5 Challenging Long Books (Tome Topple Recommendations)

These were some tough books to make it through, but so worth it in the end!

[@anilthapa651]

Instead of reading couple of short books I prefer one long book. That's me.

[@bigalbooksforever]

Agreed! It somehow almost always ends up being more satisfying!

[@tortoisedreams6369]

This is amazing! Thank you for such vivid, deep, & insightful descriptions of these books that may be lurking under my bed. At first I said "no way!" -- I don't hate myself *that* much. But 7 Killings is on my shelf & IJ is not only on my shelf but is one of my "black belt of reading" books (Ulysses, Middlemarch, W&P, something by Pynchon ...). You've convinced me I've gotta go there! Your right bicep must be in great shape (or a little sore ... :o)

[@bigalbooksforever]

Haha yeah The Recognitions almost fractured my wrist! I am hiding from Ulysses and Gravity's Rainbow. Not high on my priority list right now, but it feels inevitable that I will have to face them someday!

[@bighardbooks770]

Also, I wanted to compliment you on the style and mood of your vid, love the skull candle holder, etc!

[@bigalbooksforever]

Haha thanks! When it's fall again and I have to film at night I will definitely be bringing back the skull candles

[@jeffsmith1284]

Thanks for this review. Reading modern and ‘post-modern’ novels is like picking up water with your hands. I predict the pendulum will swing back to the novel as a good tale.

[@KnowledgelostOrgOnline]

I’m in post modern bliss here, so many awesomeness...except House of Leaves, fuck that books. I will be reading 2666 next year and I might have to pick up The Recognitions too. I want more videos about challenging books.

[@bigalbooksforever]

The Recognitions is mind blowing... so worth it!! That being said, not sure I'll be ready for JR anytime soon!

[@jocelynveevers1076]

Oh man, it's so admirable that you've read all of these! I want to tackle A Brief History over Christmas. Also , hearing other Canadians say zed brings a weird amount of joy to my heart (love a regional pronunciation)

[@bigalbooksforever]

Haha long live zed! A Brief History is a wonderful read. Tough to get into the rhythm of it, but once I got going I could not put it down :)

[@thefrancophilereader8943]

Wow! You've read Infinite Jest twice. I would like to read House of Leaves at some point. I recommend Journey to the End of the Night by Ferdinand Celine. It's part stream-of-consciousness, part Robinson Crusoe parody, part commentary on the 20th century.

[@bigalbooksforever]

That's good to hear-- I have a copy of that book lying around somewhere! Should I read Robinson Crusoe first?

[@timetoread1795]

Oh man, that is awesome that you have read Infinite Jest twice. I have started it...juuuuust started it, lol. Should probably go for it a bit more in the new year :)

[@bigalbooksforever]

Good luck-- and enjoy! It is a great way to start off a new reading year :}

[@cmf1267]

That's funny you mentioned 2666. This past weekend I was trying to remember this book - I knew it was a 4 digit number and I couldn't remember the author's name. I read it when it came out around 6-7 years ago. It got tons of great publicity - maybe because he had just died. But it was very difficult. take care Connie

[@bigalbooksforever]

It is one tough read! Especially with that long graphic section about the murders... that was difficult to get through

[@elesvanalpizar7222]

2666 it's awesome! Bolaño is absolutely one of my favorites! You should read the Savage Detectives, it follows his cryptic writing and it talks about literary movements and their reality

[@bigalbooksforever]

I have a copy of that one, so good to hear that you enjoyed it! It sounds like it has such an intriguing premise... I'm always down to read more fiction that talks about literature. I needed some time to recover after 2666, but hopefully I can jump back into Bolaño's wild world again!!

[@GeorgeMillerUSA]

Heads up. Another of his unpublished novel will be published next month.

[@guillermohernandez3364]

Hi bigalbooks Greetings from Bogota, The capital city of Colombia. In short, you make me release the depth need for books. Thank you I really appreciate your meaningful thoughts about some intriguing books! By the way I apologize for my English level because I am not fluency in it as my grammar as well.

[@bigalbooksforever]

Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the video. And hey, I wish I spoke Spanish anywhere near as well as you can speak English! :)

[@GeorgeMillerUSA]

The weird thing about 2666 is that I hated it when I finish it. But as the day went by, the more I think about it, the more I appreciate it.

[@bigalbooksforever]

I know what you mean! Maybe for me it is partly because I found the act of reading to be unpleasant at times with the disturbing subject matter... yet afterwards it has left me with a lot to think about. I still have mixed feelings about this one!

[@GeorgeMillerUSA]

@@bigalbooksforever If I may ask, what is your favorite section of the five parts? Mine was definitely The Part about Archimboldi. Archimboldi is perhaps the most likeable and sympathetic character of all the previous stories.

[@bigalbooksforever]

I agree, I think I found the fifth part to be the strongest as well (although I liked Pt. 1 too). However, I found that story about the town during the Holocaust in Pt. 5 to be so depressing... it somehow was even bleaker than the hundreds of pages of murders described in Pt. 4??

[@davidlona7553]

AWESOME VIDEO. THE HOST IS AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL

[@LauraFreyReadinginBed]

And I love IJ. I read it 5 years ago... might be due for a re-read...

[@bigalbooksforever]

It's a big commitment, but this book is so rewarding to revisit!

[@benjaminsmith9849]

The Name of the Rose by Umberto Eco

[@KayAmpersand]

Ah, Marlon James can do no wrong! I hate stream of consciousness but that book was so well executed, I inhaled it with all of its glory and gore :)

[@bigalbooksforever]

Right? That book was so hard to put down once it gets going! I can't wait to see what he does next!

[@invaderzim1265]

What the full name of the author that wrote, The Recognition?? Thank you, in advance! 😃

[@bigalbooksforever]

William Gaddis :)

[@okayokayval]

You're a better reader and woman than I will ever be. Most of these are absolute Hell No books for me.

[@bigalbooksforever]

Haha, well sometimes you gotta go through hell to get to literary heaven! 0:)

[@LauraFreyReadinginBed]

I love Marlon James! Which is funny cause I've never read him... I love him on facebook! He's so funny but also dead serious and political... punk rock, totally! I own this book and really have to get to it.

[@bigalbooksforever]

YES I think a big part of the reason I bother keeping up with facebook is to get Marlon James' input on current issues! Seven Killings and The Book of Night Women are both outstanding books :)

[@avoidbeing]

whys it sound like you didn't read any of these and you talk simply of skill and various sparknote tier summations of plot rather than some sort of absorbing of the conceptual apparatuses the books of these dimensionalities hand you?

[@bighardbooks770]

Thx for this...Next year IMA read Infinite Jest, and thx for the A Brief History of Seven Killings rec. I'm going to do this tag, right now. (Can you tell if Im doing my tags correctly, Alex? Any advice is appreciated.) I was going to read House of Leaves, but gonna pass.

[@bigalbooksforever]

Seven Killings is a brilliant book-- I'm going to have to revisit it again! I'll try to check out your tag at some point! :)