Category Archives: books

Books: The Shadow of the Wind

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© 2012 Desert heels L1090861

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.

This book has been on my reading list for a year now. Although I did try to read it this last summer, well, I was just too distracted. But (thankfully?) due to a recent ankle sprain, I was stuck to my couch for the last few days and happily finished the book. Finally.

Oh, Dios mío! ¡Me encanta! In english: I was thoroughly entertained.

There was drama, illicit love affairs, secret labyrinths, stable boy falling in love with the boss’s daughter (well, not quite like that, but pretty close), apparitions of Victor Hugo’s fountain pen, Franco’s war and the romantic city of Barcelona.

Yup. A scandalous soap opera that is so tastefully done. Right up my alley.

© 2012 Desert heels L1090862

“…a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside…”

So thoughtful, so true and so wise.

What I am currently carrying inside of me as I was reading : 1) Javier Bardem  (as I was casting the movie version of this novel in my head), 2 ) and of course my love affair with books (big, thick, inconvenient and still printed in paper).

This would be the perfect Christmas gift for that person in your life who loves books and has an aversion to the prospect of electronic downloads.

Happy Reading! xx

I read “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” and I was 15 again, listening to Billy Corgan.

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I was in the middle of reading another book but got bored and decided to change course. I have heard great things about “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (from  a friend who absolutely hate books like Fifty Shades of Grey= a friend, whose taste I trust), so I thought I’d better read it now before everyone I know sees the movie and ruin it for me.

First off, I thought nothing will ever come close to Catcher in the Rye in my heart, but I was wrong. After a few pages, I was in a time warp and I was back in 1996, and I was 15 again. That was  the year when I wore my contact lenses for the first time. I smoked for the first time. I got drunk for the first time. And it was Gilbey’s gin ( don’t judge).

And more importantly, I fell in love with The Smashing Pumpkins.

That decade was the golden age for alternative rock music and I am glad that I lived and loved through it. The generation that came after us was deprived of something that was immensely remarkable.

It was  a simpler time and I realized it was one of the best years of my life.

I was fighting the tears when I got to this page. When Charlie, Sam and Patrick went for a drive, and they heard  a good song on the radio…” Patrick held his hand outside the car and made air waves…After the song finished, I (Charlie) said something, “I feel infinite”…Five minutes of a lifetime were truly spent, and we felt young  in a good way.”

I know exactly what that felt like.

For the first time in a long time, I believe that I have truly given myself something very special. I treasured every single page because it felt like it was my story too.

The nostalgia of my younger years made me ache and happy at the same time, because I’ve always known the song that made me feel “infinite”. At 15 and until now.

It was/is 1979.

Incidentally, it is still the only song that I can play on the bass guitar.

It is the only song that I can play. Period.

If you don’t feel young and more alive after reading this book, you don’t have a soul.

Take me back. The Smashing Pumpkins – 1979 – YouTube.

31 things I learned at 31.

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  1. Make wise investments. In relationships and real-estate.
  2. On Friendships, put value on quality over quantity.
  3. Delay your reaction when emotion’s high.
  4. Don’t make hasty decisions. Extend the deadline and sleep on it. Your mind is always clearer the next day.
  5. Travel the world like a traveler and not like a tourist.
  6. Make friends with people that come from places you don’t know about.
  7. When you feel like sleeping. Sleep. Your body needs it.
  8. Vitamin C cures everything. Take it everyday.
  9. Ask as many questions as you can and recognize that you don’t know everything.
  10. It’s always the simplest answer. Always.
  11. Never save your expensive China and crystals for special guests. They’ll never come. Use them everyday. You are that special guest.
  12. Buy the best mattress you can afford. You spend a third of your life in it.
  13. Buy the best couch you can afford. You spend the remainder of your life in it.
  14. Enjoy food, drink and live well, you only get this one shot at life. 
  15. Read as many books as you can.
  16. Be careful with words, you can never take them back.
  17. Spend time alone and learn to love your own company.
  18. See people in increments. You’ll always like the people you don’t see often.
  19. The odds are always in your favor when you talk less and listen more.
  20. When you are in pain, stop thinking about the pain.
  21. Spend money on things that will improve the quality of your life.
  22. When people don’t feel right. Walk away.
  23. Invest your money on good skincare. Your face is what you face the world with.
  24. Buy Italian leather. There’s nothing better.
  25. When traveling, always ask the locals what their favorite restaurant is and eat there.
  26. Live below and within your means. If you can’t pay it in cash today, then you can’t afford it. Simple Math.
  27. What people think, say or do is a reflection of their own reality (from the Four Agreements). It’s not your business and it’s not your problem.
  28. Never compromise your standards and principles, at the end of the day that’s all you have.
  29. Marry the one you like. Love sometimes goes out the window. Like stays.
  30. If you are sure of who you are, then you can shop alone.
  31. Always watch over the people you love and make sure that they know that.