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BOOKS OF

SANTIAGO'S ROAD

The Pilgrim by Paulo Coelho

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El Peregrino (O Diário de Um Mago) is one of the most famous novels about the Camino. Follow the adventures of Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian who embarked on the pilgrimage in 1986 as part of his initiation into a Catholic organization. The Pilgrim is part adventure book and part self-discovery guide, we follow Paulo's journey along the way while we read the author's reflections on life and its mysteries.

The inspiration for the novel was Coelho's own pilgrimage to Compostela in 1986, a journey that would lead him to become a novelist. During the Camino, the now acclaimed writer decided to stop dreaming about writing and start doing it.

As a result of the publication of El Peregrino, many Brazilians began to walk the Camino, thanks to the inspiration of the experience and the words of Coelho.

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The Way to Santiago by Kim Hyo Sun

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Korean journalist Kim Hyo Sun is already an expert on the Camino: she has written three books, one for each of the most popular routes : the French Way , the Portuguese Way and the Silver Way. Thanks to his books on the Camino de Santiago, many Koreans have been encouraged to become pilgrims.

But the fame of the Camino in Korea is not only due to her: the book by her compatriot Kim Nan Hee, The Journey of a Woman Alone, in which she recounts her experience on the French Way, has also influenced the fame of the Camino in Korea, so much so that it has been honored for its work .

The road books of these two authors are one of the main reasons why the Camino is so popular in Korea, a country that went from just 24 pilgrims in 2004 to being the ninth largest nationality in 2017.

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Well I'm getting off Hape Kerkeling

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The German comedian Hape Kerkeling decided to make a pilgrimage to Santiago in search of meaning. As he walked, he started a diary that ended up becoming Well, I'm leaving. In the book we not only follow his personal struggle against the physical limitations and difficulties of the pilgrimage, but we also experience his achievements and growth. At the end of each day, Kerkeling reflects on what he has experienced and writes about the lessons learned.

Kerkeling's story teaches us that anyone can do the Camino, regardless of their physical form. In addition to his story of personal growth, the book leaves us with many images of the pilgrimage: landscapes and historical places, stories of the pilgrims he meets ... all told with the characteristic humor of the comedian.

Well, I long sold more than 3 million copies and perhaps this is one of the reasons why the number of German pilgrims is so high today.

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The detour to Santiago de Cees Notebloom

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The detour to Santiago is a travel book by the Dutch Hispanist Cees Notebloom. Notebloom's trip is anything but common: on the way to Granada, Aragón, Soria, Madrid or even on the island of La Gomera.

Notebloom's very particular way of touring Spain and the extensive knowledge of the Hispanicist offer us a very interesting vision of the history and customs of the country, which acquire a new light under the eyes of foreigners.

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Return to Compostela by Edith Wharton

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Edith Wharton, the author of The Age of Innocence, is one of the most prestigious American writers of the early 20th century. The novelist traveled to Santiago de Compostela twice, in 1925 and 1928. Return to Compostela compiles the travel diary of her first visit and an essay written after her second pilgrimage.

Through the eyes of Wharton, we have the opportunity to experience the Camino as it was almost 100 years ago.

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Peregrinatio by Matilde Asensi

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Peregrinatio is a historical novel that takes us to the 14th century, where we follow the adventures of young Jonah, who must make a pilgrimage to Santiago to become a knight.

In Asensi's novel, we accompany Jonah and a Templar knight on their journey through 14th-century Spain. The most remarkable element of the novel are the detailed descriptions of the medieval architecture and cities, as well as the customs of the time and the history of the different religious orders.

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On the primitive path of Landon Roussel

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En el camino primitivo is the story of two brothers from Texas who embark on the Camino Primitivo through the mountains of Asturias. In addition to the adventures of the Camino, the book revolves around the relationship of the brothers, who try to reconcile after having been apart for many years due to the drug addiction of their little brother.

Roussel decided to write this book after the death of his brother Cory, with whom he had traveled the Camino.

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The murderer of the Milky Way by Gabriel Martínez

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A murderer is on the loose on the Camino de Santiago and Roncal, commander of the Civil Guard, must take charge of the case. After two pilgrims appear murdered in shelters on the Camino, the commander begins to investigate in order to find the culprit.

The killer of the Milky Way is a crime novel with all the typical ingredients of the genre, which has been a top seller on Amazon. The author, Gabriel Martínez, combines his passion for writing with his love of travel in the novel.

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Stop the nonsense! And do the Camino de Santiago. Cristina Hortal

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Do you need a parenthesis in your life? A start over? A total change? Well, stop the nonsense and do the Camino de Santiago. This is the proposal that Cristina Hortal makes us, who invites us to embark on the Camino to live a transforming experience that allows us to see life with different eyes. The author offers us in just under 200 pages to experiment with self-improvement, self-discovery, transformation, reflection, peace, emotion and deep and intense friendships. In short, live the Camino de Santiago.

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Magic guide of the Camino de Santiago. Francisco Contreras Gil

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Always with his backpack on his back, this journalist and pilgrim - with a soul and a vocation, as he defines himself - proposes us in the Magic Guide of the Camino de Santiago. A journey in search of the magic and the sacred on the Way of the Stars, a different Route. In it we will find the basic information to undertake the adventure but, above all, the keys and places to complete a unique, transformative and magical human and spiritual experience.

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Well, I'm leaving. Hape kerkeling

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It is a true best seller in Germany, where it contributed decisively to promote the Jacobean Route. Well I'm out (Ich bin dann mal weg) is written by one of Germany's most famous comedians: Kape Kerkeling. More than five million Germans have read this book in which Kerkeling proposes "a journey outside the traditional and full of happiness" and in which he recounts his experiences along the 800 kilometers that separate Saint Jean Pied de Port de Santiago de Compostela. And his adventure convinced thousands of Germans to follow his example. In addition, film director Julia von Heinz decided to take it to the big screen in 2016, immediately becoming a blockbuster.

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100 things to know about the Camino de Santiago. Carlos Mencos

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Carlos Mencos, author of numerous guides on the Camino de Santiago and responsible for the website www.editorialbuencamino.com , has gathered all his extensive knowledge about the Camino de Santiago and has summarized it in one hundred questions that any pilgrim could ask before and after his Route. Who was Santiago Apóstol? Did you travel this route? Why is there a multitude of Caminos de Santiago? What causes many pilgrims to return changed from the Camino? If you are one of the curious people who need to know everything before embarking on an adventure, this is your book.

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The Great Wayfarer. From home to the end of the earth. Antxon González 'Bolitx'

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The Great Wayfarer is a very special book. It is the story that Antxon González tells of his Camino de Santiago, which began at the door of his house to Finisterre. But it is also a more intimate, more personal account of a Camino in search of something that is becoming more and more tangible throughout its 360 pages. El Gran Caminante is also a story of overcoming, since its author was diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) after finishing his Camino. Despite his physical deterioration, he made the decision to write his experience and from chapter V, having lost speech and movement of his hands, he wrote the rest of his story solely through the movement of his eyes.

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The Way into you and After the Way. Karin kisser

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Karin Kisser is in love with the Camino de Santiago. He discovered it thanks to the book by Paulo Coelho that we recommended at the beginning and in 2011 he toured it for the first time. And since then it has not stopped. The reason? The transforming power of the Camino de Santiago. Something that he has captured in two pocket guides: The Way into you. Your pocket guide for inspiration and transformation through the Camino de Santiago and After the Camino. Your pocket guide to integrate the Camino de Santiago into your daily life, both published in English and Spanish. The first is a guide that will help you face your inner path, while the second aims to fill the feeling of emptiness left by having finished the Camino.

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Good way! Tips from an American Pilgrim. Anne Born

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It is not a guide to use, not a map, not a step-by-step description, not even a long story about Anne Born's experience on the Camino de Santiago. Good way! Tips from an American Pilgrim is a collection of fun stories and useful tips from a veteran American pilgrim. How to plan, where to stay, what to pack, what not to miss and, above all, how to have a Buen Camino. Finalist of the 2018 Travel Independent Authors Network Book of the Year Awards, Buen Camino! It is ideal for first-time pilgrims and for anyone interested in knowing useful things about the Camino de Santiago.

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A Norwegian on the Camino de Santiago. Jason

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The Camino de Santiago has also come to life in vignettes. For comic book lovers we recommend A Norwegian on the Camino de Santiago, a graphic diary by the author of well-known works such as I killed Adolf Hitler or Frida Kahlo's parrot on the Camino carried out on the occasion of his 50th birthday . Jason's work collects the good of the experience (the people, the conversations ...) and the bad (blisters, bedbugs ...), all of it dotted with small incidents, strange encounters and modest triumphs told with the peculiar Nordic sense of humor.

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Tastes of the Camino. Yosmar Martinez

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Travel the Camino de Santiago through its flavors. This is the proposal that Yosmar Martínez makes to us in his book Tastes of the Camino. 30 authentic recipes along the French Way. In this attractive book, this experienced pilgrim collects some of the most traditional recipes of the towns through which the French Way passes: from the omelette to the Santiago cake. A show for the senses that you can put into practice from the kitchen of your home.

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My shadow on the Camino. Fernando Fraga Lopez

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This book is by the author Fernando Fraga López and is a graphic diary of a pilgrim, more specifically, Professor of Drawing at the School of Architecture of A Coruña.

We enter a series of drawings related to the French Way that traveled in the summer of August 2009. We find natural and urban landscapes, human figures, monuments… it is a way of seeing and enjoying the Camino in a different way. It is a highly recommended book, it is different of course.

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Pilgrim tales on the Camino de Santiago. Jose Gonzalez Torices

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In this book we do not find one but up to 11 stories of walking, seeing and telling.

The author of this fabulous book is José González Torices.

We find 11 stories in total, where the first 8 are developed on the Camino de Santiago and the others have to do with Holy Week. They are stories that we could consider rather legends.

It is a different book from the other books that we collect for you in this article, so you can give it a try if you want to discover more.

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The soul of the stones. Paloma Sánchez Garnica

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On this occasion we have before us a literary work by Paloma Sánchez Garnica.

It is based on the year 824, when 3 characters found the tomb of the remains of Santiago Apóstol and created the Icous Sancti Jacobi. But two centuries later, a young noblewoman, who is Mabilia, discovers a mark on a stone that already leads to La Inventio, a scroll in which she finds a mysterious find. Then, Mabilia with Arno will set out in search of the truth.

It is a different book from the previous ones, but very interesting and considered one of the best books related to the Camino de Santiago.

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Peregrinatio. Matilde Asensi

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This book now only because of the cover makes you want to buy it or read it, but the truth is that we are facing a beautiful novel guide of the Jacobean Route by the author Matilde Asensi.

As for the synopsis, we have a tribute to the Camino de Santiago based on the year 1324.

It tells the story of a former gentleman, Galcerán de Born, who was concerned about the news he received about his son, Jonás, about his misconduct and his life at the court of Barcelona. Therefore, he decides to start a new journey in his life, to walk the Camino de Santiago as one more pilgrim, to reflect on his future.

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The Pilgrim's Codex. Jose Luis Corral

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This is one of the most incredible books related to the Camino de Santiago and whose author is José Luis Corral.

It is about Diego and Patricia, who are a couple of international traffickers with works of art and who are hired by a French millionaire to steal the Calixtino Code.

As you know, it is a work of incalculable value and from the 12th century guarded in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.

Its pages reveal disturbing data about its history, relationships, origins ... it is an incredible plot that we recommend reading so that the most curious discover all the surprises, intrigues and conspiracies that revolve around the genealogy of Jesus. It is a must-read, especially after what happened with the theft of the Codex years ago.

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