Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks
Ratings13
Average rating3.5
15
Ratings13
Average rating3.5
If you love to read, and presumably you do since you've picked up this book, you know that some books affect you so profoundly they forever change the way you think about the world. Some books, on the other hand, disappoint you so much you want to throw them against the wall. Either way, it's clear that a book can be your new soul mate or the bad relationship you need to end. In Dear Fahrenheit 451, librarian Annie Spence has crafted love letters and breakup notes to the iconic and eclectic books she has encountered over the years. From breaking up with The Giving Tree (a dysfunctional relationship book if ever there was one), to her love letter to The Time Traveler's Wife (a novel less about time travel and more about the life of a marriage, with all of its ups and downs), Spence will make you think of old favorites in a new way. Filled with suggested reading lists, Spence's take on classic and contemporary books is very much like the best of literature sometimes laugh-out-loud funny, sometimes surprisingly poignant, and filled with universal truths. A celebration of reading, Dear Fahrenheit 451 is for anyone who loves nothing more than curling up with a good book...and another, and another, and another!
Reviews with the most likes.
I enjoyed this book immensely!
In Dear Fahrenheit 451, each chapter is a letter to a different book. (Except the last few chapters, those are letters to the reader.) The letters range from disappointment (Wicked) to adoration (The Fledgling) to creeped out (Principles of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis) - but they're all entertaining, and usually pretty funny. Some letters are explaining why she's culling them from the library's collection (too many copies, or bad condition, or haven't been checked out in years.)
The author has a wonderful writing style that makes me want to grab coffees and gab about books with her. It's also a great book to read when you don't have long periods of time to read - the chapters are short and self-contained, so there's no rush to find out what happens next. It will most likely add things to your TBR, though, as most books about books tend to do!
I really enjoyed this one - it's way better than My Life With Bob. Probably because it's actually about the books, where My Life With Bob was more of a memoir.
You can find all my reviews at Goddess in the Stacks.
Charming but unexciting. I've either read or already am solidly uninterested in most of the books she lists, and I don't think she has anything especially new to say about libraries. It was nice to read, but not something to reread.
4.5 stars.
Aaaaand now I have 26 books on hold at the library.
Thanks for that, Annie.
4.5: Annie Spence urges us all to read with her outrageous humor, accessible writing style, and expansive knowledge of books. Spence has me considering which books I would compose “love letters” or “breakup notes” for - and thinking of how many copies I will purchase for gifts this year! As Kirkus Reviews said, “A charming epistolary volume that begs to be read with pencil in hand.”
