Play Book Tag discussion

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

This is a non-fiction book about a fire at the main branch of the Los Angeles library in 1986 that burned thousands and thousands of books.

The book bounces around and Orlean follows the history and life of the main suspect Harry Peak. This line got a little boring for me. She also covers the history of the head librarian, which I think was my favorite part. That and the different collections that the library contained at the time of the fire and now. I loved the side stories that she learned as she interviewed people and am so glad that she included those in the book.

She also touched a bit on her mom's dementia and that led me to my favorite paragraph in the book... "In Senegal, the polite expression for saying someone died is to say his or her library has burned. When I first heard the phrase, I didn't understand it, but over time I came to realize it was perfect. Our minds and souls contain volumes inscribed by our experiences and emotions; each individual's consciousness is a collection of memories we've cataloged and stored inside us, a private library of a life lived. It is something that no one else can entirely share, one that burns down or disappears when we die. But if you can take something from that internal collection and share it--with one person or with the larger world, on the page or in a story recited--it takes on a life of its own." LOVE IT!

Overall I enjoyed the book. Sometimes non-fiction can be a slog, but it flowed really well and kept me interested mostly throughout.

Charlotte wrote: "The Library Book by Susan Orlean

This is a non-fiction book about a fire at the main branch of the Los Angeles library in 1986 that burned thousands and thousands of..."

Great review. You make me want to pick it up to finish it. I was listening to this CD in the car - pre-covid or during covid - and never finished it (since I didn't need to drive much). I was put off by the section when she was interviewing the family of Harry Peak. I do plan to get back to it. I picked up too many books for this tag.

NancyJ wrote: "Great review. You make me want to pick it up to finish it. I was listening to this CD in the car - pre-covid or during covid - and never finished it (since I didn't need to drive much). I was put off by the section when she was interviewing the family of Harry Peak. I do plan to get back to it. I picked up too many books for this tag..."

Yea... the Harry Peak line of the book was my least favorite. But I loved all of the other parts!

That quote is fab! Thank you for sharing. I have had my eye on this one.

I loved this book too - a top book in the year I read it. So many gems, and such a poignant love letter to libraries as well as a history of this library and of the fire. Her reminiscences of her mother were incredibly touching. I also loved how she worked in things like the science of fires.

I agree about the Harry Peak thread - it was a good idea, but ultimately there wasn’t much to say (or at least not enough for the space it took up or the mystery she tried to create by splitting it up).

I found the Harry Peak portions quite interesting, personally. Although even more so the broader info about arson.

And that is a good quote. I rarely stop to think about something while I reading (I just go along for the ride!), but for that one, I did.