Dear Fahrenheit 451 : : a Librarian's Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in her Life

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Humor / Spence, Annie
On Shelf At: Malletts Creek Branch, Pittsfield Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Humor / Spence, Annie	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Pittsfield Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Literary Arts / Humor / Spence, Annie	4-week checkout	On Shelf

I.Books--The letters -- II. Special subjects--Library employees--Assistance to readers.
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 & SUMMARIES

Library Journal Review
Booklist Review
Summary / Annotation
Author Notes

COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Easy quick read submitted by pk on June 18, 2018, 9:26am Good concept, not as great as I hoped. Most of the book is letters that are written to books, book collections, etc. The author is a decent writer, but some of the entries are just meh, others are had me laughing out loud. It's clear she loves books and reading and wants to share that with the world. Still, I enjoyed the entries more if I had read the book she is writing to. Parents, beware the salty language in some entries - she's writing for adults here, not kids, even though some of the letters are to kids books. The nice thing about the letters to books is you don't need to read them all, you don't need to read them in a specific order, and you can put the book down for a week and come back later. There's nothing to forget so it doesn't matter. The second half of the book is full of short essays about life as a reader (how to get out of parties because you want to read a book, what to do if your spouse keeps interrupting your reading, etc.) They are somewhat amusing.

Great idea, doesn't quite live up to potential submitted by 21621031390949 on August 27, 2018, 9:26am I LOVE the concept of this book. It's creative, fun and heaven for us bibliophiles. Unfortunately, it doesn't quite live up to its potential. The author doesn't go deep enough and she relies on profanity too much, I suppose to "keep it real." Still, it's quick and fun and easy to read in 5 minute opportunities.
ADDENDUM: I've just listened to the audio version of this book and have really enjoyed it. For some reason, this one was better to listen to than to read for me.

dear fahrenheit 451 submitted by libbyk on June 24, 2019, 4:33pm A great read for us ocd worker bees

Delightful Book submitted by sdunav on July 3, 2022, 11:33am Even when I didn't agree with Annie's mini-reviews (in the form of letters to the books), I enjoyed her commentary. The parts that refer to her childhood in small town Michigan - in a family of readers without enough money - were especially interesting. Also, I'm just thrilled to be reading about someone planted firmly in the Midwest, it sometimes seems like the East Coast and West Coast are all I see portrayed in both American fiction and non-fiction.

Anyway, five stars from me and I recommend this to avid readers.