Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Title:  Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Author:  Robin Sloan

Publication Information:  Farrar, Straus and Giroux. 2012. 288 pages.

Book Source:  I wanted to read this book the minute I saw "24-hour bookstore". What an awesome idea!

Favorite Quote:  "The relationship between book and reader is private .... so we go on trust. If you tell me that your friend will read these books deeply, in a way that honors their authors, I will believe you."

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is an adventure story for grown-ups.  A children's story with adult characters and relationships. Clay Jannon lives in San Francisco, is out of work and desperately in need of a job. He get a job at a sleepy little book store. It's unclear how the bookstore sustains itself considering the small number of patrons who shop there.

However, he discovers that things are not quite as they seem. Clay begins to investigate, enlisting the help of two friends. A childhood friends who happens to a billionaire. A new girlfriend who happens to be a technology genius working at Google. Add to that a secret society and lots and lots of books and you have the making of a fun and fanciful tale.

I was intrigued by the start of the book - a character trying to find his way in life, a mysterious bookstore, the hint of intrigue, lots and lots of books, and technology. In the middle, I wasn't so sure because the setup was complete, but the adventure hadn't really started yet. And then the adventure began. My ultimate reaction was a little bit of Harry Potter meets Jimmy Neutron.