Guest Post: Jeanne and Treadmill Books: Mobile Library series by Ian Sansom

Treadmill Books:  Mobile Library series by Ian Sansom

Israel Armstrong is a librarian—or he would be if he could find a job as a librarian.  Instead, he works part time at a London bookshop and enjoys his lattes, vegetarian cuisine, and spending time with his ambitious (and more affluent) girlfriend, Gloria.  However, it appears Israel’s luck is about to change: he has actually gotten a full time position at a library, even though it’s going to require him to move to Northern Ireland, to a small town called Tumdrum. He’s got a three year contract, and at the end of that time he can return in triumph to London and get a proper library job—say, at the British Library.

His first clue that things may not be going smoothly is the large sign announcing the Tumdrum library is closed—permanently.

Instead, he’ll be a mobile librarian, or he will be as soon as they find the bookmobile and get it running, leaving only one minor problem: the books are missing.

So begins Ian Sansom’s Mobile Library series with the appropriately named first novel, The Case of the Missing Books.  It’s an extremely funny book, a take on the “fish out of water” theme as Israel tries to navigate the strange ways of the Irish (quite a surprise, since Israel’s father was Irish).  For Israel, it’s like falling down a rabbit hole.  If there’s a way to make a bad situation worse, Israel will instinctively find it.

It’s been a long time since I laughed so hard at a book. I especially enjoyed some of the literary discussions carried on by the natives, discussing the authors they like (or don’t) and sometimes leaving Israel at a loss. The Irish setting was vivid and the characters were memorable.

I read the second book right after I finished the first and liked it as well, though it wasn’t quite as amusing—probably because I knew some of the author’s habits from The Case of the Missing Books. I will be reading the rest of the series, but I’m going to let a little time pass so it will seem fresher.

I find it hard to walk and laugh at the same time, so while these do not make good treadmill books they are recommended as one funny read. 

The books in the series are The Case of the Missing Books, Mr. Dixon Disappears, The Book Stops Here, and The Bad Book Affair.