Book 5: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Clay Jannon is an out-of-work web designer struggling to find a new job and rapidly decreasing his list of requirements for what type of job he will settle for when he comes across a help wanted sign in an obscure out of the way bookstore.  He quickly discovers that his new job is quite strange.  Very few customers come to the store, and most of those come to check out a book from the waybacklist, books in code that often require the scaling of a sliding ladder to retrieve and that he is not supposed to peruse himself.  For he customer, he is to keep a detailed entry with a description of the customer, day and time, and book purchased or checked out.  In order to impress a girl, he creates a 3D computer model of the bookstore, enlists the help of his special effects roommate in duplicating a logbook, and takes the original logbook to Google to input the data of the order books in the waybacklist are checked out.  The longest path through the books that is taken results in the appearance of a face on the computer screen, and Clay soon discovers that the secrets he has been trying to uncover extend far beyond the bookstore where he is employed.


Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Sloan is tale that juxtaposes the modern world with the medieval one, the technological power of Google with a cryptographic puzzle from the middle ages.  Throw in a secret cult, friendship, a quest to help Penumbra, and the pursuit of immortality; and the result is an intriguing tale that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend.

Book 4: My Viking Vampire

Bailey has been on the run for four years from her abusive ex when she finds herself been stalked by a djinn and rescued by a vampire named Erick, who offers to take her to the safety of a town called Sanctuary. Having no money for food or bus fare to escape her ex whose truck she spotted in town earlier, Bailey takes Erick up on her offer. For Erick, it is love at first site, and for Bailey it's a chance at love that she thought would never come her way. Erick is compassionate and considerate, patient with her fears, and accepting of her scars. Now she just has to stay alive to claim a new home.

I found Krystal Shannon's dystopian setting and future time intriguing. The main characters were well written and likeable; however the pacing of the plot with the events occurring only over the course of two days and the long erotic-filled interludes between the action portions of the story made the book drag a bit at times. I think the overall plot had a lot of potential that just did not come to fruition for me, and the last chapter of BDSM tipped the book from paranormal romance to erotica. Despite the problems, I did still enjoy the book overall and consider it to be one of the better Kindle freebies that I've tried from Amazon.

Book 3: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Four siblings escape the dangers of living in London during WWII by taking refuge with a professor that owns a large house in the country. While exploring the house, the youngest Lucy ends up climbing into the wardrobe and meets a faun in Narnia. A few days later when she hides in the wardrobe for hide and seek, both she and her brother Edmund find their way into Narnia where Lucy visits the faun and Edmund meets the white witch. Finally all four children duck into the wardrobe to avoid a house tour and end up in Narnia together. Mr. Tumnus, the faun, has been taken by the witch, and three of the children seek out Aslan with the aid of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver to try to save them. Edmund goes to the white witch hoping for magical food and the chance to be made king one day only to discover that all of her promises were simply lies. Working together Aslan and the children must defeat the white witch to regain control of Narnia.



I have enjoyed Lewis' tale many times both for myself and with my children. It's been a few years since I read the story to my 3rd child, so it has been fun to revisit it with my youngest and then borrow the movie from the library for all of the kids to watch.

Book 2: Soulless

Soulless by Gail Carriger is set in an alternate Victorian London where supernaturals exist and are mostly out of hiding.  Unbeknownst to her family, Alexia Tarabotti is not only a half-Italian intelligent spinster, but also a preternatural being without a soul.  As a preternatural she is able to cancel out the abilities of supernaturals and make them human for as long as they are in physical contact.  These abilities come in quite handy one evening when Alexia is appallingly attacked by a vampire with a complete lack of knowledge in vampire etiquette and the dangers of preternaturals.  While trying to talk some sense into the hungry vampire, Alexia accidentally kills him launching an investigation by BUR (the branch of government dealing with supernatural affairs) and bringing her into contact with Lord Maccon, the head of London's BUR division and alpha of the werewolf pack.  Unable to determine the origin of the dead vampire, the mystery is compounded by the discovery that rove vampires and lone werewolves have gone missing all over Great Britain.


With elements of paranormal, romance, and mystery genres blended together with humor and a light touch of social satire, Carriger creates an enjoyable light read that quickly caught my attention and had me wondering what trouble Alexia would find herself in next.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance and is looking for an entertaining way to pass a few hours.

Book 1: Sink Reflections

Sink Reflections provides a common sense approach to tackling an organized approach to dealing with a cluttered, disorganized home. The basic process includes establishing daily and weekly routines for basic cleaning, clearing hot spots where clutter regularly gathers on a regular basis, decluttering by setting a time for 15 minutes or grabbing 27 items of trash and 27 to give away as quickly as possible, and focusing on one specific area of the house for extra work each week. Rooms are reclaimed by picking one area to declutter and clean (a shiny sink, a made bed, etc.) and gradually cleaning and clearing out from that area. Creation of a control journal to keep routines, detailed cleaning lists, other checklists, etc. in one location and daily checking and using a calendar keep information organized. The book also briefly discusses laundry, paper clutter, menus, vacation, and moving.











The overall tone of the book is designed to be uplifting and encouraging. Cilley does a good job of balancing the combination of cheerleader and drill sergeant portrayed in the caricature on the front cover. Reminders to take baby steps, forget perfection, and maintain a positive attitude are juxtaposed with admonishments to get off your franny, stop whining, and just jump in wherever you are.









I find the book to be very motivational in general. I personally don't like to wear shoes and plan to ignore the dressed to your shoes each day part. I also find that her weekly routine and groupings of rooms for weekly focus won't work for me as written and will require some adapting. Still the habits I've started are working, and I'm excited to see some progress so I'd recommend this book for anyone needing a little guidance or motivation to get started on bringing some organization into their household.