In September, the Book Talk Book Club hosted by Stillwater County Library discussed Mr. Penumbra’s 24-hour Bookstore over homemade sourdough bread. Collectively, we rated the book at 3.65 out of 5 stars with only one member not enjoying it. It was brought up that it has some Davinci Code vibes, which feels like a perfect analogy for this book. It was also noted that, while it has some Dan Brown influence, it could very well be classified under the young adult section because it has a casual feel to the writing. We all agreed the writing is light and the main character’s development is very descriptive. There are also a lot of secondary characters that we were easily able to visualize and remember. The book kept our attention through the storyline that eluded to this mysterious secret society and how everything was going to come together. The merging of old-school detective techniques and new-age technology, although a contrast, complimented each aspect nicely.
The topic of eReaders came up in one of the discussion questions as to whether eReaders and phones are going to take the reading world digital. The consensus was not in our lifetime and not even in the next generation’s lifetime. We are a group of readers, who frequent the library, so maybe our perspective is jaded a bit.
At the end of the discussion, the rhetorical question was asked. “If you were to file a codex vitae, capturing all you’ve learned throughout your life, what would it contain?” This question will make sense after you read the book and if you want to check it out, you can reserve it using this link, by email slibrary@mtlib.org, filling out the contact form on the website, or by calling us at 406-322-5009.
