That book — and this one — were particularly intriguing to me, someone who has known the family for years.
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2The fact that the second book is mentioned in the supplement does not change the fact that there are two books. Were is the correct form to use.– JavaLatteCommented Jan 10 at 7:09
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1It's slightly awkward, but such sentences are quite common to indicate the development of thought processes or changing situations. There's a similar question with brackets not dashes and one with commas, and answers differ depending on how relevant/significant/closely-linked the parenthetical (second) part is. Here, I think the plural sounds better, because it applies equally to both books.– Stuart FCommented Jan 10 at 11:08
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Other similar questions ell.stackexchange.com/questions/137227/… ell.stackexchange.com/questions/264451/… ell.stackexchange.com/questions/285249/…– Stuart FCommented Jan 10 at 11:11
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Yes, the plural verb is correct. The supplement is relevant to determining the the form of the verb.– BillJCommented Jan 10 at 12:46
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I agree with "were" being correct. That said, these constructions can be awkward even for native speakers. When I'm writing, often I rewrite the sentence to avoid them. "These two books were particularly intriguing to me" or "That book--much like this book--was particularly intriguing to me"– KaiaCommented Jan 10 at 18:17
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