Have you heard about Dal Reads, the unity reading program for Dalhousie? We’re relaunching this year with help from the Dal Libraries and the School of Information Management.

We’re encouraging all students, faculty, and staff to read the same novel during the summer. We will host related events in the fall. Think of Dal Reads as Dalhousie’s biggest book club.

This year’s book is Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. It was chosen using student suggestions, creating a shortlist, and then holding  a vote. All suggested titles were held against our recently developed selection criteria.

The book is available at all five Dalhousie Libraries, and is on order at the Dal Bookstores in the SUB and on the Agricultural Campus. The novel, published in 2012, is described by Amazon reviews as “an old school mystery set firmly in tech-loving, modern day San Francisco.” The New York Times Book Review said it was, “Part love letter to books, part technological meditation, part thrilling adventure, part requiem… Eminently enjoyable, full of warmth and intelligence.”

Get started by picking up a copy of the book. Then get involved in the discussions that will happen through this blog, Twitter, and Facebook. Your thoughts and opinions are encouraged. The discussion doesn’t stop here, though. Orientation week will kick off the Dal Reads activities. We will be having a variety of events for you to participate in. More information will be available soon.

And stay tuned to our social media accounts over the summer to win your copy of Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore.