Anyone has a novel to recommend?

Question

I have too much free time, am bored and am thinking of getting a novel that can really eat my time.
Any genres will be welcome, even the philosophical.
And, please, just please, try to recommend a THICK book.

Thanks!

I have too much free time, am bored and am thinking of getting a novel that can really eat my time.
Any genres will be welcome, even the philosophical.
And, please, just please, try to recommend a THICK book.

Thanks!

By the way, how long does it normally take you to finish a book, say Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince?

Answer 1

the best book I have ever read is 'The History Of The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire' written in the mid 18C by the historian Edward Gibbon. it starts with a Short history of the Roman empire up to Augustus and follows the decline through to latter Emperors of the eastern empire. this book takes you , not just the history of the Romans, but the creation of Christianity and Islam, it has been a best seller since its creation and is held in great esteem by many scholars, it is also very long six volumes to be exact, you can buy the entire volumes in three books published by Penguin Classics, just ask at your local book shop. another great classic is the poem of Blind Harry about William Wallace, both can be hard going sometimes but the time spent is well worth it

Answer 2

OK, I see that you are a guy, but the Princess Bride (S. Morgenstern's Tale of True Love and High Adventure) is such a magnificent book. There is action, suspense, and excitement all over the place. There are murders and sword fights and wrestling matches, witches, wizards, Sicilians, poison, Rodents of Unusual Size, Snow Sand, death traps everywhere. And all for true love, which everyone can appreciate.

The author is quite sarcastic and provides laughs all around the book, even in the most thrilling parts. I just recommend you get the abridged version (that is about 400 pages I believe) by Goldman because he says that Morgenstern rambles about every chapter for up to 40 pages at a time! Anyway, it is a great book, and I hope you read it. It kills the movie, which I love.

Answer 3

Though it is not a novel, the best book I ever read was The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind, by Julian Jaynes. It profoundly changed the way I see the world, my place in it, how we got here: the whole ball of wax. This book is not thick; the paperback being less than 500 pages. This book is thick in thought. I found that I could read a few pages and I would have to reflect on what I read for awhile. If you read this book in a few weeks, it will be too fast. A word of caution though. I found myself wondering if it was complete BS and almost put it down. My brother-in-law is an MD and a Psychiatrist and I mentioned to him that I had begun reading this work but felt it was so out there I was about to put it down. My brother-in-law is a reserved, dignified, thinking man, but I saw some genuine enthusiastic emotion from him when I asked him about the book. He said, that it may be BS, but no one has come up with anything better, nor has anyone taken on the enormous task of trying to disprove Jaynes' work. Check it out. It is not an easy read, but like any difficult trek, the lesson is not in just reaching the destination but can be realized in the journey itself.

Answer 4

I know what you mean. I get a little book and it's ending before the sun sets.

Here's one: Winters Tale by Mark Helprin. You might be able to see some excerpts at Amazon.Com and other online book sellers. I am enjoying the language. He described a person as being so old he looked like he was "turned inside out." And another time he said someone was "marinated in self-satisfaction." It's setting is New York. About 800 pages I think.

Answer 5

Sounds like you like supernatural teen books? If thats the case then I recommend: -The Vampire Diaries - typical human girl/vampire (Elena and Stefan)love story but still a good read. And watch out for Stefan's gorgeous and evil brother, Damon (he's my favourite character!) I would also recommend the TV series on CW or ITV3 though it si very different to the book -The House Of Night series - this time it's a girl (Zoey) who has turned into a vampire (normal part of society) and has gone to the House Of Night vampire school. However, there is lots of plot twists as Zoey realises something darker is going on behind the scenes -Jinx - takes a break from vampires and is about witches. Jinx is a girl who moves in with her twisted cousin, Tory, who believes she is a witch - I LOVE this book so much! -Avalon High - not really supernatural but it sort of is as the same time...you have to read it to see what I mean! Another gripping read -The Mediator series - another cool series in which a girl (who is a mediator) falls in love with a ghost -Wings - pretty similar structure to Twilight except it is about Laurel who discovers she is a faery (it sounds a bit baby-ish but it's not!). Not as good as twilight but still a good read. Wings is followed by Spells -Strange Angels - it's quite a short book but it's left on a pretty good cliff-hanger. It is a girl who fights the supernatural rather than embracing it. Some non-supernatural reads: Airhead series - a girl who wakes up in a supermodels body Casson family series starting with Saffy's Angel - a dysfunctional but totally loveable families mad life Hope this helps! x

Answer 6

Winds of War by Herman Wouk.. Originally conceived as one volume, Wouk decided to break it in two when he realized it took nearly 1000 pages just to get to the attack on Pearl Harbor.

War and Remembrance is his sequel to Winds of War. It continues the story of the extended Henry family and the Jastrow family starting on December 15, 1941 and ending on August 6, 1945.


Not only are both books long, they are terrific also. They should keep you busy for a while and definitely will relieve the boredom.

Answer 7

How about a series? The Demon Wars saga by R.A. Salvatore.

The Demon Awakens
The Demon Spirit
The Demon Apostle
Mortalis (easily the best book Salvatore ever wrote)
Ascendance
Transcendance
Immortalis

It is a series that can appeal on many different levels. It is fantasy. It is philosophical. It is moralistic. It is adventure. It is fast-paced, has great character development, and a lot of plot twists.

I also highly recommend anything by the writing duo of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, especially the Agent Pendergast books. Very dark, very scary, very well-written.

Answer 8

Pride of Carthage by David Anthony Durham. It's my favorite book. Historically accurate novel about Hannibal and his very bloody stand against rome at the height of it's power and it has a great back story to it.

Answer 9

Check out "Following the Equator" by Mark Twain. It's a long book about his travels around the world.

Answer 10

Anything by Jeffery Deaver, Stuart Woods, Tess Gerritson, Michael Creighton, Tami Hoag, Carl Hiasson, Michael Connelly. Lee Child - just to name just a few !!