Overall, this was okay. I can't really tell you what the plot is, because I'm really not sure. However, the truth is that I didn't really care! This is a book I wouldn't read for the plot, but the feelings each scene evokes. I did like Nan (the mc) for the most part, though she had some questionable opinions at times.

There were some strange comments at the beginning that rubbed me the wrong way (such as an implication that only those who read classics are "smart"), which is partially why this book lost a star. I also felt the book jumped around a bit, because there were quite a few characters and it seemed random, though that wasn't something that bothered me that much.

A book that came to my mind at certain points was Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. The two books have little bits that are similar and some sections have similar vibes, in my opinion.

Also, I don't typically make book playlists but I would put the song Birthday Cake by Dylan Conrique for this one if I did.

So: was this book amazing? No, but I liked it and it got me out of a reading slump!

the new town librarian by kathy anderson: 2 out of 5 stars

this book was not for me. i had such high hopes: a queer 50yo woman is unhappy with her librarian position in philly, so she moves to a small town to become the town librarian. it could have been cute and cozy and heartwarming, but nan (the main character) was judgmental as hell and nothing happened in the book.

nan complains about almost everything, is upset when she doesn’t get a job in ptown (nan babe you are not progressive enough), starts a secret book club with two of her favorite patrons because they’re the only people who are ~serious~ about books, loves and puts too much emphasis on the classics, judges many of her coworkers. i don’t know if it is an age/generational difference, but to me nan felt like a boomer who thinks she’s progressive yet refuses to understand what white supremacy is. thinks she’s so liberalized but has no qualms calling the cops. claims she wants everyone to read but is judgmental and picky about what people are reading.

i do not recommend this book.

thank you to netgalley and nine star press for the arc in exchange for an honest review. this book is available now.

Going into this book, I had zero expectations. I requested an arc of it because as someone who wishes one day to be a librarian, the premise sounded interesting. I was not expecting to finish this book almost in one day, and cry.
I’ve read some of the other reviews on this book and one common critique I’ve seen is that the book doesn’t flow. But I would argue that it is not meant too; this isn’t a linear plot, a story with a defined point a and b, it’s more of a meandering river, that shows us the development of a character. This book would be more accurately described as a slice of life, or a character study.
Speaking of characters, every character in this book was absolutely fascinating. I loved every single one of them, and the author has a knack for making each one feel like a real person.
I love the main character. She’s a funky librarian lesbian who, at 50 years old, needs a fresh start. She’s searching for peace, happiness, a place to belong and perhaps love. And over the course of the story she finds that, in some very unexpected places. I cried at several different points in this book due to the found family and the growth that Nan experiences as a character.
The library aspect of this book was pure gold. I love libraries; they’ve always been a place of refuge for me, especially during my teen years. It’s a magical place full of every kind of knowledge or story you could need. This quote from the book especially struck me: “All are welcome here. All are embraced here. In a way, the public library was as fantastical a world as these imaginary ones(fantasy books).”
All in all this book completely surprised me and I think it’s a favourite now. 5/5 stars

When semi content librarian Nan plays a game of "new job roulette", she happily ends up as the director of a small town library. The challenges of learning her job, navigating small town politics and relationships, and tenant life, she finds creative solutions and happiness in unlikely places.

It took me a bit to get into this one, mostly because the discontent of the character permeated the entire book but as her attitudes changed, so did the tone of the book and as a device it was well done.

#arc
#netgalley
#thenewtownlibrarian

‘The New Town Librarian’ by Kathy Anderson was a fun, sweet, and quick read with an amazing protagonist that I adored, and a super sweet romance, as well as some truly great friendships. Highly recommend!

Definitely a nice read for any librarian. It was really fun and cute and I enjoyed reading this outside in my backyard. I love that she was a 50 year old queer librarian. I am always attached to books that have a bookish theme to it! I’ll be recommending this to my friends and family

"The New Town Librarian" by Kathy Anderson is a charming and engaging novel that explores the challenges faced by queer middle-aged librarian Nan Nethercott as she tries to turn her life around. The story is set in a small town in southern New Jersey, and the author does an excellent job of capturing the idyllic and quirky nature of the place.

The character of Nan is the heart and soul of the book. She is a wisecracking hypochondriac with a lackluster career and a nonexistent love life. When she lands a job as a librarian in the small town, she sees it as an opportunity to start anew. However, unforeseen challenges await her, including a demanding landlady, unruly middle-schoolers, and a mysterious reader who leaves distressing messages in the book stacks.

As Nan navigates these challenges, she discovers her own unorthodox solutions to the problems that confront her. Along the way, she develops surprising friendships, finds a meaningful career, and even meets a promising new love interest in the form of the irresistible butch deli owner, Thomasina.

The book is filled with delightful and quirky characters, and the author does an excellent job of capturing the small-town atmosphere. The story is well-paced and engaging, with plenty of humor and heart. Overall, "The New Town Librarian" is a delightful and uplifting novel that is sure to appeal to anyone who loves books, libraries, and small-town life.

✨✨✨ARC REVIEW✨✨✨
New Town Librarian
By: Kathy Anderson
Pages: 365
Release Date: February 1st, 2023

This was not my favorite book. I do not think I was the right audience for this book. While it was written well I did not connect with the characters the want I have in the past.

Synopsis:
Queer middle-aged librarian Nan Nethercott, a wisecracking hypochondriac with a lackluster career and a nonexistent love life, needs to make a drastic life change before it’s too late. When she lands a job as librarian in a seemingly idyllic small town in southern New Jersey, Nan quickly discovers unforeseen challenges.
Nan’s landlady, Immaculata, launches daily intrusions from below. The library, housed in the former town jail, is overrun by marauding middle-schoolers. A mysterious reader leaves distressing messages in book stacks all over the library. Thomasina, the irresistible butch deli owner, is clearly a delicious affair and not the relationship Nan craves.
There’s no turning back though. Nan must come up with her own wildly unorthodox solutions to what the town and its people throw at her and fight for what she wants until she makes a shiny new life—one with her first true home, surprising friends, a meaningful career, and a promising new love.

I loved this book! It was so fun and cute! I think anyone would enjoy this but especially a fun read for any library students or professionals.

This is a lighthearted book about a librarian starting over again in a new town. Our main character is looking for something new. She is a middle aged lesbian with opinions and ideas that lead her to apply for a small town librarian position.
I liked most of this book. it was an easy read, and I liked the hijinks that our main characters gets up to. She makes some poor decisions, and makes some good ones as well. I liked seeing how everything unfolded, and the family that she finds in her new town.
However, there were just a few things that prevented me from fully enjoying this. Our main character has a few too many judgemental attitudes that I couldn't get behind and seemed almost out of charater for her. She seems to hate a lot on fantasy readers, making fun of a fantasy group that starts at the library and how a lot of them get dressed up. I'm personally here for those in the bookish community that are welcoming to everyone. I shouldn't be considered less of a reader in her eyes because I enjoy fantasy and count it as my top genre. She also makes a lot of bad decisions and doesn't always seem to get consequences for it, and then the ending, where she has a big choice to make, was predictable and didn't seem all that realistic (for a main character that doesn't like fantasy anyways).
Overall, it's a good book filled with lots of bookish references and some memorable characters. There were just a few things about the main character and plot that rubbed me the wrong way and prevented me from fully enjoying this book. However, if you're looking for some lighthearted bookish fun and can ignore these points, I do recommend this book!

I did not finish this, I dnf'ed at 50%. I was confused about the plot, and the romance (or lack thereof). It felt very stream-of-consciousness and more of a collection of vignettes about Nan's life as the new town librarian. Her motivations felt disjointed and a lot of the chapters didn't feel connected. Her feelings about T and that romance also made no sense- T was an overly sexual depiction of a butch lesbian who is successful as a deli owner. Why does Nan insist she's bad news? It's like we were clued out of why Nan thought they wouldn't be good together and that relationship wasn't making a lot of sense. I normally am fine without plots but this episodic approach to the story wasn't for me.

I loved the LGBTQ rep in this story!! It kept me engaged throughout. It brought nostalgic feelings with the library setting. Feel good book for sure!

𝗠𝘆 𝗧𝗶𝘁𝗹𝗲: Changes of Heart & Circumstance
𝗙𝗮𝘃 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿: Nan (😊)
𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆: Normal
𝗧𝘆𝗽𝗲: Book
𝗚𝗲𝗻𝗿𝗲: Slice of Life/Librarian
5/𝟱

🌱THE EXCELLENT
~ Excellently paced
~ Meaningful & touching
~ A story of love, of living, of changing, of loss, pain & of finding oneself
~ Learning that not everything has to be figured out in the bustle of the 20s/30s/40s, but that even in your 50’s there is hope to find your path.

🦖
This was what I needed. I needed to read about a childless woman in her 50’s who had been moving from place to place & was finally able to find home. About the power of found family AND reconnecting with family who had fallen out. I needed to read about FINALLY being able to make your dreams come to life, even when you weren’t too sure they could be achieved. I needed to see Nan change, focus & shed baggage she no longer needed. I needed to read about the losses that brought tears to my eyes, but that showed me how important these changes are to us re-orienting ourselves.
🪷
It was a fabulous read & definitely a story that will sit with me this year. A story that feels as good as a hug.

✨𝗚𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝘁 𝗮 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱.

🌱THE MEH
~ Nada

♡🌱 𝗕𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗺𝗲 ;)

I could not finish this book. I loved the premise and the idea of Nan, but I was put off by Nan herself and her attitude toward several things. Nan comes off as pretentious and very close-minded. While some of her experiences resonated with me, they weren’t enough to keep me in. I was bothered by the generalizations made in her rooftop conversation with Immaculata. Having Nan rant about how unqualified not having a Master’s degree makes a librarian was the nail in the coffin for me. Librarians are more than a piece of paper and that felt very elitist to me. A degree does not a librarian make! Does Nan’s worldview change? Does this book get better? It might, but I personally can’t sit through more of Nan’s judgmental thinking to find out.

Spend a pleasant time with Nan the queer librarian in Pinetree in this incredibly lovely (and sometimes heart-aching) slice-of-life story of a 50 year old who finally learns to grow into herself. Having just finished this book, I feel like I've been basking under a warm comforter being cared for by others.

Nan has been living a dead-end low level librarian life in Philly and randomly applies to a position in Pinetree, NJ, that she is barely qualified for. By chapter 3, you're starting to become intrigued by the characters of the small town, but filled with a bit of distrust of them. However, they barge into your heart in much the same way that they barge into Nan's life, some pushy, some gently, some out of trying to be a decent person. And suddenly life just feels more full with their presence.

I will definitely be recommending this book to many folks who are just wanting a calm, cozy read.


Note: I received a free pdf via the publisher and NetGalley, but my opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley and Kathy Anderson for this ARC!

I absolutely loved this one. Loved the LGBT+ representation. Had a hard time putting it down! Romance and such funny sweet moments! Awesome!

Thank you to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. This was phenomenally fun. The characters were all so intriguing, Nan was brilliant and relatable. This book was so funny and so heartbreaking and it wasn’t even trying to hard! 5/5 stars this was wonderful.

summary in a few statements:
Nan is a queer librarian in her 50s who has waited and applied for head librarian jobs for years. She lands a job in a small town where she makes wonderful complex friendships and relationships with people of all types and she makes the community better for being there and makes the library something for all.

What a lovely read. It is not often that I enjoy a book with a middle-aged MC. As someone nearing middle age myself it was nice to read about someone starting life over. Obsessed with becoming a librarian myself, this book hit at just the right time. The journey was not focused on romance completely or made a big deal about our MC being queer. Would have loved more plot and character development.

The New Town Librarian is one of those small town, quirky main character who finds themselves along the way story... Similar to books by Fredrick Backman, and I LOVED IT. I don't know if it's because I could relate so much to the different library stories, or because of Nan's character development over the story, but I fell in love with her home, her life, her library. I highly recommend for anyone who loves stories where middle age characters find their way to themselves, small town hijinx, or communities coming together. Or, if you love libraries.

This was such a cute book. I absolutely adored it!! Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this early copy in exchange for a review!!