#not comet

I definitely don’t mind! Thanks for asking, I’m always down to talk about books. I’ll give recommendations a try though!

War and Peace is a hell of a first classic! If you’re looking to go in a linear progression (which honestly might be a bit much, I’d sooner say take a break from Tolstoy), there’s obviously Anna Karenina. I don’t remember Anna Karenina well enough to suggest it with conviction but I do know that I liked it a lot and it’s well regarded.

If you’re looking to stay in the realm of Russian Literature I’d recommend Chekhov’s plays. They’re fantastic and obviously much shorter if you’re looking for something you can carry around a bit more easily. I’d recommend either Uncle Vanya or the Sea Gull. That’s probably my top rec. I’ll throw some more under the cut in case you want a change of pace because I am too enthusiastic about books and this is already getting long.

I’ve recently really enjoyed Jane Eyre which was a nice change of pace from w&p to a well developed female narrator. It gets weird, but it’s a great book.

The Picture of Dorian Gray is not at all like War and Peace but is always a favorite. 

Other slightly more contemporary classics which I’ve enjoyed are All Quiet on the Western Front, which is heartbreaking and my current read, Catch-22 which is like if All Quiet on the Western Front had a disturbed baby with the movie “Airplane!”