“A marvellously intense, read-in-one-sitting game of cat and mouse among the book stacks.” Guardian
WHAT BETTER PLACE to set a book than in a bookstore or library? It makes sense that many authors, including myself, pay homage to these vital literary locations in our novels and non-fiction; most of us ‘grew up’ in libraries and bookstores – and chances are, many of our readers did too.

I not only grew up in libraries and bookstores, but I grew up to work in a library. When I started working as a reference librarian in 2018, I realised that libraries were far from being the quiet, outdated book warehouses most people assume them to be. Instead, I came to know my workplace as a vibrant community centre that showcases the full spectrum of human behaviour – which means it’s perfect for a fiction writer like me. The wheels of my writerly brain began turning as soon as I answered my first unusual phone call at the reference desk, and it wasn’t long before I’d invented my own story set in a library, with librarians for main characters – a story that hopefully complicates the traditional view of libraries as simply quiet sanctuaries and of librarians as sweet little old ladies shushing patrons (though those may exist, somewhere). The books below, set in bookstores and libraries, have ​inspired me tremendously in my own work; they reveal the rich variety of ways that these literary centres can comfort, provoke, enrich and entertain.

—

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

Sayuri Komachi helps one patron after another – in ways far beyond the scope of the average reference librarian – with her spot-on book recommendations. Whether it’s an overwhelmed new mother, an aimless retiree, or a company employee longing to start his own business, Sayuri finds a book that will open their minds and set them on exciting new paths.​ This gently fantastical ode to the power of the written word is comforting, relatable and wise.

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie

Vintage Christie, impossible to exclude from a list of novels with bookish settings. When the Bantrys find a stranger’s body in their home library, they call the police first, and Miss Marple second. But as the case continues, Miss Marple stays one or more steps ahead of the police investigation – as per usual. Filled with Christie’s trademark lively dialogue, puzzling twists and quaint small-town setting, this novel (an old favourite of mine) proves Miss Marple right when she says: “One does see so much evil in a village.”   

The wheels of my writerly brain began turning as soon as I answered my first unusual phone call at the reference desk, and it wasn’t long before I’d invented my own story set in a library.”

The Discarded by Colin Hamilton

In this inventive collection of metafictions, Hamilton imagines a librarian who creates his own ‘discard library’ culled from books weeded from the main library’s collection. He goes on to give us a taste of this selection: a novel inspired by the bloodiest section of The Iliad; a biography of novelist David Markson written in his trademark fragmentary style; and a colourful guidebook called A Museum of Winter, written for those who may never know the season. In giving us a taste of what’s been discarded, Hamilton makes us question what it is we value as art and information – and why.  ​​

That Night in the Library by Eva Jurczyk

In this delightfully creepy take on the locked-room mystery, set in the basement of a university’s rare books library, a group of students gather on the night before graduation to perform a ritual that should free them from fearing death. Instead, one of them drops dead… and then another, and there’s much to fear, because the library is locked from outside until morning. Great fun for classic mystery fans.

You by Caroline Kepnes

Aside from its compulsively readable first-person narration and unique storyline, You offers the bibliophile a special treat that only a bookseller like Joe Goldberg could provide: sharp, cutting commentary on readers’ behaviours and proclivities. There’s the customer who hides his pile of Dan Brown books under a copy of Franny and Zooey, or the one who claims to own “every book Stephen King has ever written” without mentioning whether or not he’s read them. With our creepily charming narrator as guide, it’s easy to fall headlong into this sick-and-twisted take on a bookish romance. 

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami

In this fable-like narrative, a boy finds himself on a strange, enchanted journey deep inside his local library. Along the way, he meets an old man who locks him in a room and plans to feast on his brains after ‘feeding’ him books; a mysterious and beautiful girl with a tea cart; and a ‘sheep man’ who steps from the pages of a book. Reading it resembles the experience of watching a Miyazaki film; you’ll find a similar mixture of wonder and real menace as the boy fights to escape his bookish prison and return home.  

The Library Book by Susan Orlean

What begins as a true crime story unfolds into a multilayered meditation on the contemporary public library – the community services and support it provides as well as the many challenges it faces​. Orlean looks closely at the public library’s evolution and its current state in this in-depth study brought to vivid life with keenly observed details and dialogue, and the fascinating tale of an arsonist responsible for the 1986 Los Angeles Central Library fire.

Firmin by Sam Savage

Firmin, the irresistible star of this story set in a Boston bookstore, is a remarkably well-read rat. Rather than consuming the pages of books for mere belly-filling, Firmin fills his mind too, and begins to harbour human goals, dreams and desires. If you’ve recently read Sipsworth by Simon van Booy and are looking for another enlightening rodent-focused read, Firmin is the minor classic you should turn to next. 

Death of a Bookseller by Alice Slater

Slater brings the specialised world of bookstore workers to life in this riveting tale of two booksellers, Roach and Laura, joined by their fascination with true crime. Instead of becoming great friends through this shared interest, Roach discovers a secret from Laura’s past that becomes fodder for her own obsession – and ultimately leads them both to dark places. For all true crime lovers (and haters), and anyone who’s ever worked in a bookstore (or customer service in general), this one’s an unmissable gem.

Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa

Sweet but not saccharine, this novel follows Takako on a journey from heartbreak and despair to a new life, with new joys and connections, granted to her by an unlikely place: her uncle’s second-hand bookshop. It’s gratifying to watch Takako change her attitude toward the unconventional life her uncle leads as she delves into Japanese literature and finds new friends who help her heal from a deep disappointment. This brief book will linger long after you read it. 

—

Laura Sims is the author of the critically acclaimed novel Looker. An award-winning poet, she has published four poetry collections, and her essays and poems have appeared in The New Republic, Boston Review, Conjunctions, Electric Lit, Gulf Coast and more. She and her family live in New Jersey, where she works part-time as a reference librarian and hosts the library’s lecture series. How Can I Help You is published by Verve Books in paperback and eBook.
Read more
laurasims.net
@ljsims50
@VERVE_Books

Author photo by Jen Lee