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Powell's Staff: New Literature in Translation: December 2022 and January 2023 (0 comment)
It may be a new year, this may be a list of new books, but our love for literature in translation hasn’t changed at all, and we are so pleased to be enthusiastically recommending these recent releases. On this list, you’ll find a Spanish novel where controversy swirls around a Coca-Cola billboard...
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  • Kelsey Ford: From the Stacks: J. M. Ledgard's Submergence (0 comment)
  • Kelsey Ford: Five Book Friday: Year of the Rabbit (1 comment)

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Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan
Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

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  • Synopses & Reviews
  • Award Excerpt

ISBN13: 9781250037756
ISBN10: 1250037751
Condition: Standard


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Awards

Staff Top 5s 2013 2013 Powell's Staff Top 5s

Staff Pick

Mixing large doses of high tech, a mysterious bookstore, and an entire army of bibliophiles, this charming novel is a booklover's dream. You will be entranced by Mr. Penumbra's bookstore, with its shadowy customers and shelves teetering on the edge of vertigo, along with the twists and turns of this tale. Recommended By Mary Jo S., Powells.com

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is a treat for the literary puzzle/code-breaking techno-savvy set. (Is that a set?) There's much more to the dusty three-story bookstore full of completely incomprehensible titles than meets the eye. Sloan does a slick job of pairing old-world secret society mystery with cutting-edge unimaginable technology. Who knew a 15th-century German typesetter would be so clever as to send a message forward into the future? This is a fun read — fast and quite amusing — with everything from goldsmiths to Google being central to the plot. Recommended By Dianah H., Powells.com

Synopses & Reviews

Publisher Comments

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. 

Review

“Part love letter to books, part technological meditation, part thrilling adventure, part requiem....Eminently enjoyable, full of warmth and intelligence.” The New York Times Book Review

Review

“A book about passion — for books, for history, for the future....There is nothing about Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore that I didn't love.” Cory Doctorow, author of Little Brother

Review

“An irresistible page-turning novel.” Newsweek

Review

“One of the most thoughtful and fun reading experiences you're likely to have this year....There's so much largehearted magic in this book.” NPR

About the Author

Robin Sloan grew up in Michigan and now splits his time between San Francisco and the Internet. He is the author of Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and Sourdough.

Powell's Books on PowellsBooks.Blog

At any indie bookstore, you’ll find at least one staff member who shares your passion for poetry or history or children’s books or local hiking guides, and whose absolute favorite activity is filling your arms with heartfelt staff picks...

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4.6 8

What Our Readers Are Saying

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Average customer rating 4.6 (8 comments)

`
Joanne Haley , May 19, 2015 (view all comments by Joanne Haley)
I absolutely loved this book! It is whimsical, quirky, mysterious and clever all rolled into one. Being from San Francisco made me appreciate the scenerios where Robin Sloan describes neighborhoods in the city. The book captured my attention from the first few sentences. Sloan has a great way of making his characters pop out of the pages and become real people like you know them and can see them and their quirky ways! The plot is so imaginative and the dips and turns it takes are truely unique from beginning to end. Even though it gets a bit "far fetched" at times I got so drawn into the story that I could totally see his story being a reality! Now I have to go back and read the first book which I'm told is the story of the start up of the bookstore in San Francisco.

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Joanmusic , January 03, 2015 (view all comments by Joanmusic)
Robin Sloan's Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore reads like a choose-your-own adventure novel--one dimensional and pure fantasy. BUT, the themes are timely and significant to those who reflect on where modern society is headed. Not only is the conflict between books and computers laid out, but also the fate of works of art created throughout history, and, most importantly, the significance of friendship. When I finished reading this, I felt like I had been reading a graphic novel. The story moves frame by frame through a series of caricature-like images ( the tall, narrow bookstore, the climbing walls, the reading room in NYC, the CalKnit Museum). Even the costumes are cartoon like (the black robes in the Reading Room, Kat's eternal red t-shirt, Mat's Salvador Dali boxer shorts).

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plunderpdx , October 22, 2014
After reading a few pages I simply fell in love, not only from the exuberant sense of wonder but also from the mention of a '24 hour Erroll Flynn movie marathon'. This book vividly recalls the magical hidden gems of my hometown, San Francisco. It has a quest; intrigue, whimsy, delightful characters, & of course, best of all-- a bookstore. A quick read that I feel I want 10 copies of so I'll maybe have one that stays with me.

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librariphile , August 02, 2014 (view all comments by librariphile)
Funny and a good story! I particularly liked the incorporation of technology into the story in a way that doesn't seem as though it'll get dated over time -- we'll see. A nice bonus is that Robin Sloan's website is quite charming. I'm looking forward to getting his newsletters.

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Craig Ensz , January 02, 2014 (view all comments by Craig Ensz)
A unique and different sort of read. Stories of a bookstore that will entertain everyone.

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whym24 , December 07, 2013
A very enjoyable book for those who have a love of books and bookstores. The plot is fairly simple, without major twists or subplots, but the characters are engaging and the ideas that drive the story are creative and fun, particularly the setting and workings of the bookstore itself. It's a quick read; both because it's not terribly complicated but also because it's engaging and constantly begs to be read for a just a few pages more...

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Jen Laverdure , November 19, 2013 (view all comments by Jen Laverdure)
I devoured this tasty morsel of a book! I love books so naturally one about a bookstore and the potential secrets it holds for those willing to search them out is enough to reel me in. But what makes this book so much more delectable is the story about the intersection of technology and books, how they can be synergistic and both respected in their own right. It is also a fun mystery with a bit of sic fi thrown into the mix. So many ingredients blended for a great tasting feast of thoughts.

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Matthew Myers , October 07, 2013
The concept is quite novel, a 24 hour bookstore with no customers hiding a secret. I found the concept quite refreshing - 21st century technology against a secret sect stuck in their 16th century customs. It is a fast, easy read that keeps moving. The only downside I would have is that the solutions to the protagonist's problems are within arm's reach at all times and as such, you end up feeling that everything is wrapped up a little too easily. I would definitely recommend it though if you are looking for a fun novel that's a little out of the ordinary to read.

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Product Details

ISBN:
9781250037756
Binding:
Trade Paperback
Publication date:
09/24/2013
Publisher:
St Martins Pr
Language:
English
Edition:
Reprint
Pages:
288
Height:
8.25
Width:
5.50
Thickness:
.75
LCCN:
bl2013041839
Copyright Year:
2013
Author:
Robin Sloan
Subject:
Literature-A to Z
Subject:
Thrillers/Technological

Ships free on qualified orders.
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List Price:$17.00
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Ships in 1 to 3 days
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