Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore: A Novel

This is one of the best books I’ve read…. I was going to say all year, but it’s 2nd January, so that’s not great - but definitely in the last few years…. It’s sharp and blends the worlds of books and museums with super-sharp tech that has aged remarkably well given that it’s a decade old. The language is a delight and Clay is an utterly engaging central character. It’s strangely thrilling and cosy and engaging all at once. I loved it and have just bought everything else the author has written - and am sad there’s not more…

Arrived in perfect condition and wekl packaged. I enjoyed the story, the action moved along quickly and had an interesting set up. Didn't blow me away but a writer to watch out for.

My first read in 2017 and hopefully better books lie ahead of me. The book itself was a bit of a departure from my normal type of crime fiction reading and while I was mostly engaged by the story ultimately it was all a bit flat come the conclusion.Clay gets a job at a bookstore just to tide him over until something better comes along. The bookstore and its mysterious owner, Mr Penumbra harbour some strange secrets, customers who come and go at all hours without actually buying anything and a journal which is kept by the staff – one which plots the items each customer has borrowed(? – two months on and I can’t actually remember whether they take the books, buy the books, or just peruse them in their natural habitat.) Our night shift clerk’s curiosity has been awakened and so breaking all the rules of employment he digs a bit deeper.Apparently we have a mysterious society of authors and readers, who’s books have been written and accepted and then “coded” and which become part of the society’s secret library. Only one copy of the book exists, and if you piss off the society, your book gets burned. Our historic founder of our society has his own coded magnum opus, which itself houses the mystery of eternal life, or was it the secrets of the universe – I forget (and to be honest can’t be bothered to re-check the book to decide which). The society members are striving to unlock this secret code by virtue of studying other journals held within the society’s library.Somewhat bizarrely I quite liked the premise of this, though a month or two on it comes across as complete and utter nonsense. The author does kind of ramp up the tension as Clay and his friends – a rich entrepreneur and a super-savvy (and Clay’s love-interest) high-flying Google executive harness their resources; namely cash for a trip to the New York branch of the secret society run by Mr Penumbra’s boss - a card-carrying Luddite, and a Google super computer to apply algorithms and logarithms and loads of other nerdy isms to reveal the secret code. Inevitably when you’ve been waiting for the secrets of the universe to be revealed, the eventual reveal is a bit of a damp squib.Interesting characters, enjoyable friendships, a great setting in an old bookshop, housing tons of mysterious books from floor to vast ceilings, a bit of a mystery-cum-fantasy tale if you like.Enjoyable up to a point, but a bit disappointing in the end.3 from 5Robin Sloan has also penned a short prequel to Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore, entitled Ajax Penumbra: 1969. One of my yardstick's for measuring a book's enjoyment is whether I would be interested in reading more from the author in the future, in this case it's a negative.Read in January, 2017Published - 2012Page count - 304Source - owned digital copyFormat - Kindle

I absolutely loved this book. I was drawn in immediately. If you like a well crafted and intriguing mystery with a charming old bookshop and a secret society at its heart, then this is definitely a book you'll enjoy.

Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan is a refreshingly unique novel that took me by surprise. A book I only started reading as it as the book club selection of the month I didn’t think it would be something I would enjoy Needless to say Robin Sloan took my doubts and threw them out of the window.After losing his job Clay Jannon is at a loss as to what to do with himself. Everyone around him seems to have their act together and is starting to show the signs of success. Meanwhile he moping around with no clue as to his next step.One night, while he is out feeling sorry for himself, he sees a sign for a night clerk in a 24 bookstore. When he is offered the job Clay cannot fathom how much this seemingly nothing position could be about to change his life.As part of a team of three it is Clay’s job to service the needs of the eclectic bunch of customers that enter through the doors even at the oddest of times. Once a customer has left Clay is to write down every exact detail of the encounter – from what book the customer took to what they were wearing and what they said.As time goes on Clay feels like there is more going on in the store than what he realises. And so begins his journey – one that will stretch the bounds of his imagination and take him on the journey he never realised he was always destined.Well written this book is certainly different. It draws you in slowly rather than throwing you in two feet first until you are incapable of putting the book down. The diversity of the characters is fantastic, each complimenting the other in ways you would least expect. I was very pleasantly surprised by this book and would definitely look to recommend it. Enjoyable through and through I am already looking forward to my next encounter with Robin Sloan.

I dived into it without any prior knowledge about what this book was and I'm just so pleased about it. It's so good and the characters are just so nice. I loved every tidbits and it's definetely one of my fave book this year.

Amazing twists and turns keep you oscillating between t-books and ebooks ..a must read.... the relevance of book as a friend is revisited and re-assured... Congratulations..!

Clever,, witty, deft and convincing. I am probably older thanPenumbra and I grok hot metal, but I have aldo, sorry, also served at the altar of IT. I am everything and every one on this book.

MR PENUMBRA'S 24 HOUR BOOKSTOREThis was an enjoyable quick read. I combined my kindle edition with the audio version that made me chuckle from time to time. It was witty, quirky, geeky and frankly right up my alley.On the surface this is the story of Clay Jannon who recently lost his job as a webdesigner / marketeer and now is a sales clerk at Mr. Penumbra's 24 hour bookstore. It doesn't take Clay long to discover that there is something going on with the store its owner, its customers and its books. And since Clay works the not-so-busy nightshift there is not much left for him to do, but to get to the bottom of all of this.When you delve deeper into the tale of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. It combines elements of fantasy, mystery, friendship and adventure as a way of looking at the modern conflict and transition between new technology (electronic) and old (print books). So if you dig epic fantasy books, are fascinated by coding and decoding stuff on the web, are fond of typography and are the least bit tech savvy ... or better yet very very tech savvy ... this Ready-Player-One-ish read has your name written all over it.It was 3.5 out of 5 stars for meP.S. Did you know that the yellow books on the dust jacket actually glow in the dark ?! Guess I'll be getting my hardcopy pretty soon. 😜#RobinSloan #mrpenumbras24hourbookstore #bibliophile #Books #Reader #Booknerd #Bookstagram

Me diverti demais com esse livro, não consegui parar de ler.É um livro nerd, mas acho que todos devem ler, mesmo que não seja nerd o bastante, afinal no mundo de hoje todo mundo é um pouco nerd.