Welcome to Litsy!

It‘s officially hashtag#TakeActionForLibraries Day! To celebrate and advocate for libraries and library funding, we want every library lover to make their voice heard today. Head to ala.org/showup to learn how you can take action by calling or emailing Congress, writing a letter to your local newspaper, and more! Tell Congress how important your library is to your community - and how important federal funding is to sustain their work.

During #nationallibraryweek , thank your librarians and library workers. Stop into the library and thank them or write them a thank you note.

#nationallibraryweek #thankalibrarian #thankalibraryworker

Today is #RighttoReadDay!

Books and the right to read has been under attack more so now than in past years. Please show up #forourlibraries and librarians and library workers to let them know that you support them and that we‘re not alone in this fight.

Freedom to read, books and free access to information for all is a necessary right! Join us in celebrating the right to access diverse ideas and books!

#NationalLibraryWeek, April 6-12, 2025, is a celebration which highlights the value of libraries, librarians, and library workers play in transforming lives and strengthening our communities.

If you don‘t have a library card, get one. Have friends and family get a library card. Use it!

This is one way to support libraries!

My first bookshelf is ready! I'll be stitching colors of the covers from each book I finish in 2025.

@thecheckoutstack interviewed me (& a coworker) for her podcast this past Monday. She speaks with a different librarian each episode and gets book recommendations from ~the professionals.~ 😜

Of course, I couldn‘t shut up about Litsy, one of my greatest love affairs. I don‘t know if I convinced her to read any of the books I‘ve fallen for recently…but I did convince her to join our bookish social media cult!

Give Maria a follow & a warm welcome!

Hubs got a wild hare up his butt on Monday and decided we were going to completely rearrange the house. It‘s caused a lot of extra work and cleaning but has resulted in this :)

#spookoween #31by31

Can‘t believe I waited so long to read this one, I really enjoyed it and was fascinated by all the research the author put into this on the suspect, the fire that consumed Central Library in Los Angeles, libraries and librarians. If you love books and libraries you will love this one. Also, made my goal of reading 31 hours this month!

I've got to figure out a good way to store or display these. I'm also sad I didn't think of collecting these sooner. I've visited so many other libraries too! The top two on the right are from the same library in Cobh Ireland. A kid won a design a card contest so they had two options and gave me both. (I do own the tagged book but haven't read it yet.)

🔥This week I‘m reading about the largest library fire in US history. I should say that‘s what it was about at first, but now it‘s evolved into the history of the Los Angeles public library system. I‘m about halfway through and I‘m still into it.
📚 Taken at Burton Barr Central Library today even though it‘s not a library book

#schoolspirit #library
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#setinalibrary #aboutabook ❤️
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @Eggs

#lifegoals

Finally put together my May #BookspinBingo card. Looks like I have two nonfiction in the queue for this month‘s #Bookspin and #Doublespin!

Thanks to these Litsy folks for today‘s prompt:

#ITTAKESALLKINDS
@Eggs
@AlwaysBeenALoverOfBooks
@LitsyEvents
#LitsyEvents

TODAY‘S PROMPT: BOOK MENTIONED IN BOOK

In 1986 the Los Angeles Library caught fire.

Practically all were ruined or damaged.

I read this book, but didn‘t review it…it was excellent.

📚 Maybe You Should Talk to Someone- Lori Gottlieb
📚 📚 George VI & Elizabeth: The Marrriage That Saved the Monarchy - Sally Bedell Smith
📚 📚 📚 The Library Book -Susan Orlean
#TLT @dabbe #ThreeListThursday

If I have to be at work on a Saturday, at least I feel appreciated. 💖

😂😂😂

This has been on my kindle forever and it came up in last bookclub so decided to finally read it, amazing book full of info on not only Los Angeles Central library and the fire but libraries in general. Highly recommend.

“I have never been able to do harm to a book. Even books I don't want, or books that are so worn out and busted that they can't be read any longer, cling to me like thistles.“

Anyone else follow random library accounts on Instagram? This one is super cute! They read one star reviews of books then reveal which book it is. Too cute! 🤩

Love a happy ending!

https://www.boston.com/news/books/2023/07/08/extremely-overdue-book-returned-to-...

An investigation into the 1986 Los Angeles Public Library fire, and a love letter to libraries by a talented writer and lifelong reader. Highly recommend.

I am so thankful that @LocalTXLibrarian chose this book for me. What a wonderful read! Although the story of the LA County library fire of 1986 was the inspiration, this is really an extended love letter to the concept of a library. Lots of history, a look at the future role of libraries. A really worthwhile and well written book. So glad I read this!

Just like the author, I had not heard of the 1986 blaze of LA Central Library. Orlean does an entertaining job of covering so much about LA Central from its start as well as the fire and recovery and the man accused of setting the fire. Book darts are great to mark passages for book club discussion, and then easily removed after. I‘ve only been using them a couple years, wish I had them before.

We got home from our trip, and I was so excited finally open my #litsylovespringgardenpartyswap package. @LocalTXLibrarian I cannot thank you enough for this amazing gift! I‘m anxious to read both of these books-at least one is going to be my airplane read in a couple weeks- and the throw is going on my reading chair RIGHT NOW 😄 I love it all, and if I didn‘t know already that you‘re a librarian, your choices would have told me ❤️😘 #litsylove

Finally read this one which has been on my TBR list for several years. I inherited a book discussion group with my new job so that helps with the motivation. 😅 Even though I read it pretty fast I thought it was very good and quite accurate with regards to libraries.

True 😂 and now that Wes has all these cool new learning books from PaperPie I make ppl look at those too 😂

My library haul from today! The top 2 I purchased from the Friends of the Library shop and the bottom 2 are holds that came in.

POV: Bookmobile librarian was on vacation in February, which means that yesterday all of these library books were delivered (a month‘s worth)! 😱

I had this book for awhile and finally read it. I enjoyed it, though to me it was more a history of libraries instead of a true crime book. It didn't spend a whole lot of time on the 1986 fire at LA's Central Library. I still enjoyed it though. First book for February Bingo.

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks
#OffTheShelf2023 @Tove_Reads @Andrew65

Library book nook ❤️.

While a non-fiction book about a devastating library fire might seem an odd first choice read for the Christmas long weekend, the effort of the community and staff to get the library collection back on its feet gave me just the warm fuzzies I was looking for this holiday season. And hey, a festive red and gold cover feels thematically appropriate too. 😉 1/?

Ah ha! I learned a thing. Evidently that ripply, wibbly thing pages do when they get wet actually has a name:

"cockled": " the wrinkled, puckered, waving, or curling condition of a page or of the boards of a book, which is caused by non-uniform drying and shrinkage."

Ah, gendered language, so often complicating matters for no good reason. What the hell is a "girlish complexion"? Is that meant to be complimentary or derogatory? If the author meant a 'youthful complexion', why not just write that?! ??‍♂️? 'Smooth or unblemished skin' might work, though emphasis on such feels like bowing to beauty standards...next question, why was this a necessary descriptor? 'Appeared younger than his age', there, fixed it!

If you ever wanted some behind the scenes info on how libraries work or what librarians do…. Here‘s a great start. The story and mystery surrounding the LA Central Library fire was fascinating to me, and I enjoyed all the set and history included. One irk for me is that it gives the impression that libraries LOVE all sorts of weird stuff to be donated, and that‘s not always the case. #scarathlon +16pts

Shocker, behind on reviews!

Read this for #Booked2022 - Written by a journalist

Probably an unpopular opinion, but it just didn‘t do it for me. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I‘m thinking it would have been better in print, because a lot of it was her just listing off books..

The overarching story is about the fire at Los Angeles‘ Central Library in 1986 where over 700,000 books, plays, periodicals, maps, and other items were lost to the blaze and the fight to restore the library and what was lost.
The rest was a love letter to libraries, librarians, and the communities that form around them.

Looks like I might get a #BookSpinBingo after all, now I've finished my #DoubleSpin!

I really liked this book; it's less about the library fire in some ways and more just a history of the whole library, and a little of the development of how libraries are framed through history. Which might sound dry, but there's plenty of fascinating detail.

I'm finding this riveting and wishing I had time to finish it today, aaah. Though it feels weird to spend so much time on Harry Peak when, idk, it doesn't seem like arson was his style?

Need to read this for my #DoubleSpin, so I've just started digging in. It's a horrifying description of a fire, for sure, and I can't help but wonder if any of those firemen suffered longer-term effects...

Trying to figure out a line in #BookSpinBingo, too. It's been a weird old month, and I haven't at all read the things I intended to read! But I have options now, if I read speedily.

My library is almost done!! The doors get put in this week, and the Pod with all my books will be delivered at the end of the month. I don‘t get the other four bookshelves I ordered until November, but the end is in sight!

I‘m being featured on my Library‘s blog. Fun!

Check it out here:
https://www.amesfreelibrary.org/blog/staff-picks/staff-stories/staff-stories-aly...

My last finished book in May...I enjoyed it even more than I expected! Definitely worth checking out if you love libraries.

Interesting book on what libraries do, built around the tragic fire at L.A. Public Library in 1986. Has a lot of history and bios. of people in Calif. who started the library in So. Calif. Could have been a little shorter but very enjoyable.

Poignant part after mentioning her Mom's dementia.

#OnThisDay in 1986 a devastating fire hit Los Angeles' Central Library. It damaged or destroyed more than one million books. Thankfully, the alarm systems and fire protection had recently been upgraded, and that advanced warning meant all 400 people inside the building were able to escape uninjured. It took around 350 firefighters and 7 hours before the blaze was extinguished. Arson was suspected, but the culprit remains a mystery. #HistoryGetsLIT

My book haul from the festival yesterday. Already looking forward to next year.

I'm also going to read this one. I've heard good things about it. I think it's about the LA Public Library and other things. As a librarian I feel obligated ! 😉