October 1, 2016 BLOWIN' IN THE WIND

Sometimes I love running in the wind--and other times--not so much. This time of year it can be really breezy, but the wind is refreshing and helps to keep me cool. Even a fierce north wind is doable. One of my comrades actually has a wind phobia though--DON'T JUDGE--listen we all have our issues.  She is convinced the wind will somehow be involved in her demise--tree branch on the head, electrical wire and some type of electrification, random traffic light might swing off the wire and squash her slight frame--whatever. I, of course, make fun of her crazy ideas-- but you never know--I'll probably be hit  by a runaway garbage can some day and that will be the end of me. Anyways, back to the wind, sometimes the wind is a friend and other times a foe. The north wind in the winter is a serious enemy --frostbite, chapped lips, wind burn--it is NOT a friend to VANITY but that's a story for another day. Hmmmm, books and wind--of yeah. I read this great book whose title contained the word wind and I am pretty sure it was windy  in the book--- so that counts right??? Just kidding-- The book was called A Shadow in the Wind and it was part of a trilogy that I finished over the summer.

A Blustery Day

When I first started reading this book, I didn't know it was part of a trilogy--I am usually not the trilogy type. I only  learned it was the first book of The Cemetery of Forgotten Books Trilogy, after I finished reading it. Written by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, The Shadow in the Wind  is set in Barcelona after the Spanish Civil War-about 1950.  The main character, Daniel, is the son of a book dealer. One day while in the shop, Daniel comes across a strange book--The Shadow in the Wind by Julian Carax and he becomes obsessed with the book and its author. Part of his obsession is finding and reading all of Carax's books--which he learns have been destroyed. Daniel's innocent quest turns deadly as he becomes entangled in a web of murder, dark secrets, lost love and madness. This is an intriguing, frightening, tragic story that is beautifully written and truly captures the time period and streets of Barcelona during a dark time. Published in 2001, it has been translated into at least 40 languages and has won several International awards. I could not put it down and waited on pins and needles to read the other books--SO unlike me. -- It's a bit of a commitment though--at about 490 pages--perhaps an 8 mile run--but you will be so engrossed in this gothic horror novel that you won't even notice.