library illustration, limited edition by yoote
so glad everyone had such a positive reaction to my posts inspired by the time traveler’s wife yesterday (here and then here)! that book has clearly touched many, many lives. and emptied a lot of kleenex boxes.
for me – and also for celine of pure green design – you can’t speak of the time traveler’s wife without speaking of the shadow of the wind. they were both popular around the same time and they both took the bookselling world by storm. the shadow of the wind begins in the cemetery of forgotten books in barcelona, a fictional library that i think any book lover can visualize easily.
gothic quarter, photograph by tiffany zettlemoyer
just as in the time traveler’s wife, the imagery in this book is simply magical. but the magic has a very different flavor… the shadow of the wind captures the darkest corners of barcelona. there is very little joy, only a deep sense of yearning from each of the characters involved. the items in this post invoke a bit of that for me – so i hope you can get a feel for the story through them!
flor de lotus earrings by masaoms
my favorite genre of literature is young adult fantasy – think chronicles of narnia and a wrinkle in time, not twilight 
– although both of the above books are decidedly adult. books in that genre seem to paint the most vivid imagery for me, that feeling that you know what each character looks like, what each setting looks, smells, and feels like. i also love the books of madeleine l’engle, margaret atwood, alice hoffman…
i think that’s one of the great things about buying handmade. you don’t have to rely on the current trend to express through your style & possessions what is affecting you right now. the imagery that is floating around in your mind, influencing your creativity, bringing you joy – you can wear it right on your sleeve (or in your hair, around your neck, on your sofa…).
handbound leather journal by kreativlink
i’ve met many book lovers in my virtual life – so i know you’re reading! i’m just wondering what books create this magical imagery for you?
Tara Gentile is a business coach and blogger serving passion-driven entrepreneurs with fresh ideas about 
first.. LOVE that yoote library print!
second… i loved tTTW so much. really really loved the book. i haven’t seen the movie yet, but am waiting for the perfect evening (soon!).
third… my brain is a little out-of-shape when it comes to reading as much as i’d like. right now it’s mostly ‘curious george’ and ‘ramona the pest’. but, kingsolver’s new one, ‘the lacuna’ is really good so far.
i’m going to be stalking this list to get some new reading ideas!
thanks scoutie!
hi liz! yes… curious george… and olivia… and dr seuss… i can definitely relate to that! at least their cheaper than our books, right?
thanks so much for stopping by!
Did you ever read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke? It blew me away. I second the YA fantasy genre – I really don’t read grown-up fantasy or sci fi much but the YA writers are amazing
Diana Wynne Jones is permanently at the top of my list of YA fantasy writers.
well… i started it. it was a bit slow for me. but i heard you had to get through the first bit to get on to the good stuff. i’m terrible at that – i don’t have time for books that don’t grab me from the get go! lol.
diana wyunne jones is a new one for me: i’ll have to look her up!! thanks!
Yeah, it’s a slow start. My criteria is that if I’ve gotten 100 pages in and I still don’t care I put a book down, so it must have picked up before then! Clarke is so good at imitating Regency novelists that it’s spooky – you’d think she was channeling Jane Austen if Jane Austen was interested in magic.
Oh, and I second Jessica who recommends His Dark Materials trilogy.
My most recently loved book is The Anthropology of Turquoise, by the late Ellen Meloy. It is achingly, achingly beautiful. My favorite place in the world is the West, so I find myself nodding along with dripping prose, but if I’d never been, I’m certain this book would propel me there.
http://www.amazon.com/Anthropology-Turquoise-Reflections-Desert-Stone/dp/0375708138
thanks, brooke!
Loving these posts so much! I’ve long wanted to do similar posts on my blog, but felt weird about it since I read so much YA fantasy. But it seems I’m not alone, so. . . .
A few of the books that have really stuck with me and create magical imagery are (aside from the amazing two you’ve already mentioned) Life of Pi, The Historian, Middlesex, Inkheart, Neverwhere, and the Fablehaven series.
love love love the historian!! haven’t decided if i’m interested in her new one yet. the new ones from zafon & niffenegger are on my nightstand
thanks, jessica!
inkheart, inkspell, inkdeath… love them all <3
Oh! And I can’t forget The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, the His Dark Materials Trilogy, or the Dark is Rising series.
i LOVED edgar sawtelle! one of the best books i’ve read in years.
Oh, Time Traveler’s Wife and Shadow of the Wind are at the top of the list. Also LOVED The Thirteenth Tale and, more recently, Emily’s Ghost and The History of Love. Oh, and The Guernsey… Society, that was grand. So many more on my list…
Anxious to see what you think of the new Niffenegger — Her Fearful Symmetry. You’ll have to post your thoughts!
rebecca, that implies that i will actually have some time to read the new niffenegger! stop back in about six months… i’ll try to have the post up then. lol.
no, please stop back soon!!! i’ll have to check out your other suggestions! i’m completely off my game now that i don’t work at a bookstore.
oh, the thirteenth tale is wonderfully spooky and gothic! and i really enjoyed niffenegger’s new one. i really love these posts! my go-to YA fantasy genre is dystopia, and my fave fave FAVE books are suzanne collins’ hunger games series. and adults – don’t feel bad about reading YA books! i’m part of a book blog for adult readers of YA called foreveryoungadult.com — you’re not alone.
possession by a.s. byatt is one of my absolute favorite books, too. secrets, two time periods, forbidden passion, poetry … what’s not to love?
rebecca is the all-time classic of atmospheric books (except maybe jane eyre!), and the house at riverton by kate morton is also wonderfully atmospheric.
hi meghan! i will definitely be checking out that book blog! thanks so much for sharing the link. i’m also a huge fan of dystopia. and i have one in mind that i’d love to share with you… but the title & author is escaping me. i’ll do some digging and get back to you!
yay! do let me know when you think of the title and author. always looking for new reading material!
I absolutely adore ‘The Shadow of the wind’ – its in my top three all time favourite books! My other two are ‘Stranger on a train’ by Jenny Diski and ‘Star of the Sea’ by Joseph O’Connor. I could read them over and over and over again