Yesterday I had the pleasure of finishing one of the best books ever created: House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. If you've not read it you should.

It's easy to spoil the book by saying too much so for your sake I will refrain from spilling my thoughts out here. I will say that Danielewski has an amazing mind. House of Leaves is 709 pages long and not one of them is lacking the cryptic meaning that flows throughout the story. Danielewski's experimental take on literature has left me in awe.

The best thing about my encounter with this book is how it came to be in my possession. On our wedding night as we sorted through a mountain of gifts this book sat unwrapped in the mound. At first we thought it might be a mistake, like perhaps it came off of a bookshelf in the house but we asked and everyone was sure it was a gift to us though no one knew from whom.

After reading it I can see why someone so thoughtfully and anonymously gave this to us on the night of our wedding. Though there is so much to take away from this book I find it appropriate to leave you with a quote that I believe captures, at least in part, it's marital message:

Passion has little to do with euphoria and everything to do with patience. It is not about feeling good. It is about endurance. Like patience, passion comes from the same Latin root: pati. It does not mean to flow with exuberance. It means to suffer.

Thank you anonymous gift giver(s), House of Leaves has been an incredible experience.