BOTNS Books Podcast #68: Big Books You Recommend

Mar 09

BOTNS Books Podcast #68: Big Books You Recommend

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As we mentioned last week, Michael and I are at a week-long sales meeting, hearing about all of the wonderful books Random House will be publishing this fall, so we’re happy to turn this podcast over to you, our listeners. Here is the first of two episodes filled with your recommendations of Big Books. We’ll run the rest of these within the next month or so.

Barbara from Reading Group Choices recommends An Instance of the Fingerpost by Ian Pears
Vera Baker recommends Every Man Dies Alone by Hans Fallada
Stephen loves The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, and he sneaks in a vote from his wife for The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Beth Rinaldi from Chicago’s favorite big book is Underworld by Don Delillo
Vickie raves about Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, which is also a Books on the Nightstand favorite.
Eric from Wisconsin loves big books, and recommends Insomnia by Stephen King, which features Eric’s favorite character from all of literature.
Pam from Minnesota recommends The Terror by Dan Simmons. (This is on my reading list too, and I know Michael loved it!)
Annie Frank calls in her vote for George RR Martin’s saga A Song of Ice and Fire, which begins with Game of Thrones.
Lorraine from Mohegan Lake, NY gives a second vote for Ken Follet’s Pillars of the Earth and is looking forward to reading Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
Ashley mentions that some of her favorite big books are The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Harry Potter series, but she also tells about her favorite reading experience: trying to recreate the Victorian way of reading by reading classic novels in their original, serialized form. Pretty cool!
An anonymous caller says that I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb is “the shortest 901 page book that I’ve ever read”!
Robin gives a third vote for Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, and a second nod to Wally Lamb’s I Know This Much is True. She also sneaks in a rave for The Book Thief. Robin calls back to tell us about Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian, even though it isn’t a long book.
Lisa from Albuquerque NM recommends Shantaram by David Roberts

Thanks to all of you who called. I hope it was a good experience. The contest to win copies of The Passage is now over (and we’ll pick winners as soon as we’re back in our offices), but we’d like to encourage all of you to call us, any time, with a book recommendation that we can share with our listeners.

http://jaynesbooks.blogspot.com/ Melissa W.

I read I Know This Much Is True about 15 years ago (after my mom had read it) and it still is one of the best bigger books that I have read. It truly is an amazing book. I also recommend the Harry Potter series. Even though they are classified as Young Adult books, they could also be considered to be adult books. The publisher for the British and Canadian versions published adult-friendly covers, even though there are plenty of adults who own the young adult versions.

Even though I haven’t completely finished it, I would also recommend Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. While its a complicated novel, the stories are very distinct and there is a fluidity to the novel. There are times that the novel seems to drag on, but there are times that it goes quick and it feels like you are reading a short novel.
http://jaynesbooks.blogspot.com/ Melissa W.

I read I Know This Much Is True about 15 years ago (after my mom had read it) and it still is one of the best bigger books that I have read. It truly is an amazing book. I also recommend the Harry Potter series. Even though they are classified as Young Adult books, they could also be considered to be adult books. The publisher for the British and Canadian versions published adult-friendly covers, even though there are plenty of adults who own the young adult versions.

Even though I haven’t completely finished it, I would also recommend Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. While its a complicated novel, the stories are very distinct and there is a fluidity to the novel. There are times that the novel seems to drag on, but there are times that it goes quick and it feels like you are reading a short novel.
Tanya

Oooh, I LOVED SHANTARAM (by Gregory David Roberts!) I listened to the (unabridged) audiobook narrated by Humphrey Bower a couple of years ago and HB’S voice turns me into puddle of melted butter! The story itself its truly epic in scale, the saga of an escaped convict’s new life in India. “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry,” etc. There are scenes portrayed so vividly I can still recall them as if I was there. Moreover, it will absolutely ruin any and every other book about India out there. I recently read the Man Booker 2008 winner, THE WHITE TIGER (by Aravind Adiga) which, seriously, was only “meh” by comparison!
Tanya

Oooh, I LOVED SHANTARAM (by Gregory David Roberts!) I listened to the (unabridged) audiobook narrated by Humphrey Bower a couple of years ago and HB’S voice turns me into puddle of melted butter! The story itself its truly epic in scale, the saga of an escaped convict’s new life in India. “You’ll laugh, you’ll cry,” etc. There are scenes portrayed so vividly I can still recall them as if I was there. Moreover, it will absolutely ruin any and every other book about India out there. I recently read the Man Booker 2008 winner, THE WHITE TIGER (by Aravind Adiga) which, seriously, was only “meh” by comparison!
Graceann Macleod

Gone with the Wind will always be my favorite “big” book. I read a lot, and I very rarely re-read a book simply because there’s so much new stuff that I haven’t gotten to yet (most of the books I read are chunksters, too), but I’ve read GWTW three times and I always find more to love about it. There are themes that are difficult to deal with, especially to our modern eyes, but there’s no denying that it’s a cracking read. Love (requited or no) against the sprawling backdrop of the ante- and post-bellum American South. Can’t beat it, and I have no wish to try.

Come to think of it, I suppose I’m about due for a fourth reading of Miss Mitchell’s Masterpiece. It’s been a long time since my last reading of it, and I bet I’ll find even more new layers with the passing of the years.
Graceann Macleod

Gone with the Wind will always be my favorite “big” book. I read a lot, and I very rarely re-read a book simply because there’s so much new stuff that I haven’t gotten to yet (most of the books I read are chunksters, too), but I’ve read GWTW three times and I always find more to love about it. There are themes that are difficult to deal with, especially to our modern eyes, but there’s no denying that it’s a cracking read. Love (requited or no) against the sprawling backdrop of the ante- and post-bellum American South. Can’t beat it, and I have no wish to try.

Come to think of it, I suppose I’m about due for a fourth reading of Miss Mitchell’s Masterpiece. It’s been a long time since my last reading of it, and I bet I’ll find even more new layers with the passing of the years.
Canadian Joanne

My favourite big book was “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry. I read the hard cover edition, making it appear even bigger, but it felt like a quick read. Here’s a good summary from chapters.indigo.ca:

“In a small apartment somewhere in India, a fiercely independent widow is determined to remain independent. She employs a very small group of people to sew clothes and invites them into her home. Slowly, inevitably, the four become great friends, leaning heavily on each other for support. But when everything around them begins to collapse, each of them must decide for themselves how best to survive.”

I also loved “Gone with the Wind” and “Lord of the Rings” (which Tolkien points out in the preface is not a trilogy but one book often published in three parts; I felt personally chastised across the decades!)

I hope your next contest includes those of us BOTNS fans reading outside the U.S.!
Canadian Joanne

My favourite big book was “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry. I read the hard cover edition, making it appear even bigger, but it felt like a quick read. Here’s a good summary from chapters.indigo.ca:

“In a small apartment somewhere in India, a fiercely independent widow is determined to remain independent. She employs a very small group of people to sew clothes and invites them into her home. Slowly, inevitably, the four become great friends, leaning heavily on each other for support. But when everything around them begins to collapse, each of them must decide for themselves how best to survive.”

I also loved “Gone with the Wind” and “Lord of the Rings” (which Tolkien points out in the preface is not a trilogy but one book often published in three parts; I felt personally chastised across the decades!)

I hope your next contest includes those of us BOTNS fans reading outside the U.S.!
Helen Barnett

Hope your time in Florida was fun as well as informative for you both. This “phone in podcast” was so much fun, enjoyable and have added to my list of “to order” books! Let me say once again just how much your podcast is delightful! Sure adds alot to my life! Keep on ..keeping on.. helen barnett
http://BooksontheNightstand Helen Barnett

Hope your time in Florida was fun as well as informative for you both. This “phone in podcast” was so much fun, enjoyable and have added to my list of “to order” books! Let me say once again just how much your podcast is delightful! Sure adds alot to my life! Keep on ..keeping on.. helen barnett
Deb Baker

Long ago I read the John Galsworthy trilogy – “The Forsyte Saga” during the course of one summer. Three big books. It has been adapted by the BBC/PBS and is probably available on DVD but I loved reading it. Just thinking of it transports me back to my childhood home, on the porch, with iced tea…

I love your podcast.
Deb Baker

Long ago I read the John Galsworthy trilogy – “The Forsyte Saga” during the course of one summer. Three big books. It has been adapted by the BBC/PBS and is probably available on DVD but I loved reading it. Just thinking of it transports me back to my childhood home, on the porch, with iced tea…

I love your podcast.
Canadian Maria

I’d like to second Canadian Joanne’s choice of “A Fine Balance” by Rohinton Mistry.