One Week in the Library, by W. Maxwell Prince

BOOKS on BREAK

I really, really want to start working/reading on my thesis, but I promised myself that I would not do any school-related reading until after Christmas. While the fifteen or so library books are glaring at me from above my laptop screen, I decided to at least keep one damn promise to myself.

One Week in the Library is what I would describe as a meta-metaphysical narrative. Pulling in references from various stories (and fairy tales, tangential to my thesis, but totally accidental) it delves into the nature of stories almost as living things, things with wants, desires, imperatives…even agendas. Prince fills the volume with lots of references to well known stories, some inspiring an entire day, others just small images or cameos. When I finished reading One Week in the Library, I felt as if I hadn’t, or that I was to start over (which I shall), or that something didn’t quite…end? That is most likely intentional and I think this deserves a second, third, even tenth reading - especially “Wednesday.”