Long reads that are impossible to put down
Do you like to immerse yourself in long read, or do you avoid them?
Big books can be daunting. But I highly recommend giving them a go, especially one that has a great plot, interesting characters and a fascinating world. A long novel gives you the time to really sink into the world and get to know the characters. There's also something satisfying about finishing one, after spending so much time with it.
These five books below all pulled me in and were genuinely hard to put down. Some I've even read more than once, even though they are 500+ pages!
1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Tolstoy originally published this one in installments over several years, and it shows because he tends to end a section on a hook. Parts of it are meditative, and there’s a chapter dedicated to cutting hay, but it’s oddly mesmerizing if you’re the type of person who can lose themselves in a task. With that warning aside, it’s also a book full of cliffhangers, simmering tension, and people making the kind of decisions you want to shout at them about. There are solid life lessons in it and although it's long, it moves.
2. Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
This is one I inhaled in just a few days, despite it’s length. It’s a western epic and is genuinely hard to put down, even though I’m not usually a fan of westerns. McMurtry builds characters so vivid and memorable that you get pulled in almost immediately and don't want to leave them. It's about a cattle-drive, but at its heart it's about the people, which is what keeps you turning pages.
3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Many people think of Lord of the Rings as a trilogy, and it's often sold as a set of three, but it's really one continuous story in three volumes or six books.
Reading LOTR is a commitment, but it's also one sweeping story, and once Frodo leaves the Shire it's surprisingly easy to keep going. Some people struggle with the second volume, since the story shifts into more battle scenes, but try reading a few passages out loud. You'll see how cinematic and climactic the writing really is. It's one of the few books that truly rewards commitment and total immersion.
4. Bleak House by Charles Dickens
One of Dickens's most underrated novels. It doesn't get talked about as much as A Tale of Two Cities or Great Expectations, but it deserves to. A tangled legal mystery, a huge cast of characters, and Dickens is sharp, witty and insightful. This one is a hidden gem for anyone willing to go long.
5. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
Even when you already know how things turn out for Henry VIII and his wives, Mantel makes it feel suspenseful and alive. The Tudor history is familiar, but the way she tells it isn't. This book absorbed me completely. The point of view is also fascinating: the reader is basically perched on Thomas Cromwell's shoulder as he rises to become Henry's right-hand man. It's not quite first person, but it's close, and that closeness is what makes the story feel so immediate. One of the best historical fiction novels ever written in my opinion.
I hope this list inspires you to tackle a long read!