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    Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks
    Unavailable
    Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks
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    Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks
    Audiobook5 hours

    Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks

    Written by Annie Spence

    Narrated by Stephanie Spicer

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    Librarians spend their lives weeding-not weeds, but books-books that have reached the end of their shelf life both literally and figuratively. They remove books that patrons no longer check out, and they put back books they treasure. Annie Spence, who has a decade of experience as a Midwestern librarian, does this not only at her Michigan library but also at home, for her neighbors, at cocktail parties-everywhere.

    In Dear Fahrenheit 451, she addresses those books directly. We read her love letters to The Goldfinch and Matilda as well as her snarky break-ups with Fifty Shades of Grey and Dear John. Her notes to The Virgin Suicides and The Time Traveler's Wife feel like classics that are sure to strike a powerful chord. Through the lens of the books in her life, Annie comments on feminism, culture, health, poverty, childhood aspirations, and more. Hilarious, compassionate, and wise, Dear Fahrenheit 451 is the consummate book-lover's birthday present, stocking stuffer, holiday gift, and all-purpose humor book.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media Audio
    Release dateSep 26, 2017
    ISBN9781520087597
    Unavailable
    Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks
    Author

    Annie Spence

    Annie Spence has spent the last decade as a librarian at public libraries in the Midwest. She lives in Detroit with her husband and son. Dear Fahrenheit 451 is her first book.

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    Reviews for Dear Fahrenheit 451

    4/5

    237 ratings34 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Everyone who reads voraciously should read this book. It was both fun and insightful to read the authors letters to the books many of us have read and loved, liked, or hated...some we may never have finished. It was like taking a walk down memory lane if that Lane was a bookshelf.
      Very entertaining!
    • 3/5
      Definitely a book for a younger set. The "goodbye" letters became old after the first five...but they went on for half of the book. Then she suddenly stopped writing the "letters" but continued her critiques using other vehicles, such as reporting on interaction with library patrons. Her language was too "millennial" for this 69 year old. I gave it an extra half-star because she did mention some books I added to my list.
    • 3/5
      Back in my late twenties I considered returning to school for a degree in library science. My BA in English was not getting me very far in the late 1970s economy.It made sense, after all, for when I was a girl hanging around libraries I imagined being the book answer person. Patrons would shyly come to me, uncertain and lost, and I would give them instructions on how to find that end-of-the-rainbow treasure of The Perfect Book for their reading pleasure.I dreamt of being intimate with books, knowing them deeply, freely dispensing of my fount of wisdom.Over the years I have known many librarians in many small Michigan communities. But I never joined their numbers. Instead, I grew up to blog about books. I still get to freely dispense my fount of whatever, but sans salary.When Dear Fahrenheit 451 appeared on NetGalley, it caught my eye right off, and I put in a "Wish For It" request which, I am grateful, Flatiron Books granted. I was happy to learn that author and librarian Annie Spence is a Michigan native who grew up in Metro Detroit and who currently is a librarian in Metro Detroit. I do love supporting Michigan and Detroit area authors!Subtitled, Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks, a Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life, this bookish memoir includes letters to specific books and short essays on "Special Subjects" including Books about Librarians, Good Books with Bad Covers, and Turning Your Lover into a Reader. Spence adopts a casual writing voice, dealing out jabs and jokes, gushing paenes and sage advice, never boring or dull. Spence's love of books and what they have given her is celebrated, but she also reflects the truism that we fall out of love with some books and others leave us flat.The books Spence addresses are varied, many of which I have not read and frankly, I skimmed some letters to books I don't know at this time. This is not a book you must read cover to end, you can pick and choose, returning to it now and then. At other times she piqued my interest in a book I had not read, like Eugenides' The Virgin Suicides, set in Detroit; I have only read the author's Middlesex and The Marriage Plot.There are letters to Color Me Beautiful and The Hobbit, Wicked and Cannery Row, Blood Meridian and Matilda, the Harlequin Spinner Rack at the library, and the Public Library Children's Section. She addresses problems all readers share: I'd Rather Be Reading, Excuses to Tell Your Friends So You Can Stay Home With Your Books, and He's Just Not That Into Literacy: Turning Your Lover into a Reader. Book suggestions are offered with short reviews of books on a theme, and the Books I'll Never Break Up With includes her "forever bookshelf" loves.Spence has written an extended love letter to books and libraries, extolling the joy of reading. It was great fun to read.I received a free ebook from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for a fair and unbiased review.
    • 3/5
      I really enjoyed the first part of this. Annie’s notes to books are witty, sometimes snarky, and entertaining. If the book had ended here, I’d have given it 4.5 stars. The second half is a slog of book recommendations and summaries that I did not find nearly as enjoyable, and found rather tedious, to be honest.
    • 3/5
      I liked it even though she and I disagree on a number of books and I didn't feel the need to rush out and read any of the books over which she rhapsodized. It probably should have been a paperback original, though or maybe a simultaneous hardcover/paperback release. It's the sort of cute, gifty concept book that a few people will buy in hardcover, but that would be an easy handsell in paperback.
    • 4/5
      This was a super cute collection of notes to books that Annie Spence has loved over the years or is culling from the library collection. I ended up annotating it, though I hadn't intended to at first. But suddenly there was a pen in my hand I was underlining something. Mostly I went through and left little smiley faces and LOLs where she made me laugh, but there are some important passages underlined and my commentary on certain books here and there. I also picked up several recommendations from her lists (could pick up more but my TBR is already infinite, so I wasn't trying to look into every book she mentions). I also love her new term for cock blocking, which is Mr. Darcy'd. I would certainly recommend this and if I weren't so lazy, I might even consider writing a few letters of my own!
    • 4/5
      I love books about books, and this is now one of my favorites. Spence writes with snappy flair and made me laugh out loud quite a few times. She also left me with more than a dozen new entries on my "to be read" list. Highly recommended for book nerds everywhere.
    • 5/5
      Author Annie Spence, a librarian in Chicago, writes letters to all sorts of books - from Fahrenheit 451 to Twilight at a garage sale, to a copy of Cannery Row she finds in a bathroom. About two thirds of the book are letters, and the final third is a unique set of book recommendations. The book is fairly short and the structure makes it really easy to pick up at put down at odd moments throughout the day or reading before bed. Annie's funny, candid, and sometimes irreverent. Book lovers and fellow librarians will find themselves nodding along with her - the letter on Bill O'Reilly's "killing" books and how patrons want them all shelved together had me cracking up with recognition - whether or not you share her taste in books. Reading this feels just a little bit like talking books here on LibraryThing, with all the quirks of personality and taste but a shared love of books that bring us together.
    • 3/5
      A love letter to books from a voracious reader and librarian. You can get a few good suggestions from it, if you want to. The book is small and can be something you read in between something else. The author truly is a lover of books - I can't imagine the number of books that she read in her life (and she is probably only in her early 30's!)
    • 5/5
      Public librarian, Annie Spence, writes letters to the books she loves (both personally and professionally), break-up notes for the books she's weeding from the stacks, and also hands out some reading suggestions for various people and moods.As a public librarian myself, large chunks of this book had me cracking up or nodding in agreement although I think it has appeal for those who aren't in working in the field. As a book about books it is, of course, very dangerous for adding titles to your to read list. Highly recommended.
    • 4/5
      So very readable! Each letter to a book about to be weeded is only a few pages, so once you've got the sense and tone of the letter, it's finished and you are curious about the next one, so you start reading it and the cycle repeats. I can't remember the last time I couldn't put a book down to go to sleep! Delightful. The books about ones I read were spot on. The comments about libraries, librarians, patrons, and library activities were all spot on consistent with what my other librarian friends have said. I laughed out loud more than once. I feel like I can trust Annie's judgement about other books for my to-read list based on her accurate reading of our books in common.My favourite letters: nope, too many to mention. Okay, Grey, Time Travellers Wife and Wicked were very memorable.So worth reading!
    • 4/5
      This is a quick, fun read - more of an indulgence - and if you like the same books the librarian-author does, it'll be right in your wheelhouse. But what is delightful at first, the concept of apologizing to books that must be weeded, grows a bit tiresome. However, the writing is sassy and witty, and there are numerous suggestions of books and authors new to me. It should give every librarian, book club member, and book lover a new activity to enjoy.My favorites: a riff on why The Hobbit gets boring without women; appreciation of and props to: An Education (made into an incredible movie) by Lynn Barber; Ghost World, the graphic novel by Daniel Clowes (also a fine movie - is a pattern emerging?); Dangerous Liaisons (book and movie again); and The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett.
    • 4/5
      Librarian Spence writes letters to books in her life, books she adores, others she doesn't, and some are just letters to tell a book how much annoyance it's caused her at the library. She apologizes to Marquez's Of Love and Other Demons for sending it home with a reader who came looking for something in the Fern Michaels style, tells Wicked that she tried to love it but couldn't, and writes to the entire Miss Marple series, calling it "the romping unicorn of the Mystery section" because it appeals to such a cross-section of the public. She tells Misery-"You are...disconcerting. Something ain't right with you. A writer held prisoner in the home of his number one fan. I thought I could handle it....Not to mention that, just to freak my ass out more, you gave her my name."It's a fun little book, and many of the titles she writes to are pretty obscure, which is why she's explaining why they are being weeded out. A good nightstand book.
    • 5/5
      This might be my favorite book of the year. NO LIE! I related to this book on such a personal level. Not just because I'm also a librarian, but her opinion on books, hilarious asides, and love for her profession made me want to become best friends and join a book club with her. For real. Dear Fahrenheit 451 is composed of a bunch of letters written to novels, authors, and series that evoked a strong response from the author. They weren't all positive, some were negative, but ALL of them were witty, funny, and well written. The book manages to be informative, inspiring, and personal without being too judgey which can be a hard line to stay on. My reading list just got longer (alright alright I'll check out The Virgin Suicides!) and I can't wait to read whatever else Annie Spence decides to write.
    • 4/5
      This was -- somehow -- a fun read, even though I haven't read let's say 90% of the books Anne mentions. It would definitely be a better read for someone with a wider taste in books (I'm coming to terms with being a terrible reader). But even without context, her "letters" were pretty funny.The only part I skipped was the set of book recommendations at the end... I've got enough that I'm not reading, already.I did leave with the intention of reading more celebrity biographies -- plus a photo-note of her "Crazy Surreal Shit in an Otherwise Mundane Setting" list, because that is right up my alley.
    • 5/5
      I love this book. After reading 75 pages, I put it on my "Favorites list." For any book-lover, making decisions about which books to keep or give away is difficult. All the arguments for and against go through one's mind. Annie Spence goes a step further and shares her reasons for keeping or "weeding" particular titles. I want to read some of the books that she can't part with. I share her opinion about many of the titles she wants to get rid of. I, too, am tempted to interrupt when I hear a group of people discussing a book that I have read. I didn't particularly benefit from the section on "Assistance to Readers" but it was fun to read just for her take on various titles and the humor involved.
    • 3/5
      These types of books mostly don't work for me, but I somehow keep trying. Some fun letters, though, non-the-less.
    • 5/5
      I won this ARC in a GOODREADS giveaway. The title says it all! What a wonderfully unique presentation. This book is witty, quirky, and was a pleasure to read. I will be sending this to my sister, the Librarian!
    • 4/5
      Really enjoyed the letters but the lists were not my cup of tea although I did find myself jotting down a few of the titles. I did find myself chuckling out loud to the author's wit. I'm glad to see some of the situations involving librarians is truly universal.
    • 3/5
      Very funny at times, the premise behind Dear Fahrenheit 451 doesn't really hold up for the length of even a short book. I did enjoy the first two-thirds of the book a lot, but the book lists (and extremely shorthand descriptions of them) became pretty mind-numbing as they went on and on...and on.
    • 4/5
      This fun little book by a librarian is comprised of letters to books (the first ~3/4) and lists of book recs (the last ~1/4). I enjoyed the letters more than the lists, but some of the lists were good too. Most of the letters are humorous, and while Spence occasionally used her humor to be just a little meaner than I really dig, for the most part, this was a lot of fun to read and made me laugh out loud quite a bit. A nice spin on the genre of personal books about books.
    • 4/5
      Dear Spence: You are hilarious and I had so much fun reading your letters to books you've loved and hated. With your passion for reading, finding the perfect book for others, and your snarky sense of humor, I think we would be friends if we met. The letters were perfect to read in small bites, a few at a time. You made me snort out loud with laughter while grocery shopping. Thanks for the giggles.
    • 4/5
      I received an ARC and loved loved loved reading this book! I would never have thought to read a book about books before now. Annie Spence is my kind of funny and her love/breakup letters are surprisingly useful as reviews given the humorous nature of the book. I'm keeping this book for future reference - especially when I need the right book for any certain mood. When it hits bookstores, I'm gifting this book to a couple of my favorite people who I know will appreciate Annie's humor and book "reviews" as much as I do.
    • 4/5
      Fun listen! However, I will need to get a copy of the book because I need to take notes on so many of the books she recommends!I'm a book lover, and I am currently volunteering at the public library, so I really enjoyed the library references. I also read all kinds of book reviews and have list upon list of TBR books so this was my kinda book!
    • 5/5
      The first half of this book contains short letters that Midwestern librarian Annie Spence has written to several dozen books she’s come across in her life. Some of them are declarations of undying love, some of them are breakup letters, and all of them are very funny and sweet. They remind you how books can make you feel on every level – the excitement of recognition when you see a cover, the sweet heartache when you finish a great book and can never read it for the first time again, the sneering cynicism when you come across a far-outdated non-fiction book. The second half of the book is fully just book recommendations. Books to read in pairs. Books to read when you don’t want to go out and socialize. Fat books. Skinny books. Books to give to people who don’t like books. At first I started writing down the ones that looked intriguing but eventually I gave up and ordered a copy of this book for myself.
    • 4/5
      A snarky librarian addresses letters to books she’s known and loved, hated, etc. I’ve been hearing about this one everywhere, so I picked it up and zipped through it in an evening. What they said about it is true: it’s fun, funny, and will make your reading list explode. It’s obvious to me that Spence and I have different taste in books, but I get the feeling that we could have some really interesting conversations about the spots where our reading overlaps. More than making me want to read at least some of the books referenced, this made me want to browse my personal shelves and have some conversations with my own old favorites.
    • 5/5
      Caveat for some: For a very few books there are spoilers, and in one or two cases I consider them major. I normally hate spoilers but for some reason I didn’t care here and I don’t remember their details now that I’ve finished the book. I think I remained unperturbed because except for one or two books, I’d either already read the books or think I will either never read them or won’t read them for a very, very, very long time. It was actually wonderful to read her takes about the books I have read. 5 stars! 5 stars! 5 stars! 5 stars! 5 stars! I love this book! What a joy it is. It’s one of the most entertaining books I’ve read for quite a while. It’s so much fun. It’s a clever, hilarious, well written, and a “Why didn’t I write this?!!!” book.It’s a hoot (and a good resource and interesting) from start to finish. Even reading the Contents page had me laughing and eager to read the book’s very short esssays. All the pieces are short, many very short, and that makes this book easy to read for short periods of time and when concurrently reading other books. That said, it was addictive and hard to put down. There are two different distinct sections and enough variety of tone and content that reading it cover to cover would have been pleasurable too, but I did read it at the same time as I was reading other books. I did add some books to my to read list because of books mentioned in this book, though sometimes I chose not to stop and write down future book ideas. It’s not as htough my to-read list needs more books and I’m trying to get more discriminating about which books to add to it. These pieces did remind me though how I rarely find alcoholic beverages/drinking stories amusing, and there are several of those included. Luckily, they’re a small enough portion of the book that I wasn’t bothered; it’s just they weren’t parts I particularly enjoyed.
    • 4/5
      Dear Annie,
      You have saved me from my book slump. You understand what it’s like to dedicate your life to the library, and have infused your pseudo-literary-memoir with so much humor and relatability that this Midwestern library worker wonders whether she might have crossed paths with you at a workshop or on Twitter. (I’m pretty sure we order the same drinks at the bar.) I want to share your witticisms with my bibliophile friends, especially those who admit we’re all snobs but still can’t get enough of our favorite fanfiction tropes. Thanks to you, my TBR list has grown. I’m grateful, but I may not forgive you for that.
      Let’s be friends,
      Jessica
    • 5/5
      I loved this book! Annie Spence has a writing style that clicks with me completely, and I enjoyed her sense of humour immensely. The first half of the book is a series of letters or notes that Annie, a librarian, has written to books over the years, either titles from her own shelves, or the ones that are getting weeded out of her public library's collection. Some of these notes are poignant, (Fahrenheit 451, To Kill a Mockingbird), some are snarky (Coming Out Straight: Understanding and Healing Homosexuality) [I could barely write that title out without feeling snarky myself - ugh.], and while they're all pretty consistently hilarious, a few of them just made me laugh out loud (Cannery Row, written to a copy found in an all-men-sharehouse's bathroom, and My Truck Book); My Truck Book will be, in fact, the reason I'll be taking this book with me to coffee next week to show a friend of mine with a son currently in the "TRUCKS!" stage. The second half of the book is a series of sections that are book recommendations and lists, based on topics like "Books I'll never break up with", and "Recovery Reads: A book lover's hair of the dog" and my absolute favourite: "I'd rather be reading: Excuses to tell your friends so you can stay home with your books", which she opens with this statement: "If you're reading this, chances are you've experienced bouts of antisocial behaviour and 'read rage' outbursts towards friends and family. Because, although you participate in society as much as necessary to convince your mom and the shrink your mom hired that you're not a shut-in, truth is, you'd rather be reading that doing just about anything. Did you think it was just you? It's not. You've just never met any of the others, because we don't want to talk to you either." Replace 'mom' with 'mother-in-law' and it's like she knows me. I had a lot of fun with this book, it was fast paced and really well written. I, of course, also have a handful of new titles to look for. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of Spence's writing career; I'll definitely be on the lookout for more of her work.
    • 4/5
      If you don’t have a best friend who is a librarian, get this book. Anyone who loves to read needs to find a librarian who likes to read the same books. I was lucky: a librarian found me and got me reading again after college. I haven’t stopped reading yet. And whenever I’m stumped about what to read next she can take a peek at my Goodreads To Be Read (TBR) list and pick out a half dozen good books. Actually, she can do it off the top of her head. For those of you who aren’t besties with your local librarian, Annie Spence is trying to fill that void with “Dear Fahrenheit 451.” In this book Spence writes love letters to books she is seeing on her stacks. Some are love letters. Some are break up letters. All are recommendations to readers. She covers everything from children’s lit to female sexuality books.This is a cute, quick read that will fill up your TBR pile faster than a visit to a bookstore. The one thing I wish the book had was an index that listed all the recommended books and cross-referenced it to the chapter in which it was discussed. I would’ve loved taking such a list, photocopying it, and crossing out all the books I’ve already read. I would have thought a librarian would have loved an index like that as well. One thing book lovers like to do is check off books from a list. I tried to make my own list but I only covered some of the fiction books. Thanks to Spence I added 148 books to my TBR pile. And you can tell that some books were discussed in length while others were quick one sentence recommendations.I may never read most of the books recommended by Spence but I know my librarian friend and I will have great discussions about them in the future. I love those discussions. I’m looking forward to them almost as much as I’m looking forward to reading and discovering new books. So if you don’t know what to read next check out this book and ask your librarian what she thinks of it. You may find some great reads and if you’re truly lucky you’ll find a great friend, too.