Barcelona: Books: Spain Recommended Reading

Spain Recommended Reading

BARCELONA

“The lamps along the Ramblas sketched an avenue of vapor that faded as the city to awake…The brightness of dawn filtered down from balconies and cornices in streaks of slanting light that dissolved before touching the ground.” — Carlos Ruiz Zafon

NONFICTION

Homage to Barcelona, Colm Toibin, 2001 — Histories and travel essays on Barcelona.

Catalan Cuisine; Europe’s Last Great Culinary Secret, Colman Andrews, 1999 — White beans, marinated salt cod, rabbit – a cookbook and so much more!

Barcelona, Robert Hughes, 1993 — The cultural history of the city, from its days as a Roman outpost to the present takes a comprehensive look at the architecture, art, religion and literature of the area.

Barcelona: The Great Enchantress, Robert Hughes, 2007. An ode to a favorite city by the famous art critic.

Antoni Gaudi, Ignasi de Sola Morales, 1992 — Spectacular color photographs and classic text join to make this examination of 16 of the architect’s works, from houses to cathedrals, richly accessible.

FICTION

The Shadow of the Wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, 2001 — Young Daniel Sempere is taken by his father to a place called the Cemetery of Lost Books where he is told to adopt a book to keep its memory alive.

Gaudi Afternoon: A Cassandra Reilly Mystery, Barbara Wilson, 1990 —Lesbian translator-turned-sleuth Reilly scours Barcelona seeking a missing person of “indeterminate gender” in a witty, feminist, fast-paced book.

Nada, Carmen Laforet, 2007 — The story of a young woman struggling to survive after the Civil War.

The Time of the Doves, Merce Rodoreda, 1986 — Gabriel Garcia Marquez called this book about one woman’s life during the Spanish Civil War and beyond: “The most beautiful novel published in Spain since the Civil War.” High praise!

TRAVEL GUIDES

Cool Restaurants Barcelona, Cuito Aurora. Browse beautiful places to eat and get a sample of their menus so you don’t have to take chances on how attractive the surroundings are for your meals.

Cool Shops Barcelona, 2005. Heavy on the pictures and light on the text but when it comes to cool shops, the focus should be on style not substance anyway. Think of it as a black book with images.

Lonely Planet Barcelona, 2006. A great all-around guide to the city with maps and solid historical and factual information.

StyleCity: Barcelona, 2007. This large format paperback series focuses on the city’s high style spots with sections on shopping, eating, staying and seeing.

Time Out Barcelona. The guidebook to the city by the staff of Time Out with great tips on sights, shops and restaurants.

Wallpaper City Guide: Barcelona, 2006. A hip pocket guide to the city by the editors of Wallpaper magazine.