Even without finishing yet The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, I've already bought his second book (albeit the prequel to Shadow of the Wind), The Angel's Game. And then there's a third book already, The Prisoner of Heaven, which I've already seen but haven't bought yet because it was hardbound. Will have to wait for the paperback edition to arrive in our native bookstores.
Quite a change of pace from my usual reading, I was glad I tackled Dean Alfar's The Kite of Stars and Other Stories first before The Shadow of the Wind because somehow Kite of Stars bridged the shift from hard fantasy (I was reading Gardens of the Moon earlier this month) to this magic realism bit concocted by Zafon. And Dean's short story compilation helped warm me up to the new book or otherwise I would've had a hard time adjusting to it.
In essence it's a detective story and right now I'm on the joyride with the protagonist, Daniel Sempere, as he races all over Barcelona to find out the mystery behind the writer, Julian Carax, the author of the book -- The Shadow of the Wind -- which was the book Sempere was destined to have when he was first brought to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books by his father in his earlier years. Now the past of Carax is haunting him and it's connected to him somehow ... I've not yet gone that far ... I'm still mid-way through the book but the mystery is already building but the twists and turns are quite the hook.
I wonder how this would've read in its native language? Yes, for the uninitiated with Zafon, the book, and all other books by Zafon are originally written in Spanish. The English version of The Shadow and Angel's Game have been translated by Lucia Graves. I'm sure there were some things, some nuances, some flickers, lost in the translation but if the English translation is this good, the Spanish version, the author's original voice must've been superb. Kudos to Ms. Graves for such excellent work.
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And speaking of Kite of Stars ...
I bought my copy of The Kite of Stars and Other Stories some two years ago from a local bookstore. I read a couple of stories before work, chores, and other stuff swamped me and I had to shelf the book for the meantime. Then, it got lost. It disappeared from my bookshelf and I searched and searched for it in the most obvious of places but I simply couldn't find it.
Last month as my wife did a very general clean-up of our apartment bedroom -- lo and behold -- The Kite of Stars and Other Stories appeared! The general clean-up, which meant moving all furnitures and appliances and knick-knacks to be able to get to all the grime, revealed that the book got stuck in between paper bags full of papers and other stuff. The book was dusty and a little warped from its eons of being squished but it survived being chewed on by rats and being pelted with all manners of dirty stuff from bugs and 'roaches.
But enough of the circumstances surrounding the loss and finding of the book.
What I love about this book is the world-building that's happening as you read each and every tale. While not all tales are situated in Dean's Hinirang world but the idea that several of the stories are from different periods of Hinirang's history gives readers the glimpse of a rich, vibrant else-world, intriguingly familiar to our own yet not so much. The stories hint of a ages-long history that strikes a familiar chord with Filipino readers and yet at the same time allows non-Pinoys to be enticed as well to an exciting Spanish-influenced setting.
I haven't read Dean's Salamanca so I'm not sure if the novel also had its setting in Hinirang but the setting alone shows much promise that it would be quite a delight to see more stories from Hinirang spring up from Dean, or if he allows it, allow other penmen to tell their stories about Hinirang, its people and culture, its conflicts, its secrets. That would be one great project although if it'll be a collaborative effort with the aim of ending up with an anthology or compilation of Hinirang-set stories, Dean would have to first conduct a session to introduce to others Hinirang.
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I love Adarna's books for kids. Especially since these books have become special bonding time for me and my daughters. Every now and then, before both go to sleep, I read to them two or three Adarna story books of their choosing. It's not an every night thing but for two straight nights now, both girls have been asking me to read to them their story books.
We have seven Adarna books so far and before each storytelling we bargain how many stories I'll read to them before shut-eyes. Last Monday it was four, last night three. Tonight most likely it'll be four stories because I just bought four more books for them.
Of the seven books we already own, their favorites are That Won't Wake Me Up -- which is my personal favorite, Halu-Halo Espesyal, and Si Kaliwa at Si Kanan. I'm hoping they'll also like the four new books I got -- Si Emang Engkantada at ang Tatlong Haragan, Sampung Magkakaibigan, Si Dindo Pundido, Mario's Special Day.
I tend to choose those story books that come in two languages and what's more to like about these story books is that they're affordable -- P73 each. I also am a fan of the artworks that come with these books. They not only depict what the story is all about but literally add color to the book and make it come alive.
Have you tried the Hiyas Books for kids, the ones printed by OMF Lit?
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Ikai and I will have a movie date on Saturday after her ballet lessons. We'll be watching Rise of the Guardians -- a CGI movie from DreamWorks that will see Santa Claus (voiced by Alec Baldwin), Jack Frost (Chris Pine), the Easter Bunny (Hugh Jackman), the Tooth Fairy (Isla Fisher), and the silent Sandman team up to save the world against the machinations of The Boogeyman (Jude Law).
Sounds exciting, huh? Hopefully, it doesn't disappoint.
The movie is based on classic fairy and folk tale characters depicted in children's books written by William Joyce. And of course, being a fantasy flick, it's enough personal reason for me to go watch it. And who knows, I'll might also buy the books later on -- 13 books in all is the target with five books already done.
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Egad, December's just around the corner.
