Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

January 26 2016
Share Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

We like big books and we cannot lie—we buy them, we shelve them, and we stare at them, promising that someday, when we have the time, we’ll read them. Winter is the perfect season for crossing some of those wonderful doorstops off your list. Pour that hot cocoa, grab that blanket, and settle yourself into your favorite reading spot. You’re going to be there for a while, and love every minute of it.

The Luminaries
by Eleanor Catton

A winner of the Man Booker Prize, Eleanor Catton’s beautifully detailed novel is set in nineteenth century New Zealand, where Walter Moody has arrived to stake his claim in the gold rush. This is an epic about greed, power, gold, dreams, opium, secrets, betrayal, and identity, but most of all, it’s a celebration of the art of storytelling. . . . Page Count: 864

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
The Luminaries
Eleanor Catton

Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

We like big books and we cannot lie—we buy them, we shelve them, and we stare at them, promising that someday, when we have the time, we’ll read them. Winter is the perfect season for crossing some of those wonderful doorstops off your list.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo

MENTIONED IN:

Readers’ Choice: Our 10 Most Popular Books in November

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 29, 2019

8 Prize-winning Books to Read During Book Awards Season

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 29, 2019

A Rich and Remarkable Novel of Fates and Fortunes

By Max Meltzer | June 1, 2018

Readers’ Choice: October’s 10 Most Shelved Books on Off the Shelf

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 27, 2017

10 Literary Names for the Baby Name Obsessed

By Taylor Noel | October 10, 2017

9 Books I Can’t Stop Thinking About

By Taylor Noel | September 4, 2017

Close
Night Film
by Marisha Pessl

On a damp night the daughter of a reclusive cult-horror film director is found dead in lower Manhattan. A journalist soon discovers that this is not the first murder to befall a member of the director’s family. The mixed-media approach to storytelling and inventive, suspenseful plot will keep you turning the pages. . . . Page Count: 640

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
Night Film
Marisha Pessl

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
Close
The Interestings
by Meg Wolitzer

If someone were to write a book about the “Friends” theme song, this would be it. Jules, Ethan, Ash, Jonah, Goodman, and Cathy meet as teenagers at a summer arts camp, and remain bonded for their entire lives. These characters are not only unforgettable, they’re so human that you’ll wonder if you’ve met them in real life. . . . Page Count: 560

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
The Interestings
Meg Wolitzer

“Like any good friend group, Wolitzer’s novel has a little bit of everything. There’s romance, there’s comedy, there’s drama, there’s sadness, and there’s an undeniable, everlasting devotion to the people you take the journey with.”

Read the full review by Julianna Haubner here.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
Close
Gone to Soldiers
by Marge Piercy

In this sweeping novel of World War II, Piercy follows six women and four men who fought, died, worked, worried, moved, and loved through the drama of the conflict. As we bear witness to events known and unknown across Europe, what stands out most is the strength of the human spirit, and the power of survival. . . . Page Count: 768

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
Gone to Soldiers
Marge Piercy

“More than 750 pages long, GONE TO SOLDIERS can definitely be intimidating, and I knew when I picked up this novel that it would need to be extraordinary in order to hold my attention for a few weeks. Thankfully, I was not disappointed.”

Read Erin Flaaen’s review here.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

The 10 Most Popular Books of December

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 30, 2021

The 10 Most Popular Books of November

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 30, 2021

Rediscovered Reviews: 7 Books We’ll Never Stop Recommending

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 4, 2021

9 Mesmerizing Books for Fans of All the Light We Cannot See

By Emily Lewis | July 22, 2021

Readers’ Choice: The Top 25 Most Shelved Books of All Time

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 29, 2019

Our Gift to You: 13 of Off the Shelf’s Favorite Book Recommendations

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 25, 2017

Close
Walt Disney
by Neal Gabler

It’s fitting that a definitive portrait of the so-called Man behind the Mouse is nearly one-thousand pages: it matches his legacy. Walt Disney was arguably the most influential figure of the twentieth century, shaping and changing American culture as we know it through his films and entertainment empire. . . . Page Count: 912

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
Walt Disney
Neal Gabler

He may not have been a writer, but Walt Disney adapted some of the most beloved and well-known stories of all time, making them even more iconic. The first writer to be given access to the Disney archives, Neal Gabler’s fascinating tale goes deep into both the personal and professional life of this culture-changing visionary. Any fan of “the man behind the mouse” and his films would love this in-depth look at the legend, both on the page or on-screen.

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo

MENTIONED IN:

Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

By Julianna Haubner | January 26, 2016

11 Literary Biopics We Need Right Now

By Julianna Haubner | September 8, 2015

Close
11/22/63
by Stephen King

A Maine high school teacher steps through a time portal and attempts to stop the assassination of John F. Kennedy. The twists and turns will have you speeding through, but if you need any more motivation, mark your calendar: the Hulu adaptation starring James Franco premieres this President’s Day. . . . Page Count: 880

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
11/22/63
Stephen King

“Regardless of what genre of literature one prefers, 11/22/63 comes down to this: it is a gripping, harrowing, tragic, and beautiful story about love, memory, evil, and how the best of intentions can go awry... This is King for the faint of heart, for the history buff, for the romantic—for everyone.”

Read the full review here.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

The Best of 2019: The Top 10 Book Lists of the Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 27, 2019

Readers’ Choice: Our 10 Most Popular Books in October

By Off the Shelf Staff | October 25, 2019

On the Road: 5 Books That Took Me Coast to Coast This Summer

By Amy Cardoza | October 8, 2019

11 Groovy Books That Will Transport You Back to the ‘60s

By Hannah Schaffer | August 16, 2019

14 Books You Wish You Could Read for the First Time Again

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 31, 2019

What to Read Based on Your Favorite “Twilight Zone” Episode

By Kerry Fiallo | April 1, 2019

Close
We Are Not Ourselves
by Matthew Thomas

This stunning first novel follows the daughter of Irish immigrants in Queens who is determined to get out and achieve the American Dream. Thomas’s gorgeous prose and unforgettable characters will have you turning the pages as fast as you can. . . . Page Count: 656

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
We Are Not Ourselves
Matthew Thomas

The promise and tragedy of post-war America is charted in this riveting portrait of an Irish-American family as they chase the American Dream. It is at once expansive and exquisitely detailed, but what readers will remember most is the huge heart at its core. It heralds the arrival of a major new talent in contemporary fiction and is destined to be an American classic.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

Readers’ Choice: Our Top 25 Most Popular Books of the Year!

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 30, 2019

The Best of 2019: The Top 10 Book Lists of the Year

By Off the Shelf Staff | December 27, 2019

Readers’ Choice: The Top 10 Most Shelved Books in April

By Off the Shelf Staff | April 26, 2019

Stephen King Recommends: 14 Books He Wants You to Read

By Sarah Jane Abbott | April 12, 2019

Readers’ Choice: The Top 25 Most Shelved Books of All Time

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 29, 2019

8 Books to Read Based on Your Favorite TV Shows

By Tolani Osan | October 4, 2018

Close
Freedom
by Jonathan Franzen

A modern epic, Jonathan Franzen’s novel of family and suburban sprawl comically and tragically captures the mistakes and joys of one couple as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world, and perfectly captures what it means to come of age. . . . Page Count: 608

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
Freedom
Jonathan Franzen

Freedom follows Walter and Patty Berglund as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever more confusing world. This award-winning novel comically and tragically captures the temptations and burdens of liberty, the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, and the heavy weight of empire.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo

MENTIONED IN:

A Big Year Reading List: 6 Books for Bird Lovers

By Ana Perez | January 24, 2019

Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

By Julianna Haubner | January 26, 2016

12 Literary Families to Invite Over for Thanksgiving

By Off the Shelf Staff | November 19, 2015

The Shelf of Shame: 7 Books We Never Finished

By Off the Shelf Staff | January 13, 2015

Close
The Mists of Avalon
by Marion Zimmer Bradley

There’s no other way to put it: this novel is magic. Literally. Marion Zimmer Bradley takes us deep into the legend of Camelot through the eyes of the powerful women who helped King Arthur claim his throne, and later brought his kingdom to ruin. Perfect for a long snow day—or any time you’re in need of an escape to another world. . . . Page Count: 876

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
The Mists of Avalon
Marion Zimmer Bradley

This beloved series explores the magic and mythology of King Arthur’s Britain. Told from the perspective of the female characters who are usually marginalized in Arthurian legend, it is sure to appeal to readers who love Outlander’s feminist contribution to the fantasy genre.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo

MENTIONED IN:

A Peek Behind Julianna’s Shelf

By Off the Shelf Staff | April 30, 2018

Waiting in the Wings: 11 Famous Stories Told from Another Point of View

By Julianna Haubner | August 17, 2017

Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

By Julianna Haubner | January 26, 2016

Addicted to Outlander? 11 Books to Read During the Long Wait for Season Two

By Caitlin Kleinschmidt | June 4, 2015

From Camelot to Hogwarts: 5 Books About Magic and Myth

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 13, 2014

Close
Far From the Tree
by Andrew Solomon

Andrew Solomon’s startling proposition in this landmark book is that being exceptional is at the core of the human condition. Difference is what defines and unites us. Solomon interviewed families whose children run the gamut from prodigy to potentially dangerous, and explores how people who love each other must struggle to accept each other—a theme in every family’s life. . . . Page Count: 976

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
Far From the Tree
Andrew Solomon

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
Close
Underworld
by Don DeLillo

One of DeLillo’s best, this doorstopper—and showstopper—begins with Bobby Thomson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” at the Polo Grounds, and steamrolls ahead to tell the story of the second half of the twentieth century. Though the novel focuses on an artist and an executive, Lenny Bruce, J. Edgar Hoover, Frank Sinatra, and Jackie Gleason all make appearances. . . . Page Count: 832

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
Underworld
Don DeLillo

One of DeLillo’s best, Underworld has many storylines, but it starts on a baseball diamond. The book only spends a short time focusing on baseball, but one ball in particular factors into all of the action that follows.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
Close
Gone with the Wind
by Margaret Mitchell

An American classic on almost everyone’s bucket list, this one is an oldie—and a biggie—but a goodie. Even if you’ve watched the movie of this epic of the Civil War South, read the book. This masterpiece is worth your time. . . . Page Count: 960

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo
Gone with the Wind
Margaret Mitchell

The Game of Thrones and Harry Potter series are both masterworks of imaginative literature that have been thrillingly translated to the screen, but for my taste, I’ll go with Gone with the Wind. Like the Stark family and the residents of Hogwarts, Scarlett and Rhett are such vivid characters on the page that you can’t imagine them being portrayed adequately on film—until suddenly, there they are, each work only enhancing your enjoyment of the other.

Amazon logo Audible logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo Bookshop logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 Very Long, Very Captivating Books to Hunker Down with on Winter Nights

By Alice Martin | January 24, 2020

14 Books You Wish You Could Read for the First Time Again

By Off the Shelf Staff | July 31, 2019

Readers’ Choice: The Top 25 Most Shelved Books of All Time

By Off the Shelf Staff | March 29, 2019

Reread a Classic and More Ways to Meet Your 2019 Reading Goals

By Off the Shelf Staff | January 28, 2019

10 Great American Reads Definitely Worth Your Time

By Off the Shelf Staff | September 3, 2018

Party Planning Tips from the Scenes of Your Favorite Novels

By Sarah Woodruff | July 2, 2018

Close
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
by Malcolm X

The shortest book on this list, this searing and important memoir from one of the great thought leaders and activists of American history is a must-read. As he chronicles his childhood, religious beliefs, and the experience of being black in the United States, Malcolm X’s words shine a light on how far we have come as a country—and how much farther we still have to go. . . . Page Count: 460

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Malcolm X

The shortest book on this list, this searing and important memoir from one of the great thought leaders and activists of American history is a must-read. As he chronicles his childhood, religious beliefs, and the experience of being black in the United States, Malcolm X’s words shine a light on how far we have come as a country—and how much farther we still have to go. . . . Page Count: 460

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo Books a Million logo Google Play logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo

MENTIONED IN:

10 American Icons: In Their Own Words

By Julianna Haubner | December 1, 2017

Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

By Julianna Haubner | January 26, 2016

Close
In Sunlight and in Shadow
by Mark Helprin

In the summer of 1946, New York City pulses with energy. Harry Copeland returns from from WWII to run his family business and falls for an intoxicating young singer and heiress. Their romance plays out in Broadway theaters, Long Island mansions, the offices of financiers, and the haunts of gangsters—and ultimately requires that Harry risk everything for love. . . . Page Count: 720

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
In Sunlight and in Shadow
Mark Helprin

In the summer of 1946, New York City pulses with energy. Harry Copeland returns from from WWII to run his family business and falls for an intoxicating young singer and heiress. Their romance plays out in Broadway theaters, Long Island mansions, the offices of financiers, and the haunts of gangsters—and ultimately requires that Harry risk everything for love. . . . Page Count: 720

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo

MENTIONED IN:

Reading XXL: 15 Extra Long Books Perfect for Extra Long Winter Nights

By Julianna Haubner | January 26, 2016

Close
The Crimson Petal and the White
by Michel Faber

London in the 1870s. Sugar is a nineteen-year-old prostitute yearning for a better life. Her ascent through the strata of Victorian society offers us intimacy with a host of lovable, maddening, unforgettable characters. Twenty years in its conception, research, and writing, this panoramic, multidimensional novel is teeming with life, and rich in texture. . . . Page Count: 901

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
The Crimson Petal and the White
Michel Faber

London in the 1870s. Sugar is a nineteen-year-old prostitute yearning for a better life. Her ascent through the strata of Victorian society offers us intimacy with a host of lovable, maddening, unforgettable characters. Twenty years in its conception, research, and writing, this panoramic, multidimensional novel is teeming with life, and rich in texture. . . . Page Count: 901

Amazon logo Barnes & Noble logo iBooks logo Indiebound logo
Close

You must be logged in to add books to your shelf.

Please log in or sign up now.
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/01/reading-xxl-15-extra-long-books-perfect-for-extra-long-winter-nights/
offtheshelf.com
crawl=CC-MAIN-2022-27
210444
application/http; msgtype=response
sha1:K6P2CGZ2M3XVC25CCROE3SMY6J55SITW
<urn:uuid:bb7d346c-f167-4f89-ad6e-7501c0daec4a>
2022-06-30T04:02:14Z
208.100.35.78
text/html
sha1:HVST2XNI4F6YMPZUK7SL3FILZX2PW6W5
<urn:uuid:c271223c-00bb-4eb9-9459-56abe6481858>
https://offtheshelf.com/2016/01/reading-xxl-15-extra-long-books-perfect-for-extra-long-winter-nights/
response
<urn:uuid:959797d1-a8f0-4ee2-a82d-e7c0e0686626>
isPartOf: CC-MAIN-2022-27
publisher: Common Crawl
description: Wide crawl of the web for June/July 2022
operator: Common Crawl Admin (info@commoncrawl.org)
hostname: ip-10-67-67-140
software: Apache Nutch 1.18 (modified, https://github.com/commoncrawl/nutch/)
robots: checked via crawler-commons 1.3-SNAPSHOT (https://github.com/crawler-commons/crawler-commons)
format: WARC File Format 1.1
conformsTo: https://iipc.github.io/warc-specifications/specifications/warc-format/warc-1.1/