The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms    332 pages

"Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City."  

Amy is a school librarian in Pennsylvania and when she's given the chance to get away for a week, she decides to get some continuing ed credits and signs up to go an upcoming library conference in New York and present on a project she's been working on at her school.  Lucky for Amy, she has an old friend who runs a magazine in New York City, so she has somewhere to stay.  What she doesn't anticipate is this week will turn into a longer adventure, connecting her with an interesting man who captures her heart.  When it comes time to return back to her old life, will she?

So, I liked this book okay --- but it required several suspensions of disbelief.  I could buy the fact that Amy's husband left her and she had to figure out how to get a job and take care of her kids on her own.  What I had a hard time believing was 1) she is able to, at the last minute (from what it sounds like), submit her program for the conference, register and get to New York; 2) without a hotel reservation because she's sure she's staying with her friend . . . even though she didn't get a firm confirmation from her; and 3) there's no mention at all of how hot New York City is in the summer . . . and how packed these conferences tend to be.  I really don't buy that she was able to submit her proposal for a program right before the conference --- sorry, but I know how much lead time they need for things.  Also, I know how hot New York City gets in the summer --- and I know that library conferences get scheduled during the summer in locations that are hot because they save money that way.

And of course, Amy's friend in New York City, who runs a magazine, is wealthy and the magazine does a profile on Amy with a makeover . . . .   it's like everything can fall in place if you're friends with people with connections and a lot of money.   Also, I can't quite believe Amy goes somewhere wearing stretch pants and a sweater set ...  or wear a knit dress to dinner . . . I mean, it's summer.

So this is maybe a little snarky. While I found this book entertaining, I don't think I was quite in the mood for this Cinderella story starring a school librarian.  It's an okay story, but it just didn't quite resonate with me.

THE MORTAL WORD

THE MORTAL WORD by Genevieve Cogman

433  pages

https://slpl.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1423249116#

Reviewed by Rae C.

The fifth book in the Invisible Library series, and the best one so far!

There are multiple worlds, and in each there are different levels of technology (order, ruled by Dragons) and magic (chaos, ruled by The Fae).  Each earth has different versions of the same stories, reflecting the different development and history of that particular world. 

The Library exists at the center of all the worlds, and is outside of time.  By collecting the different versions of stories, the Library keeps the worlds bound together.  Also Librarians are able to speak The Language, and therefore in each world have a power different from either Fae or Dragon.  The Language is a pure command, the essence of all earth languages on all the different versions of earth. For example, if a Librarian commands water to boil in The Language, the water will boil.

There is an ongoing conflict between Dragon and Fae, and neither species can tolerate too much of the other. So Fae suffer in the order of Dragon worlds. And Dragons lose strength in chaotic Fae worlds filled with magic and Story.  (The Fae themselves are dominated by Story.  In fact, sometimes they are bound by the rules of the Story and/or their characters.  Both this book and The Masked City display this feature of Fae power.)

In this book there is a peace conference underway between Dragon and Fae, and the Librarians are officiating.  The main protagonist, Irene Winters, is currently Librarian in Residence in a world that is steampunk, and at roughly the 1920's in its timeline. One of her companions is a real life Sherlock Holmes, named Peregrine Vale.  (In some worlds Sherlock Holmes is not just a story.)  Her other companion is a Dragon Prince, Kai Strongrock.

All three of them are summoned to the top secret peace conference after a Dragon is murdered.  The conference and peace in all the worlds is in jeopardy.  Like the other four books, this is a great adventure, with "unguessable" twists and turns.  Cogman always has something up her sleeve!

I especially enjoyed the interim with Vale's POV.  This is the first time there has been a POV other than Irene's.  My understanding is this series grew partly out of the author's love of Sherlock Holmes (as well as Dungeons and Dragons), so to have Vale highlighted was a treat! In fact, Irene's name was chosen from Irene Adler in Conan Doyle's "Silk Stocking." Cogman did a good job of recreating a solid Sherlock Holmes in an unfamiliar world ruled by Fae and Dragons, and powered by ether.

The alternate Paris the story is set in retains all of the history of our worlds' Paris, and includes a very exciting scene in the Grand Guignol.  And the added spectacle of the Blood Countess, Elizabeth Bathory, running the show.

Kind of sorry I finished it so fast because now it is another long year of waiting for book six!!!

Awakening of Miss Prim

The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenorella, 258 pages

Like any fundamentally sensible person, Prudencia Prim does not much care for the modern world.  It is too ugly, too noisy, too superficial - greedy, stupid and tasteless.  She prefers the quiet, well-ordered harmony of a good library to the hustle and bustle of an office or even a classroom.  Thus, she applies for a job putting into order the library of a gentleman living a retired life in the village of San Ireneo de Arnois, even though she has a PhD in sociology and the advertisement explicitly states "Graduates and postgraduates need not apply."  Then there are the children - Prudencia doesn't much care for them, and the gentleman, although a bachelor, is raising a number of nephews and nieces.  And there are the dogs, for although of course Prudencia loves animals, she prefers them in the abstract.  Children and animals, after all, tend to destroy peace and quiet.  But Prudencia is about to learn that beauty and harmony are not things she makes to fit herself, but rather things she must fit herself to.

The Awakening of Miss Prim is a curiously undramatic novel.  The plot develops gradually, organically, in a manner that beautifully reflects the themes of the novel.

The Dark Talent

The DarkTalent by Brandon Sanderson, 300 pages

“Having broken the Smedry Talents while saving the kingdom of Mokia from the Evil Librarian army, Alcatraz Smedry infiltrates the Highbrary as part of a desperate plan to save his comatose friend, Batille.” This is not my favorite series by Sanderson but I have to read to the end because I need to know how it all comes out.  I like the characters and I want to know about them but I can’t say that the story is very interesting to me.  Kids who like humorous stories will probably like the series but I think that the humor is just too juvenile for me to appreciate anymore.

I Work in a Public Library

I Work in a Public Library  by Gina Sheridan   152 pages

From her blog, I Work in a Public Library, Sheridan has created a compilation of the odd patron interactions she experiences on any given day. While people outside the industry might think the situations and conversations are bizarre or hard to believe, as people that work in a public library, we know its all par for the course. You won’t learn anything new, but it’s easier to giggle when you’re not the one dealing with the weirdos.

Posted By:   Regina C. 

This Is What a Librarian Looks Like

This Is What a Librarian Looks Like: A Celebration of Libraries, Communities, and Access to Information by Kyle Cassidy, Ronald Rice (Editor), Richard Russo (Goodreads Author) (Foreword), Emily St. John Mandel (Goodreads Author) (Afterword)     240 pages.

Of course I picked up this book! Partly because I knew it was being published and partly because I remember what a few people told me when I started library school: "But you don't look like a librarian!"  Since then, I've picked up some pencil skirts and cardigans so I'm sure I fit their stock image a little better now.

This book stems from a photo essay published on Slate.com by author and photographer Kyle Cassidy in 2014. It was a montage of portraits and a general tribute to librarians. Since then, he has made it his mission to remind people how essential libraries and librarians are to our communities. This book has all kinds of people in it, women and men of all ages, background and personal style. Each person share their personal thoughts on what it means to be a librarian, and there are also original essays by Neil Gaiman, Cory Doctorow, Nancy Pearl and others.  I found it to be an interesting read, and it was nice to see so many different kinds of people represented in this book (as well as a range of different types of libraries).  While this book is great for librarians to see, I feel like it would be a great book to get in the hands of a lot of people, especially those who proclaim that libraries are redundant, since we have the Internet.  It's a fun read, but also thought-provoking.

Checked Out

Checked Out, by Elaine Viets, 288 pages

Helen Hawthorne is a Private Investigator who has been hired to investigate the loss of a million dollar painting inside a library book by going undercover as a library volunteer.  Once in place, she gets embroiled in a mystery concerning a potential ghost and a very real murder.  Fans of libraries, cozy-ish mysteries, sort of arbitrary endings, characters with little personality, outdated librarian stereotypes, or that thing where the author lists at the end what happened to all of the characters without actually working it into any sort of chapter, may like this book. 

Breathe

Breathe by Kristen Ashley, 656 pages

Chace Keaton is the recently widowed hero cop of Carnal, Colorado.  Faye Goodknight is its shy, quiet somewhat geeky town librarian.  Yep, this is yet another librarian based romance, but don't read this book to get any kind of glimpse into the life of a librarian.  With the exception of one town hall meeting when Faye has to defend herself and her library, Breathe is VERY light on actual library work or even any scenes set in the library.   I am not a cop, so I cannot speak to how realistic any of Chace's time on the job might be, but there certainly is more time spent in his world than hers.

When reading a romance writer I've never read before, I usually start out real apprehensive.  I have read my fair share of terrible books.  I have also read books that a non-romance reader would find very difficult to stomach but that I know readers of the genre would love.  Thankfully, Breathe is a novel that fits into the second category.  It ended up being a fast-paced enjoyable story with plenty of likable characters, a believable attraction between the two main characters  and (surprisingly) one of the best plotlines I've read involving the shady business that can go on in a small town (kidnapped children, serial killers, sex tapes, overzealous Christianity...you know, the usual). 

I would NEVER recommend Breathe (or the author if this book is indicative of her other works) to new readers of romance.  There are a few reasons for this: 1. The beginning was really rough. I wasn't convinced it was even readable until after about 100 pages.  The male protagonist seemed to know only 1 word the entire first quarter of the book.  It starts with an "f" and ends with an "uck."  2. The female protagonist is a virgin, and it's kind of a big deal at the beginning.  For a contemporary novel, that is a rarity and an annoyance (if I want that storyline, I would read one of the millions of historical romance novels).  3.  The male protagonist is what in the romance world (maybe the rest of the world too???) is referred to as an alpha male.  That is to say, he is bossy, possessive, controlling and downright unlikable sometimes - until the heroine "fixes" him.  The only reason I could handle this is because I know that Ashley is writing this for fans of this type in fiction (which is pretty popular right now because of 50 Shades of Grey).  4. Also, he is secretly rich. Well, his family is anyway.  He has a beautiful house with acres of land and a trust fund set aside for his kids college funds should he ever have any kids.  This is just so typical of romance, it is ridiculous. Why can't we just say he is a town cop, watches his budget and saves for retirement?  Nope, he has to be stupidly wealthy.   5. To some, this book would be considered borderline erotica.  6. Sometimes the dialogue is downright LAUGHABLE (see point 1). That can be good (like when Faye is waxing poetic over Battlestar Gallactica) but when I read that Chace was wearing a "kickass sweater," I could barely continue reading I was so astounded that the words "kickass" and "sweater" were in the same sentence. 

Still, after all that, this book makes me want to read more of Kristen Ashley.  Despite her occasional dialogue problems, for the most part she crafts a highly readable story.  I would recommend this to regular readers of Nora Roberts, Carly Phillips, Maya Banks and Lori Foster.

Long Overdue

Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi, 427 pages

Want to learn more about wheat harvesting in small-town rural Kansas? Love Overdue by Pamela Morsi might just be the book for you! 

Just kidding...kind of. DJ (Dorothy Jarrow) has patterned her life to be that of the respectable librarian. So, when she lands the position of "the librarian" in Verdant, Kansas she feels like all her hard work and personal repression is finally paying off. Oh but wait, the town hottie/pharmacist Scott just happens to be the guy she hooked up with years ago on a spring break trip to South Padre Island! The romance plot between the two centers on the fact that DJ immediately recognizes Scott, but he doesn't realize she is his "Sparkle Girl" from years ago until the very end of the novel.

Yes, this set up is super romance novel tropey and sometimes DJ come off as real annoying (for those of us who dislike the button-up library image), but I liked the characters enough to stick with it. I really enjoyed Scott as just an average middle-class nice guy. Not a billionaire playboy or duke in disguise or some other typical romance novel trick but a pillar of the community nonetheless.
I would recommend this book to fans of Jennifer Crusie and Susan Elizabeth Phillips, and anyone else who likes witty banter, small-town slice of life, interesting character driven type of stories (think: Gilmore Girls in book form).

Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs

Nice Girls Don’t Have Fangs by Molly Harper       355 pages

Jane has had a really bad day.  She was fired from her job as children’s librarian, got drunk in a bar, shot and left for dead, and turned into a vampire.  On the plus side, the man who turned her is really hot.  Unfortunately, Jane wasn’t really looking for romance, but now, she is looking for a new job, and for ways to tell her friends and family that she has become a member of the undead.  As if these weren’t enough problems, it seems like someone is out to get her.  She is being accused of murdering another vampire and someone is trying to hurt her dog.    This is generally a pretty fun, light, undead romance.  I liked both the humor and action, and thought that overall, it was a pretty good story.  Fans of Mary Janice Davidson and Janet Evanovich might like this series.