Extra-Long Books Archives

The Book of Strange New Things

by Michel Faber

From The New York Times: "Eerie and ambitious. . . . Faber is a genuinely gifted storyteller and his novel gains resonance and tidal force in its final third." I recommend this to Seth Haines in episode 4 of What Should I Read Next.

Middlemarch

by George Eliot

Eliot's hefty masterpiece combines her "study of provincial life" with a close look at several young couples who fall (or think they fall) in love. Who will find lasting happiness, and who won't, and why? By focusing on the narrow disappointments and particular joys of this small community, Eliot cuts to the heart of human nature. A novel about love, happiness, and second chances.

In This House of Brede

by Rumer Godden

On my TBR because I've heard this is wonderful. From the publisher: "For most of her adult life, Philippa Talbot has been a successful British professional. Now in her forties, the World War II–widow has made a startling decision: She’s giving up her civil service career and elite social standing to join a convent as a postulant Roman Catholic nun."

Cutting for Stone

by Abraham Verghese

I've heard to start this book with no preconceptions because the description doesn't do it justice. Suffice it to say that this novel has been recommended by fellow readers with great taste who describe it using my favorite adjectives: haunting, sweeping, gorgeous.

A Suitable Boy

by Vikram Seth

From the publisher: "Vikram Seth's novel is, at its core, a love story: the tale of Lata's--and her mother, Mrs. Rupa Mehra's--attempts to find a suitable boy for Lata, through love or through exacting maternal appraisal. Set in the early 1950s in an India newly independent and struggling through a time of crisis, A Suitable Boy takes us into the richly imagined world of four large extended families and spins a compulsively readable tale of their lives and loves. A sweeping panoramic portrait of a complex, multiethnic society in flux, A Suitable Boy remains the story of ordinary people caught up in a web of love and ambition, humor and sadness, prejudice and reconciliation, the most delicate social etiquette and the most appalling violence."

1Q84

by Haruki Murakami

Setting: Tokyo, 1984. A young woman begins to notice troubling discrepancies in the world around her, which makes her think she's living in a parallel reality, which she names 1Q84, the "Q" standing for "question." The two storylines converge over the course of the year, exploring fantasy, self-discovery, religion, love, and loneliness. The translation itself has been highly praised. On my TBR because a friend who loves it calls it "the longest book you'll never, not once, lose interest in."

The Lake House

by Kate Morton

In 1933, a young child disappeared without a trace. In 2003, a disgraced young detective stumbles upon the cold case and soon discovers its ties to one of England's oldest and most celebrated mystery writer (think Agatha Christie). I absolutely loved reading a mystery novel about a mystery novelist: the pages are filled with fascinating references to the fictional author's writing process and working life.

Pachinko

by Min Jin Lee

In this sweeping domestic drama, Lee tracks four generations of a 20th-century Korean family back to the time when Japan annexed the country in 1910, affecting the fates of all. Lee portrays the struggles of one struggling Korean family against the backdrop of cultural and political unrest, as they endure fierce discrimination at the hands of the Japanese. A compelling portrait of a little-explored period of history.

The Time in Between

by Maria Duenas

Fashion, romance, and ... espionage. If you loved Casablanca, try this novel set during the Spanish civil war. Sira Quiroga works her way from dressmaker's assistant to a premier couturier, putting her in contact with the wealthy and powerful. When the British government asks her to spy for them as World War II gears up, she agrees, stitching secret messages into the hems of dresses. Translated from the Spanish, and the dialogue is a little bumpy in places, but the story is worth it. Is it perfect? No way. But engrossing? Definitely.

The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon Series Book 16)

by Daniel Silva

From the publisher: "Gabriel Allon, the art restorer, spy, and assassin described as the most compelling fictional creation 'since Ian Fleming put down his martini and invented James Bond' (Rocky Mountain News), is poised to become the chief of Israel's secret intelligence service. But on the eve of his promotion, events conspire to lure him into the field for one final operation. ISIS has detonated a massive bomb in the Marais district of Paris, and a desperate French government wants Gabriel to eliminate the man responsible before he can strike again."

A Fine Balance

by Rohinton Mistry

From the publisher: "Set in mid-1970s India, A Fine Balance is a subtle and compelling narrative about four unlikely characters who come together in circumstances no one could have forseen soon after the government declares a 'State of Internal Emergency'. It is a breathtaking achievement: panoramic yet humane, intensely political yet rich with local detail; and, above all, compulsively readable."

The Thorn Birds

by Colleen McCullough

This sweeping Australian saga tops many a reader's favorite books list, and its overall rating on Goodreads is an impressive 4.19. McCullough's modern classic tracks an Australian family across three generations. (It should be noted that for every two people who adore this book there's one who considers it a schmaltzy romance. Read it and decide for yourself.)

The Heart’s Invisible Furies

by John Boyne

Book of the Month members chose The Heart's Invisible Furies as their book of the year in 2017. BOTM judge Liberty Hardy describes it: "Laugh, cheer, and weep as John Boyne takes you on an unforgettable journey through the Dickensian life of one of the greatest new protagonists in literature! It has been a long time since I have loved a character as much as I love Cyril Avery. As the book moves from 1945 to 2015, we follow sweet, well-intentioned Cyril from Dublin to Amsterdam to New York City as he embarks on a series of humorous and heartfelt adventures. This novel is perfect for fans of John Irving and Frank McCourt. It’s big, bawdy, and brimming with heart. This novel is a thing of magic, it absolutely floored me."

Libro.fm

I Know This Much Is True

by Wally Lamb

You all kept telling me amazing things, and I finally finished my first Wally Lamb novel. At nearly 900 pages, I feel like I earned it (which makes this a perfect candidate for an ereader). Lamb wrote one of the best endings I've read in a long time This is the story of two brothers born into a big, messy, complicated family. One is trying to keep his own life together as he attempts to watch over his schizophrenic twin. It's an emotional and challenging read, on many levels, but I thought it was so well done. From the Associated Press: "Every now and then a book comes along that sets new standards for writers and readers alike. Wally Lamb's latest novel is stunning and even that might be an understatement...this is a masterpiece."

Small Great Things

by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult's particular talent is taking hot-button contemporary issues and giving them flesh through the lives of her characters. This time she tackles racism, bringing together a skilled African American nurse and a white supremacist family who don't want her near their child. When the baby goes into cardiac arrest, the nurse is the only one there to intervene. Many readers call this latest novel—until October 2, when A Spark of Light drops—her best yet. We've discussed Small Great Things SO MUCH on the podcast, with Annie Jones, Kristin Economos, Madeleine Riley, and others.

East of Eden

by John Steinbeck

This is Steinbeck's most ambitious novel, and in his opinion, his finest work. ("I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this.") My high school English teacher assigned us The Grapes of Wrath instead, so I didn't read this until a few years ago. The title references the fall of Adam and Eve, and the subsequent embattled relationship between brothers Cain and Abel. Grounded thoroughly in its California setting, interweaving the stories of two Salinas Valley families, Steinbeck's magnum opus feels tragic, yet hopeful.

Half of a Yellow Sun

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

In 1967 Nigeria, the Igbo people of the East seceded to form their own nation of Biafra, inciting a bloody three-year civil war followed. This novel from the author of the wonderful Americanah tells the story of that conflict, known as the Biafran War—an event largely forgotten outside Nigeria—through the eyes of five diverse characters: a university professor, his privileged girlfriend, their servant boy, her twin sister, and her British journalist boyfriend. This is a story that will stay with you long after you turn the last page.

Libro.fm

The Book Thief

by Markus Zusak

"You are going to die," begins this 2006 novel. A fitting beginning to a story about hard things: a little girl and her family struggling to endure in WWII Nazi Germany. The characters are interesting and unexpected, right down to the unusual narrator. You'll see why this was an instant staple on school reading lists when it was published ten years ago, and why it has captured the hearts of readers from age 10 to 110. Beautiful, haunting, fascinating, hopeful.

The Poisonwood Bible

by Barbara Kingsolver

Southern Baptist Missionary Nathan Price heads off to the African Congo with his wife and 4 daughters in 1959, and nothing goes as planned. Though they bring with them everything they think they will need from their home in Bethlehem, Georgia--right down to the Betty Crocker cake mixes--the Prices are woefully unprepared for their new life among the Congolese, and they all pay the price.

Chirp

Extra-Long Books

The Book of Strange New Things

Middlemarch

In This House of Brede

Cutting for Stone

A Suitable Boy

1Q84

The Lake House

Pachinko

The Time in Between

The Black Widow (Gabriel Allon Series Book 16)

A Fine Balance

The Thorn Birds

The Heart’s Invisible Furies

I Know This Much Is True

Small Great Things

East of Eden

Half of a Yellow Sun

The Book Thief

The Poisonwood Bible

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations
for every mood

Extra-Long Books

Find your next read with:

100 Book recommendations for every mood

100 Book recommendations
for every mood