There are many different reasons to love books. Maybe they have a twisty-turny plot that you just can't put down. Maybe they have characters that seem so real that they could live next door to you. Maybe the book is about a fascinating topic that you've always wanted to learn about. Maybe it touches you profoundly.
Or maybe the book has created a world that is special and unique and so well-described that you feel as if you're living in it long after you have set the book down. I've discovered that books with this sort of "atmosphere" turn out to be some of my favorites, books that stick with me for years after I've read them.
Or maybe the book has created a world that is special and unique and so well-described that you feel as if you're living in it long after you have set the book down. I've discovered that books with this sort of "atmosphere" turn out to be some of my favorites, books that stick with me for years after I've read them.
The Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling
The Harry Potter series is the most obvious choice here. My head stays at Hogwarts long after I've finished reading the book. Even the movies don't have the same effect for me. I'm only fully living in the world when I'm reading the books.
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
The Night Circus was a book that I read and then immediately bought my own copy. I have yet to reread it, but every once in a while, my mind wanders into that world. More than the characters or the plot, the atmosphere was what made this a five-star read for me.
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
I've recently developed an interest in reading books set in Asia (although I still don't do nearly enough of that). I can trace that interest directly to Memoirs of a Geisha. Every time I had to put this book down while I was reading it, my brain felt foggy for a few minutes until I could reorient myself to real life.
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
I have read this book at least four times, which is quite the commitment, considering it's more than 800 pages long. But I just love this magical Victorian alternate world that Susanna Clarke created and brought to life so well. The outside world ceases to exist while I'm traveling through the pages of this book.
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