readers advisory for all discussion

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore was the first book I finish this year (2013) and I enjoyed every minute of it. Looking for suggestions for similar reads.

So what did I like about the book?
* I liked that most of the characters were geeks, nerds, booklovers and everyday folks, but I really enjoyed how quirky they were.
* The writing was light and fast... I'm a sucker for short chapters!
* I liked the light mystery elements and the mild tension it created.
* I do enjoy chick lit from time to time, but find the majority of it pretty silly. This book veered alway from those pitfalls for me even though is was pretty fantasical.

When I was finished I immediately wanted more books like this one to escape to from time to time (amongst the more literary books on my shelf)

New book out that made me think of your request:

The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family

It's probably not exactly what you're looking for -- it's not fiction, for one thing. But it's about a quirky booklover.

I haven't read it so I can't recommend it from personal experience, but it looks interesting.

Betsy wrote: "New book out that made me think of your request:

The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family

It's probably not exactly what you're looking fo..."

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll check it out.

Do you like memoirs? I think Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson has some similarities: it's quite funny and she's definitely a bit of a nerd. You could check out her blog to see if you like her style, it's very similar to the book. It doesn't have a mystery element, but it was a breeze to read.

I also think that Where'd You Go, Bernadette would be worth checking out. Light satire, a bit of a mystery, one of the characters works at Microsoft.

Katrina wrote: "Do you like memoirs? I think Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir by Jenny Lawson has some similarities: it's quite funny and she's definitely a bit of a nerd. You could check ou..."

Katrina,
Thanks for the recommendations. I added Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir to my TBR shelf a couple of weeks ago. Memoirs are a favorite genre of mine and I don't mind at all that it's "mostly true" as long as I know that going in.

Where'd You Go, Bernadette has gone on and off my TBR shelf recently. Now it's back on.

I also found a book myself that I felt had some similarities to Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. I thought I'd post it here as well for anyone else who might be looking for a similar book. It's Ready Player One. Set in 2044, it follows a virtual reality game player on his search for a hidden prize that will earn him the estate of the creator of the game valued in the billions. The game's creator is obsessed with the 80s so everyone searching for the prize is as well. This made for tons of 80s references that I really enjoyed. I found the book fast, fun and light and would recommend it to others.

that is a really good match - i wouldn't have thought of that one, but it's a good companion-book.

i can think of plenty of book-lover books, but i'm sort of blanking on making the tone match. but i'll keep at it.

karen wrote: "that is a really good match - i wouldn't have thought of that one, but it's a good companion-book.

i can think of plenty of book-lover books, but i'm sort of blanking on making the tone match. but..."

Thanks Karen! I felt the mystery in Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore and contest in Ready Player One gave them a similar feel in pacing and tension.

Until more recommendations surface I have plenty to books on my TBR shelf. I'll report back when I read Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir and Where'd You Go, Bernadette

Possibly slightly obscure/artsy but Barbara Browning's I'm Trying to Reach You could fit the bill. I don't know how to make the fancy booklinks via iPhone.

I'm Trying to Reach You - boom!

Chaya wrote: "Possibly slightly obscure/artsy but Barbara Browning's I'm Trying to Reach You could fit the bill. I don't know how to make the fancy booklinks via iPhone."

Chaya - Sounds intriguing. I'm almost always open to a fiction that has art as a component in the plot. Thanks.

Gods Behaving Badly

Sounds fun. Thanks Miriam.