You know, I’ve read a lot of books in my life: some good, some not so good. “The Geographer’s Library” by Jon Fasman airs on the side of not so good. I’m not saying this is a bad book—no, quite the opposite, but only if you’re into this kind of thing. I read the synopsis on the back of the book, and it said, “When a reclusive scholar dies under obscure circumstances, reporter Paul Tomm is assigned to write his obituary. But when the coroner in the case is murdered, Tomm finds himself pursuing a story that began nine hundred years ago with the theft of alchemical instruments from the court geographer of Sicily.” Two people die, and we’re learning about history!? Yes, please!  

But little did I know that every other chapter is the story of Paul Tomm and the other chapters are history explanations of certain artifacts. Sure, that sounds fun, but I thought it was boring. In the chapters explaining the artifacts, there would be a drawn picture of the said artifact with a description. It explained the date of manufacture, the manufacturer, place of origin, last known owner, and the estimated value. Which is all fine and dandy, I like old things as much as the next guy, especially if people die because of it. But it was too analytical and slow for me. I was halfway done with the book before I thought, “This is going nowhere.” I enjoy books that are exciting, books where something happens on each page. “The Geographer’s Library” is not one of those books.  

The main character, Paul Tomm, didn’t really have a personality. He was dry and didn’t have a purpose for his life. It also felt like he didn’t have a personality either. He did the bare minimum of what he was told for his job, went home, slept, woke up, and did the whole thing over again. Even with two murders, he does the same thing every day.  

I suppose only reading half of the book doesn’t make this a 100 percent credible book review, but I made an attempt at the book. If you’re someone that likes old artifacts and a slow-paced book, then, by all means, read, my bookworms!