La Sombra del Viento by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I sincerely have no idea of how to explain how this book makes me feel, there very few book in my wholw life that have given me this sensation...and most of the times I´ve always finished but not explaining exactly the great impression that they have left in my heart and soul, and I just try to maybe not communicate exactly how I feel, because after all "a book is a mirror of the reader", so maybe that´s the reason why it has always been so difficult to me saying what a really good book has offered me as a gift in my life.

I'd like to translate the quotes to english so you have at least a drop of what I mean, but in reality this is such a beautiful book that I wouldn´t dare to make an opiniated translation of something that would end up so arrhythmic, that may damage it, instead of make honour to it's name.

There are too many quotes to publish here but not enough of me like to choose what are the ones to put in here, as the author says: " A book is a mirror of the reader" and if I upload too many quotes you would end up knowing more of me than what I'm willing to give yet.
Let's try by just telling of what this story is about, given that I'm making myself a mess trying to figure out how to explain what this book has taught me, so here it goes.

CHARACTERS

We have character of different stages of time: We have Daniel Sempere, Fermín Romero de Torres, Beatriz Aguilar, Tomás Aguilar, Clara Barceló, Gustavo Barceló, and from another decade: Julian Carax, Javier Fumero, Jorge Aldaya, Penelopé Aldaya, Miguel Moliner and Nuria Momfort, and a few other decade behind: Sophie Carax and Ricardo Aldaya.

At first glimpse, the reader has no clue of how all of these characters are going to be intertwined, but when you get there you will be officially open-mouthed of how the mistakes we make in past tend to repeat above themselves or some others will be the ones to paying them for us.

Daniel Sempere
The kid from the cover page, son of a librerian, who introduces to the Cementery of the forgotten books, where in its corridors he'll discover "The shadow of the wind" and he'll be so amazed an thrill by it that his whole life is about to turn arround and he has no idea, with zero clues that the story of that book will be just the prelude of his very own story.

Giving the appearing of a strange person in his life asking him to buy the copy of "The shadow of the wind", Daniel will be adventured in looking and revealing the truth about the story of the author, finding out too many secrets that were buried a long time ago, but that there was still someone lurking in the dark prepared to finish what he just started a long time ago.

Julián Carax

An author born in tragedy and ignorant of his real life, marked for the mistakes of his parents and condemned to pay for them in the most of terrible ways, becoming soon enough in just a horrend character of one of his endearing books, looking for nothing more to destroy the reason of his disgrace, but came to an end when he discovers a brief light of what he could have been, given the opportunity.

STAGE

Made in the life of a Barcelona whipped by civil and world war, where everyone must took care of themselves and trusting no one, taking the reader to such as a gothic city cover of mist and charm.

I can not get myself to speak more of this story at risk of giving you spoilers, but in a very simple way, I can tell you that the book actually is nothing but the retelling of a story that should end up years ago before the book got to the hands of Daniel and how he and his family and friend will be the ones to take the matter in hands to release the story of it horrible fate.

But in the meanwhile of doing so, the book will teach you more of what you pay for, giving you lessons of life and drops of wisdoms that you will adore with your very core.

It's the more I can say so far.

Recommend it til the end and beyond, definitely buying the next three book of this beautiful masterpiece of "The cementery of the forgotten books"

Hush hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

I bought this book with great expectations, but sadly the book hasn't meet them at all! Yeah the story is about angels, yeah it gets you to a whole new way to think about angels, of their hierarchy and the possibility for them to develope feelins to humans, something similar to ...

   

And that was a hell of great but then comes the developing of the plot itself, way too slow for me, the heroine acted good in this one, because they were messing with her head and with the little info she had, she did what she could and that's ok, the heroe acted like all othe other heroes and in top of that? they both were acting like typical teenages so.... it was ok. But for real ? the author could have done way better with the characters she created I still believing and defending the story but still, the characters? they could have been way better than what they are right now. 

So, a whole Twilight remembrance, shy and lonely girl meets a handsome and lonely guy inside highschool, ( at least this guy goes for it inmediately so we don't have the whole corny and slow movement here) and actually that's what makes it funny, then we find out than the guy had his own secret reasons to do it, and it becomes a hate-love relationship to finally take us to a WTF, because yeah didn't know the angels could also be jealous hehe. In summary I LIKED THE PLOT but the charcaters and the development left me expecting way much more. 

This is definitely a book for teenagers, people that is good deducing plots or want more intrinsic developments splashed with a bit of thriller and danger, not recommended for them. Just see?? 

I don't even have a quote to rescue from this book.

 

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

No for me ...just no. 

I don't even want to make a great and full review out of this, I bought the whole Deluxe set ( the 4 books at one) and I hope not ending regreting it, seriously I'm praying for that not to be the case. I bought it mainly because of everyone's reviews, most of them were good and the plot is not bad at all, there a few thing I like from the story, no; actually I LIKE THE PLOT it's the heroine I really despite, she comes to us as a simple and i mean REALLY SIMPLE teenage girl who isn't sobrepticious, astute, hesitant or any proper of a great heroine. This girl only takes what her eyes see and with no further investigation or even the need of real confirmation, makes every single thing she sees like the actual reality in this world, taking it for granted and making the reader taking that for granted as well, (at least trying to make the reader take it for granted) and there's where the problem for me comes, see? for me ... I don't take what is bein given to me for granted or the actual reality, I don't believe in gossips I always go to the fountain if not, then for me what I've seen hasn't changed one tiny bit and my resolution stays still until the fountain makes me believe the contrary but this girl, Dear God! couldn't make her more naive??? 

The book one was of a real slow pace, but was more better than this one, because the book aimed to played with the reader's mind, and the author got it, but the second? NO. If the next books proof to be like this one as well, then that would make stay away from the YA gender, because it was to easy to deduce, and if a book doen´t make me think, then it isn't the book for me, I'll just hope for the best.

 The story itself was really good, can't complain on it, but the heroine still continue to be the only problem for me. In this book, you´ll find the typical teenage break up problems, the little pranks one tries to do in order to take advantage from the person who hurt you, a good representation of friendship, a parade of events with little and no explication and a game of who will find the truth first. If you wanna get distracted a bit, then this is for you, IF at difference of me, have no problem f finding what's going on way earlier than the pretty naive heroine. 

Landline by Rainbow Rowell

There's not much to say about it. 

I started it with the idea that it'd be a hell of a great reading but it didn't make it for me... it was just a definite ahemm....nope. 

It has a good base, it makes us laugh a few times due to the principal character's paranoia ( which I believe it's based on the author nevertheless) and the effect it gives the phone allowing us the fiction and magical part was pretty good, really, but guess it could have used it in a better way making it more complex and such. 

Maybe for a married couple would have a different meaning because the book gives you the prerogative of "what would have happened if you 2 wouldn't have married?" so yeah it has a pretty good argument.

But I insit it could have been way better with a bit more of drama. 

Was an easy and fast reading.

Not too many quotes I like in here...sorry. 

Book of Joy by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and archbishop Desmod Tutu

I never believe that readin this kind of books would help me in some way, but I was terribly wrong...this book will stay with me for a very long time in my heart We all have had troubles in life, we all have suffered or have experienced something very unpleasant, but the way this book talks to you, not like a singleminded teacher or an empty person or a voice that you only listen as if they wouldn't care a bit about you, no this book treats the reader as if they were the most special element of this book and tries to reach to them in a way so intrinsecal that you can recognize yourself in everysingle thing they tell to you.

I have underlined a lot of thing in this book, that has been very difficult picking up which ones were going to be here in my review so, at the end i came up with these ones:

This is pretty much like the buddhist hakuna matata in general and one of the most respected and known principle of their all religion.

I mean if someone really pays it attention will realize that everything sumarizes up in it, because there is no single reason for us to worry or even get angry, for factors that escape our control.

"If there's no way to overpass the tragedy, there's no sense to worry about it"

Besides, happiness is not what everything has lead us to think, everything turning about material or academical success no, but more important is about the real YOU.

 This book have a lot of beautiful phrases that would take a lot of time trying to put them in here so, I think that I will do best and leave you the authors to explain you in their very own words what this book is about.

But for me I can really say, that this reading open my eyes and made me realize about thing I've been doing right and those I've been doing wrong and consolate me in ways no one in bone and flesh have ever done before. 

Loved it. 

BR's book's nooK: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

BR's book's nooK: The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux: Okay, yeah I have to admit that I was drawn to read this, very much because of the Gerard Butler movie  :     yup that very one. ...

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux

Okay, yeah I have to admit that I was drawn to read this, very much because of the Gerard Butler movie :

   

yup that very one. Besides because the author was a fan of these guys:

People whose book I really love, such as The Count of Montecristo and Our Lady of Paris So yeah as you can see I was pretty much coerced to read this one.

This story begins as if it were an investigation done by a reporter, who have heard the story of the famous Phantom, who was the responsible of vile actions and perilous acts that not only inflicted pain in one person but in every single one that would dare to put a foot in his Opera House. At the beginnig you can't tell if he's real or just a ghost, because indeed he moves and acts like one but you can never be sure until we get to meet the sweet and INNOCENT Christine Daáe.

The whole first part was exactly the same as in the movie I mentioned before, ( so I won't be spoiling more than necessary) The difference comes in the whole second part where we get the real self of the phantom, not just an abandoned boy rejected by the world because of his ugly aspect, but also an expert soldier and a marvellous architect, able to do the most unthinkable structures just in a blink of an eye.

A person that never knew how to be kind because the world never show him any of it, taking him to find a love so passionate that would do anything as long as he could keep it to himself. But when someone falls in love of a person that loves another one...things get to be complicated, and there´s where the mischievous and vile personality of our phantom comes out to play and put in danger every single being that crossess his way.

I would have to spoil a lot of details if I wanted to explain everything that happens in the second part of it... i don't even know how to explain it... it made me remember of an action movie when Raoul and X go into the phantom's domain in order to save Christine ( I haven't felt like that in a while).

And the end?? Gosh... I can't even say it...but it's not what it was shown in the movie is more...it's so much MORE!

I can only finish whith this image because it really covers all of the ending. Just loved it. And Gerard Butler will always be for me The Phantom of the Opera. 

Shingaling's playlist

Chinatown by Justi Barreto
Shingaling, shingaling by Kako and his orchestra
Sugar, let's shing a ling by Shirley Ellis
I've got just the thing by Lou Courtney
Shing a ling time, baby by The Liberty Belles
Shingaling by the lat teens
Shing a Ling by Arthur Conley
Shing a ling by Audrey Winters
Nobdy but me by Human Beinz
Enjoy!

Shingaling: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio

Shingaling: A Wonder Story by R.J. Palacio

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I chose this book without realising it was meant for kids and actually thinking it was the first book... so yeah ! surprise there, but I intend to read the first one, that's happening.

What can I say about the book?

It's a really sweet story, like reading the diary of your lil niece or future daughter ( if you like) a funny journey when you go back at the way you used to think when you were child, with the typical problems a kid at that age ( around 10 or 12 yrs old) may have.

Like problems between which group of friends to be with

a lil of prejudging

But also good things like meeting new friends, in places where you couldn't even imagine.

and of course a lot of ...

and...

so yup...definitely a book i'll give my kids ( in the future) to read .
Finishing i'd like to leave you with this:

As soon as I can I'll be posting the playlist mentioned in this book.

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Suggestions to read?

As you already know i've been a bit away from book world so guys, if you have any good suggestion please let me know in the comments that I'll make everything in my power to read them and give my reviews as soon as I can. 

Remember that can be books either in spanish or english.

Hugs

Dracula by Bram Stoker

Not what I expected.

I've watched the Coppola movie way too many times, loved the acting of Keanu Reeves and the rest of the cast , but actually I was expecting that the book itself were a tiny bit similar to the book as well, and actually it was but not quite...I'd dare to say that 50% and 50%.

The 75% of the book is more about finishing Dracula and saving Mina, but Mina is not the lost love of the Count as said in the movie, NO! she's just a simple victim that refuses with all her might to belong to Dracula due to her principles, faith and love to her husband.

Mina was the lovely and dutiful wife stereotype, always worry for her husband, always close tu religion and sciences so, when it comes to her to stand against the evil she really fights with all she has, but it's not like she ever wanted that darkness among her or that she was someone important in Dracula's past...'cause she was not

And also one the biggest differences with the movie is that Dracula's scene death wasn't too much of a hustle as it shows...it was more like...

Also was way too long for my liking, because was too detailed but i can prize that the way of narrative was a compendium of diaries of every single character involved in the book...giving as a result a hell of a book.

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