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  • Call Numbers: The Not So Quiet Life of Librarians

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Syntell Smith
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Call Numbers: The Not So Quiet Life of Librarians Kindle Edition

by Syntell Smith (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars (44)
Life is a book... and every person is a chapter. Everything's looking up for Robin Walker. It's 1994 in New York City, and he's been transferred downtown to the 58th Street Branch Library. Ready to move up the ladder, Robin is excited about the opportunities that await him. But success, personal or professional, is as elusive as a first-edition rare book. Robin struggles with his strange new work environment as this motley crew of employees generates more drama than a runaway bestseller. He doesn't know who to believe - or who to let in. And as potential romance mingles with devious machinations, there's no telling where Robin's story will go. All he knows is that he must see it through to the very last page. Call Numbers is a captivating and multilayered adult drama. Through realistic dialogue and situations, author Syntell Smith has crafted a modern-day classic about the trials and tribulations of adulthood. Because a library is usually the last place you'd expect high drama, but for these characters...it's long overdue.
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  1. Book 1 of 3
    Call Numbers
  2. Print length
    374 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    January 27, 2020
  6. Grade level
    12 and up
  7. File size
    2.1 MB
  8. Page Flip
    Enabled
  9. Word Wise
    Enabled
  10. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 3 books in this series.
This option includes 3 books.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"A drama-filled romp through the stacks. The complexity of the characters, with all their foibles and failings, makes them come alive on the page. The dialogue is sharp and believable, and the pacing of conversations feels torn from real life. Written with a fearless and stylish edge, Call Numbers is a riot to read, and never again will you look at a librarian in quite the same way." Self-Publishing Review

"Call Numbers is steeped in both the brisk, gruff atmosphere of New York City and the conundrums faced by a young man who is uncertain of his place in the world. Robin has a reputation for getting into trouble and fighting--qualities one doesn't anticipate in a library employee--and the juxtaposition of his interactions within the library system with his urban encounters is very nicely done. " - Midwest Book Review

"Syntell Smith brings the 1990's back in Call Numbers. For many readers, this will be a nostalgic trip. Every detail brings that decade back to life, including technology. He creates a realistic and interesting dialogue between characters...Smith knows that every good drama needs intrigue, suspense, and mystery. He doesn't disappoint in Call Numbers." - Entrada Book Reviews

"Vastly satisfying and original...Smith manages to infuse rollicking fun into a wildly chaotic yet sad story...Exploration of the complex themes of racial issues, unsafe sex, teenage preganacy, bullying, and psychological abuse." - The Prairies Book Review

About the Author

Syntell Smith was born and raised in Washington Heights, Upper Manhattan in New York City. He graduated from Samuel Gompers High School and began writing while blogging his hectic everyday life experiences in 2004. He loves comic books, video games, and watching reruns of Law and Order. He currently lives in Detroit. "Call Numbers" is his first novel. Syntell is active on Facebook and Twitter

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0848NGDLK
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Syntell Smith Publishing
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 27, 2020
  • Edition ‏ : ‎ 2nd
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.1 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 374 pages
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0578465005
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ 12 and up
  • Book 1 of 3 ‏ : ‎ Call Numbers
  • Best Sellers Rank: #2,723,735 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars (44)

About the author

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Syntell Smith

Syntell Smith

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Syntell Smith was born and raised in Washington Heights, Upper Manhattan in New York City. He began writing while blogging his hectic everyday life experiences in 2004. After gaining an audience with a following of dedicated readers, he studied scripts and plays and got into screenwriting. "Call Numbers" is his first novel that he plans to develop into a series. He loves comic books, video games, and watching reruns of Law and Order. Syntell is active on Facebook. Tumblr & Twitter, and currently lives in Detroit.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
44 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

  • Linda Brooks
    5.0 out of 5 stars There's More to a Library Than Just Books!
    Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I am a voracious reader and try to read at least a book a week. My main genres are thrillers, mysteries (especially English mysteries) and non-fiction books about World War II. However, when I saw the first two books in this series available on Amazon, they caught my eye. My mom and my sister-in-law both worked in a library for years, my cousin was a library volunteer after her retirement and my curiosity was piqued, so I decided to dive in.

    At the very beginning of the first book, "Call Numbers", the author includes a list of characters, including the workers at the particular branch in NYC where the story takes place and a few other characters who are important to the story. This made me a little hesitant that I might not be able to remember everybody, but thankfully I do almost all of my reading on my Kindle app on my tablet - if I forget the specifics of a certain character, I just press the search button and it takes me back to every spot that character appears in. After the first chapter, though, that help button was unnecessary. The characters are all so well-defined and individual that I had no problem keeping track of them. I saw a feedback from one reader who felt the physical & personality descriptions were too detailed, but actually they made each person come to life for me, to the extent that I was mentally picturing them as though this were a movie (which would be a great idea, by the way!)

    The protagonist in the book is a young man, Robin Walker, who has been transferred to the 58th Street branch of the New York Library System from a different branch. His transfer is met with less than enthusiasm by the crew at that branch, as another favored applicant had been promised that job. I worked in offices as a paralegal for years, and could totally relate to the petty and vindictive behavior of Robin's new co-workers. He was welcomed or "non-welcomed" by the employees, according to their motivations, prejudices and personalities. As I said, each character is very well-defined, so their behaviors were totally in line with their personalities, and different aspects of their lives and pasts give the reader a good understanding of why they do the things they do.

    Robin is a college student, working part-time at the library and living with his deaf grandfather who raised him and who is the only relative he has any sort of relationship with. They have a close and caring bond and Robin is a responsible, focused and goal-oriented young man. He has retained a few close friends, but has basically grown out of his teenage rebellious years and has a bright future ahead of him.

    As the title of the book implies, the life inside a library is not as quiet as one might think. All the characters have their own goals, likes, dislikes, politics and secrets. They act the way people act in real life. I saw one review that criticized the story has having too much hate and violence, but I did not find this to be the case. I think the book is a true depiction of the way people interact at their jobs, and there was nothing gratuitous or offensive by any stretch.

    This book could be read as a stand-alone, but I am definitely going to read the sequel, "Book Endings" and I would strongly recommend that all readers do so - these characters have a lot further to go!
    One person found this helpful
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  • Lyn
    4.0 out of 5 stars Library intrigue with ensemble cast
    Reviewed in the United States on December 31, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    This is a fun read with an interesting range of characters and lots of action. Although the characters are a bit larger than life they are all quite recognizable to anyone who has worked in a system like this! My only niggles are a tendency to describe each character as if in a police report - this might be deliberate but I found it a bit intrusive - and a slightly abrupt ending. But this is a fun read and I’ll be buying the sequel.
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  • Chelsii Klein
    5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, Captivating & Dramatic Read.
    Reviewed in the United States on May 18, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Wow, where do I even begin?

    Call Numbers: The Not So Quiet Life of Librarians, is my top read in general fiction so far this year!

    This workplace drama follows the lives of the workers at the New York Public Library (One of them). From 14 year old pages, all the way to graying hair secretaries of the head librarian, this story gives you a nice mix of what workers in the library workplace have to endure not only at work but in their personal lives as well.

    Syntell does an amazing job with the character building, scene setting and pace of this story. One wouldn't think the life of librarians would be interesting, but from how Syntell writes this thrilling drama, they'd be wrong. Every chapter brings you new suspense that keeps you turning the pages (no pun intended), and wanted to find out what will happen next. To me this was better than watching a TV series!!

    I am so glad I picked this up! I absolutely loved this and can't wait for book 2 in September. Normally I stay within the fantasy/PNR genres when reading. This was my first time branching out and reading something different from my preferred genre... and I am so happy I did!! I wish I could give 100 stars. Syntell, is now on my favorite reads and favorite author list! AMAZING, AMAZING, AMAZING!!
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  • M. E. A.
    3.0 out of 5 stars A unique story but not the one for me...
    Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    (Actual rating: 2.5 stars)

    Call Numbers is a unique book. I’ve never read anything like it and I doubt I ever will again.

    Starting out, I was very intrigued by this story. All of the characters were interesting and well fleshed out, and I loved getting a behind the scenes look into the working of a library. The jargon and the inside knowledge the workers had and used to test the others was fun to read.

    But beyond that, this book became a very intense read, one that I wasn’t sure I was ready for. Full of racism, hate, hazing, and violence, Call Numbers was a very difficult story for me to finish. I did do so, but I found myself having to skim across some of the more vicious scenes.

    Now I’m not saying this is a bad story - it’s not. It’s very well written and executed, but for me, it was too much. The vitriolic way the coworkers treated each other and how fighting was used to solve almost every problem resonated badly with me. Certain themes like the racist remarks and hate acts were definitely there to teach a lesson, but I felt as if the use of violence was almost encouraged, or at the very least condoned.

    At the end of the day, I was unable to relate or care for any of the characters because of their anger and the way they spoke and treated each other. They did have reasons for the way they acted and childhood traumas that made them more predisposed to violence but still...it felt so unrealistic, almost as if I was in another world where everyone was perpetually furious and had no brain to mouth filter.

    Syntell Smith is a very talented author but this story wasn’t the one for me.
    7 people found this helpful
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  • Jennifer Oakley Denslow
    4.0 out of 5 stars What's Going On In The Library?
    Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    One of the joys of reading is getting to see behind the curtain. When I heard about this book, I was excited to get inside a library and learn what really goes on. There's a little bit about the workings of a branch of the NYPL system, but more importantly, there is a cast of fascinating characters with complex motivations and fascinating stories.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Multi-Chartacter Portrait of Working Life in NYC Library
    Reviewed in Canada on July 14, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Syntell Smith has created a fast-paced intimate portrait of the relationships between a rich cast of characters working together at one library branch in NYC. The central character, Robin, is a feisty young black man trying to establish himself in the pecking order at his new job and encounters some push-back form his multi-cultural staff.
    I hope to learn more about Robin’s back-story in the upcoming sequel. He clearly has a past that involves displacement from his parents and a lot of physical conflicts. Where did he learn how to fight and why is he so reactive? The first book shows us his character but not all the reasons behind, leaving us wanting more.
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  • Krishangi Sarma
    4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting read
    Reviewed in India on June 2, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Well, it's the title of the book and the fact that the work of International authors instil in me some of kind of extra interest, pertaining to the fact that most of them are really standard with their English that I chose to give "Call numbers: The not so quite life of librarians" a read.

    The plot is set in New York city, in the year 1994. The story basically revolves around the protagonist, Robin Walker who has been transferred to the 58th Street Branch Library. What follows after, forms the crux of the story. A book filled with thrill and drama focusing on the life of a librarian is what I would conclude it as.

    The book in its initial pages provide a list of characters and their description which allows the user in easy understanding. The narration is done in quite an appreciable manner. I wish the cover picture was a little more appealing. Nevertheless, there's more to come since it's the first part, so I'm hopeful and pretty much interested as to what is going to happen in the next part. For people, who don't like some candyfloss story can definitely give this book a read.
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  • MommaBakes
    4.0 out of 5 stars Good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 13, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I wasn't sure what to expect with this story. It was interesting, and certainly had plenty going on. Every page was rich with drama or building up to additional dramatic scenes. Dialogue felt very natural and the characters voices came across. I think there were too many characters, it made it more difficult to remember the various story threads so had to re-read at times. But if you want an eventful read, this book may be for you.
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  • D.M.
    4.0 out of 5 stars Useful read
    Reviewed in India on June 15, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Life is a book... and every person is a chapter

    This is very aptly said in the description of the book itself.
    We see love stories , genre of murders , crime etc but this one is completely different as it talks about the life of the librarians what all they have in their mind and go through it.
    Nobody bothered to ask them as they think their life is covered in a nutshell of the books with silence silence all around.
    Characters are well portrayed not only this I found the language lucid and the plot which keeps you hook till end by the amazing words and sentence formation
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  • JackH.
    5.0 out of 5 stars A great debut from Syntell Smith
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 28, 2020
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    As someone who grew up in the 90s this book had a lot of fun call backs to my younger days. As a Brit I really enjoyed seeing a group of engaging characters dealing with a well realised slice of life from the period in the unfamiliar setting of the the NY library system. Plus, lively writing and character development over the story. So, a solid buy recommendation and looking forward to the second book in the series.
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