A man walking fast down a dark lonely street. Quick steps and hard breathing, all wonder and need. A bell above a door and the tinkle it makes. A clerk and a ladder and warm golden light, and then: the right book exactly, at exactly the right time.
Ooohh, I love love love this book! Reading this book is just like reading Famous Five and it brings back childhood memories.
I want to work for/shop at Penumbra's quaint bookstore. I imagine myself entering the bookstore, looking at the shelves, and then Penumbra would ask me "What do you seek in these shelves?" Even the thought has already made me happy.
This is a story about a secret literature society that involves members with nerdy fashion style. Their mission is to crack the codes left by Aldus Manutius (google him!) who was actually one of the first publishers back in 1500s. The slogan used in the book (Festina Lente) caught my interest and now I am into Latin language. Gosh, that's a new addition to my to-do list: to learn Latin!
Festina Lente is an oxymoron that means "make haste slowly". Mr. Wiki states its meaning as "... activities should be performed with a proper balance of urgency and diligence. If tasks are overly rushed, mistakes are made and good long-term results are not achieved. Work is best done in a state of flow in which one is fully engaged by the task and there is no sense of time passing." Aren't we supposed to apply this to our lives to excel in whatever we do?
It gets more interesting when I did a bit search on Festina Lente. There are various emblems used to depict this slogan. The most famous is the dolphin and anchor, which was used by Aldus Manutius. The book also reflects this as the name of the bar (The Dolphin and Anchor) where the main characters gathered. ... There's a stack of books on the table and a metal cup with pointy pencils that smells fresh and sharp. In the stack, there are copies of Moby-Dick, Ulysees, The Invisible Man - this is a bar for bibliophiles.... Other emblems bore the images of a sail-backed tortoise, a hare in a snail shell, and a crab and a butterfly.
Everything about this book is fun. Its cover even lights in the dark! And the names, who on earth would have such funky names like Ajax Penumbra and Marcus Corvina. Oh my God, I'm dizzy with all the goodness.
FESTINA LENTE!
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