Tuesday, May 8, 2018

New-ish Release: Dear Fahrenheit 451


It says something about the quality of writing in Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks (A Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life) that I could enjoy it even though I had only read a handful of the books that Annie Spence mentioned. Each of the letters that she wrote is funny and insightful and a fun look into the mind of a librarian and lifelong reader.  There are books that she always has and always will love. There are books that didn't age well for her. There are books that she wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole (literally). And there are books that she loves to recommend -- sometimes successfully!

Honestly, as I read this, I started ignoring many of the actual titles (usually because they were books I had ZERO interest in -- Spence and I do not overlap much in our bookish tastes) and just focusing on the feelings. I did add one book to my library list--The Fledgling by Jane Langton--and I look forward to exploring its ability to inspire a young Spence so much with its presentation of transcendentalism and Thoreau that she eventually named her son Walden. Because, though we all read and love different books, each loving reader experiences the same highs and lows. One day I may even write a few letters to books of my own that have affected me.

Which book would you write a love letter to?

Epistolarily,
K

6 comments:

  1. Oh man, this looks so fun. Now how to get hold of it...?

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  2. That's a great question! I could definitely write a love letter to any of Jane Austen's books, and to Walden, too. :)

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    1. I will be rereading Walden this summer as I read the latest Thoreau biography. I didn't connect with Walden in high school but have a feeling that it will be different now!

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  3. Probably Jane Eyre. But it’s hard to say!

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    1. I know. Do you write a letter to your first favorite? Your last favorite? So many choices!

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