Every now and then it’s nice to read about books and the people who enjoy them. It makes me feel part of a larger club. I’m pretty much the only reader in my family (though thankfully both my kids are book fiends). Libraries though are a recent thing for me. Sure I recall visiting them as a kid but for a long time (too long), books had to be bought and shelved and owned to be real to me. Stupid.

In recent years I’ve learnt to embrace the library, to let go of my books (not all, but a significant number) and to find peace with the transient relationship it’s possible to have with a book. Plus it saves money and my kids love the library. Even now, if I (admittedly infrequently) get the opportunity to have some personal time and need to achieve something I habitually decamp to the library.

So this collection of stories and essays and brief snippets all about the magic, power and importance of libraries is a lovely work. Out of all of them, I think Zadie Smith says it best but the heart of every story is the same. We need our libraries and we need to fight for them. A worthy cause.