Having been in Spain just a year ago, I found myself interested in reading novels with the setting in Spain. I have read 'Winter in Madrid', written by C. J. Sansom, a German author. The book sold over 2 million copies in Europe, but few people over here ever heard of it.
Another of the books I have had for a while is titled 'The Spanish Bow', written by Andromeda Romano-Lax. The name of the author was enough to entice me to purchase this book, along with the setting of the story, which is Spain. The story involves a man's love of a bow for the cello that was sent to him as a young boy by his father. It was sent from Cuba prior to his father being killed during the Spanish-American war. The stories time period covers Spain before, during, and after the Spanish Civil War fought in the late thirties before the advent of World War II.
Anyway, when reading these two books I saw many references to Don Quixote, written by Miguel de Cervantes. While in Madrid, we saw that all the shops that tourists frequent sell statues, posters, what have you, of the 'Don'. This led me to develop an interest in perhaps reading the book, which I had never done. So, instead of going to the library and borrowing a copy of it, I went to Barnes and Noble and purchased a paperback copy. It's a good thing I did, as the book is over 800 pages long, and at the rate I'm reading, will take about three months. I find it interesting that the story is so well written, and is very funny in parts while at the same time it makes one feel sad because of Don Quixote's probable dementia. One loses the fact that the story first appeared in 1615.
Taking so long to read this book makes it seem like I don't really read that much, given the time I have. However, at the same time I am reading Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's 'August 1914 - The Red Wheel', which is also over 800 pages. This one, though, is being read at a faster pace, and should be completed in less than 2 months.
Along with the books I am reading, I am also reading writer's magazines, since I write as well as read.
I have several bookstores that I consider my favorites. By my ranking, they are:
Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, Vermont - I could spend days in there!,
Manteo Booksellers in Manteo, North Carolina; Manteo is on Roanoke Island, the sound side of the
Outer Banks,
Shakespeare and Company, on the Left Bank in Paris, France, and
The Red Wheelbarrow, on the Right Bank in Paris, France.
The last two, I could spend the rest of my life in. Were it not for young grandchildren, we would sell our house and be gone!
However, since we cannot be in Paris, we opt for spending several afternoons a week, usually Wednesday and Sunday, sitting in Starbucks, sipping on lattes or frappes, reading. This is where I do the bulk of my reading. My wife is a voracious reader, reading many more books than I do. She has the ability to read well into the night long after I have fallen asleep after reading perhaps 5 to 10 pages.
As long as I am breathing and able, I will never stop enjoying the feel of a book in my hands. I think it is sad to see so many people getting into their electronic books. There is something magical about opening the cover of a real book to the first page, and then turning page after page to discover what happens, seeing the number of pages read overcome and pass the halfway point of a book until, at last, one is at the end. It can bring about a feeling of satisfaction, even sadness if the book was so good you didn't want it to end.
On the other hand, at least the people with the electronic books are reading. But, I wonder, do they feel anything while they read, or do they just see words on a screen they really do not relate to?
