Book Chat’s Rating: ∗∗∗∗/5
To talk about Mr Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore, I have to mention the fact that the book cover glow in the dark. It lit up every night on my night stand for a few minutes before and I keep looking at it until I fall asleep. I started out reading the book, then switch to listen to the audible, which made the experience more enjoyable. The book is a simple mystery began with an unemployed Silicone Valley web-designer Clay Jannon who tumbled into a minimum wage job taking care of the 24 Hour Bookstore. Underneath the pages of volumes is a mystery about a secret that you have to read the book in order to find out. It’s a secret of immortality. I’m not going to provide spoilers here but I will say it’s pretty cheesy.
This has been one of the fun books to read (or to listen to): fast pace and interactive narrative. Some of the characters feel very young and energetic, even the old Mr. Penumbra. Then there is a scavenger hunt that takes you from the steep roads of San Francisco to the impersonal New York City. The technology mentioned in the books sometimes feel very unrealistic but I didn’t mind it at all. There are also a lot of cliché, and did I say, cheesy lines. But again, I think the witty of the narration wins it all. And, if you’re a booklover, how could you NOT read this book?
Photo Credit: Thisisbookshelf.com, BookPeople’sBlog
Book information:
Published in 2012 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Hardcover, 304 pages
Author: Robin Sloan
