The Magic Mountain

I read The Magic Mountain, by Thomas Mann, this last quarter. I found it long and fairly difficult, but also rewarding and intriguing. It's the sort of book where nothing really happens, in the Hollywood sense, but the characters are well-developed and the book delves into some really interesting philosophy. I especially liked the way the book dealt with time as a subjective phenomenon. This occurs as the visit of the book's protagonist, Hans Castorp, to an Alpine sanatorium prolongs itself from an initial visit of a couple of weeks to months, then years. The first days and weeks are described in great detail, in pages of impressions, character development, and scenery. As time goes on, the book moves more quickly, with entire years passing by almost unnoted. This parallels the way that time seems to move slowly at first when one enters a new situation, then speeds up as routine sets in.
I received the book from my high school debate teacher, then waited 6 years to finish reading it (see "long and fairly difficult"). It was worth it.