Gotta second where it's been said before: - Middlemarch by George Eliot - War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy I read both of these aloud with my partner over long night

Gotta second where it's been said before: - Middlemarch by George Eliot - War & Peace by Leo Tolstoy I read both of these aloud with my partner over long nights of bringing up our small children and it was the best bonding experience I could hope for. Both are packed full of observations about life and wit and wisdom, both pull for kindness and sincerity, and are unexpectedly funny in many ways.