Legal Research

Library Book Recommendation

OK, this book has got to be a hit. I've ordered it. I'm going to try to se the author's tonight at a reading in one of the cool, edgy hotels in my neighbourhood.

Martha Baillie is a librarian with the Toronto Public Library. She has collected incident reports from libraries (you know those incident reports that must be filled out by library staff when something strange or disruptive happens) and put them into novel form set in the fictional Allan Gardens library branch.

Read the review from the Toronto Star here:

Lurking in the Library.

"About 90 per cent of the incidents in the book are loosely based on Baillie's experiences or those she was told of by other library staff. As a result, the book provides an inside look at the kind of bizarre incidents library workers sometimes encounter. The fascinating novel also delves into some wider themes, including "the nature of urban storytelling," Baillie says. "Whoever is sitting behind the reference desk is an ear. You play the role of a bartender a bit." The novel asks, "Why do we so often pick strangers to tell our stories to?""

I found it on Amazon.com here and on Amazon.ca here. It's in stock in Canada and on pre-order as of today in the US.

Looking forward to reading it.

Stephen

Full post as published by Stephen's Lighthouse on April 28, 2009 (boomark / email).