When I think about books that stick with me, often I think of those books in school that made me fall in love with books (Wuthering Heights), or the ones that sparked my interest to begin with in childhood (Shiloh, The Borrowers), or the ones that I have devoured because of their amazing stories and worlds (Harry Potter, The Hunger Games).

Now, imagine a book that could have been all of those things and you have The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. I took this picture of my advanced reading copy in April, and although the cover has changed since then, my enthusiasm for this book hasn’t wavered since I first cracked it open. Erin Morgenstern has created a magically amazing world that I lingered in over a month for fear of finding myself on the last page of The Night Circus.

It is at magical Le Cirque des Rêves that most of this story takes place. A circus that opens at nightfall and closes at dawn. A world in which the only colors are black and white, where the figments of your imagination are no longer figments, and where Celia and Marco play in a game of magic they were chosen for as children.

Much like a tennis game is played on a tennis court, this magical match takes place within the night circus. Each player tries to outdo the other with their creations within the circus. From a garden made of ice to a maze made of clouds, these two magicians make their moves in the public arena of Le Cirque des Rêves. But as they get to know each other by their magic, they begin to fall for each other.

Celia and Marco are not the only ones to fall in love while at the night circus. Many become enchanted with the circus itself and although Le Cirque des Rêves never announces where it will show up next, they have created a network in which they can follow the circus from place to place. These enthusiasts are called rêveurs. They dress in black and white when they attend the circus, except for one dash of red. They want to pay homage to the circus, but yet stand apart from it. Over time, this guise becomes how rêveurs identify each other while at the circus.

Much like our friend Emily Crowe (check out her blog on their Night Circus event), many of us at Lemuria feel the same enchantment for Le Cirque des Rêves as the rêveurs in The Night Circus do. Therefore, on Monday, October 3rd the date The Night Circus author Erin Morgenstern comes to Lemuria, we will all be dressed accordingly in our black and white with a dash of red. We cordially invite you to come experience the magic and excitement for yourself.

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