u/dotsncommas

So I was in Notre Dame today during Anticipated Mass and Angelus, not sitting in the proper pews but to the side, outside the cordons, mostly to observe and listen to the magnificent organ at work.

But after a collective prayer, the lady in the seat before me turned around, said something, and gave me her hand to shake. I’ve read about this part before but completely forgot what’s the thing said (it sounded like “l’appel du Christ” but not that) so I just awkwardly shook her hand and mumbled a thank you, unfortunately. I hope she wasn’t too offended…!

I’m planning to return to Notre Dame in the next few days for another mass or two, and just in case this happens again, what’s the thing she said, what should I say back (likely the same thing???)

For me, TSH was a completely engrossing read like none other, especially on the first read through. The Goldfinch had a similar, un-put-down-able effect on me, but I know that that’s kind of a polarizing opinion even among TSH lovers. What both books have, imo, are gorgeous prose, a heightened degree of suspense from the very beginning, and this indescribable sense of nostalgia and melancholy that permeates both narratives.

I haven’t had that engrossed feeling in a long while. I’ve read books that interested me, but not any that plunged me into this almost mythical sense of immersion like TSH and the Goldfinch have. The closest are works by Naomi Novik, because of how tightly constructed her stories are; beyond that, I’d have to go back to when I was eleven and finished the entire HP series in two weeks.

I have a long trip coming up, with lots of sitting-in-transport time, and I foresee unbearable boredom ahead. So, I would greatly love some suggestions: Was TSH as captivating an experience for you as it was for me? If so, have you experienced anything similar with any other works of literature, and which, if any, were these?

I know that “books like TSH” is a constant theme on this sub and others, but I think there’s always a different focus each time. Some would like murder mysteries, some would like dark academia, some would like greek tragedy-related works. Hopefully the way I phrased my question puts a slightly different spin on that, and might inspire some unusual answers.

Cheers!

A few months ago, I read the best writing advice there is: just write. Simple, practicable, inspirational. Since then I’ve more than doubled my creative output, but with disastrous results.

Just write has made me realize that I am fundamentally a talentless hack, doomed to producing pointless slop and never achieving success. Before just write, I could delude myself into thinking that my writing was good. That is no longer the case. The truth has been revealed to me in all its horrifying clarity, and I have decided to never write anything ever again. Fare thee well my fellow writers.

DAE?