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

"How did you get started?" I venture.

"I was one of his customers," she says..."I was paying for a book one day-I remember this so clearly-when Mr. Penumbra looked me in the eye and said...Rosemary, why do you love books so much?"

"And I said, "Well I don't know...So then I said, "Well, actually, I love books because books are my best friends.' Then he smiled-he has a wonderful smile-and he walked over and got on that ladder, and climbed higher than I'd ever seen him climb."

And with that, a journey through books will begin.

Clay Jannon has taken a job at a mysterious bookstore: one that stays open through all hours of the night, with strange, curious patrons on a secret mission through the over-stretching, tightly stacked shelves.

It doesn't take long before Clay realizes he has stumbled upon something secretive and incredible. Using his connections at google, he finds a way to uncover the pattern of the volumes borrowed from the bookstore. 

But in doing so, has he jeopardized the safety of this underground book ring, the ancient Unbroken Spine?

Then, suddenly, Penumbra has vanished from Seattle. 


This is an exciting, fun read full of mysterious happenings. Perfect for any book-lover.

Return To Blogging: Return to Tradd Street by Karen White

There is no better setting for a spooky ghost story than the rickety old floorboards of an old Charleston home. So stir up your sweet tea and get your rocking chair ready on the front porch: Return to Tradd Street delivers all that sweet, sticky Southern stuff.

This is the first book series I have read since the days of The Chronicles of Narnia and A Wrinkle in Time. I would suggest starting at the beginning with The House on Tradd Street. I reviewed the Tradd Street series by Karen White in my post A Year in Books.

Melanie Middleton, realtor extraordinaire, has been living in her historic Tradd Street home since inheriting it from a man she'd only met once. Melanie communicates with those beyond the grave and helps to bring them peace by solving their unfinished business. (think Ghost Whisperer here)

Melanie is awakened in the night by sounds of a crying baby, and it is not long until something jolting is unearthed from the foundation of the old home. Now Melanie is working against the clock to solve another mystery.

Between Melanie's scrambled love-life, unsettled ghosts, the beautiful Charleston setting, and handsome author Jack, this is a great story.

Disclaimer: You may find yourself booking a trip to Charleston in the near future.