Can't wait...

Every book has a soul,
The soul of the person who wrote it
and those who have read it, and lived and dreamed with it.
Every time a book changes hands, every time someone runs their eyes down its pages, its spirit grows and strengthens.

- Carlos Ruiz Zafrón

The trouble with waiting for a foreign written novel to come out is that you have to wait for someone to translate it. It was nearly close to torture for me just to know that people in Europe were able to read this book a year and some prior to it even coming out in North America! With this in mind, I even contemplated learning more Spanish so that I could read his texts in their original language...Crazy, I know.

Although I'm dying to dive into this book, I have a few reservations. His previous book, Shadow of the Wind was so remarkable that I find myself a bit cautious in approaching this book in the same way, and with the same expectations. It was the type of book that I found myself buying multiple copies of in the last five years just because I kept on giving my copy to friends (if you haven't read it, read it now!!) Needless to say, the expectations were high for this book. It's almost like watching the first part of a trilogy, loving it, and then being scared to watch the second because you doubt that it could be exceed the impression the first one has left on you. Zafrón's writing gives words to my dreams; that being said, I'm so immensely worried that he will be changed with this new book.

Also, since I am still reading Shantaram, I've decidedly promised to not pick up the Zafrón until I'm done it. I wouldn't want to become enamored with Angel's and forget about all that Shantaram has brought to the table. Even though Shantaram is wonderful, it is taking me a while to get through due to all the things I find myself doing after work. It's hard to get through anything when you only get the chance to read for about half an hour a day.

Has anyone awaited the release of a book recently? Are you ready to plunge in or are you just as reserved as I am?

p.s I will begin making my book reviews available on this blog. Hopefully they'll inspire you to put one of my reads on your list. I always welcome conversation on literature; very little makes me happier =)

Why I love it: Books

Cyril Connolly sums it up.

"While thought exists, words are alive & literature becomes an escape, not from but into living"

Literature has always been one of my most passionate loves. Nothing makes me feel better than a beautiful word printed on an old dusty page laden with dried tears and moist with anxious sweat of my reading.

What do you love?

(I can't remember where I got the image from, sorry!)

Sunday Musings

52/11 - Weight Of The World
Originally uploaded by *lemonade*

Happy Sunday everyone!

I woke up relatively early and made a lovely breakfast. I'll be making some tea in just a while and hopefully my mum and our family friend might come visit for late lunch. I'm looking forward to seeing her - I haven't in a while. With the chaos and stress of my life as of late, I'm not surprised that I'm craving some motherly attention. Plus, she always has the best goodies in her purse and the sweetest smelling hand creams...(how she fits all those things in there is beyond me!)

Still reading Shantaram and happily doing so. I hope that it never ends. This book just lets my mind run free and rampant but gathers me up just in time to gain the focus necessary to relate to its experiences and messages.

We all feel that we ought to learn something from life and the feelings we associate with it each day. Really though, how often do we manage to do that? The more negative the feelings, the harder it seems to be to find truth and meaning despite the sheer "miserableness" of it all.

I loved this passage.

I clenched my teeth against the stars. I closed my eyes. I surrendered to sleep. One of the reasons why we crave love, and seek it so desperately, is that love is the only cure for loneliness, and shame and sorrow. But some feelings sink so deep into the heart that only loneliness can help you feel them again. Some truths about yourself are so painful that only shame can help you live with them. And some things are just so sad that only your soul can do the crying for you.

How hauntingly true.

I figure that you can only keep running for so long before you just have to face it, whatever it is and work through it. Don't get discouraged during these times dear reader; it is then that you can learn the most about the extent of your personal strength.

Enjoy your Sunday regardless of what you're facing. There's always something to be thankful for.

(Photo by Lemonade)

A Story's Worth

Taken from Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, this adeptly describes how necessary it is that we know, acknowledge and embody each others stories no matter how far from our realities they might seem. In truth, I feel this is why I sojourn to this blog during my day. It's the reason why I write to you...

There's a truth that's deeper than experience. It's beyond what we see, or even what we feel. It's an order of truth that separates the profound from the merely clever, and the reality from the perception. We're helpless, usually in the face of it; and the cost of knowing it, like the cost of knowing love, is sometimes greater than any heart would willingly pay. It doesn't always help us to love the world, but it does prevent us from hating the world. And the only way to know the truth is to share it, from heart to heart...

It's around 1:15 a.m but I'll be up for a while yet. Il y aura une nuit blanche bien necessaire. Just wanted to take a break and share this with you.