Robin Sloan – Books & Cleverness

Publisher: Picador
Release Date: January 1, 2012
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Source: Bought
Series: Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, #1
Genre(s): Adult, Contemporary
Synopsis from Goodreads:

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.

“Strange things are afoot at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.”

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore is a book that will take you on an adventure like one you’ve never experienced before. Quirky and smart, this book is a must read for book lovers, tech junkies, design enthusiasts, or anyone who just appreciates the evolution of the printed word.

I immediately fell in love with this book, finding it so relatable as one who has a passion for everything that it conquers: literature, technology and design.

The characters were all unique and extremely witty, the story magical, yet real. You along with the characters become determined to decode the codex vitae.

I’m not sure what else to say without giving away the parts best left to discover yourself, except for to read this book. You will not regret it in the least.

Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, in my eyes, is a modern classic and will be read over and over by many generations. I genuinely love this book and will recommend it to anyone with a soft spot for books and technology, tirelessly.

P.S. – When can I get that eReader made of leather book material? Someone please invent this NOW!

Week in Review

Week in Review is a weekly post in which I wrap up what’s happening in my life, in books, and in blogging (inspired by Anna @ Anna Reads)!

What I Did:

To all of my American readers out there – I hope you had/are having a great holiday weekend! I went to my local parade and ate delicious breakfast pizza and topped that off with mouthwatering fried dough. I love that stuff… My mom and I drove out to an indie we never visited, and while their selection was okay, we weren’t fond of the staff, who were somewhat pushy and rude. 😦 They were also selling old ARCs, which pretty much immediately put me off to the store. We were disappointed, but are planning more little excursions to other indies this summer, and my vacation is coming up so I’m very excited to visit the indie there that I know and love! After that I went to Barnes and Noble (as usual!) on Tuesday, and was sad to see that they didn’t have On the Fence by Kasie West, which was releasing that day. Eventually I went back later in the week and was triumphant in purchasing a copy!

Links I Loved:

Epic Reads recommended 25 YA books to read if you are a fan of A Game of Thrones!

Aimee and Dyan @ Deadly Darlings are looking for co-bloggers! If you’re interested blogging for the first time, or looking to blog with others, definitely check out their post and see if their blog may be the right fit for you!
Miguel @ The Quirky Reader posted a much better review and discussion of Ruin and Rising by Leigh Bardugo than mine.
Asma @ IceyBooks wrote an awesome gif-post about how she is becoming a lover of contemporary after preferring fantasy. The same thing happened to me, so naturally I love her post!
Christine from polandbananasBOOKS and Kat from Katytastic made a hilarious discussion video about the season 4 premiere of TEEN WOLF, which you all know I watch and obsess over. If you’ve seen the premiere episode you must watch this!

Books I Added to My Shelves:

Bought:

Mr. Penumbra’s 24 Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan – The cover. It glows in the dark. ❤
The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck – For school summer reading…yay…
On the Fence by Kasie West – SO. FREAKING. EXCITED. (I actually already read this now and my review will be up on Monday!)

For Review:

How We Fall by Kate Brauning (from Edelweiss) – You don’t know how excited I was when I saw I was accepted for this!
The Fog of Forgetting by G.A. Morgan (from Publisher) – I was contacted by the publisher and asked if I’d like to review this one. I’m also going to be a part of the blog tour (post up this Tues. with my review!). It’s more middle grade, but it’s being compared to adventure stories like Harry Potter and Narnia so I was like “Ummm YES!”
Frozen by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston (from NetGalley) – Been wanting to read this one since I first heard about it back when it was released. This was a “Read Now” on NetGalley so I jumped at the chance!

Recently Finished and Currently Reading:

I finished a 3 books this week: Fiendish by Brenna Yovanoff, Tiger Lily by Jodi Lynn Anderson, and On the Fence by Kasie West. Every single one of them was either really good or AMAZING so I was happy with my reading this week for sure! I’m currently reading The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck (for school), and am starting The Fog of Forgetting by G.A. Morgan very soon!