There are those who might not find Liesl Weiss's career choice to be an exciting one, but she is content to be working for the man in charge of a university's rare books department. When he has a stroke, she is temporarily put in place as acting head of the department. It's not that she's not qualified, but when rare books and a long-term employee go missing, her quiet life is upended. Suddenly, she now has a new job description.
Populated with quirky characters and witty dialogue, this book is a pleasure to read. Liesl is a woman with secrets, who enjoys her liquor, noodles and who adores her daughter. As the story progresses, we learn there is much more to her than it initially appears. The author skillfully portrays a woman who when faced with adversity, rises up to the challenge. What I found interesting was what goes on in the world of the university's rare book division. The care of the collections, the cataloging, and the reliance on donors is explained in vivid detail.
Well plotted and engrossing, this story is well worth reading. Highly recommended.
Midnight at the Bright Idea Bookstore meets The Bookshop of Yesterdays in a stunning debut following a librarian whose quiet life is turned upside down when a priceless manuscript goes missing. Soon she has to ask: what holds more secrets in the library—the ancient books shelved in the stacks, or the people who preserve them?
Liesl Weiss long ago learned to be content working behind the scenes in the distinguished rare books department of a large university, managing details and working behind the scenes to make the head of the department look good. But when her boss has a stroke and she's left to run things, she discovers that the library's most prized manuscript is missing.
Liesl tries to sound the alarm and inform the police about the missing priceless book, but is told repeatedly to keep quiet, to keep the doors open and the donors happy. But then a librarian unexpectedly stops showing up to work. Liesl must investigate both disappearances, unspooling her colleagues' pasts like the threads of a rare book binding as it becomes clear that someone in the department must be responsible for the theft. What Liesl discovers about the dusty manuscripts she has worked among for so long—and about the people who care for and revere them—shakes the very foundation on which she has built her life.
The Department of Rare Books and Special Collections is a sparkling book-club read about a woman struggling to step out from behind the shadows of powerful and unreliable men, and reveals the dark edge of obsession running through the most devoted bookworms.
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