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Trade Paperback
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9781250037756
Overview
Overview
The New York Times Bestseller
A Winner of the Alex Award, a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for First Fiction, named a Best Book of the Year by NPR, Los Angeles Times, and San Francisco Chronicle
The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon away from life as a San Francisco web-design drone and into the aisles of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. But after a few days on the job, Clay discovers that the store is more curious than either its name or its gnomic owner might suggest. The customers are few, and they never seem to buy anything--instead, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay engineers an analysis of the clientele's behavior, seeking help from his variously talented friends. But when they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, they discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls. Rendered with irresistible brio and dazzling intelligence, Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is exactly what it sounds like: an establishment you have to enter and will never want to leave.
- Format: TradePaperback
- Author: Sloan, Robin
- ISBN: 9781250037756
- Condition: Used
- Dimensions: 8.10 x 0.70
- Number Of Pages: 304
- Publication Year: 2013
Customer Reviews
Rating Snapshot
5 ★
33%
4 ★
67%
3 ★
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2 ★
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1 ★
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3 Ratings
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0% Would Recommend
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A book about books that will make you fall in love with books
Maggie T. - 3 years 4 months agoNever in my life have I found a book that combines graphic design, tabletop RPGs, a secret language, Google and a quirky bookstore crammed into a tiny yet tall store. Sloan knows how to keep the reader guessing and engaged with his stunning descriptions of San Francisco and a fictional bookstore that makes you wish you could climb its precarious ladders. A must-read for any self-proclaimed book lover!
HPB Staff Review -
A fun, escapist adventure for booklovers.
Elizabeth S. - 5 years agoClay Jannon is an unemployed web designer who has taken a job as a clerk at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore in San Francisco. After a few days of working, however, Clay realizes that this is not a normal bookstore. The same handful of customers comes in to the store regularly, but they never buy anything. Instead, they simply check out impossibly obscure volumes written in incomprehensible code. Clay embarks on an adventure to try and determine exactly what is going on at Mr. Penumbra's. With the help of some techie friends, Clay attempts to unravel the mystery of a bookstore whose secrets extend far into the reaches of the universe. It's a true literary adventure, with an ancient mystery and modern computer programming wizards to decipher clues. Part mystery, part fantasy, and pure fun, this book reminds me of the magic of bookstores: "the right book exactly, at exactly the right time."
HPB Staff Review -
An Ancient Quest for the Modern Era
Kali T. - 8 years 4 months ago'Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore' started as the Kickstarter fever dream of newcomer Robin Sloan. Completely unknown, Sloan promised the book's jacket design would reflect the effort supporters put into his project and he did not disappoint. The jacket of the novel is covered in slightly raised yellow books on invisible shelves that hint at the magic within its pages by glowing mischievously in the dark. It calls quietly to passersby just as the shop within the book calls to its main character. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is a quiet place tucked safely away on a side street in the heart of San Francisco. Most people wouldn't even notice the shop, dark and poorly lit as it is in the harbor fog, and this is the case of Clay Jannon, recently unemployed computer genius, who suddenly finds himself working the night shift in this dinosaur of a bookstore. Finding the nights to be rather uneventful, except perhaps for noting the comings and goings of a few eccentrics, Clay decides to turn his computer knowledge into sleuthing skills and a mission to bring Penumbra's into the 21st Century. Who are these people that only borrow old dusty books and never purchase anything? Why do they all seem to be borrowing the same books? Has Mr. Penumbra ever heard of a Best Seller List?! Teaming up with awkward roommates, Google whiz kids, and secret societies, Robin Sloan leads you on an adventure that is both uplifting and satisfying. Never laboring or convoluted, Sloan displays a world-wise finesse that is often missing in a debut novel. 'Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore' will surprise you with how easily it grips you tight and carries you away into the mysterious labyrinth of Sloan's writing and Penumbra's history. Take my advice, you'll want to follow Clay down the rabbit hole as he and his rag-tag band of misfits attempt to discover the secrets within 'Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore'. Rated A for adventurous, absurd and absolutely geeky. Suggested As: Christopher Moore meets Seamus Heaney.
HPB Staff Review