Easter is approaching and, with it, the well-deserved holidays. It is clear that this year everything will be a little different due to the context that we all know and that our day to day is marked … but we continue to be very in favor of enjoying that break from work, from having time for us without truce, from having neither Skype meetings nor having to update the email tray every so often because teleworking sets the pace for us.
This Easter, like any other, we want to rest and pamper ourselves. And that is why we believe that not being able to take your passport and suitcase should not be an impediment to enjoying these holidays as we deserve.
If you join us in this post, we will take you to 7 literary corners that will make you travel as far as you want without having to cross the threshold of the door. Read? 🏡📖 #KeepReadingEnCasa
All roads lead to Julia Domna's Rome:
Only a woman can forge a dynasty. And only a woman like Julia Domna can teach us imperial Rome in all its complexity.
A.D. 192 Several men fight for an empire, but Julia, daughter of kings, mother of Caesars and wife of emperor, thinks of something more ambitious: a dynasty. Discover the intrigues of power, the passions that beat in the Eternal City and the secrets of the Roman Forum at the hands of the Planeta Prize 2018, I Julia.
If your feet still want to travel more cobblestone roads and unravel greater intrigues, we invite you to read the second part of this trilogy (And Julia challenged the gods) from Santiago Posteguillo, that has already conquered more than 4 million readers and that reveals a different Rome from the one that the tourist's eyes usually see.
The rhythm of New Orleans:
The second stop on our literary route will make us move our feet and dance even if we don't want to (something that is appreciated in these days of confinement. 😜).
And it will also make you fall in love with a unique woman: Amaia Salazar, the magnetic police who stars in one of the most addictive literary sagas of recent times.
In The north face of the heart We discovered a young Amaia Salazar, 25, a deputy inspector of the Foral Police, who will participate in an exchange course for Europol police at the FBI Academy in New Orleans. One of the tests at the Academy will take her to study a real case and travel to New Orleans to follow in the footsteps of "the composer." The joy of New Orleans, with its music and Creole food stalls, with the street blues and the desire to dance that awakens in tourists … contrast with the darker side that Amaia is investigating.
With this delivery Dolores Redondo takes us beyond the history of the Baztan Trilogy, a saga in the form of a thriller that cannot be understood without the forests and green of Navarra, without the humidity of its nights and the darkness of some of the minds that inhabit it. Do you want to discover the secret side of the population? Accompany Amaia in her investigations.
The Old Cathedral, in Vitoria–Gasteiz:
We continue our journey in Vitoria-Gasteiz, a green city full of natural spaces that throughout history has been an important strategic point between the Peninsula and the rest of Europe. The capital of Álava has a valuable monumental heritage, among which is the Cathedral of Santa María, popularly known as the Old Cathedral. This cathedral, in addition to being one of the heritage jewels of the city, is one of the most impressive settings in The silence of the white city, the intense thriller of Eva García Sáenz from Urturi.
In the White City Trilogy, which begins with this book, a series of strange ritual crimes occur, beginning with the chilling murder of a couple by bee stings in the throat. Their bodies are placed at the gates of the Old Cathedral. Do you want to travel to a dark destination that will catch you? Vitoria-Gasteiz opens its doors for you, reader. 😉
The peace of the fields of Castilla:
And from the density of the forests of Navarre and the hustle and bustle of a city like New Orleans … we pass to the calm, the calm that the fields of Castile suggest to us and that it portrayed so well Miguel Delibes in his work.
This 2020 we celebrate the centenary of the birth of one of the greatest figures in Spanish literature, author of titles such as The cypress shadow is long or The innocent saints.
Born in Valladolid, Delibes' work always kept in mind the roots from which it came. In his books he talks about hunting, nature, peasant culture or the simple lifestyle that made Delibes himself happy just by preparing a paella in the field for his friends. –Photos of the time attest to the moment. So if you want to travel this Easter, travel to the Castilla that inspired Delibes, travel to a literature that takes place at a deliciously slower pace than we are used to these days.
The Plaza de Sant Felip Neri, in Barcelona:
We continue with Barcelona, where we recommend that you let yourself be carried away by the pages of the tetralogy The Cemetery of Forgotten Books by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
Its first part, The wind's shadow, is a delightful novel that travels through post-war Barcelona in a magical way, full of corners so beautifully described that your mind will want to stay there for a good season.
Calle Arco del Teatro, the Ateneo Barcelonés, the restaurant Els Quatre Gats, the Plaza Real, the church of Santa María del Mar, the pier of the Golondrinas … They are all essential corners of the city, but if we are to keep only one This is, without a doubt, the Plaza de Sant Felip Neri. This unique square is presided over by a homonymous church in the Baroque style, and is surrounded by Renaissance houses. It has a tragic past that makes it even more striking: on the walls of this small architectural gem you can still see remnants of gunfights and pockets of shrapnel from a bomb launched during the Civil War.
Today it is a quiet and beautiful corner, perfect to sit down and read our favorite book when the days of confinement are over. And meanwhile it will make us travel with a wonderful story that has already become the bedside book for many readers.
The Commercial Café, in Madrid:
If we talk about literary corners of Madrid it becomes impossible not to think about the Barrio de las Letras. The literary heart of the city owes its popular name to the great writers who wrote and made life on its streets during the Spanish Golden Age, such as Lope de Vega, Cervantes or Quevedo.
It is one of the most charming and quiet spaces in the city, thanks to its pedestrian streets adorned with literary quotes on its pavement. Madrid has been and continues to be represented by great writers, among whom we highlight the Nobel Prize for Literature Camilo José Cela.
In his famous novel Beehive (highly recommended for these days, if you have not yet had the pleasure of reading it) numerous locations of the most traditional Madrid are described. From a haberdashery on Calle de Apodaca to a corsetry on Calle de la Colegiata, a bar on Calle de la Aduana or the bars on Calle Mayor. But few are as memorable in the novel as the Café Comercial, known as the Café de Doña Rosa and in which the book starts.
This establishment is still open, after going through various reforms and hands since it opened in 1887. It is the oldest in Madrid, and even today it is famous for its large mirrors, its coffee and its cup chocolate. If you want to delight yourself with a literary scene, reading Cela is the ideal proposal.
The East Side Gallery in Berlin:
And we arrived at our last literary destination, the capital of Germany. Berlin It is an effervescent city full of charm, history and vitality. It is an educated, open and modern capital, heir to a troubled history. All these characteristics make it one of those cities that must be visited at least once in life. No wonder it has been chosen as the setting for literary works on numerous occasions, and among our favorites we highlight Sofia's suspicion, D.E.Paloma Sánchez-Garnica. In this novel set in the late 1960s we will move to a Berlin divided by the Wall, a city dominated by the Cold War and espionage by the Stasi and the KGB.
Today it is still possible to visit one of its stages, the remains of the Wall, among which we especially recommend the East Side Gallery. It is the largest free art gallery in the world, where throughout its 1.3 kilometers you can see hundreds of graffiti by international artists who tried to document in their works what happened after the fall: works that speak of protest, memory, hope and hope for a better future.
And if your mind is still restless and you want to discover more exciting stories and places, don't miss our selection of books to read this Easter vacation.
