I Should Have Read That Book

Originally created by Beth @Books Nest, I Should Have Read That Book is easy to play and a perfect way to while away a rainy Saturday afternoon.

Rules:

Link to the creator’s blog (booksnest.co.uk) in your post
Answer the questions below
Thank the person who tagged you and link back to their post
ENJOY THE TAG!

The Questions:

• A book that a certain friend is always telling you to read:
• The Parisian | Isabella Hammad
• A dear friend has been telling me to read this book for about a year now.
• It sounds exactly like something I would love.
• The only problem is, it's a brick of a book (576 pages).
• One day, Libby, one day!

• A masterful debut novel by Plimpton Prize winner Isabella Hammad, The Parisian illuminates a pivotal period of Palestinian history through the journey and romances of one young man, from his studies in France during World War I to his return to Palestine at the dawn of its battle for independence.Midhat Kamal is the son of a wealthy textile merchant from Nablus, a town in Ottoman Palestine. A dreamer, a romantic, an aesthete, in 1914 he leaves to study medicine in France, and falls in love. 

• When Midhat returns to Nablus to find it under British rule, and the entire region erupting with nationalist fervor, he must find a way to cope with his conflicting loyalties and the expectations of his community. The story of Midhat’s life develops alongside the idea of a nation, as he and those close to him confront what it means to strive for independence in a world that seems on the verge of falling apart. 

• Against a landscape of political change that continues to define the Middle East, The Parisian explores questions of power and identity, enduring love, and the uncanny ability of the past to disrupt the present. Lush and immersive, and devastating in its power, The Parisian is an elegant, richly-imagined debut from a dazzling new voice in fiction. 




• A book that’s been on your TBR forever and yet you still haven’t picked it up:
• The Devil's Pool | George Sand
• I read my first Sand (Mauprat) twelve years ago with a great deal of delight and pleasure.
• It hasn't been easy to find print copies of her other work, but this one has been with me for over a decade now, and still remains unread.



• A book in a series you’ve started, but haven’t gotten round to finishing yet:
• The Grand Days trilogy | Frank Moorhouse
• Grand Days and Dark Palace were two of the books I regretted parting with during the big book cull of 2007.
• I first read them in my late twenties and adored them and Edith and everything about her.
• I reread GD in 2006 and found that somehow Edith and I had gone our separate ways.
• But then in 2011, Moorhouse finally published the final book in the trilogy and I knew straight away that I wasn't done with Edith after all.
• All three books are now waiting for me to reread (the first two), so I can finish the final book.



• A classic you’ve always liked the sound of, but never actually read:
• The Master and Margarita | Mikhail Bulgakov
• I even have two copies of this book! 
• Although it's my 2017 Vintage Russian cover with deckled edges that will stay with me.



• A popular book that it seems everyone but you has read:
• Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine | Gail Honeyman
• Also fits the first question.
• Libby has been trying to get me to read this one for over a year.
• Please don't tell her, that I just can't.
• I've tried to read it a few times, but I cannot get past the first page.
• I'm bored by the writing and Eleanor straight up.
• I have no desire to go any further.
• And I'm completely fine about that!



• A book that inspired a film/TV adaptation that you really love, but you just haven’t read it yet:
• Game of Thrones | G R R Martin
• I may never read these behemoths.
• Mr Books has. And now, he's waiting, waiting, waiting for Martin to finish writing the final books.
• He assures me that there is way more back story in the books, but I am not going to commit to reading this series until Martin has actually finished writing them ALL!



• A book you see all over Instagram but haven’t picked up yet:
• American Dirt | Jeanine Cummins
• Nothing like (bad) publicity to boost sales and curiosity.
• A brief run down of the controversy can be found here.
• I was never going to read this book, too violent for my tastes, but it's fascinating to watch the book world eat one of it's own.



• I first spotted this Book Tag at Theresa Smith Writes.
• If you'd like to join in too, consider yourself tagged.