# Recommend a lengthy, enjoyable paperback novel **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 29, 2008, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076 "2008-05-29T22:01:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/21 "2008-05-29T22:54:14Z")
[QUOTE=Gadarene] Unfortunately, I’ve found The Baroque Cycle altogether too dense and diffuse (simultaneously!) for me, although I appreciate what it tries to do and it seems like I should like it. _Cryptonomicon_ as well. [/QUOTE] Heresy! The non-Stephenson lover shall be destroyed!!! 😛 I was going to suggest him but then noticed who the OP was and remembered that we discussed this topic in person when you were at the LonDope last year. So instead I would recommend: Iain M Banks’ Culture books - if you only want to try one go with _Player of Games_, and it’s probably the best place to start with too. Alternatively Iain Banks (same person, different genre) is also good, I recently finished _The steep approach to Garbadale_ which I enjoyed a lot. _The Secret History_ by Donna Tart _Pillars of the Earth_ is great, if you’ve got it then read it. The Jasper Fforde books are good but possibly a bit too easily digested for what you’re looking for, but check out _the Eyre Affair_ on Amazon and if it piques your interest then go for it. _Good Omens_ by Gaimen and Terry Pratchett, if you like _American Gods_ you’ll like it too. _The poisonwood bible_ by Barbara Kingsolver ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/22 "2008-05-29T23:04:43Z")
_Shantaram_ by Gregory David Roberts _The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle_ by Haruki Murakami _Midnight’s Children_ by Salman Rushdie _The Hummingbird’s Daughter_ by Luis Alberto Urrea ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/23 "2008-05-29T23:07:26Z")
Another vote for _Cloud Atlas_. I’ve traveled successfully with _I Know This Much Is True_ by Wally Lamb. Also check out the novels of Robertson Davies, who has written three different trilogies. I especially recommend [the Deptford trilogy.](http://us.penguingroup.com/static/rguides/us/deptford_trilogy.html) ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/24 "2008-05-29T23:26:14Z")
A thread on thick, enjoyable novels, and I’m the first to mention Dickens? I’ve personally “only” read _Bleak House_, all 1000 or so pages of it. Unlike a lot of thick books, it’s got a good excuse for being so thick: it’s actually two novels whose plots barely overlap. Dickens got paid by the word, and it shows, but it shows less than you’d expect. If you’re at all partial to war stories, especially tragic ones, I recommend _August 1914_ by Alexander Solzhenitsyn. You’ll have to gut out the slow start on the home front (spent introducing a rather boring family who will feature prominently in what is planned to be a trilogy); once the story joins the Russian army in East Prussia, things really roll along, through and past the pivotal battle of Tannenberg. The eastern front in WWI hasn’t generated a lot of fiction to my knowledge; this one is really a gem. By the way, there is a part 2 of the trilogy, _November 1916_, which is 800 pages of damn little. A couple of interesting pen portraits of historical figures (Tsarina Alexandra, Lenin) are not good enough to justify reading the whole thing. ---
**Author:** ![Gadarene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Gadarene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gadarene)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/25 "2008-05-29T23:28:59Z")
**AuntiePam:** I’ve always been hesitant about _Cloud Atlas_ because it seems like it might be a little too experimental for me. But I liked Mitchell’s other stuff enough that I should probably give it a try. The rest of your recommendations are great as well; I haven’t read any of them. And I trust your taste, since you’re a fellow _New Grub Street_ fan. 🙂 **Sage Rat:** Ellison’s book is a favorite. I wikied Stendahl and _The Red and the Black_ sounds interesting, although I’m not always in the mood for 19th century literature. **Opal:** I hate to disappoint you, but I absolutely could not get into _A Game of Thrones_. It just didn’t grab me…too epic, too many characters, maybe. And I’ve never been a huge fan of that vein of fantasy, the warring kingdoms and the court intrigue and all. **HazelNutCoffee:** _The Secret History_ is one of my favorite books ever. 🙂 **Bosda:** Vowell’s book sounds neat, but I think I’m more in the mood for fiction right now. **Illuminatiprimus:** How’s it going? 🙂 I thought _Player of Games_ was great, and then I read some of his other Culture books and found them slightly less interesting to me. Is there one in particular you’d recommend? I’ll also check out his non-genre stuff. I’ve read _Good Omens_ and the Fforde books (which would actually be perfect for me), and never read _The Poisonwood Bible_. **davidw:** Thanks! I’ve read the Murakami, but I’ll check the rest out. **twickster:** For some reason I’ve never gravitated towards Lamb before. I’ve tried Davies in the past and have felt very shamed that he didn’t grab me; I should try him again. **ryobserver:** I dunno if I’ll be in a Dickens or Solzhenitsyn mood, but I’ll definitely keep them in mind! I’ve started _Bleak House_ before but never finished. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2008, 11:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/26 "2008-05-29T23:50:16Z")
[QUOTE=davidw] _The Hummingbird’s Daughter_ by Luis Alberto Urrea [/QUOTE] Excellent choice. **gadarene** , don’t be afraid of _Cloud Atlas_. My brain ain’t all that big and I might not have “gotten” everything he was going for, but I loved it. How about some time travel? _Replay_ by Ken Grimwood, _Doomsday Book_ by Connie Willis, or _A Shortcut in Time_ by Charles Dickinson. They’re not very fat though – you’d have to get all three. ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/27 "2008-05-30T01:02:11Z")
[QUOTE=Gadarene] **twickster:** For some reason I’ve never gravitated towards Lamb before. [/QUOTE] I was skeptical about it as well – but read it at the insistence of a friend, and got completely drawn in. Excellent airport/airplane/hotel room reading. ---
**Author:** ![HazelNutCoffee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ac91a4/32.png) [@HazelNutCoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HazelNutCoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/28 "2008-05-30T01:17:56Z")
Yeah, Lamb’s easy reading. _We Need To Talk About Kevin_ is also a riveting read. Everyone I’ve recommended it to has read it and been deeply disturbed. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/29 "2008-05-30T01:20:27Z")
If you like sci-fi : _Lord Valentine’s Castle_ by Robert Silverberg. It has two sequels, but stands on it’s own. _Snow Crash_ by Neal Stephenson. _The Ring of Charon_ by Roger MacBride Allen ( has a sequel, _The Shattered Sphere_ ) _1632_ by Eric Flint; beginning of a series featuring a modern town thrust into the Thirty Years War. Fantasy : _Changer_ by Jane Lindskold. _Through Wolf’s Eyes_ and sequels by Jane Lindskold. The first stands well enough alone that you can read it alone and enjoy it. _Touched By the Gods_ by Lawrence Watt-Evans. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/30 "2008-05-30T01:53:30Z")
[_The Source_](http://www.amazon.com/Source-Novel-James-Michener/dp/0375760385/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212112190&sr=8-1) by [James Michener](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_A._Michener). My old paperback edition was 1,088 pages. I remember this because when I was 13 years old, I read the whole book in one (long) day. Granted, it was my second reading. It’s a great book. ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/31 "2008-05-30T02:02:31Z")
How about Lois McMaster Bujold? You can get the Vorkosigan Saga packaged as several omnibusses, each containing 2 or 3 novels. I recommend starting with \*Cordelia’s Honor \* and reading them in internal chronology order, but there is debate on that subject. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/32 "2008-05-30T02:09:57Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] If you like sci-fi : _Lord Valentine’s Castle_ by Robert Silverberg. It has two sequels, but stands on it’s own.\ [/QUOTE] I just re-read them all, and loved them once again. Robert Silverberg rocks, man! I recently read some of his short stories too, and they rocked even more. I’m currently reading the Ender series by Orson Scott Card. I recommend them, too. Orson Scott Card also rocks. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/33 "2008-05-30T02:19:35Z")
I was going to recommend [English Passengers](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_Passengers) by Matthew Kneale, although it may not be long enough to meet your criteria. Entertaining, clever, funny, and sad all at once - with 20 different narrators. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/34 "2008-05-30T02:20:11Z")
You may enjoy Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gentley novels if you haven’t read them. Either _Dirk Gentley’s Holistic Detective Agency_ or _The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul_. Both are humorous, witty and thoughtful (not to mention take place in England). They’re also more story-driven in my opinion than the _Hitchhiker’s Guide_ books and I actually like them more as complete books because of that although the HHGTTG series has many notable “moments”. ---
**Author:** ![Mahna\_Mahna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e47c2d/32.png) [@Mahna\_Mahna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahna_Mahna)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/35 "2008-05-30T02:38:58Z")
Add me to the chorus singing the praises of _Cloud Atlas_. While it is a little experimental, it’s far more conventional than it would seem at first and a wonderfully enjoyable read. You may also want to look into some Tom Robbins if you haven’t tried him out yet - _Jitterbug Perfume_ sounds like it might fit the bill, as it’s quite witty and excellently written, and IMO a good intro to his body of work. ---
**Author:** ![Silver\_Tyger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@Silver\_Tyger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Silver_Tyger)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/36 "2008-05-30T02:43:51Z")
[QUOTE=silenus] You mean **Lucifer’s Hammer** , by Niven and Pournelle? [/QUOTE] =-.-=; Right. I was at work, what can I say? (And of course, I’m still not at home, so I can’t peruse my bookshelves.) The Light of Other Days by Asimov and Barnes (I think) was quite enjoyable. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/37 "2008-05-30T04:43:01Z")
I would nominate almost any of Edward Rutherford’s books: Sarum, London, Princes of Ireland, Rebels of Ireland, and Forest. They’re big books, but essentially a collection of short stories with recurring historical families and characters, so there’s continuity, but each chapter is a stand-alone - perfect for long airplane trips and waits in terminals. (The only one I didn’t like was Russka, but that was because I find Russian history just too depressing for words.) ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/38 "2008-05-30T05:45:47Z")
I reread _Kiln People_ by David Brin frequently. Technology has developed a way to duplicate a person, right down to the memories and thoughts at the time of duplication. However, the duplicates only live for about 24 hours. Still, the duplicates (or dittos) can be used to do things like study or research a term paper, household chores, or have sex with either another ditto or a real person. The dittos’ experiences can be uploaded into the original, should s/he so choose. Brin explores the possible changes on society as a result of this new technology. It’s not just SF, it’s a mystery too. _Reaper Man_ by Terry Pratchett is excellent. I enjoy all of Pterry’s books, but this is the one I give to people. I love Barbara Hambly’s works. She writes fantasy and mystery, mostly, but she does have a few other books out too. ---
**Author:** ![devilsknew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4da419/32.png) [@devilsknew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/devilsknew)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/39 "2008-05-30T05:58:07Z")
Read [Harry Harrison’s entire, _Bill, the Galactic Hero_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill%2C_the_Galactic_Hero) series to give your obviously huge and overtaxed brain a snackbreak. ---
**Author:** ![bathsheba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/9e8a1a/32.png) [@bathsheba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bathsheba)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2008, 7:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076/40 "2008-05-30T07:03:02Z")
If you like chick-lit and I do see “The Time Traveller’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger” on your list, try Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. I read it on a plane once. It was light enough to qualify as plane reading but kept me engrossed. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/recommend-a-lengthy-enjoyable-paperback-novel/451076.md?page=3)