The Secret of Lost Things

A story of growth. This is a novel of losing one's youth and struggling to become an adult. At 18 Rosemary Savage has lost her mother, never known her father and left the only home she knows: Tasmania. She defects to New York City to start a life she never dreamed she would be able to have, yet secretly yearned for. When at New York she secures a job in an infamous book store-The Arcade. She creates a surrogate family out of the staff and falls in love one its members. A choice that only a very young and naive person could make. That he would break her heart is certain, and despite the advice of the rest of her "family," she continues to pursue him. However, that is only part of the story. While she is cultivating this "love" rumours grow of finding a lost manuscript of Herman Melville's. Through detective work she figures out that the possibility of a novel is based in fact, though the odds of the rumour being true rather slim. In the end, it was only a romantics hope that the missing novel, the secret of a lost thing, could in fact be true.

It is a beutifully written story filled with exceptional quotes (some favorites to follow) and stunning language. While I didn't find myself entrhalled with the actual story, I couln't stop reading solely because it was so well written. Above all it is about the love of books and how certain authors and books speak to us during critical times of our lives.

Rosemary for remembrance.

Favorite Quotes:

 "I dreamed she lived often enough to wake with the kind of longing that makes memory eloqent. While I slept she had lived, and the pain upon waking was a much a fleeting uncertainty of her state as anguish over the clear fact of my own life continuing without her. We are never so aware of those we have lost, and dreamt of, than in that waking moment."

"No remedy but to read."

"Reality is as thin as paper, girl," said Pearl, shaking her head. I thought that was one thing you did know, what with an imagination like yours-as thin as paper, and as easily torn."

"I knew books to be objects that loved to cluster and form disordered piles, but here books seemed robbed of their zany capacity to fall about, to conspire. In the library, books behaved themselves."

"The Secret of Lost Things" by Sheridan Hay

The Magicians

"The Magicians" basically covers the main character's, Quentin Coldwater, transition from adolescense to adulthood. He is a genius in the academic sense, yet he is miserable in the way that high school nerds are. He feels that there has been a mistake and this can't possibly be his life. After a near interview for Princeton he finds himself instead at an entrance exam for the magical school of Brakebills. Finally, he thinks, his life can start and he will finally be happy. Through his school years he finds friendship, love and learns how to be a magician. However, he soon realizes that he has no plans for his after school years. Having no real purpose or direction he falls into a depression spurred on by drugs, alcohol and sex. When it couldn't possibly get any worse and old acquaintance shows up with a magical way into Fillory-a world Quentin has dreamed about his whole life. It's a world based on fictional children's book resembling the Narnia series. After some all to real life adventure in Fillory he decides to become a recluse and focus his energies on apathy rather than examining the feelings left after the Fillory adventure.

While I enjoyed the many references to classic nerd lore such as The Lord of the Rings, Narnia and Harry Potter, the overall impression of this book was depressing. It had a very Ecclesiastical feel to it: all was vanity and striving after the wind. Sadly for Quentin, he never got to the realization that there is hope and a higher purpose out there; rather he chose to wallow in the fact that he worldly things can never satisfy the soul. Lev Grossman did a fantastic job with the writing and cultivation of characters, it is just tragic that they had such sad lives without any real purpose. They had everything: money, power and friendship, and it still was not enough to satisfy their hearts; they were left searching for something more. Tragically, it is a search with no end as things of the world can never statisfy.

Grossman has written a sequel to The Magicians, though based on the first book I am not sure that I would want to read it. 

Books, Books and More Books!

Hello all!

I have recently discovered the wonderful world of book blogging and decided I wanted to get involved, it just seems like so much fun. My intention is to read new and exciting books, as well as some old favorites in an effort to hopefully help people find new books, as well as hopefully finding some new ones to read!

Right now I'm reading "The Magicians," by Lev Grossman, which is proving enjoyable!