A librarian vents on the books she loves, hates and tolerates.

There are two types of books all librarians love: books about books and books about librarians. We love books about books because by nature, we want to know what you are reading and how to judge you on it. I don’t mean that negatively, but without knowing what you’re reading, we can’t do our jobs. Books about books are a good way to poll the general public on things people are talking about, and if a book is mentioned in another book, there’s a 722% chance (roughly) that another patron will ask about it. It’s good research! (That’s my excuse when I’m reading on desk).

Librarians also love books about librarians because we are equal parts empathetic and spiteful. Dear Fahrenheit 451 is a great example of this, as for half the book I was going “oh god I totally understand why she loves this book!” to “I’m so freaking glad she has to deal with this bullshit at her library too.” Knowing you’re not alone is cathartic. I am that bitch she talks about in the first paragraph!

I loved this. It’s smart, funny and to the point. Nothing is overly long or drawn out, just filled with gut reaction emotions about whatever book she’s talking about. I found myself taking notes the entire time I was reading on different books I had never read or owned and haven’t picked up in ages. It motivated me to take a look at my own bookshelves and see what I was no longer in love with. Some of the sections weren’t for me, the books seemed boring or pointless, but every section is about 2 pages long so how can you complain when you can just skip to the next page? It’s an easy book to pick up and read, put down, and pick up again in an hour or in a year.

It was simple, effective and snarky. It felt like I was reading emails from a friend. Admittedly I’m friends with a lot of snarky bitches, so this was a book made for me. The fact that it FINALLY got me to always remember how to spell “Fahrenheit” is just a bonus.

I also read this for the PopSugar 2019 Reading Challenge for “A Book About A Hobby”

Title: Dear Fahrenheit 451
Author: Annie Spence
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 244
ISBN:  9781250106490

Three descriptions: Friendly, Snarky, Quick-Read