As the title says: What is a book that you read this year that you’ve been wanting to read for a long time or that has been on your TBR shelf for whatever reason? How was it in the end?
I just had to post this question right now, because there’s a trending post about the beauty of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. For me, it was this exact book. I’m not proud of it but it’s been the better half of a decade since my friend gifted it to me. I’m actually surprised how well it delivered. The storytelling was so vivid and actually made me feel like I was part of it (one of the rêveurs!) I loved everything from the grand magic shows and the way the magicians were holding the circus together to the small hidden tricks. The many layers that neatly came together in the end.
I’m so glad I read it, but wow was I missing out for many years! I should stop postponing books for that long… I say and nervously glance at my shelf 💀
So, what book would that be for you?
All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque
Have loosely been meaning to read it for almost two decades, finally put it at the front of the list to avoid spoilers with the Netflix film coming out. I’ve read a few novels with trench warfare over the years (Timothy Findley, Sebastian Faulks…) and I worried that without the novelty of the subject, I’d be a little underwhelmed by what many consider the original of the genre.
Remarque knocked it out of the park.
Highly recommend continuing with his work. A lot of it is focused on the psychological and physical aftermath of WWI. The Arch of Triumph is my favorite.
Same, I read it last year, a few months after the war in Ukraine began, and it was a mind blowing read for me. He really sucks you into their inner psyches. I need to read more from him.