The Astral Library | Kate Quinn

Have you ever wanted to live inside a book? That's the intriguing opening to The Astral Library, the newest novel from Kate Quinn (and one of my all-time favorite authors). Unlike Quinn's other works, this isn't historical fiction. It's firmly in magical realism. I've established that I will read almost any book with the words "bookshop, book store, library, librarian" and a few others, so I was going to read this anyway. But it was such a fun read. Definitely one of the "couldn't put it down" novels.

Alix is now in her 20s, a product of the foster care system in Boston after her mother abandoned her. No dad, no family to step in, Alix grew up the hard way. The only solace was books, and of course, the library. We meet her when she's down to her last $36 and discovers that she doesn't even have that because someone has stolen her identity. She stumbles, quite literally, through a door at the Boston Public Library and meets the Librarian of the Astral Library, the place where the desperate people end up and get some respite by spending some time in their favorite books. But the Library is under attack and Alix ends up playing a role in figuring out what's happening and why. In addition to the interesting characters in the Library, Alix is also aided by her dream-man, Beau, a fashion designer and historical fashion expert. Alix travels in and out of literature (only public domain is available for visiting) and meets Sherlock Holmes, hangs out with various Jane Austen characters, stops in at a party at Jay Gatsby's house and even meets a vampire in Dracula. The book, you will not be surprised to learn, also has a message about the importance of libraries and reading.

There are a few books about magical libraries and book travel. The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde was my first read in that sub-sub-genre. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig was fantastic. A quick google search tells me there are more, but these two stand out as being in the same class as The Astral Library.