Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, 288 pages

Scott Meeker had reviewed this book for the Globe and it sounded intriguing. I'm very glad I picked it up and gave it a try. This is the book for anyone who disagrees every time someone sounds off about how real books, libraries and bookstores are becoming obsolete. With the multitude of formats that e-books come in, a real book is a timeless format, with a feel and smell all of it's own.
In this book, Clay Jannon has been downsized, and the best job he can find, is night shift at Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore, due to his ability to climb a ladder and his sense of curiosity. It doesn't take many shifts before Clay figures out there is sometime odd about this bookstore with is incredibly tall shelves and odd patrons. He starts on a mission to figure out what is going on. Soon he discovers a secret, almost cult like group, with a devotion to a font type and a passion for research. Throw in a behind the scenes look at Google and museum storage, and you have a modern day wizardry story that leaves you with a deeper appreciation for books.
This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. While I do have an e-reader, I use it only for books I can't easily get in real form. Nothing thrills me more than seeing a row of books on the shelf, knowing that there are spirits inside each one, just waiting for me to release them. This novel was so outstanding that I've started a book quote journal, because there were three quotes in this book that I didn't want to forget.