Jeanne > Recent Status Updates

I am fascinated with the multiple layers of complexity (both plot and character) and rich description that make up this novel. I'm loving every moment reading it and know that it will be over sooner than I want it to be.

This book is seriously funny. I've reached 58% but have to hit pause as my library loan expired. I will put another hold on it and read a few others while I wait for it to return to my queue.

So far, so good. Not quite one the same level as the gripping page-turner Shadow of the Wind, Zafon has created another intriguing tale that takes place prior to the other novel. I like the overlaps in characters -- Sempere and his son; Monfort, the keeper of the Cemetery of oirgotten Books -- and the dark elements that hang over the cityscapes of Barcelona. It remains mysterious and engaging with each new layer.

Reading another book set in Seattle. I love how learning more about the history of the place I now call home adds a layer of intimacy and familiarity.

What a marvelously engaging read - a beautiful balance of delicious prose, intriguing characters, shadowy mysteries, and true to life emotions, questions, and doubts.

"I was raised among books, making invisible friends in pages that seemed cast from dust and whose smell I carry on my hands to this day....'Every book, every volume you see here, has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and of those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.'"

Finally cracking this one open.

I was not impressed by this book. It lacked the character development I crave - each had potential, but I never felt much empathy for them as they themselves seemed too vague and superficial. The author attempted to develop a few literary devices as threads throughout the story -- "such things happen" -- but fell short of being effective. The garden imagery in the end held some symbolic promise but dissolved quickly.

Just started. So excited for the finale!

I really like this book and want to love it but am finding a couple of aspects that make me critical. So bummed I didn't finish in time for our book group discussion. Would love to know what others loved and what you think of the two shortcomings I have found.

i love the ways in which books enter our lives. this one is set in ethiopia, where i traveled just this summer. i love being able to hook the author's descriptions of the people and the setting to my experiences.