The Book of Lost Things

On goodreads.com, I'm a member of a sort of online book club. Members of this group decided that in August, everyone who wanted to should read "The Book of Lost Things." It was getting rave reviews, but I didn't really know what to expect. However, when I found myself without a book to read on Monday, I went to the library and picked this one up.

I'm so glad I did! I loved this book! The main character of the book is 12-year old David, whose mother dies. She had taught him to love books, so after her death, he basically loses himself in the books. First, he can hear the books talking (usually amongst themselves). Eventually, he finds himself in a world that is basically a reality created by the books. The author blends together lots of familiar stories and fairy tales as he creates a strange, twisted world. The description in the book is beautiful. As a word of warning, the world of this story has elements of the gothic, and at times it is absolutely grotesque. The first night I read it, I found myself wishing I hadn't read it alone, at night, right before bed. :)

The story was wonderful, and the writing itself was beautiful. The author, John Connolly, describes things in such a way that the reader can easily picture everything in this fantasy world. I told Shawn as I was reading it that reminded me quite a bit of the movie, "Pan's Labyrinth." (If you haven't seen that movie, there's another recommendation for you! It's actually a Mexican film, so it's all in Spanish with English subtitles, but definitely worth the effort to watch it!