The Librarian

My second finished read of the June Indie TBR takeover by tiktok authors was “The Librarian” by Christy Sloat. This novel follows Emme, a young woman who has recently lost her grandmother, who just so happens to be her only surviving family. Emme inherits her grandmother's small town library, ripping her from her west coast college and leaving her in a tumult of emotions about her previous post graduation plans. To top it off the library holds a secret. Emme was born with a rare gift that allows her to be pulled into the pages of a book. Her mission is to go back into blank books recording key moments of important person's histories. As Emme falls hopelessly for her first assignment, she enters a crazy whirlwind of discovering herself, her purpose and the true parameters for her gift. Will Emme stay at the library and continue her mission? Or will she find a new keeper for it and continue her previous life plans

I am a complete sucker for any novel that involves books, bookish people, bookstores or libraries. This was my first choice...I may have squealed when I saw it on the list of books for the Indie TBR takeover. I don't know about other readers but there is something so cathartic about reading about fellow readers. I suppose we have more of a kinship with them than any other characters. 

Like Emme I grew up surrounded by books. My parents are avid readers and when I was in middle school my mom worked at our small town library. I remember going into work with her some afternoons, curling up in a large chair in the corner and pouring myself into books. I loved that Emme had her own special spot in the library too. 

I loved the mystery in this book. You are not given all of the facts right away. There's no legend of the librarians at the beginning of the book. You find out about Emme's gift as she does. And Emme doesn't find it all out at once. She get snippets here and there, no magic answer, no full explanation. She is thrust head first into her gift. Which is honestly hilarious and intriguing. I really enjoyed her having no idea what was happening on her first trip. That was entertaining. I felt that Christy did a really good job of having Emme enter a book that could explain what was happening, without waiting too long. A few trips having no idea what is going on is fine, but it could have been really drug out and I appreciated her sense for when we needed full explanations. 

That being said....I really want to know more about why Lockheart decided to try for time travel. What led him to that path? I suppose that is one mystery that scientists are a bit obsessed with. Yet not every scientist is obsessed with it so, why? Why was time travel something Lockheart pursued? Or did he even pursue it, maybe it was an accident...The point is, I have questions...Hopefully the next two novels have some answers for me. 

I'm also curious to know why he tested it on Emme's great grandmother Grace. Obviously the women in her family proved to have some special magic. Yet how did Lockheart know Grace would have magic? Did he guess? Was it a fluke? 

Like I said, I have questions haha. There are two more books in the series and Christy was kind enough to include all three in the event so I'm hoping to find the answers I'm looking for, though I may be overthinking. I'm sure it's not vital to the story to know why Lockheart pursued time travel or why he chose Grace, just that he did. But, you know, my brain wants to know.