Big Books I Want to Read in 2020

[@eddie_d1233]

If I read a very long book I then read two short ones. It's sort of like eating sherbet after beef bourguignon; both taste great for different reasons.

[@EricKarlAnderson]

That's a wonderful image!

[@JanuarieTimewalker13]

I’m currently reading A Little Life (finally). The print is very small, which makes it very slow going for me. I can only tackle about 30 pages daily. I integrated a YA in with it (oddly), and I’ve been doing ok, although, it’s a mediocre YA and ALL is so brilliant, that the YA has gone by the wayside. It’s easier to carry around, however. But my ego makes me carry the big book. Lol

[@HannahsBooks]

I was really taken with Mantel’s gorgeous writing. I read some of Wolf Hall aloud to my spouse and found the rhythm and sound to be just stunning. I’m looking forward to reading more of her work.

[@kirsten0929]

War and Peace was one of my reading goals for 2020 and I just got underway with it last week so I'm very excited. I've got the text, I've got the audiobook, I've got my notebook and I'm taking notes...I'm all in! I'm taking the small dose each day approach so I will be reading other things as well. So far so good, but it's still early so we'll see how it goes...I'm not afraid to jump ship if necessary!

[@joanneorrico1761]

IQ84 is my favorite Murakami novel! The characters stayed with me for a long time. It was captivating and never lost me, even if I had to go for a long period without picking it up. I stopped reading everything else so I could get lost in it. I re-read it last year, and it was just as enjoyable.

[@akaram325]

Nice ❤️

[@bookishshenanigans4769]

I loved Wolf Hall but I still have to read Bring Up the Bodies. I want to try and read some Russian classics like Anna Karenina that I've owned for years but avoided, you've inspired me to get to them quicker :)

[@joanneorrico1761]

Bookish Shenanigans I highly recommend Anna Karenina! It is my favorite book of all time, and I re-read it every few years. It is magnificent, and I recommend reading it slowly to relish Tolstoy’s beautiful writing.

[@helenejeppesen2133]

I actually just finished REreading “1Q84” 🙊 I love that one! Despite the women thing which I didn’t think too much about... Good luck with your big book adventure 🙂

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Oh wow, that's a big compliment if you've read it twice! thanks!

[@KristinMomentsOfSanctuary]

Cut up a book? 😬 man that’s part of the satisfaction is feeling the huge bulk go from side to side!

[@Readinordertolive]

I have so many long books I want to read this year: Don Quixote, The Count of Monte Cristo, Ducks Newburyport. I have just pre ordered the paperbacks of The Eighth Life and The Catholic School after watching this video!

[@evanoble5938]

Susannah C I read the Count of Monte Christo last month and absolutely loved it! It didn’t drag at all and barely felt like a long book

[@Readinordertolive]

@@evanoble5938 that's good to know!

[@Prairielily04]

Great video,Eric. I have added a few of these to my TBR. I like to read a few books at a time so I read about 25 pages a day and rotate through the books but if I get immersed in one I just go with it ! Nothing like getting swept away in a story! I’m participating in Andrew Moreton’s ChunksterChallenge and in March, BigAlBooks MarchMammoth reading challenge. I have had the Mantel books on my shelf since they were published so I will start Wolf Hall. All the best with your big reads! 🙋‍♀️📚

[@Europa1749]

I love big books. The Crimson Petal and the White was a favorite. I bought Sacajawea many years ago, excited to read it, but being busy, loaned it to a relative. I got it back 15 years later in two pieces, back cover falling off and bound together with an elastic band; it had made the rounds of the relatives....note to self... do not lend big books to family members.

[@michaeldornan7737]

1Q84 has been starting me in the face for years now so perhaps it's about time I just picked it up and read it. Have just ordered the Eighth Life as it sounds fascinating. My other big book challenge is Embrace b y Mark Behr. Which one to start first? It'll be pot luck, surely! Thanks for another very interesting video.

[@jaybone23]

I tackled “Wolf Hall” and didn’t get very far, which is sad for someone with a degree in literature. But now that the third volume of the trilogy is being published, I want to try again.

[@karljones9848]

Love your posts Eric. They inspire me. I have The Brothers Karamazov sitting at the base of my TBR pile. The pages are starting to change colour.

[@paulinelafford4773]

Karl Jones The Brothers took me three years to read. Characters, relationships and politics very complex. Good luck, enjoy.

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Thank you! And I've had plenty of books' pages go yellow as they sit on my shelf waiting to be read!

[@mirkovic]

How about a brief history of Seven killings by Marlon James.... A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth...

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Yes, I love that novel by James. And after it won the Booker I suspect it's one a lot of readers started but didn't finish. And one of the great pleasures I found was in discovering what the name of the novel really meant towards the end.

[@akaram325]

I’m nearly done with 1Q84 right now and it’s been great. I did a buddy read with the wife and it’s made it really fun! Also read Dune last month and it was a quick fun read. Much quicker than I thought

[@suzannegonzalez2630]

Your choices sound really interesting Eric. The Book of Memories & The Catholic School sound intriguing. I want to tackle The Tale of Genji this year. Not sure if I'll commit but want to try.🙂

[@misselder1]

How many times have I picked up Tale of Genji in the bookstore and library including last night? 🤔 Maybe someday... It’s like the ultimate reading challenge.

[@misselder1]

My big book TBRs are: Don Quixote, Moby Dick, Shelby Foote’s epic 3-vol Civil War, Paris 1919 by Margaret Macmillan, and I’d love to reread War and Peace someday. I’m laughing at your comment about reading other bks between - I read the first half of Sacajawea, and stopped when they reached the Pacific. I thought, well, if I’m ever going to take a break, now’s the time. Haha. They’re still there 25 years later waiting for me to bring them home! 😂

[@ottoismy1dog]

I just finished Dune (excellent) and the Wanderers by Chuck Wendig (780 pages, not so excellent). Mixing in audio is a great idea, I did that with 1Q84, it really helped to keep me motivated. I do read other books at the same time, but I've never found that to be distracting. Next I'm looking at The Long Ships by Frans G. Bengtsson (603 pages) I want to read one big book per month in 2020. so far so good. Coming in at a mere 312 pages is Matt Bell's, In The House Upon The Dirt Between The Lake And The Woods. just one of the "shorter" books that enjoyed while reading my Big Books :D Best of luck with your Big Book plans !

[@alanshadastrokeanddiedinho2897]

For March Mammoth, I started reading; Gai-Jin, by James Clavell. Gai-Jin is the third book in the Asian Saga Series. It is 1234 pages. The story takes place in 1864. I read the first book in the Asian Saga series; Shogun, decades ago as had many people who also watched the miniseries on the tv back in the eighties.

[@browngirlreading]

The Catholic School sounds brutal. I think I would try to read it but on Kindle. As for big books I want to read: A Suitable Boy, Roots, A Little Life, The Defender, etc. There are a tone of them. I try to read 10 big books every year. They have to be over 400 pages. I use audiobooks and kindle to help me read them. Depending on how heavy the story is will determine if I read something else alongside.I also plan how many pages I'll be reading a day if I want to finish within the month. Good luck!

[@Maren617]

Oh, I've just discovered that The Eighth Life was originally written in German (the author has immigrated to Germany) - I'm always so happy when I can read international novels in the original. :-) Interesting tidbit on Dune and men writing women: Frank Herbert co-wrote the Dune series with his wife and credits her with creating the Bene Gesserit and their customs, etc. I think her influence makes Dune still very readable in 2020, when many other SF classics (Asimov, Niven) just seem too misogynistic today. Overall, I think SF has improved tremendously in literary quality over the decades and modern SF is much better than older SF, but Dune is just special because its world is so evocative.

[@JuanReads]

I started reading Ducks, Newbury Port late last year and I'm not going to start another big book until I'm done with it. Next up, I have The Eighth Life, which has been on my shelve for quite some time. I like the sound of Book of Memories, so I might check it out. Thanks, Eric!

[@jamesmacdonald4131]

Joyce Carol Oates and I started corresponding ten years ago, and I read her novels as well as I can. Otherwise I re-read Brothers Karamazov. My rule of thumb is to ask myself, "Do I understand what I think the author is saying?" Thank you very much. Reading well is a part of writing well, and this serves the art of appreciating literature.

[@holistic7980]

I'm used to reading thick books. I find them to be cosy I hope you do too. Enjoy your books. Looking forward to JCO new novel. I think for release date the novel has been pushed forward a month. Worth the wait!

[@CharlieBrookReads]

The last two big books I read were Anna Karenina and David Copperfield and I buddy read both of those which made it easier but I definitely can see the benefit to just diving right in .I look forward to hearing what you make if The Eighth Life , it's high in my list to get to ❤️.

[@hedgiecc]

I’m glad you are enjoying Wolf Hall now! I read it in January as part of my Booker Prize project and struggled with it, eventually putting it on a 30 page a day target to get through it. Whilst I admire Mantel’s achievement I never connected with it as a reader & was facing Bring Up the Bodies with some trepidation this month. I was very pleasantly surprised - her treatment seems completely different and I flew through it. Looking forward to no3 now. I enjoy juggling books and having a few on the go at once. I actually think it helps get more reading done in the long run.

[@lyddie465]

I also havent read Wolf Hall! I just recently read North and South, which, in some editions is 500 pages long. I put it down after getting 10% of the way through it, JUST before the main characters meet. Can't believe I put it down when I was so close to my favourite scene. I read it with a friend and it was SUCH a fun read to read together. So many of my favourite books are big books. Les Mis by Victor Hugo, The Secret History by Donna Tartt. I feel like this year will be the year for big classics. Hope your reading goes well.

[@laura23678]

I struggled to get into The Eighth Life but I am hoping to give it another go over the next few weeks. I'm currently reading The Other Bennet Sister which comes in at just under 700 pages. I'm enjoying it so much it doesn't feel like a long book. I've got The Catholic School on my list but I think I'll be opting for the Kindle edition...! Great video as always! 😀

[@shannonl9289]

Hey Eric, I believe ‘The Catholic School’ is available as an audiobook. You may want to check again. I just finished all 52 hours and 16 minutes of it.

[@deniseakadeesbooknook2476]

I got "The Catholic School" on audiobook through Audible. I'm planning on getting to it this summer.

[@bookwalk1]

I find I can't read big books in paperback. I have to read them digitally or in hardbound or even as an audio book. Large paperbacks tend to have such small print and it is so hard to get them to stay open! I try to read a chapter or two each day/week when I am reading a long book so I keep going. Sometimes I read the book and listen on audio at the same time if the prose is difficult. I do read other books most of the time when I am reading a long one, unless it is so consuming, I can't move between books, which doesn't usually happen. I tried Wolf Hall before but want to try again. I had a minor in history a LONG time ago in college and I know the background of this book so I am determined to get through it. Maybe I will read it on audio. Thanks for this suggestion! I definitely want to read The Eighth Life. It sounds like something I will enjoy. Lots of good big books shown here!

[@haroldniver]

I’ve always been attracted to large books, so almost all of these are already on my TBR. I picked up beautiful hardcover editions of Wolf Hall and 1Q84 just recently, and can’t wait to dive in (though your edition of 1Q84 is absolutely striking!). I read Dune decades ago but definitely need to reread it; I think I would better understand it and appreciate it much more now. And there’s a really nice hardcover edition just published that I need to pick up - that ought to prompt me to reread it.

[@barbaraboethling596]

Coincidentally, I just began Wolf Hall too, after obtaining a copy at a used book sale. When I read a large book, I set a minimum daily page goal. I also have a shorter book and an audio book in progress so I won't be overwhelmed by the enormity of my main read!

[@Liz86000]

The Alexandria Quartet has been on mu shelves for a while... Just like Doctor Zhivago and Anna Karenina. Oh ! Forgot to add a Sarah Waters book & a Michel Faber book as well !

[@robynlouise1624]

I’m currently reading Black Leopard Red Wolf which is over 600 pages, however I am really enjoying it but just taking it slowly. Sometimes it’s nice to get home after work and read it for about an hour, I find this helps!

[@EricKarlAnderson]

I'm so glad you're reading and enjoying it. I loved that novel!

[@joniheisenberg6691]

I commit to reading a chapter every day when tackling a big book. Currently reading “Napoleon A Life “ by Andrew Roberts which is an outstanding read. As a companion, I read a book or books in a totally different subject matter( “ The Big Goodbye- Chinatown And The Last Years of Hollywood “ by Sam Wasson. ) I am also attempting to read “Ducks, Newburyport “ by Lucy Ellman, but am finding her use of “ the fact that...highly irritating.Does it continue throughout the book ?

[@kimswhims8435]

I'm interested in the Tudor period (can even trace ancestors to Tudors- One ancestor was a Lawyer who would have worked for Cromwell on the divorce between Henry VIII & Catherine of Aragon). Unfortunately, Wolf Hall kept lulling me to sleep when I first read it. I couldn't understand why, because, the writing is great and I had an interest. Anyway, must try again. All the others sound interesting. I have to get back to Ducks, The Luminaries and The Goldfinch are big books I'd like to read.

[@LS-qq4zc]

It is the 150th anniversary of Dickens death so I have Our Mutual Friend lined up. I agree with you. Long books these days are a challenge so better to stick to one rather than flit around to others.

[@lindaklinedinst9236]

Good Luck on reading your Big Books - they all sound very good. Happy Reading :)

[@sarahk1695]

I read Ducks, Newburyport earlier this month and LOVED it, so thank you for championing it to us! I am also currently making my way through War and Peace which I'm really enjoying. I used to worry about big books but now they really don't intimidate me. I do the same thing as I do with shorter books, i.e., give it 100 pages and DNF if it's not doing it for me. I read a few fantastic big books last year (The Goldfinch, The Heart's Invisible Furies) and now I feel very relaxed about them! XD I have tried to start Dune I think 3 or 4 times and can't get into it. I audiobooked Wolf Hall last year but I want to reread it physically, I feel like I missed the whole plot. Sometimes I find audio more difficult to follow so for big books I actually prefer reading them.

[@mickyboymick5210]

For some time now I have been daunted by the length of Wolf Hall and its subject matter. That period of history is well out of my comfort zone and I may have to undertake some prior research before I tackle the book. The reason why I want to read it is because so many of my friends have suggested this book to me and have highly recommended it. What was the name of the biography on Oliver Cromwell that you read? I am pleased that you mention audiobooks. From January, at home, whilst exercising on my exercise bike, I listen to audiobooks. These are non fiction and cover a wide variety of subjects. The latest is Five - Hallie Rubenhold and narrated by Louise Brealey.. it is a book about five victims of Jack the Ripper. What I have found by listening to audiobooks is that I am able to remember the storyline much better and can pull facts and figures out of the air. This I cannot do when I read a book for some reason. When I read an actual book, I read with either soft jazz playing in the background or classical music. The vast majority of my friends in my reading group prefer to read in silence. I was wondering how you read and your viewers read their books. Your channel is most enjoyable to watch and long may it continue.

[@judybrown1624]

Every person who has recommended Dune to me has been male and read it as an adolescent. I'll be interested to hear what. a mature male reading it for the first time thinks of it. I was underwhelmed. I keep hoping Ducks, Newburyport will come out on audio. I always read at least two books (one paper,one e) and a third on audio. Any one of those can be a long one without feeling burdensome.

[@JenniMReads]

Ducks, Newberyport just came out in audio, and it's 45 hours and 34 minutes long! 😱

[@judybrown1624]

@@JenniMReads OMG! Thank you for letting me know.

[@MyBookishEmpire]

Erik, a great video full of some epic tones! I have been dying to read Dune, The Catholic School, and now I am very very intrigued by the book that Sontag lauded. I am mostly an audio reader now because I retain information better and faster speeds than I can read physically, another great motivator is buddy reading big books. Speaking of which I would 100% be up for reading Dune or The Catholic School with you if you don’t mind. Also don’t want to dash your hopes for The Mirror and the Light, but it is 800+ pages.... Yikes

[@hill7912A]

1Q84 is in three books - sorry. It's usually bound up in a book 1 and 2 (as you have) with 3 separately (as it so much larger than 1 and 2). The Audio is fabulous on it. So definitely try it in both formats. It's well worth it :)

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Oh I didn't realise that. Thanks! Even longer to go than I thought.

[@Maren617]

@@EricKarlAnderson There is also a single volume version, but yes, you've got the incomplete one. :-) I have the audiobook, which is read beautifully I think.

[@hill7912A]

@@EricKarlAnderson Nut worth it :)

[@misselder1]

Thank you for talking about this one. I have been intrigued by it since it came out. 621 pp., that’s all? My library’s copy looks way bigger. Maybe it’s all three bks.

[@hill7912A]

Sandra Elder It might be all three - that would be a really heavy book to carry around. Still a great read if you have the time .

[@jacquelinemcmenamin8204]

I’ve just read a book I want to recommend to everyone The Actress by Ann Enright 📚☘️

[@EricKarlAnderson]

I'm really looking forward to reading this!

[@Dottiemi]

I’m a big Enright fan, can’t wait to get to this.

[@misselder1]

A fantastic non-fiction big book I loved was A World Undone by G. J. Meyer. This book was a gripping unpacking of WWI, told with periodic pauses in the action to explain key players. Fascinating and thorough while still being very readable for a layman.

[@Europa1749]

That sounds fascinating....I read a huge book about Adolph Hitler so maybe I would enjoy reading A World Undone.

[@misselder1]

Europa 17 - Its about WWI not II, but he was a corporal in that war which is mentioned briefly.

[@M4G3AK47]

I am currently reading war and piece. Similar to you, when reading Mankel, I do need to get some background knowledge so it is taking a long time. I do quite enjoy to get to know characters in the story

[@susans.k.3025]

I too started wolf hall before and I was also confused because I didn’t know much about cromwells life. Would you say reading some sort of biography about him is required to enjoy the book? Also I’m almost done with book two of 1Q84 (FYI the book is split into three books. So it’s actually longer than you think! For some reason the first two books were published together and the third book was published separately ) and I’m really enjoying it!! It’s very Murakami - bad descriptions of women and all - but if you’ve enjoyed his other works you will enjoy this one.

[@mirkovic]

Try the TV Series is an excellent adaptation. I read Thomas Cromwell: A Life by Diarmaid MacCulloch... not as enjoyable as Hillary Mantel's take... and just as baffling, unless you are really familiar with history.... if that's the case.....

[@Citi_lightss]

I am gonna read books like The little prince and Voyagers of Hell.

[@ianp9086]

Funnily enough I have had an unread copy of the book of memories by Nadas on my shelf for years too - since it came out in fact!

[@curtjarrell9710]

I hope to re-read Dune during the second half of 2021. I first read the novel over 40 years ago. My late father loaned me a copy after he'd tried to read it but found it not to his liking. I enjoyed it very much. Two big books I want to read are War and Peace and The Labyrinth of the Spirits by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

[@LouiseReader]

I have always struggled with books over 500 pages, more recently I have a definite preference for shorter books, below 250-300 pages. I've read the first half of Bleak House, twice. In 2018 I did a read along for Les Mis. I got 900 pages through, and to my shame haven't picked it up since Dec 31 2018. I really want to finish that. And I want to do it this year....I do use audio to get through longer works. I listened to and finished Moby Dick while out walking my dogs a few years ago. I've never tried combining reading and listening. I'd be interested in giving that a go I think. I read Dune years ago in my early twenties and I was going through my sci fi phase, I don't remember all that much about it, but do remember enjoying it.

[@thadremaw]

Some interesting stuff here. The longest work of fiction I own that isn't an anthology is Peter F Hamilton's Great North Road, and non-fiction is Shelby Foote's The Civil War: A Narrative.

[@RyansBookshelf]

Hi Eric! 1Q84 is actually in 3 books, so there's still one more for you to get!

[@jessehudson7036]

Peter Nadas is great. Especially Parallel Stories.

[@emiliotarsa6582]

An excerpt from the third book of Hilary Mantel's trilogy was just published today in The Guardian, fyi.

[@Ihearbooks]

I made a list of 6 books I want to read this year--they are all over 500 pages. So far I finished one. Half way thru David Copperfield but not sure it is feeling any shorter. I try not to think of them as long but just complex.

[@RunwrightReads]

I have started reading multiple books at once so it takes me a long time to finish long books. I’m not sure yet whether I will stick with reading this way. There’s a certain enjoyment I get from immersing fully into a fictional world

[@arwamais]

I’ve bought 1Q84 years ago but I was convinced that I should read Orwell’s 1984 first... Do you think I should do so or just read it?

[@NilaR93]

I would read 1984 first just because it's more "simple" plot-wise, it's like a fragment of a dystopian society so I think it would seem "boring" if you read 1Q84 first 🙈

[@aethikv]

Eighth life is an amazing saga, one of my favourite books of the last years

[@JayShayy]

I'm really enjoying _Bringing Up The Bodies_ as a part of #cromwellathon hosted by Jason over at Old Blue's Chapter and Verse leading up to _The Mirror and the Light_ which sounds like it is going to be mammoth -- but Mantel is so great I don't mind at all.

[@christinabarrick9107]

I can't read multiple books at once. So for me when I start a big book I'm committed till the end. I've just about finished my first ever read through of A Song of Ice and Fire series. All five books are in the 900 to 1000 page range 🤪 big books!

[@KadyAz17]

I got through the first four and stalled out. In your opinion, should I read A Dance with Dragons or wait and see if he ever publishes the next one?

[@christinabarrick9107]

@@KadyAz17 I debated about that very thing. I did end up reading them all. I really enjoyed A Dance With Dragons and I'm glad I read it, even if the series never gets finished!

[@KadyAz17]

@@christinabarrick9107 Thanks for the perspective, I'm sure I'll pick it up in the near future. They were my pool-side reads last year. 😁

[@bianquita1]

I'm yet to read Harukami. I've got IQ84 on my bookshelf. It's big! I have no interest in historical fiction prior to the XIXth century, so I won't be reading Mantel any time soon. SciFi, fantasy don't do it for me so Herbert is out. I haven't heard of the other books you mention. I guess we'll find out if they're any good when you do read them. Goodluck.

[@greymyers4087]

For getting into classic sci-fi, I don’t think Dune is a good start. Maybe start with something shorter, like HG Well’s Time Machine. Or maybe try one of the often overlooked women of classic sci-fi, like Native Tongue by Suzette Elgin, A door into ocean by Joan Slonczewski, or The Female man by Joanna Russ

[@olafkeith9186]

The Mirror and the Light is over 900 pages long 😉 I also want to re-read DUNE this year for the new movie. Concerning audiobooks, they usually work better for me with shorter books. If the audio is like 30 hours, I‘ll probably never finish. So, I tend to read long books in book format only. I also plan to read the Mantel trilogy soon.

[@stitchesinpink]

I just finished The Eighth Life and LOVED it!!

[@markosilov3911]

Murakami's "1Q84" is one of my favorite books from the last decade.

[@jillschroeder9760]

My favourite Muurakami.

[@hollyc4624]

Same. Loved it.

[@robotnic]

Not only is Murakami bad for describing women's bodies, 1Q84 is the worst of his books for that, lol. Be ready to read 200 descriptions of the main character's boobs! At least with it being 3 books you can break up the reading experience a bit. I've gotten a couple of big ones recently - The Overstory and David Copperfield. I also never went back to finish Moby Dick (though I was enjoying it a lot), or The Odyssey which I bought a new copy of last year. I find it hard to get around to big books for the same reasons as you. Usually I end up reading a big book alongside my regular reading (1 shorter novel and 1 non-fiction) and only reading a chapter or two a night, on my kindle, before bed. Takes ages that way but it means it doesn't interrupt my regular reading as much and once I get 2/3rds of the way in I often end up making the long book my main read for a week or two til I finish it.

[@sourcreams]

Albinati's book is, unfortunately, all real. The author went to school with those young men who ended up killing a girl and almost killing the second one just for fun. It's really about how rich, spoilt brats can become criminals and since the story shocked Italy when it happened it had a lot of resonance.

[@M_SC]

Manuela O. The Catholic school is just as Much a cause as rich spoiledness. More,’probably, that’s why it’s the title

[@HardcoverHearts]

I wasn’t interested in The Catholic School when I first heard of it, but your description has me giving it a second look.

[@TamaynIrraniah]

1Q84 is a really complicated book for me. I dont think it's nearly as good as Kafka on the Riverbank, which for me isn't nearly as good as Hardboiled Wonderland and The End of the World, but I love magical realism almost to the point of the surreal. I literally pushed though it while visiting family. For me personally, I make it a rule to only ever read one book and listen to one book at a time. I kind of force myself to finish a book, but I also have started getting more books from the library As for long books, I'm within striking distance of the end of the first Wheel of Time book, but it is just supremely good, in my opinion. Friends tell me the first three books are great, but apparently there is a slog after book 4. Hoping to finish the series this year, as pretty much all the fans of fantasy tell me it's a seminal work. Hope your day is going well, and always look forward to seeing your videos!

[@nata.nosova]

I've read 1st book of Duna series at 2010, but now I want to re-read it and continue story before new tv adaptation) Wolf Hall is very long, very-very looong story. But Mantel is brilliant storyteller!

[@JoshuaLewis6786]

Starting IT by SK tomorrow. I'm excited

[@halimamuslimah]

I am 100% intimidated by big books. I disgust myself with that. If the book is larger than 630 pages, I shy away from the book. Ugh! I'm so ashamed of myself.

[@AikiraBeats]

I really want to start reading bigger books. I think the biggest book I've read was 561 pages

[@drawntostories5940]

I'm using your bringing up 1Q84 as an excuse to say a word or two about Murakami. I find it interesting how people read Murakami expecting to find icky descriptions of women. What if one did the contrary and focused on the icky descriptions of men and the moments when women are described positively? I don't mean to say he doesn't objectify women (like the American authors he admires commonly do), but that people tend to find these things because they are consciously (or subconsciously) searching for them. Like, if I read Bible expecting to find cooking ideas, I would find those. You rarely hear mentioned, for example, how in Sputnik Sweetheart there's a lesbian relationship and how in Kafka on the Shore there's a gay transgender man - isn't this great for diversity, or can't we focus on the positive's because it's the "misogynistic Murakami" we are talking about. Also, it saddens me to think how many people have missed the portrayal of depression/someone going through suicidal thoughts in Norwegian Wood, when their focus has been on the awkward and awful sex acts. Like measuring the success of relationship by the amount of sex... I like to think that criticism is always good, as long as one is aware of one's own thought-processes. However, with authors like Murakami, it is typical to focus on the negative at the expense of the positive. If you let your immediate reactions and emotions guide your thoughts, can you at the same time be rational enough to give fair treatment to other aspects of the novel?

[@akaram325]

Well said!!

[@mirkovic]

Dear Eric try the TV Series an excellent adaptation... the funny writing soon becomes secondary - try the second.... she is a great author

[@deanbocconcino1527]

Interesting books! I would like to read Dune as well. Right now I'm reading a big book myself: Lethal White by Robert Galbraith/JK Rowling

[@mitchrapp9727]

I love a good challenge and enjoyed 1Q84.

[@tumblyhomecarolinep7121]

Ohh I hope you end up loving wolf hall and bring up the bodies. I tried and failed then tried again. The second time I emerged myself in it and just suddenly it all fell into place. So many wonderful parts...as a painter I loved a part when she described clothing they indigo so dark it was as if the night had bled into it’ and the beautiful section that Eves Alexander read out...that I will go and find and link in a mo.......back...this video..she reads it so beautifully ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mHuylKSagtqWftk

[@alanshadastrokeanddiedinho2897]

If the big book has thirty chapters, one can read a chapter a day. Then read other books in between. Sixty chapters in the big book than read two chapters a day.

[@emiliotarsa6582]

I bought _A Book of Memories_ also on Sontag's recommendation, though I did not have the privilege of hearing her speak - that's very cool. I am close to finishing Benjamin Moser's 2019 bio, _Sontag_.

[@flavioparanhos255]

1Q84, the trilogy, is good

[@hazelmacwan8432]

I want to give murakami a try but i don't know where to start

[@EdwardGiordano]

Hazel macwan maybe start with one of his short story collections? After the Quake or Men Without Women

[@EricKarlAnderson]

@@EdwardGiordano Yes, I agree short stories would be a good place to start. The Elephant Vanishes was actually the first book I read by him.

[@Sm0700537]

I started with Kafka on the Shore. Highly recommend that book.

[@keihui85]

I recommend start with Norwegian Wood or Kafka on the Shore

[@akaram325]

I started off with ‘The Colorless Life Of......’ and it was really enjoyable. It didn’t have any of the magical realism so it was a nice way to get to know his style and decide if I liked it. I ended up really liking it and then when I read some of his better stuff it was a fantastic experience.

[@AceHardy]

📙💯

[@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz9]

You speak well. Stupid question, is it because you've read so much?

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Thank you. And I have no idea but I know reading has greatly expanded my vocabulary.

[@zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz9]

@@EricKarlAnderson guess i better read more. Do you think it helps with writing too?

[@dedicatedfelineenthusiast2211]

I want bigs books, I can’t not lie, when they come with a nice looking spine, then all up in your face, baby gotta read. 😉

[@artjournalstories7313]

I don't want to burst your bubble, but IQ84 is 3 books, and I think total page count is over 1300 pages 🙈 Sorry! I read it, I think it's a very interesting story. I will start Wolf Hall soon too, just finishing another book. I also aim to read Dune, The Eighth Life, Count of Monte Cristo, Middlemarch as the giants of my library. I actually would love to read Crimson Petal and the White. We shall see!

[@EricKarlAnderson]

Ah, I didn't even realise that. Thanks for the heads up! So it really is an epic. I loved Middlemarch when I read it a long time ago and would be curious to reread it sometime.

[@lauramartino-lawton7068]

Hhi Eric, the Catholic school is on audible.

[@SakariHapponen]

People don't seem to like that Catholic School book...