I started reading this book because it was recommended to me by a friend that I met while travelling. He pulled it off his bookshelf and told me that it was one of his favourite books in the world. When someone goes to the trouble to tell me about a book that matters to them and recommend that I read it, I do. I find that reading things that people that I know have loved helps me to get to know them better, and the fact that they want to share that with me is pretty darn cool.

Though I don't usually read a lot of fiction, I have not been disappointed by Carlos Ruiz Zafon's The Shadow of The Wind. The book completely transfixed me from the beginning.

Reading it is like looking at a sprawling gothic painting — the author's rich language carries you through the streets of 1945 Barcelona as if you were there and helps you peer into the faces that the main character interacts with. 

Complex, dark, and fascinating, Zafon tells the story of Daniel, an antiquarian book dealer's son, who has no idea how his life will change when he discovers a mysterious book by Julian Carax in a hidden library in the depths of the city. When he tries to find more titles by the author, he stumbles upon a real-life tale of lost love, murder, and dark secrets that may put his own life, and his friends, at risk.

This is exactly the kind of book that you would want to have with you for a long train ride or lazy days at the beach — the perfect read to take with you on your next adventure!