Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

I believe this is a debut nobel by Robin Sloane. Definitely an entertaining and provocative read once you get into it, all tied up with a bow at the end. Book lovers will enjoy it; geeks will enjoy it; mystery lovers will enjoy it. In fact, this is my mystery book group's read for this month. This takes place largely in the Bay Area and for a while in New York City. It is early days of the Great Recession and Clay Jannon has just lost his job as a web designer and marketer for New Bagel. He finally takes a night shift job at the eponymous bookstore, which not only looks very odd in it's layout, but also has some pretty weird customers, most of whom appear to belong to an exclusive book club that allows them to borrow the enormous books in the back of the store that are shelved several stories high. Clay is under strict orders from Mr. Penumbra to NOT read those books, but to keep a detailed log of who comes in to borrow them. 

When one of Clay's friends stops by, he grabs a book and opens it and the mystery begins to deepen, for the tomes are clearly in some kind of code that looks like strings of numbers or letters--page after page. When a cute "Googler" walks into the store one night, Clay is attracted and they eventually become a couple. Kat is passionate about concepts like immortality and singularity and the role of technology in creating our future. I don't want to reveal any of the secrets that Clay uncovers with the help of his friends, but there will be a collaboration with Google and thousands of hackers and a trip to New York City. 

Library Journal concludes their review by opining, "Though the depiction of Google as a utopian meritocracy seems rather farcical, Sloan has created an arch tale knitting the analog past with the digital future that is compelling and readable." Likewise, Booklist's favorable reaction is that "Sloan has crafted a delightful modern-day fantasy adventure, replacing warriors, wizards, and rogues with a Silicon Valley entrepreneur, a Googler, and a book clerk. Even nongeeks will appreciate the technological wizardry used by Clay and his sidekicks as they jet from San Francisco to New York in an attempt to unlock the secret message encrypted in a mysterious pattern of codes." Kirkus starts and end on a high note. "All the best secrets are hidden in plain sight. The trick is to notice the secret in front of you. Sloan’s debut novel takes the reader on a dazzling and flat-out fun adventure, winding through the interstices between the literary and the digital realms...From the shadows of Penumbra’s bookshelves to the brightly lit constellation of cyberspace to the depths of a subterranean library, Sloan deftly wields the magicks (definitely with a “k”) of the electronic and the literary in this intricate mystery"

I am including Publishers Weekly review in its entirety as it's fun to read. "For those who fear that the Internet/e-readers/whatever-form-of-technological-upheaval-is-coming has killed or will kill paper and ink, Sloan's debut novel will come as good news. A denizen of the tech world and self-described "media inventor" (formerly he was part of the media partnerships team at Twitter), Sloan envisions a San Francisco where piracy and paper are equally useful, and massive data-visualization-processing abilities coexist with so-called "old knowledge." Really old: as in one of the first typefaces, as in alchemy and the search for immortality. Google has replaced the Medici family as the major patron of art and knowledge, and Clay Jannon, downsized graphic designer and once-and-future nerd now working the night shift for bookstore owner Mr. Penumbra, finds that mysteries and codes are everywhere, not just in the fantasy books and games he loved as a kid. With help from his friends, Clay learns the bookstore's idiosyncrasies, earns his employer's trust, and uses media new, old, and old-old to crack a variety of codes. Like all questing heroes, Clay takes on more than he bargained for and learns more than he expected, not least about himself. His story is an old-fashioned tale likably reconceived for the digital age, with the happy message that ingenuity and friendship translate across centuries and data platforms."

Lavinia

This historical novel by Ursula LeGuin was a somewhat new direction for her. In case you don't check out the website above, I offer this summary of her achievements here: 

"Ursula Kroeber Le Guin (1929-2018) was a celebrated author whose body of work includes 23 novels, 12 volumes of short stories, 11 volumes of poetry, 13 children’s books, five essay collections, and four works of translation. The breadth and imagination of her work earned her six Nebula Awards, seven Hugo Awards, and SFWA’s Grand Master, along with the PEN/Malamud and many other awards. In 2014 she was awarded the National Book Foundation Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, and in 2016 joined the short list of authors to be published in their lifetimes by the Library of America." 

Of all the reviews I read, I thought this one from Library Journal the most accurate:"She was a minor character in The Aeneid, a "silent, shrinking maiden," but in Le Guin's brilliant reimagining of the last six books of Virgil's epic poem, Lavinia, the Latin king's daughter with whom the Trojan hero Aeneas founds the Roman Empire, finds her voice and springs fully to life. Protesting the Roman poet's dull, conventional portrait of her-"He slighted my life in his poem"-Lavinia takes us back to a Bronze Age Italy inhabited by Latin-speaking tribes. Under the rule of her father, the kingdom of Latinus is at peace until Lavinia turns 18 and the suitors arrive. Her mother Amata wants her daughter to marry her handsome, ambitious nephew, Turnus, but Lavinia is reluctant. Like her father, she can commune with the sacred spirits and in a memorable dreamlike scene meets the dying Virgil, who tells her Aeneas's story and her role in his life. Thus armed, Lavania resists her mother's will and decides to make her own destiny when early one morning the Trojan black ships sail up the Tiber River. As Le Guin's afterword acknowledges, this beautiful and moving novel is a love offering to one of the world's great poets..." 

Kirkus offers high praise: "...Le Guin has researched this ancient world assiduously, and her measured, understated prose captures with equal skill the permutations of established ritual and ceremony and the sensations of the battlefield...Arguably her best novel, and an altogether worthy companion volume to one of the Western world’s greatest stories." School Library Journal adds, "This novel takes a minor character from Vergil's Aeneid and creates a thoughtful, moving tale of prophecy, myth, and self-fulfillment...Best known for her works of fantasy, Le Guin takes a more historical approach here by toning down the magical elements; gods and prophecies have a vital role in the protagonist's life, but they are presented as concepts and rituals, not as deities playing petty games with the lives of mortals. This shifts the focus of Vergil's plot from action to character, allowing Le Guin to breathe life into a character who never utters a word in the original story. Lavinia is quite compelling as she transforms from a spirited princess into a queen full of wisdom who makes a profound impact on her people." And finally, Booklist praises in this way: "Fantasist and SF writer Le Guin turns her attention and her considerable talent to fleshing out a secondary character mentioned briefly in Virgil's masterpiece, The Aeneid...Lavinia herself remains strangely mute and is given no scope in the epic poem. Here, as Le Guin reworks the story, Lavinia evolves into a true woman of destiny, eventually forging a strong partnership with the legendary founder of Rome. The compulsively readable Le Guin earns kudos for fashioning a winning combination of history and mythology featuring an unlikely heroine imaginatively plucked from literary obscurity."

I understand that LeGuin includes an essay about writing this book in her collection, 
The Wave in the Mind, and when I finally get my hands on it, I'll add anything that enlightens my understanding. I found this book initially hard to get into, but as LeGuin continues to build the character of Lavinia, I couldn't help but admire and root for her.

Venco

This novel for adults from YA author Cherie Dimaline was engrossing. Lucky St. James had a tumultuous childhood with a drug addict mother who came and went and finally left for good--dead from cancer when Lucky was eight. Her dad died from drugs before Lucky could even remember him. Lucky was taken in by her paternal grandmother, Stella and now that Lucky is a young adult, the tables have turned and she is taking care of an increasingly confused and obstreperous old woman. Stella still has lots of spirited energy but drives Lucky crazy by wandering off at all hours. And now they have received an eviction notice from the only home Stella has ever known, even if it is just a tiny Toronto apartment. When Lucky investigates one of Stella's old stories about a tunnel from the next building that comes in to theirs in the basement laundry room, she finds the tunnel does exist, and as she explores, she come across a small silver spoon that says "Salem" on the handle with a crudely engraved witch. Thus begin adventures for Lucky and Stella they could never have imagined. 

Lucky is the sixth to find her spoon, from the seven that are destined for witches to form a world changing coven. Lucky is skeptical to say the least when she is recruited to join them in Salem and then sent off to find the 7th spoon and witch. "As Lucky and Stella head to New Orleans in search of the spoon, they journey through an American landscape populated with wise women working against the oppressive forces of patriarchy and capitalism. The regionally based magic system values multicultural traditions, including Lucky's Métis Indigenous knowledge" (Library Journal). Meanwhile, the lone remaining member of an ancient and vengeful group of witch hunters, the Benandanti, is determined to stop her. 

As Booklist points out, Lucky hasn't been lucky so far, but maybe she will find a new family along with her substantial powers; they also liked the tale. "Through the various coven members and MacGuffin-hunting road trips we are shown a vibrantly diverse cross section of womanhood as well as folk beliefs and magical thought across the country. ...Fans of magical realism and ladies getting stuff done will enjoy this ride."

Kirkus concludes their review by saying, "A propulsive read full of intriguing detail, this novel is well written, engaging, and, more than anything, enjoyable. If the dichotomy between the feminine (good) and masculine (bad) is a bit stark, this is made up for by the genuine affection the reader will feel for Dimaline’s irreverent, badass witches as they battle for the future of their family and the future of the world, one and the same in Dimaline’s inclusive vision. Fast, fun, and full of charm(s)." I agree.

Secrets Typed in Blood

This is the 3rd installment of the "Parker and Pentecost" series by Stephen Spotswood. Although I read this book several months ago, I apparently failed to write a blog post, so here I am trying to catch up. See my posts for the previous 2 books if you want more background on this  pair of unique women detectives (Fortune Favors the Dead and Murder Under Her Skin). 

Here's a plot summary and review from Publishers Weekly: "It's 1947 in Spotswood's strong third mystery featuring Lillian Pentecost, 'the greatest detective in New York City,' and her assistant, Willowjean 'Will' Parker (after 2021's Murder Under Her Skin), and the duo's newest client, Holly Quick, arrives with a particularly knotty problem. 'Somebody is stealing my murders,' Holly declares. A prolific writer for a pulp magazine called Strange Crimes, she's certain that someone is using the details in the stories she pens under the name Horace Bellow as the basis for three recent murders. Indeed, the descriptions of a hanging in Stuyvesant Square, a stabbing in Sunnyside, and a suspicious death at an antique shop on the Upper East Side all closely match her stories. Holly wants the detectives to investigate, but without tipping their hand to the cops, as it seems she has some secrets of her own to protect. Spotswood plays fair with readers in a complex plot offering plenty of vivid characters, clever dialogue, and plausible suspects. Pentecost and Parker are a great crime-fighting partnership..."

Kirkus had both positive and negative things to say about this installment and concluded, "Untidy but undeniably engaging." The New York Times reviewer was somewhat more effusive on the plus side: "'Secrets Typed in Blood' reads as easy as fine whiskey goes down. Even when I guessed a plot twist, surprises awaited a few pages later. Mostly I was keen to spend time in Pentecost and Parker’s company. I urge every mystery lover to get acquainted with them." Similarly, the Star Tribune praises, "Spotswood's third Pentecost and Parker adventure is a constant delight...Spotswood allows his heroines to shine...The dialogue crackles, the mysteries intrigue and there is an abundance of wit and grit. This is a rollicking ride with a class double-act.."

Murder Crossed Her Mind

This 4th installment of Stephen Spotswood's "Pentecost and Parker" series held up equally well, in my opinion, to the first 3 (Fortune Favors the Dead, Murder Under Her Skin, and Secrets Typed in Blood.) Although you can read this as a stand-alone, it's highly recommended to read then in order to have a fuller picture of the characters and their relationships. 

Willowjean "Will" Parker falls for one of the oldest scams in the book--a woman yelling for help, with a partner waiting in hiding to attack any would-be rescuer and rob them. She loses her wallet, her gun, and her pride; she'll not tell Ms. Pentecost about her stupidity. Parker is determined to find the culprits herself and exact her own revenge. But her time is also taken up with a new case brought to them by a local defense attorney, Forest Whitsun, who often defends indigent clients. In this case though, he wants them to find an old friend who has gone missing. She's an elderly woman with a photographic memory who may have made enemies through her work with a powerful legal firm, or maybe from her work helping the FBI locate Nazis who had escaped to New York City after the war. Former secretary Vera Bodine has become a recluse and a hoarder, never leaving the house according to their client, but she wasn't there when he came for his biweekly visit to check on her. Unlike their other cases that have often remained unsolved for long periods of time, if this is a kidnapping, time is of the essence. Will's wise cracking attitude and Pentecost's often silent problem solving will evoke another New York detective duo, Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin. 

Booklist says "Will's first-person narrative is witty, gritty, and 'as smooth as Lauren Bacall between silk sheets.'"  and calls the book a "superb retro noir..."Although Publishers Weekly did not have a particularly favorable review, calling the book "overstuffed," they do credit the dialogue with keeping the reader engaged. Kirkus also praises the narration but finds the storylines to be unsatisfactorily resolved.