“The Invention of Hugo Cabret” (Brian Selznick)
“Castle Waiting” (Linda Medley)
“The Way We Live Now (Penguin Classics)” (Anthony Trollope, Frank Kermode)
Hugo Cabret and Castle Waiting are great diverting reads that, while quickly enjoyed, offer a lot of story and character. Comic books? Yeah, what of it?
The Trollope takes a bit more time but worth it. I’m a recent discoverer of Trollope (where was he in my 19C lit classes?) but I find him a lot more readable than a lot of writers of the period. Perhaps he doesn’t spend as much time grotting about in the streets as Dickens, though I haven’t read enough to say. Gotta like any book where one character is so dominating and relentless, suicide is the only way to get him offstage.