Louisiana Saves the Library

Louisiana Saves the Library by Emily Beck Cogburn is a fun book to read. Louisiana Richardson (aka Louise) is a newly divorced woman with two young children (her husband asked for a divorce about three months after the birth of their second child). Louise moved to St. Jude, Louisiana about a year ago with her two children to accept an academic position in the Library Science Department at Louisiana A&M. Louise is having trouble making ends meet on her salary and with the child support she receives from her ex-husband, Brendan (when he sends it). Then come the budget cuts. Louise and her friend, Sylvia Jones are both laid off from the college. Sylvia finds the two of them jobs at the Alligator Bayou Parish Library. It will be the first time either of them have worked in a public library (they have always preferred academia). Alligator Bayou Parish Library stopped evolving sometime in the late 80s. The library is seriously behind the times. Mr. Foley Hatfield, the library director, spends his days in his office updating his goat breeding site (and some online gambling). Mr. Hatfield is not interested in bringing the library into the modern age (with DVD’s, CD’s eBooks, a young adult room, etc.) and make it more a part of the community. Louise and Sylvia decide to drag the library into the twenty-first century (despite the opposition from Mr. Hatfield and Mrs. Gunderson—a big wig in the town who would like to see the library closed). Louise and Sylvia have their work cut out for them, but they are more than up to the task. Louise also has to deal with her ex-husband, Brendan. Brendan (aka Mr. Critical) is getting married to Julie (young and rich). He is also moving to St. Jude. Just what Louise does not want (would make me want to flee). Can Louisiana save the library and keep her sanity? Louisiana Saves the Library is an entertaining book. It is a little over-the-top at times, but overall an enjoyable read. The characters are interesting and what you would find in a small, Southern town. The only thing that really bothered me was Louise’s constant complaints about her children (they are out of control). Being a single mother can be very difficult, but the constant complaining (whining) was too much. I wish the author had provided a little more information on some of the characters (some characters we only get a first name or a last name for example). There are also some abrupt transitions between scenes which leads to confusion. One moment we are with Louise and then someone else (but you could not tell at first). I did like the ending. It was sweet and wrapped up the story nicely. I give Louisiana Saves the Library 3.5 out of 5 stars. I did like the programs for the library that are mentioned in the book. The author included some clever ideas to bring patrons to the library. I received a complimentary copy of the book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.