Dear Fahrenheit 451, Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks: A Librarian’s Love Letters and Breakup Notes to the Books in Her Life
Writer: Annie Spence
Review by Hafsa Alkhudairi
Hey, Annie! Thank you for writing such a fun, witty, and book-filled story. Dear Fahrenheit 451 made me so happy. Writing letters to books and telling them how you felt and what you experienced when reading them is genius. It felt genuine and intimate. Plus, the use of an epistolary style gave the book a flare and and gifted me with a channel to express my own relationship with different books. Annie, I agree with the sentiments you expressed towards certain books. Furthermore, thank you for all the recommendations. I really felt like you gave me so many new books to read. Although I feel slightly overwhelmed, your librarian side was on point!
Hey, Dear Fahrenheit 451! Sorry, it took so long to finish you. I needed time between marking the different books you mention on Goodreads as “want-to-read” and looking through my bookshelves for books that entice the same feelings expressed. I haven’t read all the books you mentioned, but I still felt what you did and understood where you came from. I didn’t need to know the story to understand the sentiment. Although I am kind of disappointed with your lack of comics (you had a few), you shared a huge number of books, and my to-read list has become out of control!
Verdict: Buy it.
Dear Fahrenheit 451 is one of the most entertaining books I’ve read! Annie Spence expresses the exact sentiments I have felt when reading. Books are a gateway to a different world and Spence shows how that manifests in different ages, environments, and stages of life. She also manages to brighten up the breakups, the heartbreaks, and the false nostalgia. All around, this is a great book for bibliophiles!
Also, I highly recommend the recommendations section in Dear Fahrenheit 451! It is enlightening. The way Spence introduces books makes you want to read them all whether you are interested in the subject matter or not. Her choices are also unique and fun!
Go to your local library or bookstore and find it. If not, here is a link to Amazon.