Escape into an enchanting novel full of mystery and romance.

photo credits from quotesgram.com

Have you ever stepped into a world of fantasy and magic with just enough of realism that you can almost believe it could be possible? I'm sure most of us have at some point in our lives. From childhood through our adult years books about knights in shining armor, dragons, mermaids, time travel, and magic have pulled us in to alternative realities. Harry Potter fans can easily imagine stepping through the wall at King's Cross Station.

Me? Give me a good historical fiction or detective mystery. Something that is rooted in facts and lays out a well woven plot where dots can easily be connected or even foreseen. I'm not one who will easily choose a Science Fiction or Fantasy book off the shelves, but once in a while I come across a book, either by recommendation or through my book club selections, that completely engages and surprises me.

Recently highlighted in an email I received from Penguin Books titled "Cozy Up with these Comfy Reads", I once again was reminded of an enchanting best selling novel "The Night Circus", written by a native of Marshfield, Erin Morgenstern, which has stuck with me through the years as one of my favorites.

"The Night Circus" Summary from BookBrowse:

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. 

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway - a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love - a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands. 

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. "

Full of mystery, a little romance with just the right amount of realism in the 19th century Victorian London setting and characters, you will quickly immerse yourself in this story. A great choice for fans of Neil Gaiman ("Stardust" or "Neverwhere") or Lev Grossman ("The Magicians"),  "Jonathon Strange and Mr. Morrell," "The Museum of Extraordinary Things" or even "Water For Elephants".  It is also a young adult reader favorite and a read-alike fora fans of  "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children".

For those of you who have already stepped into  "The Night Circus" over a decade ago,  Erin Morgenstern has finally announced her second novel,  "The Starless Sea" to be released in November.  

Wishing an enchanting read in your near future.  We all deserve to escape for a while into a good book.