The Museum of Literary Souls

If [b:Among Others|8706185|Among Others|Jo Walton|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1317792367l/8706185._SY75_.jpg|6449955] was Jo Walton's love letter to sci-fi and fantasy, this is John Connolly's love letter to classical literature and libraries. Think [b:The Eyre Affair|27003|The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next, #1)|Jasper Fforde|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1445540555l/27003._SY75_.jpg|3436605] without the bananas escapades. But even if one isn't a fan of the classics (cough, cough), one can still appreciate Connolly's gentle affection for both readers and libraries.

"Most of the remainder went on books. Mr. Berger led a life of the imagination, fed by show more stories."

There's also delicious bon môts on unfulfilling workplaces, writers, policemen and small towns:

"There appeared to be only two types of business in the town: everybody’s business, and business that was not yet everybody’s but soon would be once the local gossips had got to work on it."

You know, as a book lover, I never loved that distinctive smell of old books. I find myself prone to reconsidering, however, after considering Connolly's phrasing:

"that peculiar musty smell distinctive to rooms in which books are aging like fine wines."

It's a quick little novella, and like everything Connolly writes, nicely written. Unlike everything else Connolly writes, there is no horror, so if you love mysterious libraries, give it a try.

"It’s a natural consequence of the capacity of a bookstore or library to contain entire worlds, whole universes, and all contained between the covers of books. In that sense, every library or bookstore is practically infinite."




Thank you to Nataliya for the buddy read! show less

Bibliophiles, who loves books about books? Raise your hand! Yes, I thought as much.

I am really happy I discovered this lovely, lovely tale. The idea of characters from great works of literature coming to life is something that I love and enjoy reading about (hello, Jasper Fforde☺). The writing is beautiful, with subtle humour that had me laughing out loud several times.

There is a lot of love in this novella: love of books and their power, libraries, writers, classics, and beloved characters.
For me, it was a perfect weekend read – comforting, funny, and intelligent.

Though alone, Mr. Berger isn't lonely as he's always had books. When forced to retire at just thirty-six years old, he moves to his mother's cottage in the countryside, and there witnesses a woman's suicide, or believes that he's seen it . By tracing the woman's movements, Mr. Berger discovers something that no one in town knows, that there is a library holding all the first editions of the greatest books ever written, a place where the characters actually live.

Somewhere between a short novella and a long short story, The Museum of Literary Souls was something I picked up as a Kindle special that I wouldn't normally read--but it was quite fun! On a late afternoon walk, Mr. Berger, a librarian witnesses a terrible event: a young woman throwing herself in front of a train. Yet when he makes a report to the police, they can find no evidence. Perhaps he has been reading too many books? Anna Karenina one time too many? The next day, he sees the same woman, red pocketbook over her arm, about to commit suicide again. His cries startle her, she runs off, and Mr. Berger follows her, until it appears that she fades into a wall. What he finds is a library that is never open and that no one knows anything show more about. Mr. Berger determine to uncover the mystery of what lies inside.

Not a great work of fiction, but a charming little bit of fantastical fluff for the literary minded. show less

The Museum of Literary Souls is an enjoyable novella with an enticing premise: when a book becomes very popular and is read by thousands, this can bring the main character/s to life.

Mr. Berger prefers the company of books, and after an uneventful career as a Closed Accounts Registrar, and never marrying, he retires to the English countryside with his books.

However, Mr. Berger sees a person he thinks looks like a famous character from a book, and following her leads him to the Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository.

I loved the character of Mr. Berger, and the Caxton Private Lending Library & Book Depository is every booklover's dream! With that aside, I just wished The Museum of Literary Souls was longer.

I'm confident there's show more enough content in this story for author John Connolly to make it a novel, and I'm sure many readers would love to join Mr. Berger and explore the Book Depository further.

Great read, great price (less than $2 for the ebook), and brilliant concept, but only three stars because I was disappointed by the brevity. show less

Mr. Berger witnesses an incident reminiscent of Anna Karenina in which a woman threw herself in front of a train, and the train rolled past. When he went to examine it, he found no indication the woman was killed by the train, but she could not be found. He called local authorities who made a search with similar results. Now the local authorities and townspeople view him as more than a little strange. Several months later he witnesses the event again, but this time he intercepts the woman before she can endanger herself. She disappears into nearby trees, but he follows her, discovering the Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository. He meets the librarian/caretaker who watches over an amazing collection of books and the show more characters, discovering books can be altered if their inks touch. Berger creates some serious errors when given the keys while the librarian deals with family issues, but ultimately he becomes the new librarian/caretaker. When I selected and downloaded this Kindle single, I did not realize it was the short story I previously read in an Otto Penzler anthology of bibliomysteries under a different title ("The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository.") I enjoyed it then, and I enjoyed the re-read. show less

I read this story in John Connollys Night Music: Nocturnes Volume Two and I loved it!

The story is about a man that discovers that characters from famous books end up in The Caxton Private Lending Library and Book Depository for real as soon as the author has died. But only those really famous characters like Sherlock Holmes, Anna Karenina and Dracula, etc. It was egrossing to read and I loved every page of the story.