Book Review: 'Dear Fahrenheit 451: A Librarian's Love Letters and Break-Up Notes to the Books in Her Life' by Annie Spence

I really, really enjoyed this. Do you ever come across a book on Goodreads and think OMG I need this book right here, right now, but then you remember you're poor and your library might not have it yet? Yeah, my life. Anyway, I saw that my library did in fact have Dear Fahrenheit 451 on order, so I put it on reserve, thinking it would be awhile before I got a call saying it was in. But it was barely a week later when I got the call and I was very excited.

Dear Fahrenheit 451 is a book of love letters and break-up notes to the books in Annie Spence's life, a Michigan librarian who has dedicated her life to books and has spent most of her librarian career being asked by others what they should read. So, she wrote a book full of book recommendations, loves and hates, all in the form of letters, notes and lists. And it was GREAT. I hadn't even heard of most of the books Spence was talking about, but her voice was so witty, snide and sarcastic that I felt like I knew her and could feel her voice in my head (I am also witty, snide and sarcastic about most things including books, so I think Annie Spence and I could be good friends!) Her break-up note to Fifty Shades of Grey was especially hilarious. I was reading past midnight and burst out laughing on that one. She also signs every letter and note with a handwritten print of "Annie," which I thought was super cute and creative.

The book also promotes the importance of reading and stories and how they shape our lives. We may not remember everything from every part of our lives, but often us book lovers will remember what we were reading when something significant happened in our lives, and Annie Spence's letters and notes to the books in her life remind us of the importance of all of that. I may or may not have added a few books to my to-read shelf on Goodreads after finishing Dear Fahrenheit 451 which I should probably be mad at Annie about because my TBR is never not a mess but I'm not upset in the least because I really valued her insight into what books others should read! The patrons at her library should feel lucky to have her to ask for book recommendations because she definitely knows what to do in every situation. Book lovers, I definitely recommend Dear Fahrenheit 451. Annie Spence has got you covered. 5/5 stars.