I've seen this book ALL over the place, for years now. I feel like it's one that's been all over the book blog world--meaning it's probably really, really good and I've been missing out, right? I've checked it out from the library at home several times, actually, but never really got around to cracking it. I guess the title and cover didn't get me excited enough. Which is a SHAME, because if I had cracked it, I wouldn't have been able to put it down. I'm so glad to have finally read it! I read it yesterday and thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed it. The book is about a young guy in San Francisco who ends up working the late night shift at a 24-hour bookstore because he's desperate for a job. He eventually realizes that there is a lot of funny stuff going on with the people who frequent the bookstore, and starts to delve into the mystery to figure out what it is. His friends all get involved too, and they have this big adventure to put all the pieces of the mystery together, going between SF and NYC and delving into computer coding and Google and museum archives and cults and Latin books. It's a super fun read with a huge variety of ideas and spaces and connections and a heist! The characters all have different skills and backgrounds--Clay (the narrator) and his friends all are very different and bring different benefits to the table, and it makes the story so interesting and funny. I loved Clay's voice and his asides and internal monologue--he was very entertaining to listen to, and the story was fascinating. It was different than any other book I've read--a mix of a fantasy/sci fi world (not really, but kind of in feeling) with the real life techie world of San Francisco. And I like how it talks about the world of reading books and what it says about how books are important to us (even in a world of Kindles and the Internet).
I feel like anyone would be entertained by this book and the story of Mr. Penumbra and his bookstore.
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