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Par Lance
Par Lance is where I come to talk with my friends, mainly to discuss books.
Par can mean at face value,and Lance is just me.
From the Oxford English Dictionary:
Parlance /'pa:l(Ə)ns/
noun [mass noun] a particular way of speaking or using words, especially a way common to those with a particular job or interest: dated terms that were once in common parlance | medical parlance.
origin late 16th cent. (denoting speech or debate): from Old French, from parler 'speak', from Latin parabola 'comparison' (in late Latin 'speech').
Currently reading
Secrets of Mental Math: The Mathemagician's Guide to Lightning Calculation and Amazing Math Tricks
Stephens' C# Programming with Visual Studio 2010 24-Hour Trainer
The Stonor Eagles
A book within a bookThere are so many layers, and levels, and intertwining stories within this book. The main story is begins in 1945 with a ten-year-old Barcelona boy, Daniel Sempere, being taken to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, by his bookseller father, to choose a book, which he must keep alive.
Daniel chooses The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax. The book and the mystery surrounding its author, who appears to have suffered his fate in a duel in Paris, soon infatuate him.
Against the background of post-war Europe, and the fascist [Franco:] state of Spain, Daniel grows up and discovers more and is horrified to find that somebody is seeking all of the writings of Carax, and burning them.
The tension builds throughout the book, and the ending is far from disappointing. There are powerful messages, which have frightening echoes in the modern world. Political censorship is one of the intriguing threads. It can be as subtle as it can be obvious. There are also threads of evil, eroticism, psychic control, politics, real and fake friendships, and so much more. Apart from all of that, it is original.
The book is so well written and translated. I wish that my Spanish was up to being able to read the original.
Recommended to everyone, and it is one of those rare books that I would put on a pile to read again!