In honor of National Library Worker’s Day, I’m bringing you a round up of titles all about love and libraries. Okay, fine. I was totally going to write this anyway, but then it just happened that I got to tie it in with this special day – fabulous timing! Â
I am a school librarian by trade, and a lifelong library lover at heart. I grew up in libraries with my family and some of my happiest memories as a child were when we lived within walking distance of the public library in our tiny town and I could go there whenever I wanted to just browse and browse and browse and read. As a child, there were also times when we didn’t have a library near us, and I would order books from a regional libraries mail-order catalog – books by mail! For free! As a parent, I am bringing my children up as library lovers too, and count on the public library for so so many things. Given my profession, my children are also growing up in a library every day before and after school! My holds list is always a mile long, and I’ll totally admit that my fines can be high. But I always pay them with a smile and consider it my donation to the greater good.
Now, let’s talk about books about libraries… and LOVE. These books feature romance and library workers and there is NOTHING I love more than this sub genre. For real. This is it for me. You write a book about a library worker and throw in some romance and I will read it no matter what! I have also included a book of love letters……love letters written TO books by a librarian. What could be nerdier and more heavenly than that, you may ask? Well, really nothing at all.
Here are a bunch of swoon-worthy titles for you to check out! Pun intended, thankyouverymuch
The Library at the Edge of the World
(Harper Perennial ~ November 14, 2017 US Release)
Libraries and a bookmobile and the gorgeous West Coast of Ireland, all wrapped up in a story of a small town publican librarian starting over in middle age. To make things even better, there is a young male library assistant with a love story of his own. One of my very favorite books of 2017!
Bad Bachelor by Stefanie London
(Sourcebooks Casablanca ~ March 6, 2018)
Darcy is a NYC librarian whose library is in dire need of funding. Here comes Reed the PR man to the rescue, but Darcy isn’t necessarily a big fan, given Reed’s reputation on a new dating app called Bad Bachelors. This one is super sexy and is straight up romance with denied attraction and witty banter mixed in with the library and dating app storylines. It’s the first in a new series, so I’m excited to see where the future books will lead!
Let’s Talk About Love by Claire Kann
(Swoon Reads ~ January 23, 2018)
Alice is in college and working at a public library, when a new library colleague catches her eye. Tons of great library scenes, with the added bonus of Alice’s romance, which is made all the more complicated due to her asexuality. This one is fresh and fun and a welcome addition of a younger protagonist in the bookish world of libraries.
Librarians in Love Series by Sarah Title
(Zebra Shout ~ 2017)
This series is my EVERYTHING. EVERYTHING. Each book in the series can be read as a stand alone, as they include unrelated characters and storylines. Book 1 is The Undateable and features a female university academic librarian, Book 2 is Falling for Trouble and features a male public librarian, and Book 3 is Laws of Attraction and features a female law librarian. All of the books prominently feature library life along with swoon-worthy, smart romance.
Dear Fahrenheit 451Â by Annie Spence
(September 26, 2017 )
Annie Spence had me in bookish heaven with this collection of hilarious love letters (and breakup letters!) written to books she has loved and hated throughout her reading life. She is a librarian, so there is a lot of library content too. A perfect fit for any literature lover.
Okay, that was just round 1 of this, I promise. I have a lot more of romantic library stories to share in the future! If you have any recommendations, PLEASE hit me up on my Twitter or Instagram linked below! And head over to your local library now and thank a library worker, please.
