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

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

By Robin Sloan

Release Date: October 2, 2012

Source: Own Copy

Summary: Global conspiracy, complex code-breaking, young love, and the secret to eternal life — mostly set in a hole-in-the-wall San Francisco bookstore. The Great Recession shuffles Clay Jannon from his web-design drone job to night shift at Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Curiously, few customers come in repeatedly and never buy. Analysis reveals astonishing secrets …

Review: I have wanted to read this book since the moment I saw it. How fun would a book be about a mysterious book shop? Then, add in the fact that the cover of this book actually glows in the dark, and I was sold. 

With the economy in shambles, Clay Jannon is desperate for a job. When he comes across a help wanted sign in the window of a bookstore, Jannon gives it a shot. To his surprise, he's hired on the spot. What Jannon doesn't expect to find, though, is a string of mysterious customers coming in for even more mysterious books. What's really going on in Penumbra's bookstore? 

I rarely stray from romance, but like I said, I just couldn't pass this one up. And it was just as cute as I was expecting! The bookstore seemed so magical and somewhere I could get lost in for hours. Not to mention climbing up the ladder to grab books way up at the top seemed like so much fun. I loved the whole mystery behind the books in the wayback and the customers who were part of the secret club that would request the books that were encoded. What did they say? What were they doing with those books? 

Jannon was a great protagonist as well. He brought his modern day technological background to Mr. Penumbra's ancient bookstore and it was cool seeing how modern technology could mix with the beloved books. Some moments were slow and dragged a bit, but it was a cute story that leads you on a wild goose chase to discover the secret of Mr. Penumbra's books. I'm not sure how much I liked Kat's character, but the way Google was involved was fun and the different gadgets/resources they use are pretty cool. 

There's really nothing more to it! This was a cute, fun read that flew by. Any book lover would love to get lost in Mr. Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore. Who wouldn't want a bookstore that was open 24 hours? I know I sure would!