Eragon by Christopher Paolini

For some time now, I have been teased mercilessly — by my husband, fellow librarians, and “my teens” — about the fact that I’d never read Eragon. I had no decent excuse, since I have read (and liked) a lot of fantasy…  I just didn’t really feel like reading it when it came out, and then never got back to it because there are always tons of amazing books coming out.  Well, with the fourth (and final) book in the series looming on the horizon, I figured it was “now or never.”  As soon as I started listening to the audiobook, though, I fell in love.  I hate to admit this, but I think one of my favorite [non-story-related] things about this audiobook is the fact that I don’t have to try and sound out any of the names!  True to the fantasy genre, the people and places all have very long and unusual names.  After plodding through some others and coming out just fine, I am sure I could have done it again, but it was nice not to have to.  Despite being [necessarily] slow in some parts, this story has plenty of action and is full of intriguing dragon lore. I’m glad everyone pushed me so hard to go back and read this book, because I’ve found that it’s a must-read for anyone who appreciates fantasy!

Happy Reading!