Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Thoroughly enjoyable. A light read, nothing world-changing, about a bookstore clerk's investigation into the unusual clientele of the unusual bookstore where he takes employment; I don't want to talk too much about the plot, since the enjoyment is in the protagonist's exploration.

The finest quality of the book is its prose. The author turns a phrase wonderfully. The writing is very modern, and here I want to highlight another excellent trait: it deals occasionally with very current technology, and in many other books this sort of thing is very forced, and sometimes makes me all but certain the writer hasn't the faintest idea what they're talking about. Not so here. Sloan writes about the technological aspects with facility, rendering them well for a technically-inclined audience and simultaneously accessible – I think – to those not so inclined. This is a rare feat. It's very genuine.

If I have any complaint it would be the rendering of Kat Potente, in that she feels a bit like nerd wish fulfillment: a brilliant, pretty girl who's into the protagonist. But she's also a very strong, smart female character, so there's that.

Quite liked this. A nice, well-written summer read.