Top Ten Big Books I Want to Read

Graphic with text: Top Ten Tuesday www.ThatArtsyReaderGirl.com

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday (a list on any topic we choose) doubles as my 2020 Big Book Summer challenge-joining post.

To qualify for the Big Book Summer challenge, books have to be at least 400 pages. These ten are all in my possession and most have been on my TBR list for at least a year. They’re in the order I plan (sort of) to read them.

Wow! These books are LONG!

1. The Book of Kings by James Thackera (773 pages)

Reading this on a recommendation from my sister from several years ago. She lent me her copy and I kept it so long without reading it, I finally returned it to her. Now, I’ve borrowed it back. What better time to tackle an almost 800-page historical novel?

2. The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (512 pages)

This book has been languishing in my collection for a while. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell is a literary masterpiece, but it took me a long time to attempt it due to its daunting length (544 pages), so I’m hoping for the same here.

3. Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante (400 pages)

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I asked for the Neapolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante for Christmas. I don’t want to confess which year!

4. The Story of the Lost Child by Elena Ferrante (480 pages)

See #3.

5. South of Broad by Pat Conroy (528 pages)

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This was in our family Christmas 2019 gift swap, when we swapped books that we liked and thought others would also like. I’ve always meant to read Pat Conroy and never have.

6. The City of Mirrors by Justin Cronin (624 pages)

I started this third book in the Passage trilogy back when it was new (2016) but got bogged down and never finished.

7. Grey Sister by Mark Lawrence (416 pages)

Opening lines of Red Sister, first in this fantasy trilogy: “It is important, when killing a nun, to ensure that you bring an army of sufficient size. For Sister Thorn of the Sweet Mercy convent Lano Tacsis brought two hundred men.”

8. The Three-Body Problem by Liu Cixin (400 pages)

This one I bought as a gift for our son, but he already had it, and I never returned it, thinking I would read it myself.

9. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (944 pages)

Look at that! A blurb by Pat Conroy on the cover! The paperback of this one came out in 2005 and I have the hardcover, so that gives you an idea of how long I’ve hung onto this one.

10. Reamde by Neal Stephenson (1056 pages)

Honestly, I’ll probably never read this one, but I liked Snow Crash (on audio) so much that I’ve thought for years about reading another book by Neal Stephenson, and I found this copy used.

Have you read any of these? Should I move one up or down the list?

Today’s Top Ten Tuesday Link-Up hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl