Monday, October 8, 2018

Top Ten Tuesday : Longest Reads

It's been a while since I've done a Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Tuesday is weekly meme that was created by the Broke and Bookish and is now hosted by The Artsy Reader Girl. I was feeling extra blog-y this week and figured this was the week to jump back in! The topic this week is :

Longest Books I've Ever Read

So without further a-do...

The Kingsbridge Series by Ken Follett


Pillars of the Earth - 355,830 words
World without End - 309, 270 words
A Column of Fire - 283, 040 words

My DAD was the one that turned me onto this series. He drives trucks for a living and has been listening to audiobooks in the cab for years and Follett is one of his favorites. I recently wrapped it up with Column of Fire (Thanks Dad, for lending me your Kindle!). He's got great taste, my Dad, Follett is the master of winding out a epic historical. These are...incredibly extravagant reads. Absolutely worth the time it takes to truly and thoroughly read them. *ends mini-review here* 



265,350 words (estimated)

This book found its way to my bookshelf about ten years after I read it in H.S. for...err...fun. And because my sister and I are weird brain clones of each other I discovered she too read this exact book back when she was a teenager for...errr....fun. We grew up in different homes, with a state between us, so it was especially interesting that we both just naturally got super obsessed with Mary Queen of Scots and read a 870 page novel featuring every single detail of her life when we were like fifteen. I honestly don't know if I could do it again. I was such a voracious little reader back then. Now, I'm like...ugh, its so long - does my library have the audio??? lol.



292,727 words

I will always stay firm in that...I will not read past the first book of A Song of Fire and Ice until he actually finishes the series. So, that is why A Game of Thrones pops up on this list versus his other longer additions to that series. IF ONLY HE'D FINISH!!!!


Outlander by Diana Gabaldon


259, 250 words

As I was eyeing my bookshelves for the fattest books my eyes fell on this beautiful, blue beauty. The new opening for the upcoming season of the Outlander Tv Series recently came out and it has me all nostalgic for Claire and Jamie in their first story. I've only read this and the next couple in the series and I didn't compare page count. Each ones are quite thick and go through a lot of material and plot and history. 



Eldest (The Inheritance Cycle #2) by Christopher Paolini


205,175 words

Remember this series? My brother and I both read it back in the day. Which is a feat because my brother hates reading. I still have the first book on my shelf (Eldest is longer, I checked! lol). It's so heavy that I had to read it sitting up, with it propped up on something!



Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens 


185,440 words

I'm running out of ideas of where to find my longest reads! When comparing my two favorite Dickens I discovered that Oliver Twist is longer. So, here it is. I love Dickens. I need to read more of his stuff before I kick it, for sure. I believe, that Bleak House is his longest work. But, don't quote me on it! 

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness


209,090 words 

I just finished this and its so fresh in my mind. It might not be the longest book on this list but it was a lot to get through. Some books have a density about them that (isn't a deterrent, by any means) makes them 'thicker' than other works of the same page or word count. If you're going with vampire fiction - 200 pgs of Harkness versus Meyer (Twilight)...one is going to be heavier than the other - even if their weight is technically the same. I'm preparing myself to start her next book in the series which is a doozy looking one. She's a historian (the author...and the main character too, lol) and REALLY loves history and it shows. It's something I enjoy (hence my first four picks on this list) so I'm up for it!

Fin! 

I couldn't think of another, every one that I thought of wasn't as long as I thought it would be! Honorable mention to the Iliad and the Oddysey that I read back in the day. Because technically those aren't the same piece of work and I read them separately.

In the construction of this list I realized that...

1. I love epic historical fiction. 
2. I will probably never be able to finish anything larger than a 400,000 word count book. Especially not in 'one go'!
3. I'm more willing to go the length if it's been on screen or been a suggestion or I just am obsessed with the genre/topic. 
4. I want to re-read most of these. 

What did you learn? I can't wait to see what everyone else put on their list and how they calculated length. I did mine via word count through this site (and google): https://www.readinglength.com/

Until next time, 

Jess

27 comments :

Greg October 9, 2018 at 12:05 AM  

Ooh I've seen Follett's books on a couple of lists already!And Game of Thrones *nods* so true! And the Paolini books surprised me how long they are!

Jazmin Jade Reviews October 9, 2018 at 2:04 AM  

Inheritance by Paolini is on my list this week! I love that series, such a good and emotional ending in Inheritance.

My TTT https://wp.me/p3ftwe-YR

Kate @Midnight Book Girl October 9, 2018 at 3:32 AM  

I've been meaning to read Follet since I saw the mini-series for The Pillars of the Earth years ago, but just haven't gotten around to it- someday though! I love Game of Thrones and Discovery of Witches (her 4th book just came out so I have plans for it!).

My Top Ten Tuesday

Just Another Girl and Her Books October 9, 2018 at 6:18 AM  

Follet's books have been on my TBR for a couple years now, I just never seem to have the time (probably partially because they look so daunting), but I love historical novels, so I should really give them a go sometime.

Hope you have a great week. - Katie

Aymee October 9, 2018 at 8:18 AM  

Great list! I really want to read A Discovery of Witches!

What I learned is that I a) have read too much epic fantasy and b) have an obsession with Tad Williams. Hahaha.

Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

Destiny @ Howling Libraries October 9, 2018 at 8:19 AM  

Great list! You've got some seriously long books on here! Thanks for stopping by earlier, and happy reading :)

ChrissiReads October 9, 2018 at 10:01 AM  

There are some really long books on here! I'm impressed. Thanks for stopping by my blog earlier.

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 10:40 AM  

Follett was the first I thought of! And I agree - I figured Paolini books would be long but I also figured that they'd have the font manipulation to make them look like they were longer, denser than they were. Nope, rather long in their own right!

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 10:48 AM  

Yes, it's awesome! It's been a while since I've read it. This week is making me feel nostalgic!

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 10:53 AM  

I saw that the fourth book was released! I'm eyeing it but I need to get through two more before I get to it. The audiobook for the second book is 24 hours, so I'm gearing up and waiting for the e-book copy to come available on my library app before I dive in! (I like both when I'm reading something long!). Follett is amazing, if you can read Harkness - you can read Follett. Although, warning - he is a dude and writes like one...you'll know what I mean when you read it. lolol. ;) Happy reading!

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 11:01 AM  

They look more daunting then they actually are, they're really comprehensive and magnetic. Historical novels are my weakness. They're basically magic with their time-travelly feels. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week too! :)

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 11:07 AM  

Oh it's soo good. It's very intelligent but not overly dense for the subject matter. (Vampires and witches, lol). Thank you for stopping by!

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 11:09 AM  

Thanks! It was fun and just a little challenging to look at my read list and figure out what was longest! Thanks for stopping by too. :) Happy reading!

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 11:11 AM  

Thanks! I don't read them as often as I should, though. lol. Thanks for stopping by too - Happy Reading! :)

Lily October 9, 2018 at 11:56 AM  

Oh, this is a lovely list! <3 Oliver Twist is a book that I always mean to read, but sadly never get around to, haha.

Here's my TTT, in case you'd like to check it out! ☺️
https://sprinklesofdreams.wordpress.com/2018/10/09/top-ten-tuesday-longest-books/#comment-3804

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 1:09 PM  

Thank you! I love Oliver Twist but I have to admit that Great Expectations is my favorite of his works. Although, I haven't read all of his works. I need to get on that! Thanks for the link! Happy Reading :)

Literary Feline October 9, 2018 at 1:43 PM  

Going by word count is a great idea--especially since page count varies depending on the edition. I have read a few of these: Pillars of the Earth, A Discovery of Witches, A Game of Thrones and Oliver Twist among them. I hope you have a great week!

Alicia @ A Kernel of Nonsense October 9, 2018 at 1:44 PM  

I never read Game of Thrones, but I feel for fans who have been waiting and waiting for the next book.

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 3:39 PM  

I went by page count at first but then I realized the disparity of density between the books that were 'thickest'. The website helped alot, lol. It's hard to find word count! lol. Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week too! :)

Jessica Henry October 9, 2018 at 3:40 PM  

And forever and forever and FOREVER. lol.

Lily October 10, 2018 at 4:56 AM  

Ohh Great Expectations is on my TBR as well. I hope you can get to his other works soon! :)

Chelsea Rae October 10, 2018 at 7:59 AM  

Oooh great list! I'm also a fan of epic historical fiction, yet somehow they were all juuust into the honourable mentions area of my list (Sharon Kay Penman's Here Be Dragons, Emma Donoghue's Life Mask, etc.) behind the fantasy and the classics. I really hope Martin does manage to finish the series so you can read the rest of it, but waiting until he does is a completely reasonable response. I'm so intrigued by the Mary, Queen of Scots novel, which I've never heard of before, since she's such a fascinating historical figure! I've never read any Ken Follett but he's been on my TBR for ages, so one day it'll happen.

Jessica Henry October 10, 2018 at 11:03 AM  

Thank you! :) I really hope Martin finishes too because the books are different than the show by quite a bit. The spirit and who ends up on the throne is the same (he told them ages ago who does). The Mary Queen of Scots novel is fascinating because it's her life novelized and from what I understand - it's incredibly accurate. The author basically tracked her journey and narrated it step by step. Although...I haven't read it since I was a teen so the details are a teensy fuzzy! I'd start with Pillars of the Earth for your first Follett. He has other historical fiction but I think the Kingsbridge series is the best. But, I'm biased because I love the dark/middle ages. lol. Thank you for stopping by! Happy Reading! :)

Aj @ Read All The Things! October 10, 2018 at 7:13 PM  

The GoT books are the longest books I’ve read. I haven't read past the 3rd one. It's hard to keep going when I have zero faith that the author will finish the series.

Aj @ Read All The Things!

Teresa Mary Rose October 14, 2018 at 1:14 PM  

Pillars of the Earth is on my list too, but I haven't read his others that you have up there yet, I really need to!

Jessica Henry October 17, 2018 at 2:01 AM  

I knowwww! That's how I feel exactly. I don't mind making that commitment. But he needs to hold up his end of the bargain!

Jessica Henry October 17, 2018 at 2:03 AM  

They're so good! Just as good as Pillars. I love how he continues the legacy of the characters in each book even though they are life-spans apart in time.