The Night Bookmobile / Audrey Niffenegger

I stumbled across this graphic novel from 2010 quite by accident-- one of those serendipitous discoveries that happen when you work in a library. The Night Bookmobile is written (and illustrated--who knew?) by Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler’s Wife, and the title, The Night Bookmobile, was rather intriguing to this librarian. It was first serialized in the UK's Guardian newspaper.

Alexandra wanders the streets of Chicago in the hours before dawn after an argument with her partner. She stumbles upon a Winnebago camper parked on the roadside which she learns is the Night Bookmobile, "open dusk to dawn". Upon entering she discovers the shelves lined with every book she’s ever read in her lifetime. Her bookmobile is elusive, however, and only appears to her several times during her life. Understanding the premise of its existence and how the collection expands, she reads voraciously to fill the shelves of her own library of record with suitable titles, is motivated to become a librarian, but yearns to reconnect with her memories and her reading legacy by working in the Night Bookmobile herself.

The Night Bookmobile is not truly of the world of the living and only living people can be readers, so fill the shelves of your own personal bookmobile while you can. Is this book meant to be an admonishment to nonreaders, or a warning to obsessive readers not to forget to live life, and not just read about it? Whatever the message, read this thought-provoking book and add it to your own personal night bookmobile!

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