The Cemetery of Lost Books discussion

Just wondering what others have been reading that could even be considered equal to the masterful Cemetery of Books series? I keep trying to find books that can take me away to that deep, dark, lush place, with such masterful writing, incredible story, likeable believable characters, and an amazing ending. But to no avail. I just read The Club Dumas and was very disappointed. It was alright and seemed like it might have some promise, but then the end of the book and the ending just ruined it. What a waste of time. Another few books I've read that can compete with Zafon's classics are The Historian and The Name of the Rose. Something along these lines. Looking forward to hearing from fellow Zafon lovers! Thanks in advance

I was about to recommend The Historian but I just glance through your discussion and saw that you've already read it. I love every bit of Kastova's Historian that I immediately jump on her newest book "The Swan Thieves" and let me tell you that it was a big let down and a surprising disappointment in my opinion. I expected something better but I guess it was my fault for expecting too much from the very start. Now going to Zafon, I'll just say that his novels are amongst the best that I've read in a very long time. The essence, the spirit, the characters the soul of Zafon's novels entails just stay with you even after a long time of having finished reading them. And when that happens, that's when you know that you have read an amazing book. One book that I do recommend that will probably be one you might enjoy is Marcus Zuzek "The Book Thief". Excellent novel that even though I read about 5 years ago, I still remember how great it was. On a side note, I'll look in The Name of the Rose because it's a book I've never hear of. Have a good one!! EBG

I love Zafon, and it is indeed hard to come near his expertise. I thought The Swan Thieves was only ok. Good premise, no follow through. LOVED The Name of the Rose. So, here goes my recommendations: The Thirteenth Tale by Setterfield, Labyrinth by Mosse, and The Hummingbirds Daughter by Urrea. I read all of Urrea, but Hummingbirds Daughter has some elements (no spoilers from me) that you might like a lot. The other two are more like Zafon, in some ways. Keep us posted.

Erick... so agree about Swan Thief. Just a big let down. Loved The Book Thief. Have you read Kingsolver? I am not 'convinced' after Flight Behavior.

Thanks for the recommendations so far everyone. I've read most of them though :( I haven't read The Book Thief or The Hummingbirds Daughter though, so I'll give those a go. I really like Kate Mosse's books and want to finish the series by reading the Citadel. But even those books can't even come close to the masterful stories that Zafon weaves. The Name of the Rose by Eco is an all time classic that everyone should read. The story and ending are the magical reason we read books. But be prepared to flip through a ton of pages filled with an exhausting amount of religious minutiae though. The religious passages can easily take up entire chapters and you can just flip through them and not miss a single detail about the actual story. But unbelievable story and ending, one of the best endings ever actually! Keep the recommendations coming though everyone. I'm dying for more good books!

try Gone girl by gillian flynn..a piece of art!

Good question! I remember searching around for books that were similar to Zafon's Cemetery of Books and ended up reading a lot of books that were set in Spain (including Perez-Reverte's books--I personally enjoyed The Flanders Panel the most): Andromeda Romano-Lax's The Spanish Bow, C.J. Samson's Winter in Madrid, Ildefonso Falcones' Cathedral of the Sea and Carmen Laforet's Nada.

Story/atmosphere-wise, I would say (echoing other people's suggestions above) Kate Mosse's Sepulchre and Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale.

I've been meaning to re-read Eco's The Name of the Rose, I don't think I quite appreciated it the first time around...

So I just finished the Thirteenth Tale and it just didn't do it for me. It seemed like it had promise, it was written well. But there were so many annoying things about it and I didn't like how the end of the story just leaves you up in the air and it ends so abruptly. I'd give it a 3-3.5 stars. The overall feel is somewhat like Zafon books, but it lets you down in the story, the ending, and a lot of little things that are annoying. I had high hopes for the book from everyone on here and the reviews, but it just isn't that great of a book and I'm once again left wondering if there are any great books out there. The search continues

Try Zafon's 'Marina.' It's now available in English. It is not from the Cemetery series, but I really enjoyed it. It is gothic, romantic, and has some horror elements, too.

Also, The Time in Between by Maria Duenas. (Tiempo entre costuras, in Spanish). There is a really well done series on Netflix based on this book.

You could try the Monstrumologist series by Ricky Yancey. though it's YA genre, but the gore and poignant theme are suitable for adults. the gothic theme and angsty choice of words are beautiful, incredibly witty and amusing.

I'm going to go out on a limb and say The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I will have to look that one up.

Badger