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

I've started going to a book club. It's about time, considering my life-long love of good books. Talking to people about my favorite reads is always so satisfying. Last month we read this interesting book, Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. It's about a techie guy who got laid off in Silicon Valley and gets a job in a dusty old bookstore with very few customers. He works the night shift and probably should have expected strange things to happen since what normal bookstore is open 24 hours? He puts his tech skills to use and documents his customers, who they are, what they are like, and most importantly, what they leave with, all using a fancy algorithm on his computer. He notices a pattern and begins to uncover hints of a secret society that seems to be full of eccentric bookworms seeking the secret to eternal life.

This was a cool story that explored the rift between new technology and digital books versus old print. I wasn't sure how to predict what was going to happen as I was reading because it was all a little strange, but in a good way. I've always thought it would be fun to work in a library or a used bookstore, just to be surrounded by books all the time. Books have magic and I can feel it more potently in the company of dusty volumes. This story definitely made me wish I had a part-time used bookstore gig.

Overall, fun story. Kinda different; a good mix of mystery, friendship, and commentary on technology. Also, the cover glows in the dark, which was somewhat alarming the first time I had it next to my bed at night, but also very cool. Definitely would recommend!

4 out of 5 stars

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Wowza! This was a roller coaster of a book! I've been meaning to read "Gone Girl" for awhile but it's always been checked out since they announced there would be a movie. Just watched the trailer, by the way, and it looks good. I love Rosamund Pike; I've always wished she was in more movies and I think she'll be a perfect Amy.

On the morning of their 5th wedding anniversary, Nick comes home to the front door hanging open, signs of a struggle in their living room, and his wife Amy missing. The police investigation goes south and all evidence suggests the husband is a killer, while Nick insists he is innocent.

There are so many plot twists that it's hard to write much of a review without giving away spoilers, but suffice it to say that I was hooked and kept guessing throughout the story. There's quite a bit of language, so much that I had to seriously monitor my normally clean speech because I constantly had the book's tone in my head. In general, I found the story a touch disturbing, but this could be because I read it mostly in the middle of the night while nursing my newborn. I would probably recommend reading this during daylight hours. :)

Overall a very good read!

4 out of 5 stars

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Another book recommended by my friend Stephanie and it was definitely another success. In fact, this might be the best book I've read in months...

The Forgotten Garden, by Kate Morton, introduces us to a little girl who is left alone on a ship sailing from London to Australia in 1913, sent with nothing but a small suitcase containing a new dress and a book of fairy tales. She is taken home by the dock master and his wife and, unable to learn of any family, is raised as one of their own. On her 21st birthday, "Nell" learns the truth and her sense of identity is shattered. She begins a quest to discover who she is: where did she come from? Why was she abandoned? Who is her family? Nell is lead to the Blackhurst Manor on the Cornish coast and begins to uncover the secrets of the Mountrachet family. Unable to solve the mystery in her lifetime, the search is continued after Nell's death by her granddaughter Cassandra, who is finally able to put all the pieces together.

It has been a long time since I've read a book that is as intelligently crafted as this one. Each chapter contains vital information to the story. To make it even more complex, the chapters are not chronological and are pieced together in the way only a truly gifted storyteller can. The mystery unfolds for the reader gradually by following 3 primary storylines: Nell--abandoned in 1913 and sets off to England in 1975 to find her history; Cassandra--granddaughter who picks up the mystery after Nell dies in 2005; and Eliza Makepeace and Rose Mountrachet--cousins in the late 1890s whose stories hold all the information Nell needs to find out who she is.

I found the characters to be richly detailed and authentic, each with a vibrant personality and voice.
-I loved Cassandra and her personal journey to not only discover her grandmother's past, but to find peace and healing for things that had happened in her past.
-I also loved Eliza; she was an incredibly strong and imaginative individual, the kind of person I would be lucky to be friends with. Though she was also kind of an idiot when it came to those she loved, allowing her affection to blind her to the behavior and feelings of others and getting hurt in the process.
- I like Nell and understand her need to know her past, but I was mad at her when she tossed her adoptive parents and siblings aside when she learned she was abandoned as a child. She became so focused on what she had lost that she was completely blind to all that she had.
-At the beginning of the book I liked Rose well enough but by the end I despised her. She used the people closest to her to get what she wanted. Manipulative and cruel and the worst kind of selfish.
-Though I suppose Rose gets is from her mother, Adeline, who is essentially the reason why there is any mystery story at all. Adeline came from humble beginnings and is obsessed with fitting into society and being a proper lady. This results in an irrational need to cover up anything that might cause the slightest scandal. Her perceived inferiority makes her spiteful and bitter and makes life extremely difficult for those around her, particularly Eliza.
-There aren't as many male characters. Linus, Adeline's husband, is a total creeper and I'm glad there weren't too many details about his incestic obsessions.
-Christian is the only truly respectable central male character and becomes the love interest for Cassandra. Woohoo!

I feel like I could write a pretty thorough essay on the characters and themes of this book. I won't, for all your sakes, but I could. It's that great of a story. I tend to read books that I can breeze through in a few days so I had to remind myself to be patient and allow myself to get truly invested in the characters and the delicious mystery. I absolutely, whole-heartedly recommend The Forgotten Garden! It took a few more chapters than normal to get hooked because of all the year/character jumping, but I got there and I know you'll love this book too.

5 out of 5 stars!

Hot Money by Dick Francis

Wow, I have been super neglectful of my blog. I've read several books since I last posted so now I get to review them all at once.

Hot Money was recommended by my aunt and I checked it out because I trust her opinion, even though it looked really different from the stuff I usually read. Turns out I should read "different" stuff more often because this was a really entertaining book! It's sort of a classic murder mystery who-dunnit book and I was guessing until the very last chapter. There are a lot of characters, aka suspects, and the author does a good job at making each one seem like the potential killer. Since it's been a couple months since I read it, I can't remember the character names, but the story is centered on an extremely wealthy man who has been married 5 times and has now-grown children from 4 of his marriages. His most recent wife has been murdered and now the killer is coming after him. The only person he trusts is his (I think youngest) son, who helps protect him and discover who is trying to take his life and his money.

I highly recommend this read, especially if you're looking for a good mystery!

4 out of 5 stars