From the Bookshelf of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge…

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore (Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, #1)

Robin Sloan

Start date: May 15, 2015

Finish date: May 17, 2015

Why we're reading this: My name is Jen and I'm a girl. Robin Sloan is a boy.…more
[close] My name is Jen and I'm a girl. Robin Sloan is a boy.

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What Members Thought

Oct 03, 2012 Arianna rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites, library-book

Love this. What an amazing way of looking at the potential for a beautiful coexistence between books and technology. Plus, feature Google, bookstores, data mapping, knitting, two great cities, typography, coding, travel, museums, secret rooms, ages-old puzzles, and a geeky mystery, and I'm sold. I think the crowning moment might have been when I realized that (at least, early on) The Dragon-Song Chronicles sounded suspiciously like my favorite fantasy books when I was young, too. Oh, and the "me ...more

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Apr 06, 2015 Ryan rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, 2015, kindle-kobo-ipad

(Delayed this review somewhat due to travels)

"There is no immortality that is not built on friendship and work done with care"

Over the last few years, I've increasingly become a person who believes in both collaborative efforts, and tactile items. So a story that hinges on physical copies of the written word, and frame it with a collective effort to unbox a mystery is absolutely in my wheelhouse. I felt like I knew these characters - the sort that want to solve a puzzle, the sort that want to l ...more

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May 30, 2015 Adriel rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

This was a charming, fun book. I liked the feel of the modern Bay Area, with characters from Google and ILM. This book seems to hit many modern touchstones: books, code, museums, internet. I recommend this book if you have time, the audio book was fun. It did drive me crazy that the author named the fantasy novel the Dragonsong chronicles, but failed to acknowledge the existence of the Anne McCaffrey books.

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Nov 07, 2020 Martin rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2020books

this was fun!
and light
and not nearly as dated as I worried it would be
(since 2012 -> 2020 is approx 4378 years apart)

Good. Clean. Fun.
I enjoyed!

PS - I will also miss the gentle yellow warmth of the glow-in-the-dark cover from my bedside table.

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Sep 06, 2019 Sarah rated it liked it

Shelves: fiction, american-fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 19, 2018 Kate rated it really liked it

Not as good as Sourdough, but another fun battle from the author between tradition and technology.

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Oct 11, 2012 Kerry rated it really liked it

If you think bookstores have a certain allure.... If you appreciate adventure and creative thought in the modern day.... If you just like to read about San Francisco or New York, or secret societies...well pony up and start reading.

It's one part whimsy and one part quirky with a good dose of nerdy, but hey, if you like that you might just LOVE this book. I know this story gave me a pleasant hiatus from reality for a lovely while. ...more

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Mar 24, 2014 Lori rated it really liked it

Shelves: book-club, audio

It was a 3 most of the way...there were parts that were a bit slow, but I very much enjoyed the ending. I think this writing may not lend itself particularly well to audio.

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Nov 28, 2014 Kim Marques rated it really liked it

This book was exactly what I wanted it to be: an engaging page-turner that involves the intersection between my two favorite worlds: books and the Internet. High literature it was not, but I loved it for what it was: fun.

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