I love it when a good book inspires. It might inspire one to write, to make a change in the world (whether big or small), to pursue their dream, or just inspire more reading.
This has been a good year thus far in my reading adventures. Some ended up being just reading for the sake of reading. (This was at no fault to the books themselves, but simply my lack of held attention. Though, one was just boring.) Some were amazing. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline was absolutely brilliant. It captured my attention and never let go. The story was fantastic. There were several parts consisting of a lot of details, which I normally would have found too drawn-out to be fascinating, but they only inspired nostalgia, even when I’ve never experienced or heard of something he was describing (seeing certain movies, playing certain games, et cetera.)
I just finished reading One More Thing by B.J. Novak. I’m honestly not sure how to describe this book without a long explanation. It’s a collection of short stories and musing/amusing thoughts. About twenty percent in, I was convinced my rating would be three stars:
Did it hold my attention? Definitely! ★★★★★
Did the stories have a point? Nope. ★✰✰✰✰
By the end, my whole thought process on the book changed. Some of the stories didn’t have a point, or at least not an obvious one, but they were well-written for what they were. Further into the book, though, the stories just got better and better. Some even inspired me! The story “Rome,” for instance… This man and his wife retired to a city near Rome. The thing he seems to love most about it is that this grand city, famous for so much throughout history, and a place people save up their whole lives to visit, is just a place he goes to run errands! And someday soon that’ll be me in Japan!
I usually take a short break between finishing a book and starting a new one (though I always have several books I’m reading at a time), but I’m inspired to go read immediately! I really want to read something I will enjoy as much as I’ve enjoyed these two books mentioned, but I don’t know what I’d enjoy unless I’ve already read it. It’s been a couple of years since I read The Three Musketeers, but I still think about it a lot. I love that book. I still jokingly refer to Porthos as my “book boyfriend,” even though I know that if I knew him in real life there’s no way we’d be anything more than just friends, haha.
I’ve also been thinking about The Great Gatsby for about a year now. I read it in high school, and had a love-hate relationship with it. Despite knowing its very dramatic content, I kind of want to re-read it.
As for books I haven’t yet read, I really want to read The Odyssey, but Hubby insists I’d have to read The Iliad first. I also really want to read The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien. I watched a four-and-a-half-minute video giving a brief summary of the book, and The Hobbit was one of my favourite reads of 2013. On the other hand, I’d planned on my next “classic” book to be A Study in Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes novel. (And no, I don’t want to read a book that has all of the Holmes stories; I want to read them separately.)
What do you think? What book should I read next? I’m gladly taking suggestions of amazing books, classic or new.
Books mentioned:
- The Three Musketeers (re-read)
- The Great Gatsby (re-read)
- The Iliad
- The Odyssey
- The Simarillion
- A Study in Scarlet
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