i'm going to spin this prompt a bit and talk about holiday readS instead, because it'd be hard for me to focus on just one book.
when i think of the term "holiday read", i think of long books. specifically, books that range from kinda long to what-the-heck-how-did-the-author-have-time-to-write-this long. usually, i tend to stick to books in the first category, since thicc books make me pretty tired. finishing books that take hecka fortnights to read is a highly fulfilling feeling, though.
the last holiday reads i can remember are from my 2015 Christmas break. that year i read dune and uncle tom's cabin. i enjoyed dune, even though there was a lot of lore to follow. and a lot of characters. but it's clear to see how it paved the way for star wars and future iterations of star trek (at least, i'd assume it did. i've never watched star trek). uncle tom's cabin was also pretty good, but kinda hard to get through. it was really thought-provoking and depressing. i ended up speed-reading most of the end since i needed to finish it before school started back up. ':)
i think what i'll do for this post is pick 5 novels i've read that would make great holiday reads and then highlight 5 novels that i want to read over the holidays. a nice balance.
my recommendations:
1) the hobbit - a classic. you have dwarves, elves, goblins, a wizard, a dragon, and (of course) a hobbit - basically, everything you could want in a fantasy novel. the movie trilogy is a lot of fun but imo tries to beef up the story a bit too much. and if you enjoy this, you can jump straight into the lotr trilogy!
2) to kill a mockingbird - absolutely marvelous. people give it a lot of hype, but it actually delivers!! it tackles big issues in an enjoyable yet profound way. pro tip: don't read go set a watchman if you really enjoy tkam... just don't...
3) brave new world - dystopia done right. aside from providing me with some neat euphemisms (ford in flivver!), it also provides deep commentary on utopian ideals and totalitarianism. it's bizarre, somewhat surreal, and all-around unsettling...
4) the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy - weird but hilarious. douglas adams's wit could fill an entire galaxy. if you enjoy this book, there's a whole series of them! not that reading all of them helps you comprehend the plot more or avoid being generally confused about the storyline...
5) catch-22 - a! fricking! masterpiece!! it deserves its own blog post (or even a series of them). i wouldn't be able to do it justice in just a few sentences...
reading wishlist:
1) crime and punishment - i feel like i should read this at least once. even though it's definitely in the hecka long books category.
2) war and peace - another novel that is long and famous. usually i end up enjoying war novels more than i expect. it is a war novel, right?
3) 1984 - another dystopian novel. i'm curious to see how it stacks up against brave new world. people can't seem to agree on which is better, so i figure i might as well decide for myself!
4) bleak house - multiple narratives!! but to be completely honest... this addition was inspired by beast's move set in avengers alliance. that's why i read the jungle and a separate peace. war and peace is part of his set too, but that was already on the list...
5) the sound and the fury - a fairly recent addition to the list. the premise sounds pretty interesting. plus it's another multi-narrative model, so that's always fun.
so many books, so little time...
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