BookRiot 100 Must-Read Books about Libraries & Bookstores

1.
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry 4.04 avg rating β€” 344,885 ratings
2.
The Thirteenth Tale
The Thirteenth Tale 3.98 avg rating β€” 323,007 ratings
3.
The Uncommon Reader
The Uncommon Reader 3.73 avg rating β€” 58,250 ratings
4.
The Time Traveler's Wife
The Time Traveler's Wife really liked it 4.00 avg rating β€” 1,842,990 ratings
5.
The Library at Mount Char
The Library at Mount Char 4.07 avg rating β€” 72,398 ratings
6.
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World 3.87 avg rating β€” 62,006 ratings
7.
The Name of the Rose
The Name of the Rose 4.14 avg rating β€” 387,247 ratings
8.
84, Charing Cross Road
84, Charing Cross Road 4.16 avg rating β€” 93,082 ratings
9.
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian
Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian 3.51 avg rating β€” 4,309 ratings
10.
The Strange Library
The Strange Library 3.55 avg rating β€” 67,709 ratings
11.
The Library at Night
The Library at Night 3.98 avg rating β€” 3,929 ratings
12.
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1) 3.72 avg rating β€” 214,013 ratings
13.
The Bookseller of Kabul
The Bookseller of Kabul 3.77 avg rating β€” 56,002 ratings
14.
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend 3.56 avg rating β€” 44,712 ratings
15.
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts
The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu and Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts 3.49 avg rating β€” 12,188 ratings
16.
A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)
A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1) 4.02 avg rating β€” 542,046 ratings
17.
The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1)
The Invisible Library (The Invisible Library, #1) 3.74 avg rating β€” 63,946 ratings
18.
The Borrower
The Borrower 3.54 avg rating β€” 16,106 ratings
19.
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #2)
The Body in the Library (Miss Marple, #2) 3.82 avg rating β€” 122,098 ratings
20.
The Book of Speculation
The Book of Speculation 3.61 avg rating β€” 38,580 ratings
21.
The Archivist
The Archivist 3.43 avg rating β€” 2,523 ratings
22.
Unshelved (Unshelved, #1)
Unshelved (Unshelved, #1) 3.93 avg rating β€” 1,369 ratings
23.
Parnassus on Wheels (Parnassus, #1)
Parnassus on Wheels (Parnassus, #1) 4.04 avg rating β€” 10,835 ratings
24.
The Little Paris Bookshop
The Little Paris Bookshop 3.51 avg rating β€” 105,368 ratings
25.
The Lost for Words Bookshop
The Lost for Words Bookshop 4.01 avg rating β€” 25,185 ratings
26.
Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co.
Time Was Soft There: A Paris Sojourn at Shakespeare & Co. 3.86 avg rating β€” 4,187 ratings
27.
Improbable Libraries: A Visual Journey to the World's Most Unusual Libraries
Improbable Libraries: A Visual Journey to the World's Most Unusual Libraries 4.04 avg rating β€” 566 ratings
28.
Not Free, Not for All: Public Libraries in the Age of Jim Crow (Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book)
Not Free, Not for All: Public Libraries in the Age of Jim Crow (Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book) 3.89 avg rating β€” 57 ratings
29.
Ron's Big Mission
Ron's Big Mission
by: Rose Blue
4.40 avg rating β€” 1,235 ratings
30.
The Abortion
The Abortion 3.95 avg rating β€” 6,649 ratings
31.
Richard Wright and the Library Card
Richard Wright and the Library Card 4.24 avg rating β€” 604 ratings
32.
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1)
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1) 3.88 avg rating β€” 136,052 ratings
33.
Nancy Runs the Bookmobile
Nancy Runs the Bookmobile 3.45 avg rating β€” 11 ratings
34.
With a High Heart
With a High Heart 3.81 avg rating β€” 21 ratings
35.
Books and Beaux
Books and Beaux 2.67 avg rating β€” 6 ratings
36.
Here Comes the Bookmobile
Here Comes the Bookmobile really liked it 4.00 avg rating β€” 2 ratings
37.
Curious Missie
Curious Missie 4.11 avg rating β€” 9 ratings
38.
BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google
BiblioTech: Why Libraries Matter More Than Ever in the Age of Google 3.42 avg rating β€” 936 ratings
39.
The Camel Bookmobile
The Camel Bookmobile 3.38 avg rating β€” 2,423 ratings
40.
Library: An Unquiet History
Library: An Unquiet History 3.50 avg rating β€” 1,923 ratings
41.
The Masked City (The Invisible Library, #2)
The Masked City (The Invisible Library, #2) 3.95 avg rating β€” 27,596 ratings
42.
The Burning Page (The Invisible Library, #3)
The Burning Page (The Invisible Library, #3) 4.05 avg rating β€” 21,016 ratings
43.
Reading Places: Literacy, Democracy, and the Public Library in Cold War America (Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book)
Reading Places: Literacy, Democracy, and the Public Library in Cold War America (Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book) 2.86 avg rating β€” 7 ratings
44.
The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History
The Meaning of the Library: A Cultural History 3.49 avg rating β€” 112 ratings
45.
Patience and Fortitude: Power, Real Estate, and the Fight to Save a Public Library
Patience and Fortitude: Power, Real Estate, and the Fight to Save a Public Library 3.53 avg rating β€” 253 ratings
46.
This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All
This Book Is Overdue!: How Librarians and Cybrarians Can Save Us All 3.42 avg rating β€” 4,823 ratings
47.
African American Librarians in the Far West: Pioneers and Trailblazers
African American Librarians in the Far West: Pioneers and Trailblazers 4.33 avg rating β€” 3 ratings
48.
Where are all the Librarians of Color? The Experiences of People of Color in Academia
Where are all the Librarians of Color? The Experiences of People of Color in Academia 3.92 avg rating β€” 25 ratings
49.
Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library
Part of Our Lives: A People's History of the American Public Library 3.76 avg rating β€” 307 ratings
50.
Bookshelf
Bookshelf 3.51 avg rating β€” 241 ratings
51.
The Library of Babel
The Library of Babel 4.31 avg rating β€” 11,357 ratings
52.
I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks
I Work at a Public Library: A Collection of Crazy Stories from the Stacks 3.73 avg rating β€” 9,427 ratings
53.
Institutions of Reading: The Social Life of Libraries in the United States (Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book)
Institutions of Reading: The Social Life of Libraries in the United States (Studies in Print Culture and the History of the Book) 3.72 avg rating β€” 18 ratings
54.
The Library of Shadows
The Library of Shadows 3.38 avg rating β€” 3,778 ratings
55.
Untold Stories Civil Rights Libraries & Black Librarianship: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship
Untold Stories Civil Rights Libraries & Black Librarianship: Civil Rights, Libraries, and Black Librarianship 3.50 avg rating β€” 2 ratings
56.
The Librarian
The Librarian 3.55 avg rating β€” 1,310 ratings
57.
Waiting for the Biblioburro
Waiting for the Biblioburro 4.31 avg rating β€” 1,386 ratings
58.
Murder in the Museum
Murder in the Museum 3.22 avg rating β€” 867 ratings
59.
The Case of the Missing Books (Mobile Library Mystery, #1)
The Case of the Missing Books (Mobile Library Mystery, #1) 3.01 avg rating β€” 3,787 ratings
60.
The Bad Book Affair (Mobile Library Mystery, #4)
The Bad Book Affair (Mobile Library Mystery, #4) 3.38 avg rating β€” 711 ratings
61.
Americus
Americus
by: M.K. Reed
3.81 avg rating β€” 2,293 ratings
62.
You Could Look It Up: The Reference Shelf from Ancient Babylon to Wikipedia
You Could Look It Up: The Reference Shelf from Ancient Babylon to Wikipedia 3.84 avg rating β€” 223 ratings
63.
The Night Bookmobile
The Night Bookmobile 3.49 avg rating β€” 6,551 ratings
64.
The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family
The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family 3.81 avg rating β€” 12,441 ratings
65.
Murder at the 42nd Street Library (42nd Street Library, #1)
Murder at the 42nd Street Library (42nd Street Library, #1) 2.94 avg rating β€” 1,594 ratings
66.
By Book or By Crook (Lighthouse Library Mystery #1)
By Book or By Crook (Lighthouse Library Mystery #1)
by: Eva Gates
3.71 avg rating β€” 7,655 ratings
67.
Evil Librarian
Evil Librarian 3.59 avg rating β€” 3,261 ratings
68.
Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky
Down Cut Shin Creek: The Pack Horse Librarians of Kentucky 4.28 avg rating β€” 776 ratings
69.
Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1)
Ink and Bone (The Great Library, #1) 3.96 avg rating β€” 31,640 ratings
70.
Quiet, Please: Dispatches From A Public Librarian
Quiet, Please: Dispatches From A Public Librarian 3.19 avg rating β€” 1,812 ratings
71.
In the Stacks: Short Stories about Libraries and Librarians
In the Stacks: Short Stories about Libraries and Librarians 3.19 avg rating β€” 355 ratings
72.
The Library Book
The Library Book 3.76 avg rating β€” 1,455 ratings
73.
The Librarian
The Librarian 3.41 avg rating β€” 500 ratings
74.
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Mr. Lemoncello's Library, #1)
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library (Mr. Lemoncello's Library, #1) 4.12 avg rating β€” 60,489 ratings
75.
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 1 (Library Wars: Love & War, #1)
Library Wars: Love & War, Vol. 1 (Library Wars: Love & War, #1) 3.96 avg rating β€” 7,485 ratings
76.
The Library
The Library 3.70 avg rating β€” 2,979 ratings
77.
TomΓ‘s and the Library Lady
TomΓ‘s and the Library Lady
by: Pat Mora
4.17 avg rating β€” 1,857 ratings
78.
Main Street Public Library: Community Places and Reading Spaces in the Rural Heartland, 1876-1956
Main Street Public Library: Community Places and Reading Spaces in the Rural Heartland, 1876-1956 3.51 avg rating β€” 39 ratings
79.
Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian
Questioning Library Neutrality: Essays from Progressive Librarian 3.83 avg rating β€” 103 ratings
80.
So You Want to Be a Librarian
So You Want to Be a Librarian 3.64 avg rating β€” 202 ratings
81.
Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption
Reluctant Capitalists: Bookselling and the Culture of Consumption 3.65 avg rating β€” 92 ratings
82.
The Cracked Spine (Scottish Bookshop Mystery, #1)
The Cracked Spine (Scottish Bookshop Mystery, #1) 3.50 avg rating β€” 8,755 ratings
83.
The Feminist Bookstore Movement: Lesbian Antiracism and Feminist Accountability
The Feminist Bookstore Movement: Lesbian Antiracism and Feminist Accountability 3.84 avg rating β€” 83 ratings
84.
Finding the Movement: Sexuality, Contested Space, and Feminist Activism
Finding the Movement: Sexuality, Contested Space, and Feminist Activism
by: Finn Enke
3.90 avg rating β€” 71 ratings
85.
The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control
The Late Age of Print: Everyday Book Culture from Consumerism to Control 3.55 avg rating β€” 148 ratings
86.
No Crystal Stair
No Crystal Stair 3.94 avg rating β€” 1,571 ratings
87.
The Haunted Bookshop (Parnassus, #2)
The Haunted Bookshop (Parnassus, #2) 3.61 avg rating β€” 5,980 ratings
88.
The Bookman’s Tale
The Bookman’s Tale 3.76 avg rating β€” 18,312 ratings
89.
The Bookstore
The Bookstore 3.07 avg rating β€” 6,711 ratings
90.
Severina
Severina 3.46 avg rating β€” 664 ratings
91.
Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama, and Other Page-Turning Adventures from a Year in a Bookstore
Shelf Life: Romance, Mystery, Drama, and Other Page-Turning Adventures from a Year in a Bookstore 3.53 avg rating β€” 563 ratings
92.
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore
The Book Itch: Freedom, Truth & Harlem's Greatest Bookstore 4.36 avg rating β€” 2,066 ratings
93.
Mary Anne and the Haunted Bookstore (Baby-Sitters Club Mystery, #34)
Mary Anne and the Haunted Bookstore (Baby-Sitters Club Mystery, #34) 3.67 avg rating β€” 293 ratings
94.
Bookstore Cat (Step into Reading. Step 1 Book)
Bookstore Cat (Step into Reading. Step 1 Book) 3.88 avg rating β€” 92 ratings
95.
The Bookstore Mouse
The Bookstore Mouse 3.66 avg rating β€” 243 ratings
96.
A Novel Bookstore
A Novel Bookstore 3.50 avg rating β€” 4,149 ratings
97.
On The Books: A Graphic Tale of Working Woes at NYC's Strand Bookstore
On The Books: A Graphic Tale of Working Woes at NYC's Strand Bookstore 3.26 avg rating β€” 168 ratings
98.
Fug You: An Informal History of the Peace Eye Bookstore, the Fuck You Press, the Fugs & Counterculture in the Lower East Side
Fug You: An Informal History of the Peace Eye Bookstore, the Fuck You Press, the Fugs & Counterculture in the Lower East Side 4.12 avg rating β€” 154 ratings
99.
Feminist Revolution in Literacy
Feminist Revolution in Literacy 4.67 avg rating β€” 3 ratings
100.
A Feeling for Books: The Book-Of-The-Month Club, Literary Taste, and Middle-Class Desire
A Feeling for Books: The Book-Of-The-Month Club, Literary Taste, and Middle-Class Desire 3.50 avg rating β€” 70 ratings