Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1) in WACKY READING CHALLENGES

Jun 11, 2014 Book Concierge rated it it was amazing

Shelves: adventure, contemporary-fiction, books-about-books, mystery, audio, favorite, literary-fiction, friendship, library, concierge

Audiobook read by Ari Fliakos

Clay Jannon is an out-of-work web-designer who happens upon a small bookstore with a help-wanted sign. His curiosity (and ability to climb a ladder like a monkey) lands him a job on the night shift at Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Clay soon realizes that something very strange is going on. There are few customers, and most of them don’t buy anything but rather “check out” obscure volumes from the “Waybacklist” available only to members of some unknown club. Or is Audiobook read by Ari Fliakos

Clay Jannon is an out-of-work web-designer who happens upon a small bookstore with a help-wanted sign. His curiosity (and ability to climb a ladder like a monkey) lands him a job on the night shift at Mr Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. Clay soon realizes that something very strange is going on. There are few customers, and most of them don’t buy anything but rather “check out” obscure volumes from the “Waybacklist” available only to members of some unknown club. Or is it a cult? Intrigued Clay corrals his friends into helping solve the mystery of the bookstore, and the games begin.

What an absolute delight! This wasn’t at all what I was expecting and at first I was a little taken aback. But before I knew it I was completely immersed in this odd world of bibliophiles and pilgrims looking for THE ANSWER. This is a literary adventure, a fantasy quest, a tale of friendship, a coming-of-age story and an exploration of man’s search for meaning all in one. It pays homage to Old Knowledge while celebrating New Technology, and encourages us to look to the past while envisioning the future.

I loved the characters from the gnome-like Penumbra to the stripper who loves biographies. Sloan puts together a group of individuals with unique skills and resources who share one major quality – a desire to push the boundaries and explore. The characters are strange and loveable, obtuse and insightful.

And the settings! Oh, my stars …. What I wouldn’t give to be able to visit Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, the Google campus, the Consolidated Universal Long-Term Storage warehouse, or the mysterious Festina Lente Corporate headquarters and its underground library. I could feel the chill, hear the whir of machinery, smell the books, and I swear the dust made me sneeze repeatedly.

Ari Fliakos does a marvelous job performing the audio version of the book, which includes some wonderful sound effects when one character is listening to an audio book! And I applaud the producer’s restraint in NOT including sound effects for all the wonderfully onomatopoeic words Sloan uses – pop, tinkle, click, flip, snap
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Feb 24, 2015 Nancy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary

I kept wavering between really liking this book and really not liking it. Yes, it was quirky. Yes it was an interesting look at the intersection between traditional books (or OK - Old Knowledge) and technology. But I just found the characters irritating. I think the intention was for them to be funny, but I found them all just that bit too self-absorbed. Perhaps that was just me though. So I didn't hate it, but it isn't a book I would necessarily return to in a hurry. And I am rather glad I read ...more

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Nov 27, 2024 Elle rated it really liked it

4.5 stars.

1 like · Like · see review

Oct 22, 2012 Connie N. rated it liked it

Shelves: first-in-series, yellow, books-about-books, bookclub

Clay, looking for work, stumbles upon an odd bookstore that seems to act more like a library with specially coded books. He starts to wonder about the store and the members' activities and decides to make some changes. There's a bit of mystery about the bookstore and its owner Mr. Penumbra, and Clay wants to figure it out. The book becomes quite fanciful, but it still keeps its feet on the ground by combining mystique and technology. I took away a negative impression of this book which seemed to ...more

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Aug 29, 2013 Karen rated it liked it

Love that the cover is glow in the dark! Startled me the first time I noticed that. The book was okay. Interesting, if unbelievable, storyline. Unfortunately everything fell into place way too easily for the protagonist. He was never caught, thwarted, or wrong. And despite the fact that he worked in direct opposition to the principles of the secret society by attempting to solve the puzzle using computers and modern technology, he was never called out on that either. I didn't understand Clay's f ...more

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Sep 20, 2013 Brindi Michele rated it did not like it

Shelves: personal-interest-adult, alex-award, abandoned

2013 Alex Selection

I COULD NOT get into this book...not sure if it's because it wasn't what I thought it was going to be, or because I read too many negative reviews. BOO. Probably because it took too long to get going <--- ain't nobody got time for that! ...more

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Jan 15, 2020 Cecilia rated it really liked it

Delightful! I was so drawn to the sweet Penumbra. The story took some unexpected turns and enjoyed the plot. There were some points and characters that I thought could be excluded but I really liked it.

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Nov 25, 2012 Sassafrass rated it really liked it

Shelves: z-src-wi-12-13, z-2013, z-challenge-books-2013

Not my usual bag, but I really did enjoy this. I felt a little lacking with some of the technical jargon, but I was pleasantly surprised by this story.

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Sep 29, 2013 Joi rated it liked it

Shelves: adult-fiction, 600-000-page

This book was pretty good. I liked the mystery aspect of it. I didn't really like any of the characters I guess because their development was not strong enough. ...more

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