Elisabeth Egan

I am a sucker for books by and about book lovers, libraries, librarians, really any book that obviously is written by a book lover. Egan's book is somewhat too "pat" for me (the main character, Alice's, life is a bit messy, but resolve's quite nicely) the writing is good. As the story progresses, so does the plot, that is, the story becomes more engaging.

I think the back story of how we (as a society, and personally) look at books and reading in the current level at technology is well incorporated into Alice's situation as played out in the novel. I appreciate that Alice is true to her passions as a reader and the reader experience. Recent articles from numerous sources cite numbers showing that after the initial burst of popularity, "paper" books are outselling e-books AND that the number of new independent bookstores are growing.

See the following articles for more information:
"Paper is back: Why ‘real’ books are on the rebound" - GeekWire
http://www.geekwire.com/2015/paper-back-real-books-rebound/

"Why Indie Bookstores Are on the Rise Again" - Slate
http://www.slate.com/articles/business/the_edgy_optimist/2014/09/independent_boo...

This, of course, makes my heart sing, and I am grateful to Elisabeth Egan for writing a good read that promotes the world of reading!… (mer)