Learn Hardcore French: J'aime surtout lire ce roman le soir. - I especially like to read this novel in the evening.

In French, when one verb follows another verb like aimer, préférer, détester, etc., the second verb is usually left in the infinitive.

J'aime lire. = I like to read / I like reading.

So:

J'aime lire ce roman.
not
*J'aime lis ce roman.

In English you change the form (like I like reading / to read). In French you simply keep the second verb in its infinitive form.

What exactly does surtout mean here?

Surtout most often means especially, above all, particularly.

In J'aime surtout lire ce roman le soir, it suggests:

Among all the contexts in which I read this novel, I especially enjoy doing so in the evening.
Or: Among the things I do in the evening, reading this novel is something I especially like.

It emphasizes what comes after: the activity lire ce roman le soir.

Why is surtout placed between aime and lire? Could it go somewhere else?

Surtout is an adverb, and French adverbs are often placed after the conjugated verb and before the infinitive:

J'aime surtout lire ce roman… (neutral, very natural)

You can move surtout, but it slightly shifts the emphasis:

Je lis surtout ce roman le soir.
→ I mostly read this novel in the evening (emphasis on when / what you read).
J'aime lire ce roman surtout le soir.
→ I like reading this novel, especially in the evening (emphasis very specifically on the evening, a bit stronger than the original).

The given sentence is a common, natural word order.

How should I translate J'aime surtout lire ce roman le soir into natural English?

Several translations are natural; all are close in meaning:

I especially like reading this novel in the evening.
I particularly like reading this novel in the evening.
I especially enjoy reading this novel in the evening.

The French present tense j'aime usually corresponds to English I like / I enjoy, and it often implies a habit.

What’s the nuance of ce roman? Why not ce livre?

In French:

un roman = a novel (a long fictional narrative)
un livre = a book (any kind of book: novel, manual, textbook, etc.)

So ce roman means this novel, not just this book.
If you said ce livre, you would be less specific about the type of book.

The sentence focuses on this particular novel, as a work of fiction.

Why is it ce roman and not cet roman?

The demonstrative adjective for masculine singular nouns is:

ce before a consonant sound: ce roman, ce livre, ce garçon
cet before a vowel sound or silent h: cet homme, cet été, cet hôtel

Since roman starts with a consonant sound /ʁ/ (the French r), we use ce:

ce roman = this novel.

What does le soir mean exactly? Is it in the evening or in the evenings?

Le soir can mean either:

in the evening (a specific general time of day), or
in the evenings (as a regular habit).

French often uses le + moment of the day to express a habitual or general time:

Le matin = in the morning / in the mornings.
L’après-midi = in the afternoon / in the afternoons.
Le soir = in the evening / in the evenings.

Context decides whether you translate it as singular or plural, but the idea here is a repeated habit.

What’s the difference between le soir and la soirée?

Both are related to the evening, but they’re used differently:

le soir = the evening as a time of day, usually in a general or habitual sense.
- J'aime lire le soir. = I like reading in the evening.
la soirée = the duration of the evening, often a specific evening or an event.
- J'ai passé la soirée à lire. = I spent the evening reading.
- Une soirée can be a social event (a party, gathering).

In the sentence J'aime surtout lire ce roman le soir, the idea is a habitual time of day, so le soir is the right choice.

Could I say J’aime bien surtout lire ce roman le soir or J’aime beaucoup surtout…?

No, that sounds awkward or wrong. In French, adverbs that modify aimer stack in a limited way.

J'aime bien lire ce roman. = I quite like / I rather like reading this novel.
J'aime beaucoup lire ce roman. = I really like / like a lot reading this novel.
J'aime surtout lire ce roman. = Above all, I like (in particular) reading this novel.

Putting bien / beaucoup and surtout together is usually redundant or unnatural:

*J'aime bien surtout… (feels wrong; too many overlapping modifiers)
*J'aime beaucoup surtout… (same issue)

You normally choose one main adverb with aimer: bien, beaucoup, surtout, etc.

Is there any important pronunciation I should notice in this sentence?

Yes, a few points:

J'aime: sounds like [ʒɛm], similar to zhèm.
J'aime surtout: there is no liaison between aime and surtout; you don’t pronounce a linking consonant.
lire ce roman:
- lire: [liʁ] (the French r at the back of the throat)
- ce: [sə], very short vowel
- roman: [ʁɔ.mɑ̃], with nasal an sound at the end.
le soir: soir = [swaʁ], one syllable, swahr.

Said naturally, the rhythm groups words:

J'aime surtout / lire ce roman / le soir.

Can I move le soir to the beginning or middle of the sentence?

Yes, but it slightly changes the emphasis:

Le soir, j'aime surtout lire ce roman.
→ In the evening, I especially like reading this novel. (Strong emphasis on when.)
J'aime lire ce roman le soir surtout.
→ I like reading this novel in the evening especially. (Emphasis more on the evening as opposed to other times.)

All are grammatically correct. The original

J'aime surtout lire ce roman le soir. is a very natural, neutral word order.