You have really started something powerful Simon. Or rather, built on something and made it your own! I loved reading along on War and Peace with you last year.
My recent long read was The Count of Monte Christo, it had sat on my bookshelf for 30 years, but I'm so glad I finally got to it. I'm afraid I can't say the same for Ulysses, even though it was my New Years Resolution. I didn't get past 50 pages, it just didn't say anything to me. Now on my bookshelf, also for 30 years, is Pynchon's Mason and Dixon. I love the title and the look of the book so much, but why do I never get past page 2. Also DeLillo's Underworld. Any tips?
Ooo! Good one Sarah. That's been on my long list for ages. Moving it up! Not a huge Pynchon fan so may take a pass on Mason and Dixon...ditto DeLillo though good to read at least one. I tried Infinite Jest three times (also War and Peace) before completing. Sometimes the right moment comes? If you like Pynchon and DeLillo then I highly recommend David Foster Wallace...they are all way out there. Good luck!
Delia - great post! You prompted me to get my copy of Vanity Fair (the Thackeray novel, not the mag!) from the shelves. It’s been a favourite for 40+ years, I’ve re read several times, and am happy to be re-immersing myself. I think that possibility of immersion can sometimes be provided by physically shorter novels either when they densely paint whole new, unexplored worlds eg James (which you’ve posted about recently) or Orbital, or when they are formally ‘dense’ or new eg Ali Smith. With Vanity Fair, I’m completely transported. So yes - am on my phone right now - but soon to rejoin the flawed, compelling characters of VF and luxuriate in 750+ pages. Thank you, Delia!
Vanity Fair! What a great idea Cathy! And re joyce, as i just started re reading dubliners i can attest that some short books do require a lot of work as well!
Delia, I think we've discussed that I am a big fan of War and Peace! Also, I'd love to read Ulysess along with you when you start. I've started it and stopped it about 3-4 times. Not because I didn't like it, but because it really does require a serious commitment.
Thank you for this. When one of the long ones catches you, there is nothing better. Looking forward to getting back into its world is a singular pleasure. I'll offer my favorite, the only book I ever started again as soon as I read the last word: Cryptonomicon, by the long-read king himself, Neal Stephenson.
If we’re talking about long books, I’d like to put in a plug for a non-fiction work, “The Diary of Samuel Pepys”, which I read and greatly enjoyed a few years ago. For those who don’t know, Samuel Pepys (pronounced ‘Peeps’) lived through the English Civil War and Restoration Period, some of the most turbulent and colourful decades in English history. He is best remembered for the diary he kept from 1659 to 1669, when he held the post of Secretary to the Navy Board under King Charles II. Pepys was an eyewitness to the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London the following year, and generations of historians have been grateful to him for his detailed descriptions of these dramatic events.
But what tends to linger most in readers’ minds are Pepys’ accounts of everyday, commonplace occurrences in his own life and the life of London in the 1660s. For example, the day in September 1660 when “I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink), of which I had never drank before.” Or the morning Pepys attended Court to report to the Duke of York on the state of the Royal Navy, only to find the Duke just getting out of bed in his nightshirt, the sight of which made Pepys realize that, underneath all his royal finery, the Duke was “but a man”. Or the night Pepys and his French wife, Elizabeth, spent the night on the upper floor of a country inn, drifting off to sleep to the patter of rain on the thatched roof above. Or the morning when the Pepys’ housemaid, Jane Birch, tumbled down the stairs with a full chamber-pot in her hands, spilling the fragrant contents and reducing Pepys, Elizabeth, and Jane herself to helpless convulsions of laughter.
Pepys’ “Diary” totals around 2,000 pages but is easy to read as it comes in daily installments of a few paragraphs, or at most, a few pages at a time. Just make sure you read a modern edition that is as complete and unexpurgated as possible
The ultimate long book for me is “The Recognitions” - getting through that is an accomplishment. Although I prefer Gaddis’ JR, his first book is an amazing example of underedited brilliance that truly (much like JR) can only be digested with the help of the audiobook (no quotation marks designating speaker used by Gaddis). It’s almost like Gaddis envisioned the future of audiobooks as the key to unlocking his books for the “average” reader. Don’t let Gaddis be forgotten!!
Both great suggestions Gretchen. I bought a copy of Don Q a couple of years ago for £1 at my library but still haven't cracked it. Thanks for the reminder !
Totally agree - I love long reads because of the depth, and the journey and it feels like so much more than a mere 'read', kind of like the investment you refer to. Something to savour and cherish. I've read A Suitable Boy, War and Peace and Ulysses, all of which I enjoyed. John Dos Passos's USA Trilogy is kind of a long read if you read it as a trilogy and that was one I enjoyed.
Martin Amis's Inside Story is barely a long read at 520 pages but it's so rich and exquisitely written, despite its flaws (I'm an Amis fan), that I couldn't help but take it slowly, 10-15 pages at a time, stretching it out, so it felt like a long read (in a very good way)
Power Broker is one of my favorite long reads. I've read all the LBJ Caro books too - I went to a reading of The Passage of Power and got him to sign my copy.
I just finished Heidegger's Being & Time, which in the Joan Stambaugh translation is just under 500 pages, but it took me 15 years to actually read the whole thing and I started on the M&R translation which is way over 500. I felt like that was a major accomplishment because I don't read philosophy regularly.
From Here to Eternity was long but worth it and a much faster read.
I'm going to look for some longer reads, they stick with you!
Wow Heidegger! That's impressive David! I rarely read philosophy either but find that it's generally worth it. I think I read FHTE years ago; may need to revisit! Thanks for dropping by!
I loved CMC so much! Each chapter had a hook for the next (given that, as I recall, it was originally published as a serial). I had trouble putting it down.
How wonderful, Delia. Slow reading is a revelation, all the more delightful when done together. I love how everyone does something different with it.
You have really started something powerful Simon. Or rather, built on something and made it your own! I loved reading along on War and Peace with you last year.
My recent long read was The Count of Monte Christo, it had sat on my bookshelf for 30 years, but I'm so glad I finally got to it. I'm afraid I can't say the same for Ulysses, even though it was my New Years Resolution. I didn't get past 50 pages, it just didn't say anything to me. Now on my bookshelf, also for 30 years, is Pynchon's Mason and Dixon. I love the title and the look of the book so much, but why do I never get past page 2. Also DeLillo's Underworld. Any tips?
Ooo! Good one Sarah. That's been on my long list for ages. Moving it up! Not a huge Pynchon fan so may take a pass on Mason and Dixon...ditto DeLillo though good to read at least one. I tried Infinite Jest three times (also War and Peace) before completing. Sometimes the right moment comes? If you like Pynchon and DeLillo then I highly recommend David Foster Wallace...they are all way out there. Good luck!
Delia - great post! You prompted me to get my copy of Vanity Fair (the Thackeray novel, not the mag!) from the shelves. It’s been a favourite for 40+ years, I’ve re read several times, and am happy to be re-immersing myself. I think that possibility of immersion can sometimes be provided by physically shorter novels either when they densely paint whole new, unexplored worlds eg James (which you’ve posted about recently) or Orbital, or when they are formally ‘dense’ or new eg Ali Smith. With Vanity Fair, I’m completely transported. So yes - am on my phone right now - but soon to rejoin the flawed, compelling characters of VF and luxuriate in 750+ pages. Thank you, Delia!
Vanity Fair! What a great idea Cathy! And re joyce, as i just started re reading dubliners i can attest that some short books do require a lot of work as well!
I love Vanity Fair. Such great characters
Delia, I think we've discussed that I am a big fan of War and Peace! Also, I'd love to read Ulysess along with you when you start. I've started it and stopped it about 3-4 times. Not because I didn't like it, but because it really does require a serious commitment.
Absolutely! Lets do it together
Another wonderful long read: The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley…
thank you! don't know this one!
Love this and totally agree! Some of my most satisfying long reads have been: Cutting for Stone, The Winds of War, and The Goldfinch.
Loved The Goldfinch. All of her stuff, really, which all counts as long. Will look at the other two! Thanks for dropping by!
Thank you for this. When one of the long ones catches you, there is nothing better. Looking forward to getting back into its world is a singular pleasure. I'll offer my favorite, the only book I ever started again as soon as I read the last word: Cryptonomicon, by the long-read king himself, Neal Stephenson.
Happy reading!
ooo don't know that one but it sounds exciting! I will check it out.
*Happy reading! of any and all books, not necessarily the one I recommended lol
If we’re talking about long books, I’d like to put in a plug for a non-fiction work, “The Diary of Samuel Pepys”, which I read and greatly enjoyed a few years ago. For those who don’t know, Samuel Pepys (pronounced ‘Peeps’) lived through the English Civil War and Restoration Period, some of the most turbulent and colourful decades in English history. He is best remembered for the diary he kept from 1659 to 1669, when he held the post of Secretary to the Navy Board under King Charles II. Pepys was an eyewitness to the Great Plague of 1665 and the Great Fire of London the following year, and generations of historians have been grateful to him for his detailed descriptions of these dramatic events.
But what tends to linger most in readers’ minds are Pepys’ accounts of everyday, commonplace occurrences in his own life and the life of London in the 1660s. For example, the day in September 1660 when “I did send for a cup of tee (a China drink), of which I had never drank before.” Or the morning Pepys attended Court to report to the Duke of York on the state of the Royal Navy, only to find the Duke just getting out of bed in his nightshirt, the sight of which made Pepys realize that, underneath all his royal finery, the Duke was “but a man”. Or the night Pepys and his French wife, Elizabeth, spent the night on the upper floor of a country inn, drifting off to sleep to the patter of rain on the thatched roof above. Or the morning when the Pepys’ housemaid, Jane Birch, tumbled down the stairs with a full chamber-pot in her hands, spilling the fragrant contents and reducing Pepys, Elizabeth, and Jane herself to helpless convulsions of laughter.
Pepys’ “Diary” totals around 2,000 pages but is easy to read as it comes in daily installments of a few paragraphs, or at most, a few pages at a time. Just make sure you read a modern edition that is as complete and unexpurgated as possible
What a wonderful suggestion Tom! I live in London as it happens, so this one is particularly relevant to me. Thanks for dropping by!
The ultimate long book for me is “The Recognitions” - getting through that is an accomplishment. Although I prefer Gaddis’ JR, his first book is an amazing example of underedited brilliance that truly (much like JR) can only be digested with the help of the audiobook (no quotation marks designating speaker used by Gaddis). It’s almost like Gaddis envisioned the future of audiobooks as the key to unlocking his books for the “average” reader. Don’t let Gaddis be forgotten!!
Wow I will check that out. Both actually. Appreciate the audiobook tip!
O really enjoyed reading Middlemarch with my small circle of friends.
Love Middlemarch. Its my husband's favourite book
Don Quixote (Cervantes) and Moby-Dick. Started the latter last week. Also listened to a chapter of the audiobook. Mesmerizing language.
Both great suggestions Gretchen. I bought a copy of Don Q a couple of years ago for £1 at my library but still haven't cracked it. Thanks for the reminder !
Favorite 2: Lincoln by Gore Vidal and A Sorrow in Our Heart (the story of Tecumseh) by Allan W Eckart. Caro’s LBJ books are great also.
In this day and time William Shirer’s The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich is a must read
Thanks Pat! Several people have suggested the LBJ books to me
Totally agree - I love long reads because of the depth, and the journey and it feels like so much more than a mere 'read', kind of like the investment you refer to. Something to savour and cherish. I've read A Suitable Boy, War and Peace and Ulysses, all of which I enjoyed. John Dos Passos's USA Trilogy is kind of a long read if you read it as a trilogy and that was one I enjoyed.
Martin Amis's Inside Story is barely a long read at 520 pages but it's so rich and exquisitely written, despite its flaws (I'm an Amis fan), that I couldn't help but take it slowly, 10-15 pages at a time, stretching it out, so it felt like a long read (in a very good way)
I'm also an Amis Fan. That sounds like one I need to read. Thanks so much for your thoughtful input here Daniel
Power Broker is one of my favorite long reads. I've read all the LBJ Caro books too - I went to a reading of The Passage of Power and got him to sign my copy.
I just finished Heidegger's Being & Time, which in the Joan Stambaugh translation is just under 500 pages, but it took me 15 years to actually read the whole thing and I started on the M&R translation which is way over 500. I felt like that was a major accomplishment because I don't read philosophy regularly.
From Here to Eternity was long but worth it and a much faster read.
I'm going to look for some longer reads, they stick with you!
Wow Heidegger! That's impressive David! I rarely read philosophy either but find that it's generally worth it. I think I read FHTE years ago; may need to revisit! Thanks for dropping by!
Currently reading Count of Monte Cristo after completing The Brothers Karamazov. I’ve had to accompany both with lighter reading to pace myself.
Aha! A serial long reader! CMC is on my list. Someone else here also recommended it. What do you think?
I loved CMC so much! Each chapter had a hook for the next (given that, as I recall, it was originally published as a serial). I had trouble putting it down.
It is rapidly moving up my list!
Translation matters. Robin Buss translation (penguin classics) is much better imo.
I’ve limited myself to 2-3 chapters a day. It’s an intriguing read so far. It does get tedious at times but well worth it.
thanks for the restack!