Tuesday, July 19, 2011

The Summer of the Big Book

Both of my book groups take the summer off, so when I returned from vacation a few weeks ago, I was faced with a delightful decision - what to read the rest of the summer?

I perused the towering piles of books waiting to be read on my bookshelf and came up with a great idea - with no book group commitments to get in the way, I am going to tackle some of the Big Books on my shelf that I've been postponing because I never seem to have time to get all the way through them.

Last week, I got a good start by re-reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, definitely a Big Book at 759 pages.  Now I have started The Passage by Justin Cronin, with a hefty 766 pages, a book that I really wanted to read but have been putting off since last July because of its intimidating size.

What's next?  Maybe you can help me decide.  Here are a few other Big Books currently on my shelf:
  • Under the Dome by Stephen King, 1074 pages (the biggest!)
  • Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, 850 pages
  • Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, 973 pages
I know these big books will each take me a while to get through, so I won't be able to read all of them this summer.  Which one should I read next?  Help me decide!

4 comments:

  1. I'm just getting caught up on last week's post, so sorry this is a late reply! I really liked Under the Dome and it's quicker to read than the page count suggests. The others I've heard lots of positive comments on but haven't read them myself. This is a very ambitious project--best of luck :)

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  2. I have to admit I avoid long books. But I do have Outlander on my Nook and would be interested in hearing what you think of it. Of course, I want to read Passage, too, which you are reading now. So I'd probably read that first. :) I'm saving my big books for Nov/Dec. I have The Forgotten Garden and Someone Knows My Name, which I'm determined to read.

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  3. Julie -

    I've been avoiding the long ones, too, which is why there are now so many piled on my shelf! I am loving The Passage so far.

    I read The Forgotten Garden for my book group this spring and everyone loved it - one of those books I wouldn't have read on my own but was very glad I did.

    Sue

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  4. Teacher/Learner -

    Thanks for the tip on Under the Dome! In my experience, most Stephen King books go fast, no matter how short or long.

    Sue

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