You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

Since the Chunky Challenge is the year-long challenge for next year, I thought it might be fun if we had a place to recommend our favorite long reads. (Due to the challenge rules, books should be at least 500 pages long.)

Even for members not participating in the challenge, what could be better for a long plane or car trip? Or you might just need a book to fall into to distract you when going through a tough time. Please include the number of pages to help out other readers.

Here are a few of my favorites:

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (672 pp)

If you enjoy a good mystery/thriller with a little romance thrown in, you can't go wrong with Wilkie Collins. I read this twice, once just before I found GR and once recently, and both times it was a page-turner. I could almost eat the pages, they were so good!


The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas (1276 pp)

Before GR, I don't think I'd have read this if someone paid me. Nothing about it ever made me feel it was worth the time. Boy, was I wrong! This is adventure, suspense, romance, all tied together in one fabulous package. Yes, it's long, but I was so sad when this book ended. I would say at least give it a try before deciding for sure not to bother.


The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman (630 pp)

This book is the first in a British paranormal mystery series. The main character is a single mom who is a priest in the Church of England. The story takes place in a small country village in need of a vicar. Enter Merrily Watkins and her teenaged daughter. The writing is insightful and he really knows how to lay the groundwork for a creepy read that manages to be cozy at the same time. I was glued to the pages and didn't want the book to end. Luckily, it's the first of a long series, many of which are over 500 pages.


11/22/63 by Stephen King (849 pp)

If the horror genre is not your thing, you may be avoiding Stephen King. You might want to reconsider with this one. This is a work of historical fiction with a time travel element to it. A love story also plays a big role here, and you'll learn a lot about the Kennedy assassination. I'd probably call this a suspense novel, but it's not creepy and gory, as many of King's other novels are. If you've shied away from his stuff in the past, and the premise of a time traveller going back in time to try and avert the Kennedy assassination sounds interesting, you might wanna give this one a go.

Hi Laura - I have not read the Phil Rickman book but the other three have my hearty endorsement! I read "The Count" in highschool and have never forgotten it. It was my first huge classic ever read.
The other two, I just read this year and they were totally 5 star reads for me.

The Book Thief and The Tenant of Wildfell Hall were both 5 star reads for me too and both are over 500 pages.

Two that spring to my mind straight away are The Poisonwood Bible and The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver.

The Poisonwood Bible is about an American family that travels to the Belgian Congo in the 50s as missionaries. Told from the perspective of the daughters and the mother (not the father who is the reason for being there). An insightful look into missionary work and the collapse of one of the biggest cock ups in colonisation. Hands down one of the best books I've ever read.

The Lacuna starting in 1930s Mexico, you follow Harrison's life, which puts him in close friendship with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, and if that's not enough, Leon Trotsky once he's in exile. It also was the best explanation for me on how the US is how it is nowdays, with it's obsession with communism and how that impacted it's population in the 50s. Another beautiful book.

Loved both of them. If you only read one, I'd suggest the former, but both for me were great reads.

I'll throw in my top picks for 500+ pages:


War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1392 p)

This far exceeded my expectations. Well worth the time. I listened to it in the car and it took me 2 months to get through the 60 hours.

Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber (605 p)

This is the start of a science fiction series with the epic feel of the large fantasy series. I've finished 4 of the 7 in the series so far and they are all good.

Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell (656 p)

After finishing Jane Austen I turned to Elizabeth Gaskell. She hasn't let me down yet.

Gulag by Anne Applebaum (677 p)

A non-fiction choice. A fascinating and disturbing look at the history of the Gulag prison system in Russia. Extremely well researched.

Ooooo good idea.

I always find Stephen King a quick read - even the real chunksters like The Stand and Under the Dome

Staying on the horror track Swan Song is one of my favourites of all time.

Historical Fiction/Romance? The Bronze Horseman and the following two books are also over 500 pages.

Into the Darkest Corner is a fantastic psychological thriller/mystery

The Passage by Justin Cronin (784p)and The Twelve (568p) are the first two novels in his trilogy. If you like a different twist on the end of the world these are two of the best I've read. Loved them.

Great idea! The descriptions make it a lot easier to decide if it's something for you.

I'm not sure if I hope to find many books here though! ;-) I'll see if I can add some others to the list later.

Here are a few of my favourites:

Wolf Hall (650p)- The first book in a three part series about Thomas Cromwell which won the Booker Prize in 2009. It offers up a different view of this much maligned historical figure and brings Tudor England vividly to life. This is one of my favourite books of 2013 and is also one of my all-time favourites.

Company of Liars (548p)- A historical mystery (with a supernatural/fantasy element) set in the year 1348 against the backdrop of the Black Death. A great story with some fascinating characters.

Cross Stitch (864p)- The first book in the 'Outlander' series. The world building is fantastic and the villain is just detestable. It is very long (as are the other books in the series) but it is well worth the effort. I absolutely loved this book and can't wait to read more of the series. Jamie Fraser......need I say more! ;)

Fingersmith (548p)- An entertaining story set in Victorian England with plenty of twists and turns and some interesting characters who could easily have stepped straight off the pages of a Dickens novel.

Birdsong (503p)- Another of my all-time favourites. A gripping, emotional tale about love and loss set predominately in the trenches during the First World War. Could not put it down and read it within 2 days.

The Night Circus (502p)- This is also one of my favourite books. If you like fantasy, you should definitely check it out. It's a magical story and very immersive. You just get lost in the world of this mysterious night circus. I found myself wishing it was real.

I also really enjoyed The Bronze Horseman, The Woman in White and The Book Thief. 'The Bronze Horseman' is my favourite book of all time. It blew me away.

The chunkster that I am most looking forward to reading is The Count of Monte Cristo. It is high up my list of must-read books for 2014.

I added summaries to my earlier post.

Great idea! Thanks for starting this!

This is such a great idea! I love this recs so far. Many I have already read and a couple are already on my chunky list as possible picks. I can say that of the ones listed above, ones I have especially loved are The Woman in White, Gulag, and The Poisonwood Bible. I definitely recommend them.

Here are a few others to add to this list:

Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes 663 pages
This book still resonates with me after reading it several years ago. It is one of the few books I later purchased for my shelf. I plan in a re-read in a few years.

Sashenka by Simon Sebag Montefiore 512 pages
This one was a page turner. A Stalin-era Russian historical fiction.

The Cider House Rules by John Irving 560 pages
This one surprised me, I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I did.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides 529 pages
I listened to this on audio and it was well-done in my opinion. It took a little while to get used to the characters voices (all performed by the same narrator) but once I got that settled, it was really good.

The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins 510 pages
I think anything by Wilkie is going to be a great read. This one was really good.

I have read War and Peace and do think if you want to invest the time, it really is a surprisingly good read. I spent about 6 months getting through it and I'm glad I did. I can now said I've read it (!) and it really was pretty darn good.

The Discovery of Heaven (906p)
A Dutch literature classic, also made into a movie. I read it in high school and have to admit I forgot was it was about, but I do remember enjoying reading it. I want to reread it someday.

The Time Traveler's Wife (528p)
About a man who involuntarily travels through time and falls in love with a girl who lives normally in the present.

Wildflower Hill (544p)
Dual time-line story set in Tasmania, Australia. A quick and easy read, and the pages fly by.


Turns out most chunksters I've read so far were light chicklit-kind-of books.

P.S. I Love You (503p). I like chicklit every now and then, just something simple to read quickly without too much thinking. This one however, I loved. Story about a young woman whose husband dies and he has left her notes and letters to arrive every month for a year. Such a sweet story :)

And if you're looking for some other easy no-brain chicklit-like chunksters, I rates these 4 stars (although once again I'm not sure about the story anymore, but I think they might have had also a more serious aspect than just a simple love story: The Other Side of the Story (647p), This Charming Man (704p) and Last Chance Saloon (596p), all by Marian Keyes.

Two books which I read long ago but have remembered many years later which are over 500 pages.

Katherine by Anya Seton

and

Green Darkness by Anya Seton

I agree with the two by Wilkie collins - read both The Moonstone and The Woman in White and thought they were both excellent.

Also second the suggestion of Katherine, fabulous book.

looking at my long books, I'd also add to the suggestion pile the following:

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. at 509 pages, you may find some editions too short, so check. It's a set of related short stories from the 18th century to some future time. All told in very different voices. Sounds as odd as anything, but this was my best book of 2012.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Another that only just squeaks in, 506 pages. At one level its about a boy and a book, but it's about so much more - love, lust, fear and what we do to avoid being hurt.

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. Its a story of two sisters, the death of one and life of the other. Has more plot twists than a corkscrew.

And I'll just add a suggestion that for anyone who likes historical fiction, you could do worse than try Sharon Penman. She writes some pretty hefty tomes and are usually pretty god. My favourite is probably the welsh trilogy, starting with Here be Dragons

Great thread! Loads of the books I would have recommended have already been listed. Most of the reads I've enjoyed which are over 500 pages have been in the fantasy genre but I'll limit the fantasy recs to just one (although I'd also include The Name of the Wind (662pgs), Wool Omnibus (509pgs), and Warbreaker (652pgs)).

I would recommend the books in A Song of Ice and Fire series starting with A Game of Thrones (835pgs) and all the other books are also over 500 pages. If you like fantasy, medieval style battles, struggles of succession to the throne and Royals in general, dragons and the like then you will enjoy this.

Also NOS4A2 (692pgs) which is ideal for those who like horror, creepy, thriller stories and fans of Stephen King (as Joe Hill is his son).

The books in the Millennium Trilogy starting with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (538pgs) which is a dark, Scandinavian thriller. The two follow ups are also over 500 pages.

Oh yeah! Definitely the A Game of Thrones series. I forgot about that one. Good rec, Sarah.

Dawn, i have the 5 and 6 of the Safehold series in my chunster list if you want to buddy read them.

Lisa, i may read the conte de monte Cristo also this year. I still have to connect it in but a lot of you proved to me that when there is a will, there is a link,

Trying to list books that have not been mention yet, I am going to add It to the mix. I really got into that one.

For dracula's fan there is The Historian.

For fantasy lovers there is The Way of Shadows, first of a trilogy. Darkish and a bit twisted.

Thanks Kat for mentioning Into the Darkest Corner - I didn't realise it was over 500 pages. I have it on my kindle and just checked and it definitely is so I now have another chunkster to add to my list.

I've always enjoyed James Michener. I highly recommend Hawaii, Centennial, The Source and Chesapeake. I'm reading Texas right now and it's good so far.

There's also The Pillars of the Earth.

Years ago I read Evening Class by Maeve Binchy

I have not read it, but my daughter loved Forever Amber

I second the vote for The Night Circus.

Esther wrote: "Dawn, i have the 5 and 6 of the Safehold series in my chunster list if you want to buddy read them.

Lisa, i may read the conte de monte Cristo also this year. I still have to connect it in but a l..."

I forgot about The Historian but I second your shout-out for it Esther. I really enjoyed it when I read it a few years ago. It is definitely worth checking out if you like Dracula, vampires, history etc.

Judy wrote: "Lisa wrote: "Esther wrote: "Dawn, i have the 5 and 6 of the Safehold series in my chunster list if you want to buddy read them.

Lisa, i may read the conte de monte Cristo also this year. I still h..."

Totally agree Judy. I actually liked it more for the historical element than the vampire element, although I enjoyed that part of it too. The real 'Count Dracula' is an interesting figure to learn about.

These are all taken from my 5 star list:

Similar to Pillars of the Earth is Cathedral of the Sea (611 pages), only better. This story is set in Barcelona and follows the life of a man from the time he was a child to old age experiencing the building of the cathedral and the Spanish Inquisition. I can't do justice to a short blurb, so just click the link and read all about it.

I have The Lord of the Rings as a set at over 1100 pages. This fantasy trilogy is perhaps my favourite story of all time.

A Prayer for Owen Meany (637 pages) is the quintessential John Irving book about a boy who is diminutive in size but not in personality. He claims he knows when he will die. It's also about another boy who is his best friend and their relationship.

Thunderhead (533 pages). If you are into archeological mysteries, this one turned me into a fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child.

11/22/63 by Stephen King (849 pages) time travels back to the assassination of Kennedy. It's alternative history in it's finest.

The Green Mile (538 pages) by Stephen King is simply an amazing story. It chronicles the story of a gentle man with an amazing gift who is sentenced to die for a crime he didn't commit.

Hawaii (960 pages) James Michener and historical fiction in its finest.

Speaks the Nightbird (816 pages) examines obsession set in a Puritan town and centered around the trial of a witch to be burned at the stake.

Esther wrote: "Dawn, i have the 5 and 6 of the Safehold series in my chunster list if you want to buddy read them...."

Yes, absolutely! Book 5 is already on my list for the challenge and I have no problem adding #6 too.

Janice wrote: "These are all taken from my 5 star list:

Similar to Pillars of the Earth is Cathedral of the Sea (611 pages), only better. This story is set in Barcelona and follows the life of a ..."

Thanks, Janice. I put it on my "To Read" list.

Judy wrote: "Great idea, Laura. Here is my top 10:

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke - Clarke is an excellent modern writer of fantasy that is fun and creative. Her originality and s..."

Ah yes. Cutting for Stone was a very nice surprise on my around the world reading list. Great book.

Another one that springs to mind is The Windup Girl, but make sure you get the edition that is over 500pp long. Set in the future in Thailand after the world has been ravaged by climate change and food is owned by GM companies. I really enjoyed the steampunky mystery, while considering what might actually happen to our world if we continue how we are. It was a Group Theme Read Dec last year, so check out the thread for more thoughts if you are interested.

This list was a great idea but I didn't really need to add more books to my TBR. :)

Another book that I found that I loved,

Hild by Nicola Griffith (560p)

Historical Fiction set in seventh century Britain. The first book in the story of the girl who would become St. Hilda of Whitby. Loved this one, it's a meandering story and absolutely gorgeous.

I'd like to suggest a few:

If you like Historical fiction then I think you may like Sharon Kay Penman's books. She has many different series but the one I am recommending is the Welsh Princes series following the story of Llewelyn The Great through to Llewelyn The Last: Here be Dragons (803 pages) and Falls the Shadow (580 pages). I have included the third in this series; The Reckoning (680 pages) to my own chunkster list.

Wolf Hall (650 pages) has already been mentioned but I thought it was really good and I love anything to do with The Tudors.

The Dragon Keeper (553 pages) is one of my favourites, it's the first series of the Rain Wild Chronicles which features dragons of course and magic, so in general a fantasy =D Book 2: Dragon Haven (508 pages) can also be included in the chunkster challenge so that's on my list.

Lastly for any YA fans: The Host (619 pages) works well. And the The Twilight Saga can fit in with this challenge as all apart from the first book (at 498 pages) are over 500 pages, so you could combine it with the extra book The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner (178 pages).

Lots of good ideas here, and plenty I need to add to my neverending list!

I read The Shadow of the Wind too but my edition wasn't a chunky one so I didn't include but, YES! It was so very good.

Matterhorn has been sitting patiently in my audible library and I keep neglecting to add it in my challenge. Oh well I prefer books over 500 pages so I'll just read it out of the challenge I guess.

It is so good. I rec it very highly. Although, I'm not sure how the audio is as I read the book.

Great... now I am adding more chunksters to my TBR than I would be able to read for this challenge :)

I second the recommendations for The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, and The Decameron.

If somebody hasn't read the Harry Potter Boxset series, this is the time to do it. Most of them are over 500 pages but you get through them in maximum 2-3 days.

Angels & Demons by Dan Brown is the first in the Robert Langdon series. If you like conspiracy mysteries and books in the style of National Treasure, you would like this one. And then you would want to go to Rome and see everything with your own eyes :)

The Other Boleyn Girl - it is about Anne Boleyn and her sister. The historical period is shown through the eyes of a girl living and involved with the royal court. It's historical fiction, but with a lot of romance and drama. If you like it, you can read more of the same series (some other of the books are also above 500p)

The White Lioness - this was one of my first Henning Mankell books and I really enjoyed it. It is a mystery set both in Sweden and South Africa, and it kept me on edge till the very end.

Jane Eyre - a classic. Loved the romantic story.

I agree with the existing recommendations for The Shadow of the Wind, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China, Cutting for Stone, and Jane Eyre.

Other chunkster recommendations:

Daughter of the Forest
Fantasy - This is a fairy-tale retelling that is wonderfully written.

The Forgotten Garden
Historical fiction - Upon her grandmother's death, Cassandra finds out that her grandmother was raised by a couple that found her on an abandoned dock where a ship had traveled from Australia to England.

The Mists of Avalon
Fantasy - Great interpretation of the Arthurian legend

The Help (some editions > 500)
Historical fiction - This book details the fictional lives of three women during the 1960's civil rights movement in Mississippi.

Memoirs of a Geisha
Historical fiction - details the life of a famous geisha

Someone Knows My Name (some editions > 500)
Historical fiction - Kidnapped as a child from Africa, Aminata Diallo is enslaved in South Carolina but escapes during the chaos of the Revolutionary War.

While I have read many of the books mentioned I would urge you to read Herman Wouk's master books set before and during WWII. They are The Winds of War and War and Remembrance. Through one family, Wouk tells the story of the War both in Europe, the Far East, the home front and concentration camps. Through the use of a diary, he also tells the story of the War through the perspective of the Germans. While the second book Wouk wrote was published almost 7 years later, he did assure readers that the two books stood on their own. me, a neurotic reader suggests you read the first and then second to remember details.

@Nancy, i had both of those on my tbr for a long time but then took them off. After your rec, I think I'll put them back on. thanks. :) I totally relate to your neurosis.

OK Tasha = now I feel responsible for your reading of the Wouk books but I think they are definitely worth it. Yes, between my obsession with reading and recording my books and all the time I spend here talking about books I probably need a shrink. My luck we would spend my session talking about books. LOL

LOL! I understand, believe me.

I'm sure I will enjoy them. I love stories of WW2 and military stuff, generational stories, all that and it seems this book will deliver on all of those. I had them on once so apparently, I just needed a tiny bit of prodding to get them back on. ;)

I also enjoy generational sagas and WW2 books. I am currently reading a book which takes place in Shanghai at the onset of WW2. Shanghai was one place which didn't require papers for people to enter and many Jews from Germany found refuge there during the war. While this is fiction there are a couple of true stories about the Ghetto established in Shanghai by the Sephardic community headed by a gentleman named Sassoon.

Wow. The Winds of War is 46 hours long on audio, but it looks fantastic. Thanks, Nancy. Not sure how to work this one in, but it is getting tons of rave reviews.

Laura - because Herman Wouk was always a favorite author of mine from the time I read Marjorie Morningstar, I read Winds of War when it was first published. Then years later War and Remembrance was published and I decided to reread Winds of War, for all of the details, before tackling War and Remembrance. Bad move since once I finished Winds, I couldn't think of reading the second book. But a while back I wanted to read War and Remembrance badly and so I decided to skim the first book. The second book was even better than the first oen I found.

Wow, that is good to know.

Nancy wrote: "While I have read many of the books mentioned I would urge you to read Herman Wouk's master books set before and during WWII. They are The Winds of War and [book:War and Remembrance|4..."

Yes yes yes!!

I honestly believe this challenge will result in doubling my tbr pile for 500+ books at the very least.

Oh well I will just have to ask God for more time on earth ... after all I am not done reading yet!

I second The Woman in White, The Count of Monte Cristo, The Book Thief, Wolf Hall, Fingersmith, The Moonstone, The Three Musketeers, Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China and The Decameron

The Woman in White is moving higher and higher on my TBR -I actually had never heard of it ( shocked gasps) until this year but it seems those that have read it love it.

I'm the same, I hadn't heard of it before, but its rather appealing to me, so may have to add it into my chunkster list. I also will be adding The Three Musketeers as it fits in well with another challenge in another group.. Too many are getting added to my TBR list =/

And I would also highly recommend

Charles Dickens: A Life by Claire Tomalin (527 p)

Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray (867 p)

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

No Name by Wilkie Collins (748 p)

Hatter's Castle by A.J. Cronin (608 p)

At Swim, Two Boys by Jamie O'Neill (562 p)

As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann (532 p)

Bleak House, Little Dorrit, Sketches by Boz and other books by Charles Dickens

Anna, I'm considering No Name, and since you've read that one and The Woman in White...which is better? I've wanted to read NN for some time. I think I'd read anything by Collins, although I've tried The Moonstone once and couldn't get into it.

Marnie and Sarah - you really have to try Woman in White. It is so creepy. His writing is beyond description for creating atmosphere and people.

Marnie wrote: "The Woman in White is moving higher and higher on my TBR -I actually had never heard of it ( shocked gasps) until this year but it seems those that have read it love it."

Marnie, The Woman in White is brilliant! I can't recommend it highly enough. I put off reading it for a while because the length intimidated me a bit but I couldn't put it down once I started. The language is very accessible, the storyline is gripping and the characters are great.

All true. I want to read all of his stuff now. Lisa, have you read any of his others?