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recommended to Davey by:
Lady in Bookstore
recommended for: Adult Readers
read in May, 2008
Davey said:
"4.5 stars
Ooooh Hooo!! This is a good book! Carlos Ruiz Zafon, for those that don't know, is an acclaimed Spanish writer. This book was huge in Europe and was translated a few years ago into English. Zafon is a very capable writer and has done an ...more
4.5 stars
Ooooh Hooo!! This is a good book! Carlos Ruiz Zafon, for those that don't know, is an acclaimed Spanish writer. This book was huge in Europe and was translated a few years ago into English. Zafon is a very capable writer and has done an extraordinary job here.
"The Shadow of the Wind" takes place post Spanish civil war, in the Gothic section of Barcelona. It is a book about a book (look up book burning in Barcelona). It has it all - unrequited love, murder, loneliness, adventure, magic, adolescent angst, happiness, paramours, humor - I don't want to give it all away, but this is quite the enjoyable read.
My favorite character in the book is a guy named Fermin. I like him because of his wit and charm. He is one of those down-on-your-luck kind of guys, but the kind that still has the most beautiful and positive outlook in spite of his cruddy circumstances. I also like him because he is own man. Although he has the appearance of being skinny, comely and weak, he is full of faith and hope, a romantic, fighting the injustices that are brought upon the people. I felt like I could identify with his character. Fermin brings a lot of good humor to the book. I almost want to reread this book to glean some of the classic lines that he used to adopt into my own repertoire.
In one episode for instance, Fermin, because he was helping his friend Daniel, had just gotten beaten to a pulp by the crooked police (while said friend watched and did nothing). In spite of this, he held no ill will toward his cowardly friend, whatsoever. Shortly thereafter, he was in a bedroom being taken care of by the doctor, nurse, and Bernarda, his drunk girlfriend. Fermin suffered from broken ribs, lost teeth, loss of blood, cuts, contusions, and bruises, yet he was still shameless. He said that he felt "twenty years younger." And to let his friends know that he was alright, he had the doctor go out of the room and relate to them that as he was getting stitched up by the nurse, he had an "iceberg of an erection." Fermin also pinched the nurse's bottom and recited rhymed couplets "in praise of her firm and shapely thighs." Keep in mind that while he was doing this the proclaimed love of his life Bernarda, was in the room! Fermin was and is, my type of guy.
Clocking it at over 500 pages, I read this book in less than a week. It is just one of those books that makes you stay up at night reading. I loved this book. But I am biased - as some of you may know, I love good foreign books translated into English. Trust me on this one, though.
***If you would like to borrow this book, just let me know and I'll be more than glad to send it to you, or any of the other books that I have...and if you have any good reads that you would recommend and lend, I would love to borrow. I promise to read at least half of the book to try to at least get the idea of why you like it so much.
too-dah-loo,
Davey Baby...less
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recommended for: Everyone
read in April, 2008
Davey said:
"3.5 Stars
I just read this book last week. It's pretty good. "Farewell My Subaru" by Doug Fine is about this guy (the author) who decides to shave the fat off of his "carbon footprint" by "living locally." It's a true s...more
3.5 Stars
I just read this book last week. It's pretty good. "Farewell My Subaru" by Doug Fine is about this guy (the author) who decides to shave the fat off of his "carbon footprint" by "living locally." It's a true story. But Doug Fine isn't an extremist. He endeavors to do so without giving up some of the modern luxuries he enjoys, i.e., the internet, his boomin' stereo system, Netflix, and ice cream.
It takes Fine about a year and a half to get things going smoothly in his experiment/adventure. I think this is quite good considering that he is a self-proclaimed New York suburbanite, having no outdoor-survival life skills. To attempt to embark on such a change makes the dynamics of this book a rather interesting and entertaining read.
Fine does a good job to show the pro's, con's, and challenges of living green. Also, throughout the book, where applicable, there are snippets of interesting scientific facts and statistics. For instance, it takes "three to four years of powering your home to offset the energy used to make your solar panels" (page 5), or that "New Yorkers, possibly because they tend to walk rather than drive, emit only one third the carbon per capita of the average American" (page 50).
Inspirationally speaking, this book was good insofar as it helped me to realize that I could be doing a bit more to to help clean up the world. No, I'm not all touchy-feely, or a tree hugger, or a vegan, or new aged at all, but I do believe in living conservatively (it's a Boy Scout thing).
Living locally is a win-win for everybody. Food tastes better when it is fresh, and we don't have to spend all of the money, energy, and petroleum for the transporting of it to our local WallyWorld (Wal-Mart) or whatever McStore you may have. Living locally and eating fresh, tasty, food congruently means that we will also be eating more more fruits and vegetables in the season thereof, and that is a good thing (see Doctrine and Covenants 89:10-11). Also, maybe some of these poor farmers will start making some money.
In conclusion, I thoroughly enjoyed "Farewell My Subaru." It was funny, interesting, and insightful. My only one complaint - not enough pictures. I would have loved to have seen the finished product of the "Bread-Box" water heater. I even went on the website at www.farewellmysubaru.com to see if a picture of it was there, but it wasn't. And I also would've loved to have seen a picture of Lupy. This is a good book that I would strongly recommend reading.
Peace, Davey Baby...less
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