What are you reading?
by chuckofish
Having finished my second Jussi Adler-Olsen detective novel, I looked around my shelves for something to read. I settled on The Nautical Chart (La carta esférica) by Spanish author Arturo Pérez-Reverte. He is best known for his El capitán Alatriste books. I have read The Adventures of Captain Alatriste about a Spanish soldier of fortune in the 17th century, and enjoyed it very much, so I thought I’d try this other book which I had picked up at an estate sale.
Coy is a sailor without a ship. Tánger Soto is a woman with an obsession to find the Dei Gloria, a ship sunk during the seventeenth century, and El Piloto is an old man with the sailboat on which all three set out to seek their fortune together. Or do they? (Amazon.com)
Chapter one begins with a quote from Moby Dick (“I have swum through oceans and sailed through libraries.”) so I knew I was on to something good. In short order the author invokes literary references ranging from Lord Jim to Tintin.
“I saved every cent so I could go to the bookstore and come out with one of these [a Tintin book] in my hands, holding my breath, loving the feel of the hard covers, the colors of the splendid illustrations. And then, all by myself, I would open the pages and smell the paper and the ink before I dived into the story. So I collected all twenty-three, one by one. A lot of time has gone by since then, but to this day, when I open a Tintin I can smell the smell that I have associated with adventure and life ever since. Along with the movies of John Ford and John Huston, Richmal Compton’s [Crompton] Adventures of William, and a few other books, these shaped my childhood.”
Well. A fictional character after my own heart!
I have to admit that I only know about Tintin because the boy was a big fan growing up.
And I am not acquainted with these Adventures of William books. Apparently they were very popular in England.
This just goes to show, there is always so much more out there to read!
Anyway, I am really enjoying The Nautical Chart. I’ll let you know how it goes. What are you reading?
P.S. My spy in Jupiter sent me this picture of the Cardinal dugout. The Skipper is on the bench on the left.
dual personalities 
Duncan read both Tintin and William books as a lad. He introduced them to our boys, who liked them a lot. I’ll have to read the Nautical Chart — I’ve read Alatriste, too, and also liked it.
Interesting!
Can I ask if you finished The Nautical Chart and if yes, how did you like it? I loved Pérez-Reverte’s Alatriste series and Cape Trafalgar too (especially the mixed up Spanish-French conversations but that’s just the linguist in me) and I’m thinking about reading The Nautical Chart… and some others. 🙂
I finished the book and enjoyed it, although he does tend to ramble a bit…but it is definitely worth the effort!
I was trying to make up my mind to try next but when I looked on Amazon.es I wasn’t entirely sure about this one… But the .com review you quoted above made me think it was just my kind of book!
Which book to try next, I meant, sorry!