Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan

Amy    
Lynnie 

As Amazon describes: 
The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything--instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls. Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.

We read this book back in 2012 & it was on both of Favorites lists that year.  Since we're currently reading a LONG book, we'll throwback to a book we loved.

Amy's Review

Wow. What a cool book. It was a mystery full of wonderfully quirky, lovable characters of all ages. It was set in luscious places like a 24-hour bookstore 3 stories high with ladders and shadows, trendy living spaces, and a secret, underground library you can only reach via a passage hidden behind a bookshelf. It involved elements of so many things I enjoy: books (!), nerds, art, technology, sci-fi, fantasy, puzzles, codes, and treasure hunting. Then, it added perfect embellishments like references to other books and movies I enjoy (like the hamster McFly and a secret society hinged on hidden codes) and created new references as it ran parallel to a fabricated sci-fi/fantasy series. On top of that it was funny and never took itself seriously.

I did have a few annoyances like too many characters wearing cardigans and too much blue and gray and only disgusting food being mentioned. (Do most San Franciscans really eat that stuff?) I also found the depiction of Google to be distracting in its unbelievability. And, the cover---I seriously didn't read this book for a long time because it seemed too generic. With all the creativity packed in this novel I'd have expected more than that boring cover. But, alas, none of my complaints amount to a hill of beans with this charming novel.

Lynnie's Review

Delightful, mysterious, adventurous, quirky, unusual; there are endless adjectives to describe this book. It was such a joy to read this book as it wound its way through so many different things and wove them together without feeling forced: books, computers, puzzles, friendship, secret societies... and a tenacious man who grabs on to an idea and won't let it go until he's seen it through to its conclusion.

The characters in this book jump off the page right into your mind and after reading it, I find myself wishing I could have spent a bit of time wandering Mr. Penumbra's. Any book that makes me wish I could wander through the places in the book myself, and brings a smile to my face so many times is a treat and Mr. Penumbra's definitely qualifies.