12/52: The Shadow of the Wind

12/52: The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, 3/5 Stars
An enjoyable read, but it really took a detour on me at the end... instead of a process of discovery, the entire search was revealed via one long letter; seems to me to be the easy way out of the whole story. And, when you add this amazing ability to determine whether a girl is pregnant one day after she's had sex... well, I wonder what's in the water there in early 1900's Barcelona. So like I said, enjoyable read, but didn't give me the amazing story that I was looking for based on the great remarks that so many friends had predicted. I think it's time to go back to reading some business books... perhaps I suffer from too many love stories in a row.

READ MORE!

Book #11 = Maggie by Charles Martin, 4/5 Stars
Book #10 = The Dead Don't Dance by Charles Martin, 3/5 Stars
Book #09 = Duma Key by Stephen King, 2.5.5 Stars
Book #08 = Every Woman Has a Story by Daryl Ott Underhill, 2/5 Stars
Book #07 = Wrapped in Rain by Charles Martin, 3/5 Stars
Book #06 = Maybe (Maybe Not) by Robert Fulghum, 4/5 Stars
Book #05 = The City of Falling Angels by John Berendt, 1/5 Stars
Book #04 = The Rules of Attraction by Bret Easton Ellis, 2/5 Stars
Book #03 = Education of a Wandering Man by Louis L'Amour, 3/5 Stars
Book #02 = The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson, 3/5 Stars
Book #01 = Less Than Zero by Bret Easton Ellis, 3/5 Stars

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See last year's list of 53 books...

Destiny: No House Calls

Image by Nahuel |Bossanostra| via Flickr

In my 12th book of the year, Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, I came across this quote that rang, for me, quite true. The character Fermin Romero de Torres says,

"Destiny is usually just around the corner. Like a thief, a hooker, or a lottery vendor: its three most common personifications. But what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it."

Destiny, or this inevitable course of events, though often spun with positive yarn, simply just is--whatever will be, will be--however, I also believe that if you never turn that corner, you create your own destiny... of nothing. For some, that's fine. For me, never. Walking around the corner is what I do, sometimes for a feast and sometimes there's not a bread crumb left to barter with... but at least I find out. I took the time--and the chance--to know.

And, to me, knowing isn't half the battle; it's the whole thing. The action that accompanies the knowing comprises the full gamut of what it means to live.