A book that's more than 800 pages

[Juanita]

This is one of the categories that has me questioning whether I will do the advanced section of the challenge or not. I saw Katie is planning on The Pillars of the Earth for this one. It's the book that I immediately thought of when I read this prompt.

[Kathy]

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke is 1006 pages in one edition and 866 in another. I plan to read this for the Around the Year Challenge next in 2017 for a magical realism novel.

Here is the Goodreads summary:

At the dawn of the nineteenth century, two very different magicians emerge to change England's history. In the year 1806, with the Napoleonic Wars raging on land and sea, most people believe magic to be long dead in England--until the reclusive Mr Norrell reveals his powers, and becomes a celebrity overnight.

Soon, another practicing magician comes forth: the young, handsome, and daring Jonathan Strange. He becomes Norrell's student, and they join forces in the war against France. But Strange is increasingly drawn to the wildest, most perilous forms of magic, straining his partnership with Norrell, and putting at risk everything else he holds dear.

[Justine]

I'm currently reading I am Pilgrim which is almost 900pgs.

[Anna]

I like big books! Some of my thoughts:

Bleak House
1Q84
Lonesome Dove
Fall of Giants (or anything by Ken Follett, really. The Pillars of the Earth is one of my favorite books ever.)
London: The Biography
A Place of Greater Safety (my copy was 875 pages, but I think the page count varies by edition.)
The Wise Man's Fear (though I think you'd need to read The Name of the Wind for it to make sense.)

If you like biographies, a lot of Doris Kearns Goodwin's titles qualify. (I read and loved Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln and The Bully Pulpit: Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft, and the Golden Age of Journalism.)

[Megan]

I'm in the same boat Juanita. I feel like our strategy from 2016 would be the only way to do it: read this category first!

I have these penciled in

I Know This Much Is True
Outlander
The Stand
11/22/63
This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn

[Mike]

My strategy is to start this book in December. I reason that as long as the book is finished in 2017, it counts. Some say cheating. I say making good use of time. "strategery"

[Booklover]

Mike wrote: "My strategy is to start this book in December. I reason that as long as the book is finished in 2017, it counts. Some say cheating. I say making good use of time. "strategery""

I thought the rules applied as long as you finished the book in the given year. Your strategy is fabulous.

[Sharmon]

I remember my dad reading a lot of James A. Michener when I was a child and I think quite a few of his works would count. I was thinking Alaska or Centennial.

[Lindi]

I don't mind big books. They can be pretty daunting though. I've chosen Fall of Giants for this, since I'm able to slot the second one into a book with one of the four seasons in the title.

Other books on my TBR
Alexander Hamilton
Vanity Fair
The Complete Grimm's Fairy Tales
Outlander (or any of that series)
Anna Karenina
The Pillars of the Earth
Don Quixote
The First Man in Rome

Books I've read I recommend
11/22/63
Gone with the Wind
The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family

I highly recommend the last one if you are a fan of the Kennedy's. Or even if you're not.

[Anna]

Mike wrote: "My strategy is to start this book in December. I reason that as long as the book is finished in 2017, it counts. Some say cheating. I say making good use of time. "strategery""

Mike, you're brilliant.

[Nadine in NY]

I do not like big books! I get antsy if it takes me more than two weeks to finish - I look at all the other books piling up on my nightstand, going unread, waiting impatiently for me to finish the time-eating behemoth ... But I do better if it's an audiobook. That's how I got through the big books for this year's challenges.

So, I'm going to get "11/22/63" on audiobook. And hopefully I will be able to renew it enough times to finish it! because that is going to take a loooooong time, it's listed as 30.75 hours, and I get about 40 minutes a day to listen, so ... that's 46 days. A month and a half. Yikes.

[Anna]

Nadine: have you tried listening at a higher speed? I often listen at 1.25; it doesn't sound distorted, but does move faster. (It would save you a good 6 hours on a 30-hour book!)

[Nadine in NY]

I have tried 1.25 speed and it sounded silly and rushed, so I'm stuck w 1x

[Jim]

Good evening!

I have problems with big books; it took me 89 days this year to finish the 1,276-page Penguin Classics paperback edition of The Count of Monte Cristo.

Jim

[Brandy]

I really enjoyed Edward Rutherford's Paris. It is a big book. James Michener is also very good, but quite wordy. I enjoyed The Source by Michener.

[Cheri]

A lengthy book that's been on my TBR list for awhile is Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset. A few people have recommended it to me, one of them saying it was her favorite book.

[Marilyn]

So, I've read and loved The Pillars of the Earth and Anna Karenina is on my list to finish this year. I am using Don Quixote for the eccentric character. Gone with the Wind was recommended by Fannie Flagg. It is amazing how many books fit into more than one category. I have found in the past that I have had to move things around to complete all of the categories.

I will use Outlander here!

[Sunsettowers]

I'm planning on tackling my copy of The Executioner's Song for this one!

[Nadine in NY]

I just got excited when I realized the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series is more than 700 pages, and I came here to tell you all, because even though they are long they are fast reads, and then I realized the category is "more than 800" ... le sigh. Ugh. Whine whine whine I don't like long books why do they keep adding a category that is for really long books??

[Jim]

Is Nadine drunk in the whinery?

Jim

[Megan]

Nadine wrote: "I just got excited when I realized the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series is more than 700 pages, and I came here to tell you all, because even though they are long they are fast reads, and t..."

I feel your pain. If they keep increasing the page numbers what will 2018 be?! haha

[Nadine in NY]

Megan wrote: "I feel your pain. If they keep increasing the page numbers what will 2018 be?! haha "

Right? We aren't about to face 1000+ pages in 2018, are we? please no!

Jim wrote: "Is Nadine drunk in the whinery?

Jim"

Yes!

[Therese]

I don't know what my book will be for this category, but I'm not worried about it because I usually read a few books that are close to this many pages in the course of the year. It will remain a surprise for me.

[Tami]

Outlander

[Megan]

Nadine wrote: "I just got excited when I realized the fifth book in the Throne of Glass series is more than 700 pages, and I came here to tell you all, because even though they are long they are fast reads, and t..."

I haven't read the Throne of Glass series yet. But I'm currently trying to figure out if I could use the series to fill up 6 different prompts since its a 6 book series with the last one coming out in September...Hmm...

[Jackie]

I think this is going to be my motivation to finally finish reading Les Miserables. I got it many years ago en francais (because I am chronically overambitious), started it and realized I had made an enormous mistake. The book is not merely about miserable people, it turns you into a miserable person too. At different points I have attempted to make progress on it, but I'm still only about halfway through volume 1 (of 2). I can finish the darn thing this year if I read a chapter a day. Oh, and for the Reading Police, I still have somewhere around 1200 pages to go, god help me.

[Tricia]

I am reading The Count of Monte Cristo (my version has 989 pages.

You could always go for War and Peace

[Malaraa]

The Deed of Paksenarrion is technically an omnibus of 3 books, but since they were republished all between one cover, I think they'd count! (or any other "first books together" reprint, there's several series that have this.)

The War of the Flowers and Black Wolves are both just slightly over 800.

[Cindy]

If you like the Lunar Chronicles, Winter by Marissa Meyer is over 800 pages.

[Cindy]

There are also a couple of listopia lists of books that are more than 800 pages.

This one and this one.

[Cindy]

Someone mentioned The Stand which I highly recommend, but I also recommend It, both of which are over 1,000 pages. They don't read like that though. I was honestly surprised when I saw that It had 1,000+ pages because it just doesn't feel that long.

One of my dad's favorite books is The Mists of Avalon which is just shy of 900 pages.

The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich: A History of Nazi Germany and The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire are two that I have wanted to read for years now and just haven't gotten around to.

And last but not least, here's one that no one else has thought of... Holy Bible: King James Version.

[Kathy]

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke has 1006 pages in the edition I plan on using.

[Stina]

Hmm...I was thinking about Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but my edition has only 700+ pages. So I decided on Under the Dome, which is 1000+ pages. But now I'm wondering if I should save Under the Dome for 2018, when PopSugar will probably up this task to 1000 pages. So is it cheating for me to count JS&MN for this task, even though my edition falls short?

[poshpenny]

I'll be counting a book with any edition at the right page count, since I'm sure I'll be listening on audio.

[Nadine in NY]

Goodreads lists Jonathan Strange as 1006 pages (in paperback, which is the first edition to pop up for me), so I'd say it counts for 800+ pages. I listened to it earlier this year - it definitely FELT like 800+ pages! All those footnotes! egads! (LOL the first words of my review are: "This was a REALLY long book")

[Stina]

Okay, I will probably plan on JS&MN, then. I actually started reading it years ago and then packed it for a move, so I'm eager to get back to it. (I'm sure I'm going to have to start from the beginning again.)

[Cindy]

Stina wrote: "Hmm...I was thinking about Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but my edition has only 700+ pages. So I decided on Under the Dome, which is 1000+ pages. But now I'm wondering..."

It is also over 1000 pages.

[poshpenny]

I looked at this year's 600-page thread to see if anything carried over. There are a few:

The Goldfinch
The Brothers Karamazov
Insomnia

A Suitable Boy

[Kristina]

I'm reading A Game of Thrones for this prompt. The Crimson Petal and the White was a close second choice.

[Kelli]

I've wanted to read City on Fire which is 910 pages, so if I make it to this part, I may read that.

[Kristina]

Kristina wrote: "I'm reading A Game of Thrones for this prompt. The Crimson Petal and the White was a close second choice."

I've changed my mind and decided to read The Luminaries for this prompt now.

[Amanda]

Jerusalem is supposed to be great. One of my co-workers is trying to read it for 2017 (1280 pages).

[Stina]

Kristina wrote: "I'm reading A Game of Thrones for this prompt. The Crimson Petal and the White was a close second choice."

Oh, duh, I'm already reading A Game of Thrones, and there's no way I will be done by the end of the month. A friend has lent me his DVDs of Season One, so I'm watching a disc and then listening to CDs from the library. (1 DVD = 5 CDs, roughly.) It's slow going because I can't renew the CDs, since somebody always has a hold on them.

Well, that made that task an easy decision!

[Danielle]

Kristina wrote: " I've changed my mind and decided to read decided to read The Luminaries for this prompt now."

I'll be reading The Luminaries too Kristina! I bought the paperback when my bookstore had it for $5 on a whim months ago and just haven't picked it up yet. Glad this prompt will kick me into reading it!

[Caity]

Am I the only one who LOVES really big books? I have a stack of books a mile high that I could read for this.

So about 10 options... :D

I'll probably use this prompt as a gimme category when I feel like reading a fat book that doesn't fit anywhere else. I usually tackle at least 3-4 700+ page books a year.

[Mike]

Don't forget: Start this one now! Finish on or after January 1st and it counts!

[Rachel]

I'm on the fence about starting this one early! I've always read all of my books for a challenge within the year that the challenge starts, but it is tempting to get an early start...

[Amanda]

Just found this challenge to read the bible as literature over the course of 2017 Trying to decide if I can do it, since it would severely limit the amount of other books I can read this year.

[Nadine in NY]

I started my long book last week (11/22/63); I listen to it to and from work. Each day I listen to 2% of it... so it's going to take me about 10 weeks to finish! Probably some time in February ... or March ...

[Saskia]

The last hour of Gann by R. lee Smith.

Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey is a great book.