This is a big one: 805 pages. I'm going to try to restrain myself a bit on this, as (1) I don't want the series to end and (2) I want to have a clearer view of the novel. When I gulp books down --as I have been doing with the previous three novels in this tetralogy, though more by compulsion than by will--I get a little blurry on details.
Day 1 (DDRD 2,375) May 2, 2024
Read to page 54. Actually having a little trouble getting into this, but hopefully that's just a temporary thing.
Oh, also, this:
PI sure hope Carlos got a cut of that Limited Edition pie.
Day 2 (DDRD 2,376) May 3, 2024
Read to page 94. Still kind of slow going...and I've still not been sucked into this the way I was with the previous three books.
Day 3 (DDRD 2,377) May 4, 2024
Read to page 125. Am I really tired, or is this book putting me to 😴💤?
Day 4 (DDRD 2,378) May 5, 2024
Read to page 166.
Day 5 (DDRD 2,379) May 6, 2024
Read to page 196.
Day 6 (DDRD 2,380) May 7, 2024
Read to page 226. Seems like MAYbe I felt a little more drawn into the book today.
"In time, even bad memories dress up for the occasion." (198)
Yeah. Memory is kind of the dialysis of lived life.
Day 7 (DDRD 2,381) May 8, 2024
Read to page 260. Well, Alicia is an interesting character, at least. But thus far this book has very little to do with HR secret library or with the Sempere bookstore, which is more than a little bit disappointing.
Day 8 (DDRD 2,382) May 9, 2024
Read to page 290. Still just meandering through this one. In fact, this morning I thought, "What if I just quit and start something new?" I'm probably too OCD to do that, but it is a tempting thought as my wheels continue to churn the mud.
Day 9 (DDRD 2,383) May 10, 2024
Read to page 325. It hit me today that this book's the fourth and final novel in the Cemetery of Forgotten Books series--doesn't have much to do with books. And since that's what drew me to this thing, it's no wonder that I've been disappointed in this volume. In fact, at this point--close to the halfway point--I'd have to suggest just reading the first three novels and forgetting about thus one. Hopefully I'll change my mind somewhere in the next 475 pages.
Day 10 (DDRD 2,384) May 11, 2024
Read to page 358.
One of the characters says that when he retires, he wants to spend his time reading the plays of Lope de Vega. Which made me wonder how many plays this Lope de Vega (of whom I'd never heard) had written. Enter Wikipedia:
"The literary production of Lope de Vega includes 3,000 sonnets, three novels, four novellas, nine epic poems, and approximately 500 stageplays."
(https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lope_de_Vega)
Great Googelly Moogelly! This guy makes Isaac Asimov look like a piker!
So let us pause to do him honor.
 |
| Public Domain |
Found a picture of the cover of the first Spanish edition of this book (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Labyrinth_of_Spirits#/media/File%3AThe_Labyrinth_of_Spirits_bookcover.jpg). Funny how it centers on The Bookstore, which the novel itself does not (at least thus far...around the halfway point). Also found this https://64.media.tumblr.com/9eefbc5626a5255a8fc7d9065314be15/tumblr_ojbro0oDyx1sf09u1o1_1280.jpg
interesting image.
Day 11 (DDRD 2,385) May 12, 2024
Read to page 402. Pushed myself to read a little more today so I could make it past the halfway point. Woot! Woot!
"Truth is never perfect, never squares with all expectations. Truth always poses doubts and questions. Only lies are one hundred percent believeable, because they don't need to justify reality, they simply have to tell us what we want to hear." (399)
Day 12 (DDRD 2,386) May 13, 2024
Read to page 430.
Day 13 (DDRD 2,387) May 14, 2024
Read to page 470.
Day 14 (DDRD 2,388) May 15, 2024
Read to page 500.
On page 500:
Looks like the translator fell asleep at the switch. (Reflexión is Spanish for reflection.)
Day 15 (DDRD 2,389) May 16, 2024
Read to page 550.
"When it comes to lying, what one must consider is not the plausibility of the fib, but the greed, fear, and stupidity of receiver. One never lies to people; they lie to themselves. A good liar gives fools what they want to hear and allows them to free themselves from the facts at hand and and choose the level of self-delusion that fits their foolishness and moral turpititude. That's the secret. Oldest trick in the world." (541)
Day 16 (DDRD 2,390) May 17, 2024
Read to page 611.
"...one is what one remembers." (559)
"...you never really know who you are until you learn to hate." (596)
Both of these statements of identity seem to be true. Which made me ask myself, What do I hate? And at the moment, I can't think of anything or anyone. We'll, Trump, I guess. And some other sleazy politicians. But is that really a defining hate? I don't hate any of my ex-s. In fact, I'd be friends with them if they weren't so fucking mean.
Anyway....
Day 17 (DDRD 2,391) May 18, 2024
Read to page 650. So...I've been reading a little bit more than 30 pages for the past 3 days. Maybe that's a good sign. 5 days or less to go.
Day 18 (DDRD 2,392) May 19, 2024
Read to page 726. Early to church day.
"...the level of barbarism in a society is measured by the distance it tries to create between women and books." (663)
Day 19 (DDRD 2,393) May 20, 2024
Read to page 762.
"...confronting the words Was his way of discovering who he really was...." (753)
"I made some good friends, most of them books." (763)
ADDENDUM: Read to page 805, aka The End.
Funny. I really just pushed through until page 430 (first 12 days, so an average of 45.83 pages per day)...but then I really picked up steam, reading the last 375 pages in 7 days (53.57 pages per day). Guess it just took awhile to get pulled in.
So now there's The City of Mists, which is very short, and then 3 Young Adults novels finishes off the entire Carlos Ruiz Zafón oeuvre. I think I'm going to do that.
No comments:
Post a Comment