Despite a deep seated love of books, I don’t usually find myself enjoying books centered around libraries or the books themselves. However, this book kept my interest throughout and had me guessing who the culprit was until the moment of unveiling. I usually can guess the ending, but I was pleasantly caught off guard and happily proved wrong about all my assumptions.

There is a deep sadness within all the main characters’ lives, but the unfulfilled longing that the reader feels for them allows an uncomfortable and cathartic relatability when all is said and done.

I would highly recommend this book to all who find themselves looking for a mystery, but also those looking for fictional insights to themselves.

Sometimes I think publishers are pandering to librarians, given the overflow of titles with bookshops, libraries, and librarians featured prominently, and I was prepared for The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections to be one of those slightly disappointing bait-and-switch experiences, but I was pleasantly and happily surprised by this delightful, witty mystery that gives an honest look at academia and academic librarians on the journey. Highly recommended for librarians who will get quite a few chuckles, and for muggles as well.

I must admit that I am a sucker for a book about books and this does not disappoint. Eva Jurczyk weaves together a wonderful tale in the present of a stroke victim currently in a coma, a near-retirement assistant called in from sabbatical to run things in his absence, a woman coping with depression, and a few missing rare manuscripts. In the past, we have an affair and a tale of how the department of rare books and special collections came to be. Liesl Weiss was on sabbatical when she is called back to work at the library when the director suffers a stroke that leave him comatose. Lisle soon quickly discovers that a recent acquisition is missing, followed by more missing rare books from the collection. As she tries to put the pieces together, Liesl unravels more mysteries than she expected. I found this to be a wonderfully crafter mystery with plenty of twists and a beautiful love letter to libraries, librarians, and books.

The story stars with Liesel, the assistant director of the department of rare books and special collections, being called back from her writing sabbatical when her boss has a stroke. The library has just acquired at half a million dollar book and her boss is the only person with the combination of the safe where it is kept. When the safe is finally found the book is nowhere to be found.
I like the general premise of this book, valuable books vanishing without a trace, but honestly Liesel was not a likable character to have to go through the story with. She seemed completely inept at the job she said she would do, regularly drank while working (she seemed like an alcoholic but that’s never addressed), and in general did not make a female librarian seem anywhere near as competent as her male coworkers. @ lot of things going on in this book are never really addressed or barely mentioned as the book wraps up.
Intriguing plot, but characters I didn’t really want to spend time with.

I like books about books. I like books about libraries, special collections. This book was sent to me from Netgalley on Kindle for review. This is a book that is intriguing and not simply a run of the mill story. It almost seems totally realistic as if it is happening now. Try this one.

This book is easily described as “fine”. It’s not particularly exciting but is engaging to keep you going.

The mystery at the center of this book is really for those who love books. It lacks the danger that makes mysteries really suspenseful.

Fortunately it’s a quick read so it’s easy to persevere.

I bet there are a lot of library workers/librarians who can identify with Liesl--happiest in the background, getting their work done with a minimum of fuss and attention, avoiding friction whenever possible but also not being a doormat to workplace political bullying. The more I read the more I liked the main character, especially toward the end. Doing the right thing should always trump doing the weasly thing to avoiding embarrassment (i.e., lying always causes more problems than it solves)! The characters were well drawn and definitely visible in my mind as I read; I could identify with many of them and wished I was more like two of them. A fun read with a great message guised as a library themed novel/mystery.

A Worried Librarian...
A precious manuscript, a worried librarian, much administration and many secrets. When a rare and valuable manuscript goes missing at a University library the librarian, Liesl, is prevented at every turn from reporting the matter or raising the alarm. When another event gives her grave cause for concern she find herself investigating two disappearances. What she finds shakes her whole world. Nicely written storyline with a well formed plot and an interesting theme.

Interesting story, Liesl works at the academic library, and when her boss has a stroke she takes over for him. Finding some rare books missing she starts to seek out why, only to come up against the bureaucracy of the administrators. As someone who has been at a Univ. for over 23 years I thought this one would be a fun read. It is a good read, but a little slow. Ended up skimming a bit here and there. Otherwise, I would recommend it, especially if you have more dealings with the politics of administrators, and how frustrating they can be.

Liesel Weiss enjoys leading a quiet life while tending to the rare book collection at a college, she’s happy living in the background. When her boss has a stroke, Liesel is left in charge and that’s when she discovers that one of the college’s most important (and valuable) manuscripts has disappeared. Rather than being concerned, the library administration tells her to keep quiet, her job is to keep people happy, and the generous donations rolling in. The theft of the manuscript is obviously an inside job, but which one of the colleagues that Liesel has grown to known and care about is the guilty party? Maybe it’s because I am a librarian, but I really enjoyed this book. The machinations of dealing with administration are the same in every library, no matter what the size