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I've read too far and don't want to spoil anything, but loving this book!

I've read the whole book, but will share what I thought early on when reading!

At this point, what is your theory about the bookstore’s mysterious patrons and what they are doing?

I thought maybe it was a front for some cult...

It seems like a lot of things are focusing on/comparing and contrasting the new, digital way the world works and the way things were made/done in the past. Do you see this as a large underlying theme? What are your thoughts on it- does the old or new have more pros versus cons?

I just moved, so my main thought here is that paper books sure require a lot of packing, moving and unpacking!! I never appreciated my Kindle until after I had to move 23 boxes of books!

I think that paper books do have one big advantage though: they are inherently social. When someone comes over, they can see what books are on my shelves and start a conversation about them. That's hard to do with a Kindle! And if I think someone might be interested in a book, I can lend or give it to them... also hard to do with an ebook.

The author has introduced quite a few characters in a pretty short time and even though Clay has obviously been the most developed I feel like I at least semi-“know” most of them. Who do you find the most intriguing so far?

I actually found myself not really liking Clay... I also liked Penumbra the most so far!

Part I

At this point, what is your theory about the bookstore’s mysterious patrons and what they are doing?

I feel like it's some sort of computer code the patrons are racing to crack.

It seems like a lot of things are focusing on/comparing and contrasting the new, digital way the world works and the way things were made/done in the past. Do you see this as a large underlying theme? What are your thoughts on it- does the old or new have more pros versus cons?

I find it interesting, because I'm a child of the modern era, but the comparison between the kindle and paperback books is like whoa! I grew up on paperbacks. I love cover art, the smell of books, and when Clay talked about the smell. mmmmm. I see it as an underlying theme. Each have their pros and cons. The new makes our lives easier and more efficient, however we're so wrapped in our digital age that we're taking pictures in front of the mona lisa to update our statuses that we were there instead of turning around and taking in the experience of actually being there.

The author has introduced quite a few characters in a pretty short time and even though Clay has obviously been the most developed I feel like I at least semi-“know” most of them. Who do you find the most intriguing so far?

Kat! For the love of mankind- why does she never change out of that same t-shirt?!? All jokes aside, I find her really interesting, and hope to see her and Clay progress in their friendship into a relationship. That would be an interesting pair!

At this point, what is your theory about the bookstore’s mysterious patrons and what they are doing?
I thought that maybe it was some sort of National Treasure/Da Vinci Code type thing.
It seems like a lot of things are focusing on/comparing and contrasting the new, digital way the world works and the way things were made/done in the past. Do you see this as a large underlying theme? What are your thoughts on it- does the old or new have more pros versus cons?
I straddle the divide - I love curling up with an old school book but the Kindle has freed up a lot of space in this book lover house!
The author has introduced quite a few characters in a pretty short time and even though Clay has obviously been the most developed I feel like I at least semi-“know” most of them. Who do you find the most intriguing so far?
I feel like that there is still a lot we don't know about Neel (sp?) and that he's going to be more relevant as the story goes on.

I've read the whole thing so I will try not to spoil things for everyone else

At that point in the book I thought the bookstore was for some secret scholar society, like some form of ancient knowledge held by a select group of individuals.

I think the new vs old way is a big theme in the book. For me I get the appeal of both sides. I LOVE comfy libraries or reading rooms. But I also love my kindle for ease of use. I doubt that paper books will ever completely go away.

I love Penumbra! I am really intrigued by how he came to run the bookshop. I also want to know more about the patrons who get books from the waybacklist!

@Ree723: in my edition (hardback) pg 69 is at the end of "the smell of books" chapter, but I'm not sure if it's the same in the paperback edition.

It's been a BUSY month - finally got around to get some reading done! Hopefully I can catch up within the next few days to the current thread

At this point, what is your theory about the bookstore’s mysterious patrons and what they are doing?
I have no idea - but I'm loving the mystery. They're all older, and eclectic, so I'm guessing it has something to do with taking up a lot of time. I'm also very intrigued that they don't stick around to socialize very much - get their book and get out? I cannot fathom why Clay is not reading these books while at work? Some sort of club though, definitely...

It seems like a lot of things are focusing on/comparing and contrasting the new, digital way the world works and the way things were made/done in the past. Do you see this as a large underlying theme? What are your thoughts on it- does the old or new have more pros versus cons?
I feel like this is a huge theme in the book. I don't know how it could tie into the weird book club going on though - I don't see these older members being too involved with computers in any way. Maybe that has something to do with it...
There are a lot of pros and cons to the digital takeover. Pro = amazing convenience ALL the time. Con = constantly connected, no down time.

The author has introduced quite a few characters in a pretty short time and even though Clay has obviously been the most developed I feel like I at least semi-“know” most of them. Who do you find the most intriguing so far?
I'm always very suspicious of characters when I get into a book... everyone seems like they're going to do something to upset the secret book club. I'm very wary of Kat and Matt right now...