it doesn’t have to be your favorite book or anything. It can be any book that you find yourself thinking of with a sense of pride for having read it.
Personally, I am really proud of myself for not DNFing A Little Life and pushing forward. I read a very good chunk of that book with tears running down my face–mind you, I was reading it on my phone during lectures for the entirety of my first semester last year–and I was always on the verge of putting it down just because of the horrible content. Also, it was pretty long; too long, actually. So when I was done, I was simultaneously Heartbroken, broken (just like in general), and relieved. It was truly a feat.
An honorable mention is A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, because I swear to God I did not understand a single thing about it even 10 chapters in. Charles Dickens is too much.
House of Leaves- it’s definitely a journey
I’ll be very proud of myself if I actually finish this book. I’ve been working on it for a bit, it’s too big to travel with.
I accidentally stayed up all night reading it back in 2001. The next evening, I had tickets to see Depeche Mode. Their opener for that tour was Poe, touring the Haunted album, which is based on the book - the singer is the author’s sister.
I did not know this at the time, and it was certainly an experience to wander into on no sleep and surrounded by 18,000 people
Came here to say this! Stated it several different times and got lost. Finally started it again and finished it a few years ago. It’s a wild ride.
Definitely an achievement