Skip to main content

The Night Bookmobile by Audrey Niffenegger

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

Genre: Contemporary Comic/Graphic Novel

Release Date: 9/1/2010

Add to Goodreads

FYI: This is an adult title, but I do think older teens would enjoy it.

About the Book: After a fight with her boyfriend one evening, Alexandra is wandering the streets of Chicago when she comes across the Night Bookmobile. There's something familiar about this bookmobile and she realizes it contains every book she's ever read. But when morning comes, the bookmobile and it's kind librarian move on.

Alexandra spends years searching for the bookmobile and reading and adding to her collection. Her search for the mysterious bookmobile becomes and obsession as Alexandra longs to be reunited with her bookmobile.

GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: The Night Bookmobile is hauntingly good. If you're an avid reader and a book lover, you'll find yourself in Alexandra.

The book is fairly short and the illustrations aren't always superb, but the story is what sells this book and if you are a booklover, know booklovers, or are a librarian, you'll want to pick up a copy of this book.

The Night Bookmobile is a love story to books from a reader. How do books affect our lives? What do they say about us, what we were doing at the moment we read them, and who we were and who we've become? Do our reading tastes grow and change as we do? As much as The Night Bookmobile is a love story, it's also warning-do not get so wrapped up in books that you forget everything and everyone else. As fantastic as books can be, they are not to be your life force. I thought this was especially interesting coming from an author. An author writing a book with a warning about not wasting your life away reading books? OK, I know we should have other hobbies and not give up human communication for a book, but it struck me as a little strange that an author was writing a book to warn against reading. I don't think all authors want their readers to be hermits, but I would think authors would want their readers to be booklovers. But as someone who blogs about books, reads books on a daily basis, is surrounded by books on a daily basis, and am dependant on books for my career, maybe that is a reminder that I need to read.

I would have liked more characterization in Alexandra-more to her back story and why she was so motivated to get back to the bookmobile. The ending also felt a little rushed and I wanted to know Alexandra more to fully understand the ending.

I do think The Night Bookmobile is a brave story and it's one that haunt readers long after they read it.

Full Disclosure: Reviewed from library copy

Comments

  1. I agree. This book was touching and I saw myself in it, but I didn't want it to end so suddenly. Thanks for the review!
    Angie

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have heard so many good things about this book from other librarians and I can't wait to read it!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Today is the first time I have even heard about this book. The release seems to have been quite low key compared to Her Fearful Symmetry

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oooh, it sounds sort of like the Twilight Zone!

    My book blog:
    www.5minutesforbooks.com

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

I love hearing from other readers! Share your thoughts and chime in!

Popular posts from this blog

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

Rating: 5/5 Stars Genre: Realistic Fiction Release Date: 2/26/2013 Add to Goodreads About the Book: Eleanor and Park are both misfits. When new girl Eleanor sits next to Park on the bus, they don't want anything to do with each other. But over the course of the school year, things change. It starts with comic books and becomes a friendship and a romance that the two will never forget. You never forget your first love. GreenBeanTeenQueen Says: Have you ever had a book sit on your shelf that you've heard so much hype about? And you think that books sounds like it would be right up your alley, but you're in a reading slump and you're afraid to give it a try unless it fails? I knew Eleanor and Park sounded like my perfect book, but I was in such an after committee slump that I even though I knew this book would help, I just didn't want to be disappointed. I should have known better because Eleanor and Park was perfect and everything that I had hoped it wou

Contact Me

  I love to hear from fellow readers and librarians! Send me an email to say hello! You can reach me at greenbeanteenqueen (at) gmail (dot) com

Post Downton Abbey Reading List

Downton Abbey is over (with a shocking and frustrating ending!) and now I'm suffering Downton Abbey withdrawal. I've got a reading list full of books that I hope will satisfy my post-Downton Abbey cravings and I thought I'd share what's in my pile and get suggestions for other after Downton reads. Here's what I hope to be reading this year (a mix of YA and adult titles):                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  A couple Julian Fellowes reads:                And a few re-reads:                    Edited to add: What's on your Post-Downton Abbey reading list?