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Reading the 'Chunksters'
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I'm currently reading The Goldfinch right now, but I didnt realize was 780 pages when I started it. I'm liking it but the writing is very detailed and I feel like I'm not going as fast through it as I have with other books.
I want to re-read Cleopatra by Margaret George but it's over 1000 pages so I don't think I can fit it in to my list right now. A great read though!
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I am slightly wary of timings too. Especially if The Count of Monte Cristo wins the Classic poll...
What constitutes a Chunkster here, please? The Chunkster challenge I did last year had it at 450+ but it sounds you are all reading double that? I have a few really large books I want to read this year
I think 450+ is a reasonable basis for a "chunkster" or really anything that just feels large and daunting. I'm sure more people are just inclined to talk about 700+ page books when they're stuck on them versus the 450 page one because it's more to slog through.
I am reading In Search of Lost Time- 7 volumes that have a combined 4,000+ pages. I am giving myself 45 days to read each volume so I can break it down into pieces.
I really want to read A Prayer for Owen Meany. The book is 600+ pages. I also want to read The Goldfinch and White Oleander but I need to pick them up when I actually have time to dedicate to them.
War and Peace is on my list to read this year. I think I will start it during Lent...
Laura wrote: "War and Peace is on my list to read this year. I think I will start it during Lent..."I have had War and Peace on my to read list for over a decade! I never get to it.
Chase wrote: "Finished my Chunkster: The Goldfinch. Whew.. back to smaller books for a bit."Did you like it?
I didn't unfortuantely. It was a well written book but there was way too much detail that it just dragged the whole plot to me.
I don't think I can finish an over 1200 page book in a month. However, I think after I finish War and Peace I will read The Count of Monte Cristo in the latter part of the year. Too many classics to read and soooo little time!
Chase wrote: "I didn't unfortuantely. It was a well written book but there was way too much detail that it just dragged the whole plot to me."That is unfortunate. I've been looking at the book for a while at the library...trying to decide if I should pick it up.
Each of The Mortal Instruments books are chunksters to me. I'm almost done with City of bones. I put off buying it because it looked so intimidating. The longest book I've ever read was probably 550 pages or so. Probably a Rick Riorden book, lol.
I caved. I am going to read Count of Monte Cristo with the Feb read. Putting off Wuthering Heights for another month.
I have gone with the wind on my shelf to read. It just looks huge! It
A been on my to read shelf for ages. So I have to tackle it this year!
A been on my to read shelf for ages. So I have to tackle it this year!
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Good decision! I love love love The Count, not so crazy about Wuthering Heights. ;)
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A been on my to read shelf for ages. So I have to tackle it this year!"
Gone With the Wind is AMAZING. And a surprisingly quick read, considering its length, so don't let that scare you off. :)
I haven't read Gone With the Wind or even seen the movie. It's a chunkster alright!
I really liked The Count. Also really liked Gone With the Wind when I was little, but not sure I'd agree with myself now (just because I'm not so interested in romance novels as I was). I'd like to re-read Lord of the Rings, and finally get around to reading The Stand. I'm sure there are more, but those are off the top of my head.
The stand was a chunkster for me too as it took me six weeks to read it but it was pretty good.
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Oh no ...... (groan). I have been thinking of trying to read Dickens again. We did the obligatory ones in high school, b..."
Quite a lot! LOL
It might help to keep in mind that he wrote his novels in a serialized format, so they're like multiple books in one. No different from reading a 3-book series, really.
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Oh no ...... (groan). I have been thinking of trying to read Dickens again. We did the obliga..."
Oh sorry, no, I meant that each one of his novels was written that way - he would publish them a few chapters at a time in magazines, and when he reached the end of the story, the many parts would be published together as a single novel. I didn't mean that all of his novels have to be read in succession. Each one is a stand-alone story, but the 800+ pagers can be viewed as multiple regular-sized novels that have been slapped together into one volume, if the size of them seems intimidating.
Alberta: to me a "chunkster" would be anything over 800 pages. I love a chunky book myself. I feel I'm getting more value for my money. That's not to say I don't buy smaller books but my eye is more drawn to the bigger ones. And if a book is well written with a fascinating story then however big it is won't be at all daunting. I read Anne Rice's Witching Hour in about a week and that is 1200 pages long. It was brilliant. Yet War and Peace, which is about the same size took me about a month and it was so dull. Over 1100 pages to say war is bad, peace is good, and "hurrah, hurrah, the cannons!" I just can't for the life of me understand what's so great about this book.
The only 'chunkster' I really loved was
which was absolutely mind-blowing! All other 'chunksters'....I didn't have much patience to go on...
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I am currently reading A Game of Thrones and I am planning reading the whole series. Next up is Under the Dome. There are just too many I want to read.
I'm currently 240 pages in on Under the Dome for the "buddy read" in this group. It is enjoyable but I just keep thinking "dang this is a big book. I'll never get through it"Oddly and thankfully my widget says I'm still "on track". (8/20 books read, that will likely change in a week or two)
Earlier this year I read The Crimson Petal and the White and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell and now I'm going to read The Eye of the World again. It's been years since I read the series and I still haven't read the last 3, so I think it's time I started reading all again. I used to buy the books when published and re-reading the whole series from the beginning with each new one, but stopped when the author died.
Am currently reading all chunksters and will keep reading those for the next few months.. So there goes my widget... :)Anyway, currently reading Under the Dome, almost 50% done and truly enjoying it. Also reading David Copperfield as part of a buddy read and finally reading The Hero of Ages. All over 700 pages and hope to finish them soon as I have several others that I need to finish... :)
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I'm about 40% through Moby Dick and starting to find it hard work. I'll definitely keep on going though!
Holly - Good luck with Moby Dick (I've tried to read it twice and given up around the same spot you mentioned). Have you heard of the Big Read project? It's an audio reading of Moby Dick, but each chapter is recorded by a different person, and the web-site for it also has a different piece of artwork per chapter. I loved that project, and hope to one day get through the book with the help of those visual and auditory aids! The website is mobydickbigread.com if you're interested.
I am currently working through War and Peace. Had to put it down for a month due to deadlines for work projects, but those are done and now I can get back to War and Peace. Planning on reading a couple of other biggie books before the end of the year.
I don't feel I've had a lot of Chunksters in the first half of this year. A few 400-500 page books, but not too many 600+ books. I'm hoping to tackle some more Chunksters later in the year. I figure if I finish my goal early, I might just fill in the rest of the year with some Chunksters that I have otherwise been putting off.I'm in a bit of Chunkster now though: 600/815 on The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
I'm not gonna lie, a chunkster to me is anything nearly 500 pages or over. Before I started using goodreads, I had trouble finishing books, but even now I'm still daunted by chunky books, as I don't really have that much time to read. That being said, I'm 1/3 through "Life after Life" by Kate Atkinson, which I consider chunky, so I'm not doing too bad. :)
Yay! On my 2nd attempt, I finally made it to the end of In Search of Lost Time by Marcel Proust. It was hard for me to get into because there isn't very much of a plot.Next up, The Brothers Karamazov.
Finally finished my chunkster Ship of Magic! That Robin Hobb sure can tell a story. It's part of a trilogy, so I guess my next chunkster is all set up for me (:
I have finished with David Copperfield but have temporarily shelved The Hero of Ages till mid this month. Will be starting War and Peace from today and I am really terrified as this is one book that I have been attempting to read for the past several years and have failed each time.
I have read War and Peace last year. It took me two months and a half. I am usually a fast read, but I needed a lot of time for this one. I found it helped to take breaks from time to time to read a short novel, and then get back to it. I had tried before, took me to gos to get through it. I liked it!
I thought my next chunkster would be The Mad Ship in the Liveship Traders trilogy, but I swapped it out for The Goldfinch after hearing so many divided opinions on it!
I'm currently reading Words of Radiance, 1087 pages, I am listening to its audio version as well so I should be able to finish this month. Sanderson is one of my favourite authors so for me it's a treat :-), besides, I like big books and cannot lie ...
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I'm currently attempting Ulysses. Around 200 pages in, which leaves 700 left.. Half of the time, I'm not sure what's going on, but I'm not disliking it.