Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme started by @Lauren’s Page Turners but is currently hosted by Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog. This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and explain why you want to read it. It is that simple.

This week’s book:

The Melancholy of Resistance by László Krasznahorkai

Blurb from Goodreads

A powerful, surreal novel, in the tradition of Gogol, about the chaotic events surrounding the arrival of a circus in a small Hungarian town. The Melancholy of Resistance, László Krasznahorkai’s magisterial novel, depicts a chain of mysterious events in a small Hungarian town. A circus, promising to display the stuffed body of the largest whale in the world, arrives in the dead of winter, prompting bizarre rumours. Word spreads that the circus folk have a sinister purpose in mind, and the frightened citizens cling to any manifestation of order they can find – music, cosmology, fascism. The novel’s characters are unforgettable: the evil Mrs. Eszter, plotting her takeover of the town; her weakling husband; and Valuska, our hapless hero with his head in the clouds, who is the tender center of the book, the only pure and noble soul to be found. Compact, powerful and intense, The Melancholy of Resistance, as its enormously gifted translator George Szirtes puts it, “is a slow lava flow of narrative, a vast black river of type.” And yet, miraculously, the novel, in the words of The Guardian, “lifts the reader along in lunar leaps and bounds.”

Why I Want To Read It

Happy Monday, everyone! Technically, it’s already Tuesday—I know. Monday again. Mondays aren’t everyone’s cup of tea… or maybe coffee. I, too, am not a fan of Mondays. Still, we push forward. After all, we’ve got to start somewhere, and Monday is a good starting point. It offers a chance to work on our goals—ironically, the start is often the hardest part. That said, I hope everyone had a restful weekend in preparation for the rigors of the week ahead. The weather here in the Philippines has remained unpredictable. Occasional downpours contrast sharply with the stifling heat. It’s no wonder many are feeling under the weather; the Department of Education even had to cancel face-to-face classes to prevent the further spread of influenza. With that, I hope you’re doing well—mentally, emotionally, and physically. May we all make it through (or survive) the workweek. I wish you all the best for the days ahead.

Time really does fly. Just like that, we’re already midway through the tenth month of the year. We’ve completed three-fourths of the year and entered the final quarter. Despite the uncertainties the future holds, time keeps moving forward—regardless of our readiness. While the future remains shrouded in uncertainty, there’s still much to look forward to. I hope everything has been going well for you this year. As we approach the year’s inevitable close, I wish that the remainder of it is kind to everyone. May the remaining months shower us all with blessings, positivity, healing, and growth. I hope good news and kindness come knocking on your doors in the coming weeks. Wishing you success and happiness.

With the start of a new week comes a new reading adventure—and, well, a fresh Goodreads Monday update. After concluding my journey into European literature—a journey that lasted a full quarter—I’ve now pivoted to the works of American writers. When I say “American writers,” I refer to authors across the entire continent, from North to South America. Their works—along with those of some African writers—comprise the remaining titles in my reading challenge. This is a literary journey I’m excited about, and with many wonderful titles lined up, I’m pretty sure I won’t be disappointed. That said, I’ll occasionally interject works by non-American writers.

It was during the lead-up to the announcement of the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2018 that I first came across László Krasznahorkai and his compatriot Péter Nádas. Both were identified as possible awardees. Neither received the prize that year (it was postponed to 2019), but both piqued my interest. A couple of years later, Krasznahorkai was named the recipient of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Literature, making him just the second Hungarian writer to earn the most prestigious literary prize in the world. It was a decision I’m quite satisfied with. I’ve already read two of his works—starting with his debut novel Sátántangó (1985) and, more recently, Baron Wenckheim’s Homecoming (2016). Both are fascinating reads, albeit riddled with darkness. The darkness, however, belies a humor—often absurdist—subtly woven into these lush texts.

Anyway, for this Goodreads Monday update, I’m featuring The Melancholy of Resistance, Krasznahorkai’s sophomore novel. Originally published in 1989 as Az ellenállás melankóliája, the novel promises the same baffling yet intriguing literary experience. It’s once again set in an unnamed town. There’s a sense of apocalypse—perhaps moral in nature. These are hallmarks of the Hungarian writer’s oeuvre. There are also mysterious characters and political allegories. Krasznahorkai’s novels are rarely simple. I suppose this is one of the pleasures of reading his work—being immersed in his apocalyptic visions, doused in dark and absurdist humor. And yes, the novel features a mysterious circus exhibiting a whale… and nothing else. Needless to say, it’s going to be quite an experience.

I’m looking forward to reading The Melancholy of Resistance. It seems like a complex but rewarding novel. With Krasznahorkai’s recognition by the Swedish Academy, I expect most of his works translated into English will be reissued. I can’t wait to get my hands on them. Aside from The Melancholy of Resistance, I also hope to read War and War, Seiobo There Below, and Herscht 07769. Each promises to offer a different dimension of the Hungarian writer’s prose. How about you, fellow reader? How was your Monday? What books have you recently added to your reading list? Drop your thoughts in the comments. For now—happy Monday, and as always, happy reading!