Hello everyone,
first of all, here is the Claude Monet film I mentioned last Thursday:
You see Monet painting waterlilies in his garden in Giverny. In the background you will notice the very famous Japanese bridge. first of all, here is the Claude Monet film I mentioned last Thursday:
As one commentator said: “Nerves of steel...painting in a white suit."
From these sunny garden let me move you to windswept cities:
If you enjoyed “The Shadow Of The Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, then I recommend “The Prisoner of Heaven” which is the third book out of a series of three so far. If enough of you are interested I would be happy to order the second book for our Library. Drop me a line to let me know....
For those of you, still uninitiated to the magic of Zafon's first book “The Shadow Of The Wind”, it is set in post–war Barcelona and concerns a young boy, Daniel Sempere. Just after the war, Daniel's father takes him to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a select few initiates. According to tradition, everyone initiated to this secret place is allowed to take one book from it and must protect it for life. Daniel selects a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. That morning he takes the book home and reads it, completely engrossed. Daniel then attempts to look for other books by this unknown author but can find none. All he comes across are stories of a strange man – calling himself Laín Coubert, after a character in the book who happens to be the Devil – who has been seeking out Carax's books for decades, buying them all and burning them.
“The Prisoner Of Heaven” picks up the story again in Barcelona. Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of The Count Of Monte Cristo. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival …
Now this donation, I am particularly pleased with: Donna Tartt “The Goldfinch”, as it is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction 2014.
Aged thirteen, Theo Decker, son of a devoted mother and a reckless, largely absent father, survives an accident that otherwise tears his life apart. Alone and rudderless in New York, he is taken in by the family of a wealthy friend. He is tormented by an unbearable longing for his mother, and down the years clings to the thing that most reminds him of her: a small, strangely captivating painting that ultimately draws him into the criminal underworld. As he grows up, Theo learns to glide between the drawing rooms of the rich and the dusty antiques store where he works. He is alienated and in love - and his talisman, the painting, places him at the centre of a narrowing, ever more dangerous circle.
The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America and a drama of enthralling power. Combining unforgettably vivid characters and thrilling suspense, it is a beautiful, addictive triumph - a sweeping story of loss and obsession, of survival and self-invention, of the deepest mysteries of love, identity and fate.
On the other hand, if you enjoyed Paulo Coelho's “The Alchemist” - a book about staying true to your dreams and daring to live the life you choose – then look no further than “Valkyres”, a recent donation to our Library. This is a modern-day adventure story featuring Paulo’s supernatural encounter with angels – who appear as warrior women and travel through the Mojave desert on their motorbikes. Haunted by a devastating curse, Paulo is instructed by his mysterious spiritual master to embark upon a journey – to find and speak to his guardian angel in an attempt to confront and overcome his dark past. The Valkyries is a compelling account of this forty day quest into the searing heat of the Mojave Desert, where Paulo and his wife, Chris, encounter the Valkyries – warrior women who travel the desert on motorcycles, spreading the word of angels.
This exotic spiritual odyssey is a rare combination of truth, myth, imagination and inspiration. Ultimately it is a story about being able to forgive our past and believe in our future.
I find Coelho's offerings always polarizing – people love the books and draw great strength and inspiration from them, or they hate them and roll their eyes. Find out which side you're on, next time your at our Library.
All the books wait for you on the Display table by the entrance.I shall leave you with my favorite quote by Charlotte Bronte:
“Better to try all things and to find all empty, than to try nothing and leave your life a blank.”Onwards and upwards, dear readers!
Your Librarian
Anna
