The Legend of Sigurd & Gudrún
J.R.R. Tolkien
Chose this as a theme reading for my trip to Norway, and of course I have had a special place in my heart for Tolkien since elementary school.
Story-wise, “Sigurd & Gudrun” is pretty reminiscent of the Icelandic sagas I remember from high school–quite violent, not a lot of poetic language, and pretty minimal involvement of the Norse deities (who are, as my dad noted, a great shock for those of us used to thinking that “God” and “loving” go together).
By far the most enjoyable part of S&G was Tolkien’s alliterative verse. I read a significant chunk of “Sigurd” aloud to my dad and stepmom, and it would definitely be an incomplete experience of this book to read it only to oneself.