Bookends

The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of the Wind is both lush and spellbinding.  I rushed through its pages with wide eyes, slowing only to savor a particularly tasty bit of dialogue or description.  The story begins in post-WWII Barcelona, when Daniel Sempere's father swears him to secrecy before introducing him to the mysterious and delightful Cemetery of Forgotten Books.  The novel he brings home from this magical place leads him down a complex and sometimes shocking path as he attempts to discover the life story of its author while protecting the book itself from destruction.  The characters and situations can be over-the-top, but that only adds to the story as a whole - the humor gracefully leavens a story that does not flinch from the gothic or the grotesque.  Highly recommended, and I'm very happy to report that the author's second novel, The Angel's Game, will be available in English this June.

TIGER link: PQ6668.U49 S6613 2004 

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People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks

Because I work in Special Collections, people often recommend books to me about archivists, rare books, and the like. Usually I read a few pages and put these books right back where I found them. Not so with Geraldine Brooks's amazing People of the Book, which tells, in its roundabout, fragmented way, the imagined adventures of a particular actual book -- the Sarajevo Haggadah, a 14th century illuminated manuscript used at Passover, housed at the Sarajevo Museum for the past 100 years or so.

The overarching story is of a present-day book conservator and the clues she finds in the book about its past: a bit of butterfly wing, sea salt, wine, blood, a white hair. Brooks weaves together the known facts about the book with amazing made-up tales of those who made the book, those who owned it, those who protected it and preserved it, and those who tried to do it harm over the past 600 years. 

But you know, whatever actually happened to the book may have been just as amazing or even MORE amazing; we'll never know. 

Tiger link:  PR9619.3.B7153 P46 2008

The Magician's Book by Laura Miller

In The Magician's Book: A Skeptic's Adventures in Narnia, Laura Miller explores her childhood love of and belief in the imaginary world of Narnia, and her subsequent feeling of betrayal when she learns that C.S. Lewis's stories are full of hidden (well, not very well hidden, but hidden to children) Christian themes. Along the way she embeds relevant background information on Lewis's works and his life, including his friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien.

Anyone who read the Chronicles of Narnia as a kid will get a lot out of this book, I think. It's a very rare book indeed that makes me wish I belonged to a book club so I could talk about a book with other people -- mostly I just like to read read read and never talk about it at all -- but this is a book that brings up so much about reading, the act of reading, the way our reading habits and abilities change over time, the way the meaning of a particular book can change over time ... oh it's just marvelous. I'll be thinking about this book for a long, long time (though I know I'll never be able to remember it, and the way I felt reading it, the way I remember books and feelings from childhood, like the Narnia books themselves).

Tiger link: PR6023.E926 C53627 2008
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Duma Key by Stephen King

"Duma Key" is another enjoyable horror novel by prolific author Stephen King. This book is much more enjoyable not knowing where the plot will ultimately head, so I won't ruin it for potential readers. It's safe to describe the beginning: we find a self-made millionaire recovering from a severe injury. After his marriage falls apart, he decides to convalesce in the Florida Keys, in a charming pink house overlooking the sea. Phantom limbs and red rages aside, the book starts out rather prosaically and gradually picks up steam. A newly discovered artistic talent blossoms, but our hero soon realizes not all is well on this idyllic island.

Readers who stick with the book will be rewarded with plenty of mystery and several doses of the heebie-jeebies. There are some frightening and graphic scenes later on, one of which made me afraid to sleep in the dark after reading it. The various revelations that come thick and fast at the end are quite satisfying, and the "villain" is one of King's best to date.

Beyond the supernatural stuff, King explores themes of recovery from injury, artistic talent and the art world, and the politics of relationships in families. I found it particularly interesting to consider the question of a Muse's motives. That is, where does the source of artistic inspiration come from, and are the sources and the results of art unquestionably good?

Stephen King fans will pick up on similarities from previous books. In terms of writing quality, this is probably on the level of "Lisey's Story"; not a work of literary genius but definitely better than works like "Cell." I would recommend "Duma Key" to anybody who enjoys the horror genre, but has sufficient patience for the horror to develop slowly.

On the Current Books shelf next to the Circulation Desk.

TIGER link: PS3561.I483 D86 2008 
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The Secret Mitzvah of Lucio Burke by Steven Hayward

You know in The Catcher in the Rye when Holden Caulfield says there are certain books where you wish the author was your friend and you could call him up and talk to him after you finish the book? Well, this is one of those books, and the best part is, if you're on the CC campus you can, actually, go talk to Steven Hayward after you finish the book, because he works here.

There's something about the structure of the sentences in this book that makes me want to pick them up and bake them cookies. For example, at one point Ruthie Nodelman, age 20, is trying to shake up the class system in 1930s Toronto. She starts small, talking to a bunch of little kids at a playground:

"Now," continues Ruthie, "we're all workers, we know that. So, what has to happen before we can get those fat cats up against the wall?"
     Victorinna puts up her hand. "My cousin Anna Maria had a cat who had babies, and the cat ate five of the babies."
     "I know it," says Meyer, "and when you chop off the head of a chicken it goes on running."
     "Everybody knows that," says Antonio.

If you liked John Irving's A Prayer for Owen Meany, you may like this. It's just a really good story about love and family and friendship and loyalty. I kinda feel like one of those kids on Reading Rainbow right now but I have to say, I just thought this novel was GREAT and I URGE you to read it. Tutt Library has THREE copies so there should be plenty to go around.

Tiger link: PR9199.3.H394 S43 2005
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