Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore
Paperback Published on: 27/02/2014
Price: £9.99
Bookseller Reviews
View all
Food for your inner geek
I have just finished this very amusing novel - lunchtimes will be much duller now! It is unlike any other 'conspiracy' type story I have ever read - this c... READ MORE
A cult hit.
I picked this book up from the title, and the tiny bit of information on this website. That alone sparked my interest. This novel is full of charm and wit,... READ MORE
A real-page turner - loved this book!
I thoroughly enjoyed this and would have been disappointed to finish it if it hadn't left me feeling so euphoric. It's an old-fashioned mystery for the mod... READ MORE
A fresh take on conspiracy fiction
This is a wonderfully quirky debut that will keep you up reading till all hours! Mr Penumbra is packed with geeky references whilst making sure the old and... READ MORE
Fantastic!
I Loved this book. it's charming, clever, witty, it's pits technology against books (I will let you judge for yourself who wins) and has a cult of old time... READ MORE
Please just read this book...
How cool is this book? That is the question that I want answered right now..... my answer; totally, absolutely and completely awesome. It is a must read fo... READ MORE
Books, Books, Books!
I want this to be real. I want a 24-Hour Bookstore. If you finish a novel at three o’clock in the morning, you can get a new one or the next one. Books can... READ MORE
Who wouldn't want a 24 hour book store?
As a book seller there is nothing more irresistible than a book about a 24 hour book store.
A driving mystery novel that has the elements of a YA adventur... READ MORE
Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore
To be honest Mr Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore is not what I expected, but nonetheless I really enjoyed reading it. The story follows Clay Jannon, the very l... READ MORE
It's just SO GOOD!
I've been babbling on about this book to everyone I've met over the past week because it's just SO GOOD. I even held off reading the final chapter for a fe... READ MORE
A book about books and bookshops
I was a little sceptical about this book at first, I thought it was going to be a 'nice' story with a happy ending (I'm not saying the ending's not happy, ... READ MORE
A new favourite
This book was totally fantastic, from the first couple of pages I knew that I was going to be hooked. As the last few chapters came closer it was a struggl... READ MORE
A dream of a book shop!
Mr Penumbra's is not like any other book shop you've been in before, ok well perhaps it is...in some ways. That typical overrun book shop that every biblio... READ MORE
A Booklover’s Dream
With thanks to Atlantic Books for the reading copy.
Let’s face it, a novel about a bookshop is always going to be of interest to a bookseller. Robin’s wil... READ MORE
READ THIS BOOK
A hi-tech modern-day fantasy with a mystery at its center and fun, quirky characters throughout--this is a book every 21st century lover of fiction should ... READ MORE
Please just read this book...
How cool is this book? That is the question that I want answered right now..... my answer; totally, absolutely and completely awesome. It is a must read fo... READ MORE
Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore
When the logo he designed for NewBagel fails to launch him on the path to great things and even a rebranding as the Old Jerusalem Bagel Company fails to sa... READ MORE
Wonderfully weird
A book about books in a mysterious bookstore. A quirky read which I thoroughly enjoyed.
Synopsis
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2014 DEBUT CATEGORY - KITCHIES PRIZE
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2013 IMPAC DUBLIN LITERARY AWARDS
A New York Times bestseller, Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore is an entirely charming and lovable first novel of mysterious books and dusty bookshops; it is a witty and delightful love-letter to both the old book world and the new.
Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a Web-design drone and serendipity coupled with sheer curiosity has landed him a new job working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. And it doesn't take long for Clay to realize that the quiet, dusty book emporium is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few fanatically committed customers, but they never seem to actually buy anything, instead they simply borrow impossibly obscure volumes perched on dangerously high shelves, all according to some elaborate arrangement with the eccentric proprietor. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he has plugged in his laptop, roped in his friends (and a cute girl who works for Google) and embarked on a high-tech analysis of the customers' behaviour. What they discover is an ancient secret that can only be solved by modern means, and a global-conspiracy guarded by Mr. Penumbra himself... who has mysteriously disappeared.
Publisher information
- Publisher: Atlantic Books
- ISBN: 9781782391210
- Number of pages: 304
- Dimensions: 198 x 130 x 22 mm
- Languages: English
Customer Reviews
View allUnique, clever and a great read!
What a great book! I picked this up from the library as I kept seeing it mentioned on different websites and by book groups. It's a great story combining a... READ MORE
Google meets Goonies
Bam! This is the book I’ve been waiting all year for. It has that old-school geeky fantasy adventure feel, but with a contemporary, techy twist. Google mee... READ MORE
Wasn't too sure at first but was worth it!
I received this book and, as it isn't my normal type of book, I was unsure about starting it. However I'm glad I did, as this was truly a gripping read and... READ MORE
Fun, quirky page turner
This is a real gem of a book. A real quirky read that pitches technology against the ever-increasingly rare beast of a physical-book lover. A great mystery... READ MORE
Entertaining, Mr. Sloan
A sort of Couplandesque Lego bright rejoinder to Roszak's Flicker, Sloan's entertainment shuns the shadows for primary colours. As a result, there is littl... READ MORE
Delicious celebration of the old and new
This is a funny and absorbing gem of a book, You join Clay Jannon, an unemployed web-designer as he takes a job doing the night shift at a mysterious books... READ MORE
Brilliant Read
I didn't think I would be sitting here reading about a book about a bookstore, but what can I say it's brilliant. Although I have not quite finished the bo... READ MORE
A very nice surprise.
I was very surprised just how much i enjoyed this book.
Found the first few chapters a bit hard going but once i got into it i couldn't put it down.
I have... READ MORE
Google meets Goonies
Bam! This is the book I’ve been waiting for. It has that old-school geeky fantasy adventure feel, but with a contemporary, techy twist. Google meets Goonie... READ MORE
Love,Love, Love- Technology meet Mystery
I adored this book, definitely one of my favourite novels.
Sloan cleverly finds a niche in the market and writes a clear mystery exploring ancient puzzles... READ MORE
Probably too 'techie' to appeal to me
I think I was drawn to this book by the wonderful title. And Mr Penumbra's bookstore itself is just as fantastic- situated in San Francisco it is, like man... READ MORE
An odd little read
Not at all what I expected from the blurb, but still a good read
Dragon-Song
3.5 Stars
This is a very quirky little book, verging on the bizarrely odd. The 24 Hour Bookstore of the title is a bibliophiles dream but only the select... READ MORE