Tome Time - The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Started October 29th, finished November 15th.

I was very much looking forward to this book.  The first of this author's I read, The Shadow of the Wind, immediately added itself to my list of favourite books.  The fact that was was another large volume pleased me.

The book is set in the same universe as TSotW, Barcelona, under Franco's rule.  It also contains some of the same characters in smaller roles.  It visits the Cemetery of Forgotten Books too.  A wonderful invention of the author's that I'm sure we'll see again.

I was sad to find that this book didn't speak to my soul the way the first did.  I can't say there was anything wrong with it.  It was dark, spooky, filled with well written characters.  I think it was just a little too fantastical for me.  Maybe the story of a text isn't as gripping as the story of a love affair?  It was quite easy to work out what was happening.  I don't think the author wanted to hide this from the reader.  While I grasped 'the mystery' I guess I couldn't really grasp or care 'why?'

I would love to know how I would have reacted to this book without prior knowledge of the author.  Did I feel a little let down because TSotW was so good?  Or was it because this one isn't to my tastes as much?  I'll never know.

It's still an interesting tale.  I wouldn't want to put anyone off reading it as I think it's a taste thing rather than a quality issue I have with it.  It's always nice to read things set in cities such as Barcelona.  There is a real sense of the city here.  He uses it well.  I can't see me reading this again in a hurry but I'm not quite ready to consign it to the charity shop yet.

3.5 out of 5 pawprints

Next - Doctor Who and the Twin Dilemma by Eric Saward

Book 28 of the 50 Book Challenge

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 510 pages

Started April 27th, finished April 30th.

This book had to be read after a podcast I heard with the author by the BBC World Service Book Club.  I blogged about the podcast and it's content here.  The author came across so well and the audience had such a love for this  that it had to be read and soon.  It also stood out as perfect holiday reading.

I thought that I had already started to read this book a year or so ago.  I was wrong, it must have been a book with a similar cover.  I'm not one to usually agree with book or films that are 'over-hyped'.  This one seemed different though.  rather than people telling you how amazingly brilliant it was they tell you how much they love it.  It is an irresistable premise - A mystery, involving books, set in (post civil war) Barcelona.  

Well, I wasn't disappointed.  I loved this book.  Everything about it worked for me.  The dark, Gothic feel of it.  The description of life in Barcelona after Franco has risen to power and how things are done there.  The characters and how well they were written.  There are various characters in the book spanning all types.  All as well written as each other.  There is no schmaltzy goodies vs baddies but believable nice and not at all nice people.

This was meant to be left on holiday for other visitors to the apartment.  It came home, I need to own this book.  As well as force my family to read it so they don't miss out!  It has become an instant favourite which I'm already looking forward to reading again one day.

5 out of 5 pawprints

Total so far, Books - 28, Pages - 8,928

Next - The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I have to be open here.  I did try to read The Shadow of the Wind but I just couldn't get into it.  I put it to one side to try again in another mood.  It seemed perfect for me.  A spooky mystery story, about books, set in Barcelona.

I recently listened to a BBC World Book Club podcast.  It was a question and answer session with Carlos Ruiz Zafon, discussing his most famous book The Shadow of the Wind.  In the podcast he gave a couple of readings from the book and discussed many aspects of himself as a writer and the book.  All the time coming across as a thoroughly nice man.

What I liked most were two of the points he made.  One when he was asked if he could avoid old book shops and their wares.  he made it quite clear he could not, then said  "I remember when I was a kid, I always thought that if you can take just paper & ink and create characters & worlds & images that was the coolest thing.  It was like magic.  And I still feel that way.  I think it's wonderful that you can create all those things out of ink and paper, nothing else."  I thought was a wonderful thought to have as a child and take through with you to adulthood as a best-selling author.  I do think he's missing the two shakes of fairy dust though.  You need a write with the imagination to put th pen to the paper.  Then you need your own imagination to help you vision it as you read.  Here is a man that would understand when I say I can only truly lose myself in a book I love.

Later he was asked if he had any offers or plans to put his books onto the screen "Nothing tells a story with the depth, the riches, the complexity that a novel does when it's done right.  The best film version you're ever gonna see of Shadow of the Wind is playing in the theatre of your brain when you're reading.  The book is designed to work like that.  To evoke these images, these textures and the dynamics, movement & light and out you there.  So the idea of a movie seems extremely redundant and wrong to me.  And the only real reason to do that would be money.  Money is a great thing because it buys freedom and time, so I'm not putting down money.  But I think that the money I'm not making by not selling these books is the price I pay to preserve them as I think they should be.  And I think that because of the success of this novel has been made by the readers, by people who love books, who recommend this book among themselves.  In many ways I feel I owe it to readers to keep the books as they are.  Not sell them as a some piece of merchandise so they become something else."  Here he received a round of applause.  He acknowledged that he is lucky to be in a position to have this choice and that not all writers are so lucky.  Then he promised no films of his novels over his 'dead body'.  Even though you don't have to see the film made of the book you love.  Knowing it's out there is enough to bug you.  I think the man is right.  Vision your greatest reads yourself.  Film screenplays not my favourite books.

Oh, and yes.  I will be picking up the book for a proper read very soon.  It sounds wonderful :-)

The BBC World Book Club podcast can be found here