Every couple weeks I go window shopping at my local bookstore. I browse the shelves and take pictures of the covers that catch my eye. I know I know… don’t judge a book by its cover. I have been burned many many times for this particular vice, but this time it has paid off!

I have stumbled upon a series by an amazingly gifted writer, Carlos Ruiz Zafon; The Cemetery of Lost Books. He is a Spanish writer and these books have been brilliantly translated. The cemetery is also referred to as the a place for forgotten books, but that is the only inconsistency I had found.

Zafon’s writing style makes you wonder if magic truly exists. His stories are woven in a way that you wonder if it is supernatural or perhaps an illusion to detract from the man behind the curtain. It is very clever and entertaining. This extends to his characters each of whom has a back-story and easily discernible characteristics.

As I have mentioned before I enjoy when stories share the same universe. This series takes place in Barcelona over a few generations, but you get updates on the amazing characters you grew attached to in the other stories. Each book has its own story and the character is linked to the world through the cemetery and their connection to a forgotten book. I am going to explain this Fight Club style. Read More…