Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Just finished this charming little book, and really I would give it 4 and a half stars, if allowed. While I did suspect, for a quarter of the book, that this was one giant ad for Google, I quickly got over that and let myself fall into the story. I'm sure other reviewers have recapped, so I will skip to what it was I got from this book: human lives are short, life is better with a quest and a bunch of friends, Google is a great place to work, books are the best thing in life, and all of those kids books I read may just help me later on in life. I liked all of the zany characters in this novel, and appreciated that they all had interesting jobs. I will be nudging a great many people to read this one. I think it would appeal to nerds of every type, book lovers, and anyone who enjoyed the Night Circus (although there is a refreshing lack of romance in Mr. Penumbra).