In this carefully crafted collection of short stories, Smith has created a tribute to the public library as an institution which must be carefully protected. Her first story, entitled Library, 
describes a writer and editor looking for a quiet place to talk, and come upon a quaint library which has been turned into a fancy restaurant. Book shelves have been replaced by chairs and tables, and the only volume is the level of conversation among diners. Her stories are interspersed with writers’ and readers’ recollections of how public libraries have impacted their lives. In this collection, Smith illustrates the power of books and how they affect, and even change, us.
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