Summer Reads Part 1

I've been talking to customers lately about what the guidelines are for picking "summer books." It seems to me that things always need to be light-hearted and short. Or, they need to be easy to put down and pick back up at a moments notice. While I see where people are coming from, I'm not really a "light and fluffy" kind of reader, summer or otherwise. I would like to recommend books for those looking to really get involved with some good fiction for the summer months.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón is definitely not a traditional summer read. It's a little dark, a little spooky, and wholly engrossing. It follows a young man named Daniel, who's father is an antiquarian dealer in post-Civil War Spain. One night Daniel and his father go to a place called the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, where everyone is initiated by taking one book from the shelves and then must protect it with their life. The book that Daniel picks is "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julián Carax. After being sucked into the book, Daniel goes on a quest to find out why Carax's novels are being systematically destroyed. In the meantime, the book turns into a coming-of-age story that chronicles the acceptance of a doomed love.

This really is the perfect story for the late night, drink sipping, laze-about evening where you want to be in Barcelona instead of Boise!


-Whitney