Best longish book that is worth the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anna Karenina

+1

Also, The Thornbirds and Where the Crawdads Sing

WTCS is not long, it doesn't even break 400 pages. Completely average

The OP said "long-ish" why are you policing everyone's replies? You're not the decider of what is "long-ish" or not.

Because less than 400 pages is AVERAGE

I read average books, and they are basically between 300-400 pages. Including them takes away from long books. They are just books. Your reply is rubbish.

Sorry to disappoint you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m reading Demon Copperhead. 600 hundred pages long and it is sagging. I want to quit! I can’t bare to read it anymore, I don’t care about Demon. Too much internal dialogue and not enough plot.

I feel the same. But last summer I read David Copperfield by CD himself so I find myself just trying to directly compare the two - chapter and verse. which is a fun distraction.

Also, while CD's version was an autobiography, I try to see Demon Copperhead as a metaphor for the most poor and oppressed in extremis. I mean, some of his misadventures are just comical.

And the original IS about making your way poor and orphaned in england at a certain time in history. It ultimately is a happy ending and CD is great at painting pictures. Set in mid 1800s england, i feel distance of time and space -and less emotionally invested in his plight.

But in Demon Copperhead, I'm more aware of these issues, they are physically and temporally closer, and the impact is greater.

As well, i believe the author is giving a voice to those who rarely get one, and the issues are au currant.

The writing is good and i feel like i'm learning something - which is a criteria for my time spent reading.

Agree, agree. Really terrific premise. But despite all of that, the book is tedious.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Is there a certain genre you prefer? Classics? Literary fiction? Historical fiction? Mysteries? Romance? Fantasy?

It's hard to know where to start.

Where to start what? Reading "longish" books? Or just plain reading? Read what you like -- what I like (literary fiction and pop cnf) isn't necessarily going to be what you like.

I believe "where to start" referred to giving a recommendation, which I have asked for. I like all kinds of genres, though I have a bit of a harder time with science fiction. "Read what you like" is generally good advice, but I asking for a something a little more specific. The poster below noted that Demon Copperfield, which has received rave reviews, is a slog at 600 pages. It's a great example of exactly what I am trying to avoid. I am asking for a book that was worth the pages.

I'd consider medium to longish anything over 400 pages.

Meanwhile I couldn't put Demon Copperhead down. I devoured it in maybe 2-3 days. It was the opposite of a slog for me. Reading is so subjective that in order to give good recommendations, I usually need to know what books you consider your favorite or your opinions on common books we've read.

(DP)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Cutting for Stone was excellent.

Have you tried his new book?

I'm a DP and while it was good, The Covenant of Water pales in comparison to Cutting for Stone.

But both fall into the longish-but-worth-reading category for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Ken Follet: The Pillars of the Earth

+1 This series is great.

[Anonymous]

My unpopular opinion: The Goldfinch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1Q84 by Haruki Murakami. Now I feel like re-reading it.

Anything by Haruki Murakami.

[Anonymous]

Shantaram

Long but riveting story of Australian runaway convict who goes to India and ends up helping others in the slums

[Anonymous]

Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane

[Anonymous]

A Prayer for Owen Meany

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anna Karenina

+1

Also, The Thornbirds and Where the Crawdads Sing

WTCS is not long, it doesn't even break 400 pages. Completely average

Alrighty...then how about Gone with the Wind and Hawaii? They're both over 1,000 pages. Do they meet with your monitoring approval?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shantaram

Long but riveting story of Australian runaway convict who goes to India and ends up helping others in the slums

DP. Thanks for bringing this up! A coworker recommended this to me long ago after I said I liked Lonesome Dove.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Shantaram

Long but riveting story of Australian runaway convict who goes to India and ends up helping others in the slums

I have always wanted to read this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My unpopular opinion: The Goldfinch

Goldfinch was great! Not as long as some of the others listed, but loved it.

[Anonymous]

From Sea to Shining Sea