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To The Really Long Books Collecting Dust On My Shelves

2/4/2013

28 Comments

 
   
   
Infinite Jest cover
Doomsday Book cover
Kushiels Dart cover
War and Peace cover
Gone with the Wind cover
The Name of the Wind cover
A Game of Thrones cover
I have a confession to make: there are a bunch of books that have been collecting dust on my shelves for, in some cases, over a decade. Those same books have been collecting metaphorical dust on my Goodreads to-read shelf since I joined in 2007. They're all the really long ones; the ones that double as doorstops. I've read many long books but not in the past few years, other than continuations of series I am already invested in and perhaps one or two audiobooks that were serious time investments. I consider this a gaping hole in my journey to be a well-read person considering many of the books that people are always asking if I've read are serious time sucks: Infinite Jest, The Stand, War and Peace, Gone with the Wind, and that damn Game of Thrones series that has replaced the Twilight series as that book that all your relatives, coworkers, people on mass transit, your gynecologist, and your best friend's cousin's roommate ask if you've read. 

I think what stops me is a lack of accomplishment. I can finish three or four books in the time it would take me to read some of these books. I can finish three or four wonderful books in some cases, and it is so much easier for me to abandon a book I'm not enjoying if I haven't already invested a lot of time into it. (so it could (but won't) go without saying that I refuse to give up on really long books) I was emailing with Tatiana and Catie recently about my intent to start slowly reading Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace, which rings in at an impressive 1,079 pages. By some accounts it is a huge undertaking and one that takes a ton of commitment, but when I read some of the 5-star reviews on Goodreads, I am certain that I want to read it. (Bonus: It would up my street cred with Seattle hipsters) In 2009, many participants in Infinite Summer read the entirety of it in small increments. (75 pages a week) Though I found out about the project only recently, I really like the idea of slowly reading long books with a community of readers. Last year I did many readalongs with friends of mine during the first half of the year but I let it fall by the wayside during the second half, despite the enjoyment it brings me. 

In my dreams, I could find perhaps four or five people who all want to read one of these books with me. We could read 100 pages a week and take turns writing a blog post about what we thought of that section and how the readalong is going. But since I doubt that will come together easily, I am thinking that I can just pick a book to start with and just post every Sunday on my progress. Maybe I'll end up reading much more than 100 pages a week. Maybe I'll even finish say, five of these books this year. (cue the laugh track) For now I'll just set my goal at a whopping ONE dust collector off my to-read shelf.

Here are my choices: 
The Stand by Stephen King (1,153 pages)
War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (1,392 pages)
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell (1,024 pages)
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace (1,079 pages)
Kristin Lavransdattar by Sigrid Undset (1,168 pages)
This Is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers (816 pages)
The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (1,007 pages)
The Magus by John Fowles (656 pages)
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality by Eliezer Yudkowsky (1,425 pages but ongoing)
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (672 pages)
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (578 pages)
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (864 pages)
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey (1, 015 pages)
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy (704 pages)

When I think about which book to start with, I am almost positive I have to start with Infinite Jest. It's the one I'm most scared of so it makes the most sense to shoot for it while I'm gung-ho about finishing one of these books. What do you think? What imposing tomes do you have collecting dust on your shelves? Want to challenge yourself with me? (or even perhaps read Infinite Jest with me? Would anyone actually read posts about my progress on long books? (I'm really skeptical that they would!) 

Please, people of the internet, answer all my questions. 
   
    
The Stand cover
Picture
The Way of Kings cover
Kristin Lavransdattar cover
The Magus cover
Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality cover
The Prince of Tides cover
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28 Comments
Nafiza link
2/4/2013 04:52:44 pm

I didn't used to be daunted by long books but in the past few years as the demands on my time have increased, my willingness to sink that much time in one book decreased. My first book of the year was The Wind-Up Bird by Haruki Murakami which was more than 610 pages if I'm not wrong. But since it was so compulsively readable, it didn't feel like a long book. I think your idea of reading slowly and savouring it is a sound one. I don't think it is possible to just read one long book and expect to retain your sanity. At least it wasn't possible for me. I feel like you invest so much in a long book, you commit to it and when it fails to live up, it's like being betrayed. Haha. Have fun reading though! I'm thinking about starting 1Q84 soon.

Reply
Flannery (The Readventurer) link
2/4/2013 05:30:58 pm

I love how we're "thinking about starting" books. I mostly only say that when it's something long. IQ84 is a daunting one--you must've really liked Wind-Up Bird if you're ready to jump into another Murakami so quickly. I have a feeling that at least some of these long ones are similarly readable but it doesn't make them less of a chore to start/commit to. I think the slow and steady method is my best bet for ones I am betting are NOT easy reads. (e.g. IJ)

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Nafiza Azad link
2/4/2013 06:05:31 pm

I don't think it's possible to simply "like" Murakami's works. I had such mixed feelings about that book but the good thing was that it made me think. Made me question things and it's quite lovely to come across work like that. I probably won't start 1Q84 though I want to. And IJ does sound interesting but not in the least easy to read. But you know, I find non-fiction way more difficult to read compared to really long fiction.

Amy @ Turn the Page link
2/4/2013 05:04:14 pm

I've never done a read along before, but I think it would be quite cool to do. I really want to read Gone With the Wind, so you ever decide to do that one... :) This Is All was one of my favourite books when I was younger - definitely worth checking out.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
2/4/2013 05:40:14 pm

I'd never even heard of This Is All until perhaps 6 months ago, and even then I'm not positive whose review it was that prompted me to add it to my TBR shelf on Goodreads. The fact that it was one of your favorite books when you were younger is a good sign. If younger you could read and enjoy it, hopefully late twentysomething me should have no problem trucking through it, eh? :)

I will absolutely let you know when Gone with the Wind becomes a reality reading situation for me. Maybe it can be your first readalong!

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Amy @ Turn the Page link
2/9/2013 09:40:38 pm

I'd love to do a Gone with the Wind readalong if you ever get round to it :D

I hope you like This Is All, its been a few years since I read it. I always wonder how old favourites will stand up if I read them now... I remember some scenes in it really shocked me.

Good luck with Infinite Jest - I think I saw on Goodreads, you've decide to start with that one!

Cassi link
2/4/2013 07:34:49 pm

I think part of it is that being book bloggers we feel the need to pump out the reviews (I feel this need). Quite a few of these books, The Strand and Game of Thrones especially, are on my TBR list but keep getting put off because they are just so daunting. I always tell myself I'm waiting till when there's less to review though I'm never sure when that mythical time will be.

(Infinite Jest is not on my list because I want to keep the hipster influence in life minimal)

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
2/5/2013 03:07:34 am

That's definitely part of it. We haven't been posting a lot of reviews lately anyway, but it is much harder to keep up with the pace of book blogging when we try to read longer books. I laughed at your "mythical time" comment. It will never happen.

Come on, you know you want more hipster influence in your life.

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laura @ Bookish Treasures link
2/4/2013 08:26:59 pm

You should read The Way of Kings. It is really long but it is in sections so feels more like several books than one long one, it makes it easier to tackle.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
2/5/2013 03:13:52 am

I am betting I will love that one and that it will be totally readable, but I honestly finished listening to Mistborn YESTERDAY and it was 20 discs long. I'm not sure I can switch Sanderson fantasy worlds basically the next day.

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Tanya Patrice link
2/4/2013 09:06:14 pm

A Game of Thrones is one I loved and for me, sometimes shorter books take the same time as longer books - which I make sure I read as much of and as often as I can so I can get through them in a timely manner. One of the reason I stopped counting the number of books I read is because I stopped reading bigger books, and that's not something I want to do.

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Flannery (The Readventurer) link
2/5/2013 03:20:49 am

You stopped counting? Hm, I am so impressed that you could do that--I don't know that I could stop having my 100 book yearly goal as an incentive to keep trucking.

I get flak from my siblings all the time about not reading the GoT series but I am wondering if I would like it as much after I've watched the show. I hear it follows the books pretty faithfully.

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Noelle link
2/6/2013 04:32:16 am

I read the first book after the first season and it actually helped me visualize what character was who, etc. and keep them straight in my head. But after that I read the books before the seasons aired.. I'm more likely to watch something after I read it (even if I know what's going to happen there is still the differences in story interpretation and acting etc) than read it after I watch it, so I hear you. Maggie asked me the same thing and I was almost tempted to tell her just to read book 3 before this upcoming season but the books have a lot more history and back story than the show goes into so I'm not sure if she'd get the same out of it skipping the first two books. DILEMMAS.

Lee link
2/4/2013 10:07:16 pm

I admit there are a couple of books on your shelf that are also on mine...collecting dust. :) I will say that I read Game of Thrones and promptly read the entire series after finishing it. I raced through that book, it was so good.

Reply
Bonnie link
2/5/2013 12:13:25 am

This is an awesome goal. I know in my goals I made for myself this year, one is to not be so dang worried about how many books I've completed... if I read one super awesome book in the time it takes me to read three mediocre books, well, there's nothing wrong with that. I've already decided to read a few beastly sized books this year including The Stand and The Magus plus The Count of Monte Cristo (1276 pages... *dies*)

I have never heard of this 'Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality'... must check this out.

Reply
Kaethe Douglas
2/5/2013 01:01:11 am

I'm horrible about read-alongs, so I won't volunteer. But I will absolutely read blog posts on your progress through one of the big tomes. Of course, I read all of your blog posts anyway, so that might not influence you.

My only advice, is to give yourself permission to ditch a long one that isn't working for you. Start with Infinite Jest, bag it after the first, say 100 pages if it's unappealing, and start another lengthy tome in its place. I really enjoyed several on your list, but I've also cast aside two that didn't work.

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Andrea
2/5/2013 09:39:34 am

On the whole I'll read books I'm interested in, long or short, and ignore books which are simply "well known books (in my genre) which people insist I should read".

If I start to wonder if maybe I should read one of these after all, I go read the one star reviews or a plot summary and that usually saves me the trouble.

"The Name of the Wind" was one of those books which so many people raved about it got me curious. But at the same time, all the reviews seemed to be about the GORGEOUS writing and not the story, and I couldn't tell what the story was about except that it involved some guy named Kvothe. Then the sequel came out and I heard about sixteen year-old virginal Kvothe out-sexing the sex fairy and knew I'd had a narrow escape. :)

But anyway - here's an alternate proposal. Instead of picking a single book, read the first 100 pages of all of them. Then decide which ones you want to go on with.

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Amanda @ Late Nights with Good Books link
2/5/2013 10:57:25 am

I agree - since starting Goodreads and my blog, I haven't really had the motivation to read super long books either. And it is a shame, because there are some great ones out there! Good luck with reading Infinite Jest, if that's what you do decide to start with. I just tried reading it as a book club at work, and it was a horrible failure. We got to around 300 pages, but it is very difficult reading. And we tried to mimic the Infinite Summer reading guide, although we did around 115 pages a week and had weekly discussions. We stopped after three weeks because my coworkers found it to be too much like homework. I wouldn't have minded continuing with it necessarily, but it's definitely something that I would have found difficult to read just by myself. If you find some people to read it with, then I'm sure that'll help tremendously!

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molly @ wrapped up in books link
2/5/2013 01:48:46 pm

I have many books waiting to be read, too, in the hopes of someday...

I would definitely be down for an Infinite Jest read a long! I usually am reading a couple books at once (I like to mix up Kindle and book reading, adult, YA, and nonfiction) so it'd be great to have a schedule to keep me disciplined and moving forward with it.

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Tatiana (The Readventurer) link
2/5/2013 08:45:20 pm

I might join you if you read Kristin Lavransdatter (later in the year maybe). It's easier for me to commit to a long book if I have an audio to go along with it too.

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Christina (A Reader of Fictions) link
2/6/2013 12:49:40 am

What a good idea! I have so many long books collecting dust, including about half the ones you've listed. I would suggest not going for War & Peace, because I tried to read that slowly last year and had to abort. There are too many characters with too many names for it to be a sporadic read.

Maybe the Rothfuss book? I've heard it's amazing!

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Jade link
2/6/2013 04:10:16 am

Gone With the Wind is on my list to read this year as well, and I JUST finished RE-READING Game of Thrones. Yes, its a large book, but so worth the read, as are the rest of the Song of Ice and Fire books I've read thus far.

I'll also be re-reading Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords before I read A Feast For Crows. All big and daunting books, but soooooooo good that I don't really mind the size.

I'd start with the Game of Thrones book, it will definitely keep your interest and make you want to get through the book fast.

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Noelle link
2/6/2013 04:16:32 am

Oh my gosh, Game of Thrones is SO fun for readalongs ESPECIALLY book 3. Having people to freak out with makes the freak outs so much sweeter haha. Plus they will inspire amazing out of context texts. I highly recommend it.

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Suzanne link
2/6/2013 12:24:10 pm

I have tried listening to The Way of Kings, and have had trouble getting in to it. The Name of the Wind though: oh, how I loved that book. The page count is daunting, but I could not put it down. It's sequel was the same.

The Magus sounds really interesting. Off to add it to my TBR list. LOL

I have a number of really long books on my "classics to read this year" list -- I'm guessing I won't make it through all 12, either, but I'm going to try! Good luck to you as you tackle some of yours!

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Livvy @Nerdy Book Reviews link
2/8/2013 10:07:35 pm

I'm glad I'm not the only one who sees long books as daunting. I started Game of Thrones last year but abandoned it because I felt like I wasn't getting anywhere fast.

However, like you these books sound awesome and Game of Thrones and The Name of the Wind sit on my bookshelf dying to be read after all the rave reviews.

And Gone with the Wind and War and Peace sit on my kindle after all the raves about those too.

I like the idea of setting a target of one huge book to read. It seems more achievable.

I wish you best of luck! :)

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