A truly enjoyable read. I couldn't put it down! It would make a great movie. A wonderful book for book lovers!

I found this book through Johnson County Library's Staff Picks. What fun! High tech (Google, etc.) vs. dinosaurs (books & bookstores). Which will give us the meaning of life?

Am I the only one who read this as a bit of a satire? Google is searching for the secret to immortality? A secret society called The Unbroken Spine that punishes errant members by burning their books? I loved that Google was not able to solve the puzzle! As a librarian, I really enjoyed the secret hidden in the classification system used to organize the books on the shelves. This reminded me a bit of Terry Pratchett, just a bit more subtle. Great fun!

Clay Jannon is thrilled to get a job as the night clerk at this unique bookstore in San Francisco. He soon discovers that the strange books stored on three-storey high shelves at the back of the store are in code. With the help of his Google-savvy girlfriend (is Google really searching for the key to immortality?) and his old school friend, “the wizard, the warrior and the rogue” unravel the mystery of The Unbroken Spine Club and discover what exactly has enabled our version of immortality.

WOW! That's all I have for you is, WOW! Nothing is a more attractive topic than combining of old world knowledge and lifestyles with the differences of how we live and think with today's technology. It makes for a very interesting story. What a delightful book, that was a quick and easy read, but really left me thinking. Would definitely recommend it if you are interested in art & design history, and have a love of typography like I do.

It starts out like a fine mystery. The protagonist, Clay Jannon, is hired by a San Francisco independent bookstore owner -- Mr Penumbra -- to retrieve books from 10 pm to 6 am, at the request of long time bookstore customers holding an unusual interest in highly obscure volumes. In fact Clay has never heard of any of these book titles, which are never purchased, only loaned. When Clay examines one of these books, he sees page after page of unreadable encrypted characters, no spaces, no punctuation. Yet the customers return night after night, returning one book, and taking another. At this point, about 10% in, the story looks like it has potential. Then the whole thing degenerates into a sort of "Dungeons and Dragons" meets Google:Books fantasy. The story failed to hold my interest. I can't recommend this one. One word summary: Tedious.

This is one of my favorite books ever. Not only are the characters vivid and realistic, but the plot deviates entirely from the stereotypical 'hero's adventure'. I would suggest this book to anyone!

When Clay Jannon is laid off from his web-design job at New Bagel, his curiosity gets the better of him as he accepts a job at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few regular customers – who borrow the books, not buy - hardly enough to keep the bookstore in business. Even stranger is the fact that Clay has been asked to not only keep track of the books the customers sign out, but to log other details about the customers as well (time they came in, what their moods were, details about their clothing – down to the type of buttons on their jackets – all kinds of weird details). Clay realizes there is something mysterious going on and after he begins to track the regulars’ book selections, he sees a distinct pattern emerge. Each reader is completing the books in a specific order. He begins going through the books himself and finds out they are written in a code that has to be deciphered. He learns from Mr. Penumbra that deciphering the codes in these books in their specific order will enable the reader to solve ‘The Founder’s Puzzle’ which is the first step in moving closer to becoming one of the secret society ‘The Unbroken Spine’ who are busy day in and day out trying to decipher the ‘Founder’s Book’ which is supposed to hold the secret of eternal life. This is a really fun read that combines elements of fairy-tales with adventure stories. A real combination of old world knowledge mixing with new world technology. Reviewed by TC

Funny, thoughtful, engaging story with mystery elements that tackles how and where print books and all things electronic intersect.

I expected to love this book, but for some reason just - didn't. I really, really liked it, but I never reached the point where I couldn't put it down. I did love the characters - especially Clay, Mat, Neel, Deckle and Mr. Penumbra. I also liked the "quest" feel of the plot, and the way everything fit together in the end. However, I think that some characters' preoccupation with immortality kind of turned me off.