where the promising concept got smothered by quaint gravy thick execution. Disclaimer...I don't get the southern charm, at all. The aw shucks gee wiz slow drawling folksy appeal of it is just...off putting at best. And this book is slathered in it. When it isn't being all southern, it's busy being quaint. Just a wink wink nudge nudge aren't we cute sort of thing...like naming the main character (the eponymous mad librarian) Serenity. But mad she is. Her library in Maddington (seriously) Alabama is struggling, the funds are being perpetually cut by the city, so she decided to reappropriate some finances to build the greatest library/community service center the world (or at least the south) has ever known. 7 stories of various projects including business and legal aid, shelter, childcare and so on. She just needs to get away with it and, of course, her trusty team of quirky sidekicks and her Waylon Jennings do right local cop of a spouse are there to aid and assist. See...isn't all just too adorable for words? Not to mention such a strong chicklit vibe that the author ought to consider checking his estrogen levels. Seriously though, you are charmed by the South and consider cute to be an acceptable way to describe a book, then this might be your thing. For me it was a quick mindless silly read and that's about it. Thanks Netgalley.

[Etienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the concept, very bookish, funny and full of potential. But again, a book/author with a good idea, but that lack a bit of polishing in the making. The humor wasn't funny, at least not to me, the characters are totally empty and the writing style was okay, a bit too simple and easy, even for this kind of book, it could have add a bit more style to it. I still would like to see this author, or others, continue working with this concept to offer us, readers, a more finish/polish/well develop book..

[Benni Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Review also posted on my blog: https://bennilovesbooks.wordpress.com...

I received an ARC via LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review.

I am a library and information science master’s student, so I had high hopes for this book. Unfortunately, I had a lot of issues with it. I had a really hard time getting through this book because it came across as poorly-executed satire with caricatures for characters and so many stereotypes that I felt kind of sick.

This is going to be rant-y and slightly disorganized, and there will be spoilers, so proceed with caution.

I’m going to preface this with the fact that I consider the word “m*d” to be ableist and do not use it. I’m giving the title a pass because “MAD” is an abbreviation for “Maddington,” which is the name of the town, however the word “m*d” is used in an ableist context many times throughout the book. I’m not going to talk about this much because I’d sound like a broken record with how many times I’d have to mention it, but know that that is an issue.

Let’s start with sexual harassment in this book. The very first scene in this book involves a man revealing his penis in the middle of the public library for no real reason; it was done for shock value and has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the story. Serenity, the librarian, doesn’t report him despite that this has apparently happened multiple times and there are apparently children in the room; instead she chooses to cause him physical pain in order to chase him out. This wasn’t funny or intriguing. I almost stopped reading right here, but wanted to give the book a chance.

Within a couple chapters, the power-hungry councilman (who is apparently in charge of everything for no reason other than he wants to be in charge?), who is also a doctor, harasses Serenity when she approaches him about getting a larger budget for the library. It’s mentioned that he prefers people he’s meeting with, in all situations, to sit on his examination table wearing a hospital gown, and then he makes a suggestion about taking Serenity’s temperature with a rectal thermometer.

What. The. Fuck.

Serenity does absolutely nothing about this. The “villains” in this story all seem to objectify women to emphasize that they’re bad people, but at the same time there is no consequence for their actions and they’re still in charge of everything overall. Their behavior comes off as wooden and cartoonish, and it’s pretty damn gross.

There are also a few instances of body-shaming. There are multiple instances of characters making fun of other characters’ penis sizes in order to challenge their masculinity, which as a nonbinary trans person makes me really uncomfortable because the size of a person’s penis, or whether they even have one, has nothing to do with their masculinity. There was also fat-shaming when discussing the mayor of the town; he is described as “five feet tall and five feet around” and made fun of for his weight and size.

So, I don’t know if the author really meant “five feet WIDE,” but “five feet AROUND” is not all that large. I don’t like fat-shaming, and I don’t like making fun of people’s weight when they are of about an average size. Neither of these things are okay. Commenting on people’s weight is not okay.

Additionally, there was some racism in this book. Serenity’s young coworker, “Doom,” appears to be a pretty stereotypical angry Black woman. She’s violent, accused of murder because she has an interest in murders in literature, and depicted as if she has less than a high school-level of knowledge. Her skin color is described with food metaphors, and she brings up slavery when Serenity tells her that dealing with her is like dealing with a teenager. She also tries to forge Serenity’s signature, and Serenity describes her effort as “like something from the Nazis,” typing Doom’s actions further to stereotyped violent tendencies. Nothing about this character feels realistic, and the number of times Serenity has to reiterate that Doom is Black is nauseating.

The governmental structure of this town felt extremely unrealistic and it felt like there was absolutely no research done into how a small-town government actually works. First off, there appeared to be no checks-and-balances anywhere in the government. The creepy councilman with a fetish for rectally taking the temperatures of random women appears to have a disproportionate amount of power as he ignores protocol at meetings, writes Serenity off as a beurocrat and gaslights her by saying that the library budget issues are her fault because she wants to follow protocol and that’s apparently a bad thing, and threatens the job of another councilperson who considers having a different opinion from his. Just how did this guy get into office, exactly? He doesn’t have the townspeople at heart at all, so why did they vote him into this seat? Was he even voted in at all?

Additionally, the council apparently forces library employees to do other city work for no pay on their own time, which is incredibly illegal. This is never called out and there are no consequences to this other than the frustration of the employees. Serenity’s husband is a COP and not even HE does anything about this. No one is reported for their behavior, and apparently the townspeople are completely ignorant of everything their government does, which… Seriously? Does ANYONE in this town have an interest in what goes on in it? The employees grumble, but some of them actually go through with this without complaining because they think it MIGHT help the library! The library has three employees, and NONE of them have ANYTHING resembling a work-life balance. They don’t do anything at home, don’t have any hobbies other than being obsessed with murder and getting a new tattoo every day after work. There’s nothing healthy about the lifestyle of these librarians.

Let’s talk about Serenity herself. I did not like her as a character. She was terrible to her husband – she would sometimes like him and sometimes send him off to bed in the guest room because she didn’t want him in their bed anymore despite that he hadn’t actually done anything. She is also completely unable to have a serious conversation with him while they aren’t having sex – in a sex scene that feels incredibly shoe-horned in just for the sake of including sex, they have a conversation about what Serenity had been up to with some orgasms thrown into it. It was basically a plot summary of the book with some moaning here and there, and it was really weird. Is it that hard to just talk to her husband? If sex is necessary to a relationship actually having productive conversations, that’s really not a good sign. Additionally, almost immediately after she slips her husband two sleeping pills just to sneak away from him, and that’s really awful because medication abuse is a real issue, and this is actual abuse between partners. There is nothing okay about messing with your partner’s medications. This could be dangerous to their health.

This doesn’t even include Serenity’s other characteristics and behaviors. She steals without regret, drinks on the job just because, and apparently cannot budget a thing. Everything from the library’s budget apparently goes into some “special projects” fund, and there is no money allocated for utilities! You’d think that utilities would be allotted space in the budget regardless of how much the library is given, and as the head librarian it’s Serenity’s job to make sure that money is set aside for this BEFORE the bills are due, not after utilities are being threatened. I don’t know what she did with the rest of the money in the budget, but it came off as poorly-organized, which can cause a library’s downfall no matter how much they have. Serenity also seriously contemplates bringing an AK-47 to a council meeting and shooting everyone, and when writing her speech for the council meeting she makes concerns about “reverse sexism” because the men in the room might be offended by being mentioned AFTER women. Considering that I’m not even sure whether any women other than Serenity were actually present in the room during the council meeting, I felt that this was unnecessary and pretty gross. Who cares?

I also didn’t like how librarians were portrayed in this work – it seemed to rely a lot on stereotypes from the past that aren’t really a part of modern libraries or librarianship. The most glaring stereotype was that of the librarian having lots of time to read while they’re on the job. Librarians have a job and that is to serve their patrons. They need to have knowledge of books in order to do readers advisory, yes, but just sitting there reading all the time is going to prevent the library from working properly, especially if there are only three people total on staff.

There was also a “books vs. Internet” fallacy set up in this book. Despite that Serenity’s initial problem is that there’s no money in the budget to pay the Internet bill, the council seems to be in favor of getting rid of all books and relying on the Internet alone. Although she’d previously been concerned about not having the Internet in the library, Serenity started shooting it down and talking as if books are THE WAY. The thing is, this doesn’t work. In general, librarians use both of these things to complement each other. The issue at hand isn’t which medium you’re using; it’s whether you know how to tell which sources are credible. There are bad eggs on the Internet AND in books, and both are important for being well-rounded information professionals. We don’t get a sense of this in this book at all, and I felt extremely irritated by this because with more research this really could have been a great opportunity to teach readers what librarians actually do instead of further spreading these stereotypes when a lot of people still find it hard to take librarians seriously. (I once had a person compare my getting an MLIS to her cousin’s bachelor’s degree in growing grass. For what it’s worth, grass-growing is complicated and that’s probably a pretty agricultural degree. That didn’t stop her from sneering at it and making fun of it as if it’s worthless.)

Finally, other than the presence of death threats which were apparently just words on paper, there are literally no consequences for any of Serenity’s behavior, from lying to her husband to stealing millions of dollars from the city. The story ends with her having the new library she built with the money she stole. This ending felt so abrupt and strange because with how threatening and creepy the “bad guys” had been at the beginning of the story, you’d think that they’d try to do SOMETHING at the end other than deliver empty threats. There are no consequences for ANYONE in this story. Why is there no law in place for anything? I felt frustrated with the ending and it felt like it was unfinished.

Another reviewer mentioned that apparently this is supposed to be satire, but the thing is satire really only works if the story feels like it’s something that could actually happen. The abundant stereotypes and lack of research made the story feel unrealistic, and the satire fell flat for me. Because of this, I can’t really recommend reading this. I do like that half of the proceeds from each copy sold are given to libraries; that’s really nice. I genuinely believe that the author loves libraries and wants others to love libraries too, however I don’t think he has quite enough knowledge about the inner-workings of the library profession to make a story like this work. It was a good attempt, but it didn’t quite work.

Final rating: 2 out of 5 stars

[Jill Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

** I just listened to the audio book version, which is now available. If you haven't read the book yet - or even if you have - it's not to be missed. The narration is skillful, enjoyable, and made this extremely fun story even more so! **

----------
Carl Sagan said we are all made of stardust. She was made of book dust.
----------
"We've all put up with these problems for too long. No one's been mad enough before. Pun intended."
----------

I didn't know what to expect from this one - after downloading the galley, I looked up other reviews to see what the buzz was on this one (I do that from time to time, out of curiosity). WOW. People do NOT seem to like this book - the rather vituperative reviews and low stars really surprised me... Don't get me wrong - there are some issues that I had with it as well. The story is rather extreme - excessive corruption and sexism, exceedingly polarizing characters, wild-eyed pessimism (and, by the end, optimism), too-good (and -bad) to-be-true characters... The plot is wildly implausible. The language is, at times, hyperbolic and the drama, overdrawn.

BUT IT IS SATIRE. And that's what satire does...

I think that reading this as a gen fic narrative, each word read as a ringingly true statement about the world as it is, is the problem. If you read it like true fiction (you know what I mean), you'd probably be disappointed or disgusted or eye-rollingly turned off. But if you read it as a satirical riff on the insanity of the modern world, a world which emphasizes flash over substance at entirely too many turns and which seems to reward sneaky, corrupt, idiots at the expense of The Good, then I think it all falls into place quite nicely. For goodness' sakes, even the characters names were obviously satirically derived - even aging hippies wouldn't honestly name their daughter Serenity Sweetblossom, would they?? And Amanda Doom?? The MAD itself?? And read the dedication - clearly Guillebeau has an axe to grind tale, and it's an important and undervalued one, which is well served by the snarky over-the-top style he adopted to tell it. Yes, I rolled my eyes a few times. Yes, I occasionally skimmed a page that felt overdone. But all in all, the premise and delivery were very well aligned, and I enjoyed reading this one.

I for one applaud what he is trying to accomplish with this book. The donations to the MAD Librarian Fund are a brilliant idea, and I hope that the cause is picked up by some of the very large corporate organizations he so derides. His vision for what a knowledge- and book-based town could truly accomplish is a marvelous one, and I think there's more than wisdom hidden in the MAD's structure than is immediately apparent. Here's hoping someone with the resources to actually discover that wisdom stumbles upon a kernel of it...

My review copy was provided by NetGalley.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was provided a copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Serenity Hammer is a librarian.
But not just any librarian-- she's a librarian on a mission.
In the small Southern town of Maddington, Serenity's library is under fire from the most powerful politicians, the ones who hold the proverbial purse strings, and they're determined to see the Maddington Public Library close its doors for good. Serenity, along with her assistants Doom and Joy, has decided it's time to fight back. With a little ingenuity and a fortuitous discovery right under their noses in their own library, Serenity and her team manage to revitalize the library, but at a cost they could never have imagined.

With short, cleverly titled chapters, author Michael Guillebaeu drags you through the front door of the MAD and doesn't let you leave. Serenity, the daughter of a couple of hippies, embodies her married name and drops the hammer on town politics while proving to the residents of Maddington that they need the library, whether they want to admit it or not. Tightly crafted, the story moves with the speed of a freight train barreling through the lives of the library staff and those who find refuge in the MAD as it fights to survive a town that has forgotten how valuable knowledge is-- knowledge that can't be replaced by Amazon accounts and Google searches.

This book will make you angry while making you laugh out loud. It will leave you wanting to head to your local library and make a donation while hoping you can find your own literary pet rat with a taste for rum.

[Amelia Vegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This whole book was an unexpected journey. I started reading because of the cover and the title(duh) and then couldn't get enough of the quirky jokes and bookish references that were thrown all over the story. This book awakened in me desire to go to the library(haven't been there for months,because I have tons of books on my shelf and on my device,and also it was a hell of a summer)

[InkedBookDragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://inkedbookdragon.blogspot.com

I spent some time working in a library when I was in college so this book called to me. I had to read it. Reading the blurbs about it, I worried that it would not stand up to the talk. Not only did it stand up but it captivated my attention. That is a task. I realize that it may not seem like one but it truly is.

Strong characters. I enjoyed the concept of a librarian on a mission. The main character was not only likable but I found myself geniunely rooting for her. Add in my love of libraries and I could not help but be in her corner. She has to save the library and is willing to do anything to do so. A woman after my own heart.

Thank you to NetGalley and Madison Press for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I am rating it Four Stars because there were some moments that I found hard to believe. I loved the premise and enjoyed the writing. Overall, I would recommed this book.


InkedBookDragon

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

The March selection for my in person book club is...well....I'm not sure how to describe it. A fellow member who read it before me suggested reading it as if it's satire, and I did think that improved it. It's sort of a librarian fairy tale but centered in the real world with parts of the plot that work well and parts that just don't. My 3 star rating seems too high, but 2 stars seem too low. I loved the beginning. I was hooked right away. I found some of the parts incredibly funny. Then, there were some plot twists that didn't really work and needed better explanation/execution but still some funny stuff. Finally, the ending just didn't work for me at all. I didn't like it in context with the rest of the story resulting in the attempts at humor falling flat. There's a lot here for book club discussion, and I'm very interested to see what others thought about it. I just wish I'd liked it better. But, it there's ever a flasher in my local library I know exactly what to do.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can't deny it--both the cover and the title made me pick it up. Reading it was another matter. Apparently the librarian Serenity, the protagonist, is screaming tired of fighting for funding for her library and she's mad as hell; ain't gonna take it any longer. So this forty-something librarian decides the city has been ripping them off and she'll simply help herself to a little of their "special projects" funds.
Serenity Sweetwater Hammer and her two co-librarians, Doom and Joy, man the Maddington, Alabama town library. First the novel lugs to a slow, almost agonizing, start but proceeds with dialogue that I'm having a tough time visualizing between middle-aged women. The language between these supposedly educated, intelligent southern belles is a bit off-putting.
Yes, I know...I know! This is billed as satire, but as some humor or jokes tend to disguise cruel truths, this satire bites and becomes philosophical lecture. The message here tends to be repeated as the characters degenerate into roughly caricatures of bad ass con-women. (And I'm not buying that Joy, the oldest, would participate.)
As Serenity pursues her agenda, she tends to get further into left-center field from her cop husband, Joe, and disengages from discussion with him. Her two cohorts seem more than willing to follow her progressive ideas with Doom (the youngest of the three) pushing it ever further afield until it becomes farcical.
This plot takes several twists and turns. Forget trying to second-guess what's coming next. About the time you are lulled into boredom by the next library lecture, something happens totally out of the realm of reality. It might turn into fantasy were it not so deadly serious. These people are playing for keeps.
Sexism runs rampant and I wasn't thrilled with the bedroom innuendos or scenes. And the ending? I'm still shaking my cell phone, waiting for the next chapter to fall out. That can't be the way it ends.
Plot-driven, we don't actually have the protagonist or her accomplices fully fleshed, although Joe becomes sympathetic. Apparently there is a MAD Librarian Fun (madlibrarian.org) and half of all profit from sales will go to the fund.
I was given this download from Madison Press through NetGalley and appreciated having the opportunity to read and review. Perhaps this is better aimed at a younger women's fantasy fiction set. Not sure I could recommend, but opinions vary widely. You might find the message, and the satire, inspiring.

[Madelon · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK book, you had me at MAD. My name may be Madelon, but people have called me Mad for a very long time. I even sign my email with "Love, Mad" and a disclaimer "I sign my email "Love," because Mad is my name, not my state of mind." Then there is that librarian word. Librarians are keepers of books, and, if there's one thing I love, its books! I figured with a name like MAD LIBRARIAN, this book was right up my alley. I was right!

I have often found that I get more information on dicey subjects from a book of fiction than from a book of fact. Is there really anything more dicey than government? I'm saying from small town government moving all the way to the top. Then there are the various departments, and surely, the library is a department well worth its budget.

We hear so much these days about corruption in high places that it makes me wonder what about corruption lower down the food chain. How about a little dark money in a small town in Alabama? Or, any other state in this here U.S. of A.

Guillebeau deals with some of today's most pressing economic issues, like getting a job, finding daycare for your children so you can get a job, and writing a resume to present at that all important job interview. He does it with brash good humor and the 'that I can do' attitude we like to think we all have.

There is no better way to get a point across than with well-written satire. Where else would you find a head librarian named Serenity, who isn't, with two staff librarians called Doom and Joy, who aren't. All they want to do is spread knowledge and help people while the town council keeps slashing their budget. Sound familiar?

I started my review out by saying the book was a 5-star read before I had read paragraph one. When I got to the last page, my initial opinion had not changed. In fact, I enjoyed reading this book so much that I would give it a 7 or 8 on the 5-star scale for content, writing and coherence. Some books jump off the virtual shelf and beg to be read. MAD LIBRARIAN is just such a book.

Information is power. Librarians are the keepers of information. If information needs to be found, they can do the research. They can find it. So, you may come to the same conclusion I did after reading this book. Someday librarians will take over the world!

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expressing sanity through insanity...with broad strokes of farce, Guillebeau makes an excellent point: that libraries are valuable places that deserve to be supported and that librarians are critical personnel who deserve to be respected. When Serenity's library is on the verge of collapse, she discovers a less-than-legal way to keep it going and growing. But she's only hurting the corrupt politicians and businessmen who are skimming the money in the first place, so is it really wrong? There are a lot of black and white characterizations in the interest of humor--politicians and big businessmen are invariably corrupt (and usually stupid and sexist), the hard-working librarians are brave and resourceful, and anything can be accomplished if you just throw enough money at it. But the ideals expressed are hard to argue with--your local library could be the center of your community and a place that provides many valuable services if only they had the support and funding. So have a good time, laugh at the crazy, and then go thank a librarian and write a check to your favorite library!

[Jo Co32 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Billed as Breaking Bad the library edit and one would have to agree. Just think, as a book lover, how far would you go to save the library and the books that you love?
Serenity, Joy and Doom, the three library employees doing just that have attributes that mean most readers should be able to relate to one of them and find themselves internally fighting their corner, although a prequel about Joy would be much appreciated.

[Darcysmom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley and Madison Press for free in exchange for an honest review.
Serenity Hammer is the head librarian in her small Alabama town. As is often the case, she is expected to perform miracles on a smaller than a shoestring budget. When she discovers a city slush fund, she decides it is time to get mad as hell and fight for her library. With the help of Doom and Joy, the other librarians on staff, Serenity spends the money to make the library everything a librarian could dream of. Along the way she has to navigate corrupt politicians, drug dealers, threats to her life, and a crumbling marriage.
The beginning and end of the book are fast-paced and entertaining. The middle bogs down and suffers from repetition. The concept of the book was appealing; however, the execution was occasionally clunky. I was hoping for more.

[J Fearnley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book which I enjoyed even though it takes some time to get to the actual murder. It’s not your traditional murder mystery, rather it’s a quirky story whose main protagonist Serenity Sweetblossom Hammer is head librarian at Maddington Library. Always looking to raise money to keep the library open, whilst its budget is being cut, Serenity comes across something strange within the town councils accounts – lots of money – and decides to put it into building a new library which will be the hub of Maddington.

Free money, because there is no such thing, comes at a cost and you are taken down a crazy, MAD road of murder, corruption and passion. The passion of books and what they can do for an individual, a town, a community. The passion of librarians to provide for their community. The question here is not so much ‘whodunnit?’ but what will taking dodgy money cost Serenity in the end?

The characters Serenity, Joy, Doom etc aren’t quite sufficiently formed but are enjoyable. The storyline is interesting but it doesn’t take itself seriously. So, instead of a tense murder mystery full of corruption and manipulation we get a lighter version although the ending is perhaps sadder because of that. This is a tale of morality as much as it is murder – satirical? Mmmmm?

There are still so many children, YA and adults who cannot afford to buy books, get internet, get answers, information and educational support within easy reach if at all. The cutting of budget to libraries that provide such vital resource and services to everyone is being felt across both the UK and USA and is a travesty.

Thank you to Madison Press and NetGalley for providing an e-ARC in return for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5/3*

[Michelle Kidwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

MAD Librarian
by Michael Guillebeau
Madison Press

Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
Humor , Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 01 Dec 2017

I am reviewing a copy of Mad Librarian through Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), and Netgalley:
Serenity Hummer embezzles funds for her library from what she thought was a neglected city fund but instead turns out to be a conduit for all state political corruption.
Soon Serenity has the money she needs to build her town the library it deserves, but will she survive to see it come to fruition, or will she find herself in more danger than she signed up for?
Serenity soon finds her library has turned into a crime scene.
Mad Librarian is a women's crime fiction story written in the style of Breaking Bad, five out of five stars...
Happy Reading...

[Reeca Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Serenity is determined to keep her library afloat. She goes about this is in unconventional ways. With vodka in her cup and the help of the library's mascot....a rat...yes a rat, she proceeds to do a lot more than she ever dreamed possible.
Quirky and with wonderful play on words, the author takes the reader on a trip through small town politics with many southern treasures. I enjoyed the setting and all the odd characters. I live in a small southern town and I think half the characters in this book live down the road from me. I could relate to all the politics and the great lengths Serenity must go through to get the library of her dreams.
The story does bog down in the middle. But because of the funny phrases, quips and adorable characters, it is an enjoyable read to the end! 
I received this novel from the author for a honest review.

[Susan (aka Just My Op) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've tried another Kindle Unlimited book, and there are some real gems to be found there. Unfortunately, this was not one of them. I love to read about libraries and library books, especially mysteries. This one had a lot of pages going for it, but little else. Although it was occasionally entertaining, it was totally unbelievable, even for those of us who can suspend disbelief when we read. The characters displayed compromised morality, and I expect better of librarians. And the ending was...to use a much too often used word...lame.

[Jeannie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the concept of the book and the literary references. I know this is basically satire but some of it was a little off putting. It definitely had twist and turns and could not in any way know what was going to happen next. Was not real pleased with the ending, I guess I just wanted to know more at the end.i voluntarily reviewed a copy I received from the author.

[Lucretia Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this crazy Mad book until the last chapter, then I got mad. It did not end the way I wanted I finished it with a mad cry of nooooooo! I hope there is a follow-up to right some things.

[Karyl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute and fairly light-hearted read, even though a couple of murders occur. Serenity Hammer is a small town librarian who has to fight for her library, and she finds a novel way to not only save her library but to prop up the entire town of Maddington, Alabama, on the back of its books and the library itself.

I’m getting tired of the idea that libraries are useless relics of an earlier age, and you’d be surprised how prevalent this idea is. Libraries aren’t just for books; they’re community centers, places where their patrons can meet, a safe area for kids to congregate together, and where stay-at-home parents can connect with each other over baby story time. Guillebeau shows us the ways in which a community library can provide so many services if only it had the funding. I’d love to live in a town where a library such as this existed.

I didn’t expect too much from this book, and it feels a bit like a guilty pleasure type of book. But the characters were fun and engaging, and while the writing got a bit too folksy every so often, it still made the pages fly by.

[Rosann · Rating 3 out of 5]

The librarians of MAD fight the good fight, say the things we are all thinking, then do the things that none of us actually do when we are wide awake. I was happy to go along for the ride. I did feel that the hero library staff needed fleshing out (wanted to know more about the secondary characters). The bad guys felt two dimensional. I did not quite understand the links and explanations at the end, and hoped for much more-- these superheroes needed some more personal connections to their crusade (what happens to the son, the husband, the league of librarians that was hinted at as backup, the mysterious OHR).

[Dora Okeyo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Serenity, the MAD Librarian aka Lie-brarian, served me some Southern grit, charm, hope and tough as knuckles personality in this book.
When the library runs out of funds and Serenity, the Head Librarian, is on the verge of giving up, she stumbles upon some residual account with all the money she could need to keep the library doors open and she takes it. She thinks, why not rip off the same city that has been ripping her off for years and it's all about the books and keeping her doors open to everyone.

I was drawn to this book by the title. I love books and librarians are the most resourceful people I know and to have one that's "MAD", well, that was reason enough to pique my interest.
I loved the bookish references and how there were opposing forces for Serenity from the beginning. The sexism did piss me off, especially when the Mayor is keen on Serenity's views on his interior decor and hat instead of talking about finances, partnership and keeping the library open. I also fumed when they wouldn't give her time to air her views during the council meeting, that was just downright mean.
Serenity is all about books and it was quite nerve wrecking that she had a husband who lived by the book. Joe's decision to stick by the law was the one thing that hurt more in this and in a way, I am grateful that the author was realistic because well, at some point it was clear that Serenity could not have her cake and eat it.
The pace was even in the first seven chapters and after that it felt like a drum rolling downhill. There was a part where Serenity was talking to Joe about fighting a losing battle that I found to be as honest as she could ever get in the book,

...Now that I've been in the normal world for twenty years and should be some kind of pillar for the community, it seems all I do is smile and pretend and take crap. Even that's not enough anymore.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who's mad about books. You'd agree with the author that public libraries do need funding and I'd be lying if I said that I find myself hurting just a bit more when I visit the public library here in Kisumu, Kenya.

Given the pace, the quirkiness of the characters and the unraveling of the plot, I'd say that my rating's a 3.5 stars Goodreads should introduce that point five rating option
I received an advanced readers copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. It's been a mad read and is there any way I could get to name a pet Faulkner?

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

OK, full disclosure: I am a retired librarian, and the first 8 or 9 years of my life were spent in public libraries in Northern California. And, frankly, one of the big factors that made me leave to work in the private sector (aka “the dark side”) was having to go to the funding gods (Board of Supervisors, City Council) and GROVEL for money every freaking year. We would trot out the cute kids who talked about the Summer Reading Program, the studies showing…what everyone knows: libraries are ESSENTIAL. I just couldn’t face another budget cycle (and also being told to wear pink the Board of Supes meeting just about turned me into a lunatic). So, the opportunity to read MAD Librarian by Michael Guillebeau (thanks to Madison Press/IBPA and NetGalley) in exchange for my honest review was one I just couldn’t pass up!

The protagonist (heroine?), Serenity Hammer, is a mad librarian in the Southern town of Maddington – mad because the city council thinks libraries aren’t really needed, so they won't give her adequate funding for the library. It’s so bad she can’t pay the library’s bills – until she is online and comes across a fund and transfers it to the library account. Voila! She can pay the bills! The child of hippies who is now married to a cop, Serenity has some pangs of guilt but since money keeps flowing into the account, she (along with some interesting staff members) perseveres. Revenge Fantasy!!!!

This book has apparently pissed off some readers—which literature SHOULD do, IMHO. But not everyone is made for the same reasons you might think. Rather than be mad at the lack of support for libraries or the corrupt politics or the sexism Serenity deals with, in some strange way I don’t quite follow they are mad at – the author? Not sure, but I just know this book was a lot of fun to read. As someone who found a small to help a public library (not to the extent of adding a 7-story addition, but enough to improve things), I appreciated it – anything that makes me laugh AND think is always good!

Michael Guillebeau is generously donating $$ to benefit libraries, but that’s not the only reason this gets FIVE stars – it’s just great fun to read while making a valuable point about the need for libraries today more than ever (and if I hear one more person say we don’t need the new library being built in the town where I live because “everything is online” and “you can do research on Google,” I will scream. (Thankfully, our mayor and a City Council member are both very active in our Friends group and huge supporters of the library!)

[Jeremy Reppy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a librarian, ever worked in a library, value your local library, would love to see government truly serve the citizens, or just enjoy a book with quirky characters and lots of laughs, you should read this book. One of the most enjoyable books I have read this year.

The author has created some wonderful characters, especially the librarians at the Maddington Public Library (known as the MAD) -- Head Librarian Serenity Hammer and assistant librarians Amanda Doom and Joy Quexnt.

The librarians had grand plans to create a library that truly served the needs of the community, but the city council, led by Councilman Doctor Bentley, had different ideas regarding the library (and community organizations/social services in the city of Maddington in general). The city council, in an effort to save money, placed the city's computer servers in the children's reading room of the library and expected Amanda Doom, because of her minor in computer science, to maintain the servers. Serenity Hammer, with her minor in accounting, had been placed in charge of the city books. Councilman Doctor Bentley and his cronies on the city council would come to regret their cost-cutting efforts. While trying to figure out a way to pay the library's bills, Mrs. Hammer runs across the city's "Residuals" fund, which has an amazing large amount of money in it, and decides to transfer some to the library to pay the bills. Then she and her fellow librarians come up with an audacious plan to fund the library expansion they had been pushing for and create the library of their dreams, with facilities and resources to assist in job placement, business start-ups, rudimentary legal and medical advice, and other services. However, the true owners of the money do not take kindly to the diversion of funds and want the money back. In addition, Mrs. Hammer's husband is a police officer and believes very strongly in right and wrong; she cannot tell him what she is doing, but with the amount of money the library is spending, he knows something suspicious is going on, which causes added stress for both of them.

Not only is "MAD Librarian" an amusing story, and also a story about people taking risks (albeit less than entirely legal/ethical risks in this case) to achieve great things for their community, but the author manages to comment on many of the issues facing society without hammering (pun intended) the reader over the head with it; issues such as underfunded community organizations and social services; politicians that are either inept or corrupt; the influence of "dark money" in politics; and the tension between different parts of a community over a limited supply of funds.

The author also does a great job of demonstrating that libraries and librarians are more than just a resource for reading or research materials, but are also often a resource for finding a job, for figuring out how to start a business, for furthering education, for obtaining basic medical or legal information, and even a temporary babysitter for working parents, among other roles that libraries and librarians play.

[Natalie Bachiri · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the characters in this book, especially Serenity, who will do anything to save her library. Wonderful, unique story.

[Jennie Rosenblum · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a romp of a story and had a lot of points that librarians could relate to. It promised a lot more than it delivered and I got the feeling that it was just a set up for a series. The story was decent but not great.

[Allison · Rating 2 out of 5]

I admit I was attracted by the title. What librarian wouldn't be? However the writing was not very good and the plot was all over the place, so regretfully, I can't recommend it. The narrator starts out so passive and insecure in her quest for respect and library funding that i felt like giving her a swift kick. Then she does a complete 360 and becomes SuperLibrarian, able to figure out and fight off corruption schemes that have stymied better minds than hers for years. Meanwhile she is treating her Perfectly Perfect husband like dirt for the weakest of reasons. And all the while she is spouting the most egregious library propaganda that made even me cringe. It was a combination of Brave New World and The Communist Manifesto for Dummies. Then to add insult to injury the author ends the book with the most aggravating cliff hanger. I for one will not be waiting for the further adventures of Serenity Sweetblossom. In fact, I didn't even read the bonus chapter from the author's next book.

[Annarella · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book full of humour and realism. How to manage a library when there are no money ?
Really enjoyable and a lot of fun to read.
And then there's Faulkner the rat ...
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher

[Vivian · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5-star read

I was provided a digital review copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Library budgets are being slashed everywhere, and that thought brings little consolation to Serenity Hammer when the Maddington Library budget is cut to the bone. Now, she has three days to figure out where to find funds to pay the library's internet bill. When she approaches the mayor and city council for a restoration of the library's budget, she's basically laughed out the door. If Serenity was upset before, she is beyond pissed now. Thanks to the fact the city council has every librarian doing double-duty, Amanda Doom, is now also the town accountant and she and Serenity come across a secret fund, a secret fund with plenty of money. Initially, Serenity just takes enough money from the fund to pay the internet bill and a few other outstanding library needs, like having the plumbing fixed. When she checks the fund again and realizes large quantities of money are coming into the account, she does the unthinkable and has the money channeled to the library and goes on a massive spending spree. The library's expansion project is not only greenlighted by Serenity but is given a massive upgrade. There's just one little catch, all of the work has to be done in seven days. This new library will not only be a library, but a community resource with a business incubation center, employment center, daycare center, homeless shelter, and more. The only problem is that someone wants their money back and have started to threaten Serenity. This wouldn't ordinarily be a problem since she is married to a police officer, but she can't confide in him about what she's doing or can she? That argument becomes moot when there's a murder of a former FBI-agent in the library during a forensic accounting study ordered by one of the city councilmen. Will Serenity tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth to the love of her life? Will Maddington get it's brand new MAD built before the money guys kill more people?

MAD Librarian was a fast-paced read. Serenity reminds me of the broadcaster in the movie Network that says: "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore." Well, Serenity and the citizens of Maddington are MAD about their new library, the MAD, and they're willing to do whatever it takes to protect the MAD. Okay, back to the book and the characters: Serenity Hammer is anything but serene; Amanda Doom, walks around in clothing with assorted protest messages and her favorite tagline is "By Any Means Necessary"; Joy Quexnt is the third librarian, a former police officer, and tattoo afficionado; Joe Hammer, local law enforcement officer and Serenity's husband; the hapless mayor; the library's pet rat (the rat wouldn't leave so they decided to keep it); and one city councilman that is also a practicing pediatrician and when townfolk want to discuss city business when he's at work bills the talk as a patient visit. There's a lot of action in the book, they are trying to build a library in seven days! There's a lot of tongue-in-cheek humor in MAD Librarian as well as outright humor, drama, and some violence. Obviously, there's quite a bit more going on in the story and if you really want to know more then read the book! If you're looking for something different to read, and I do mean different (in a good way) and want to support small libraries then I urge you to grab a copy of MAD Library to read, you'll get a madcap read and do some good as well.

This review originally posted on 12/03/2017 at http://www.thebookdivasreads.com/2017....