"Every book...has a soul." - Carlos Ruiz Zafón

"Every book, every volume you see here has a soul. The soul of the person who wrote it and those who read it and lived and dreamed with it. Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs his eyes down it pages, its spirit grows and strengthens." Carlos Ruiz Zafón (The Shadow of the Wind)

Spanish novelist Carolos Ruiz Zafón is one of my favorite writers. If you enjoy books about bookstores, literature, and writing, and you don't already know this man's books, you need to get hold of one quickly. I think you'll like it...a whole lot.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón

I suggest that you start with The Shadow of the Wind. This 2001 novel was the first adult novel written by Zafón, and it tells the story of a man determined to identify and find the person personally responsible for destroying every book ever written by author Julian Carax. This was also the first book in a four-book series called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books that was just concluded in late 2018 with the international publication of The Labyrinth of Spirits.

The novels are highly atmospheric, have intricate plots, and are filled with memorable characters. They are not the kind of novel that will be quickly forgotten:

• The Shadow of the Wind (2001)
• The Angel's Game (2008)
• The Prisoner of Heaven )2011)
• The Labyrinth of Spirits (2018)

As you can see from the dates, this was one of those series with way too many years between books, so I plan to "binge read" the four books as soon as I can work them into my TBR schedule.