Big Books I Want To Read in 2022
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ก.ค. 2024
- At the beginning of the year I like to challenge myself to read some very long novels that have been sitting on my shelves for too long. Here are my 6 big books to read in 2022. Click ‘Show More’ for info & links.
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Opening a Box of Books at my Parents' House: • Opening a Box of Books...
Books discussed & purchase links:
A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
tidd.ly/357SJcC
The Books of Jacob by Olga Tokarczuk
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A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz
tidd.ly/3qUGKYs
Moon Witch Spider King by Marlon James
tidd.ly/3EcEa3s
Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman
tidd.ly/35kb5r5
Bellefleur by Joyce Carol Oates
tidd.ly/3ATZsmb
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Thank you Eric for consistently uploading! You’ve become my comfort booktuber throughout this pandemic!!
That's so kind of you to say. Thank you! 😊
I agree! Always look forward to your videos.
@@stephaniel5436 Thanks! 😊
Agreed!!!!!!!!
I am loving the fact that Olga Tokarczuk is showing up on TBR lists of booktubers
👍😊
Big books do tend to languish on my tbr too. I plan to tackle A Suitable Boy for March of the mammoths this year, and I am really looking forward to it. Stalingrad sounds fascinating.
I miss her Hello !
I kept getting complaints from people who call her creepy - though I can't believe anyone would say that about Judy Holliday! But I figured it's time to change my opening.
@@EricKarlAnderson ❤ thanks for responding.
@@EricKarlAnderson Oh she is beautiful, no way is she creepy ... good to know who it is finally. It's the one constant in life though eh ... change!
Eric, I didn’t think that the lady on your opening is creepy at all I thought she was Rita Hayworth
@@EricKarlAnderson Judy Holliday was a comic genius. Born Yesterday is in my top 10 movies of all time. She tragically died of cancer at age 43. I loved that you used a clip of her at the opening of your videos.
Hey Eric, I started Suitable Boy in April of last year and finished it at the end of December. I would read a chapter or two every night before going to bed, savouring the language and being amazed at how every page was just as delightful as the one before it. I can definitely say that it was one of the most incredible reading experiences I've ever had. The size is daunting and it seems that it will never end, which in this case, is a good thing. Enjoy it!
What a wonderful evening habit and I'm so glad you feel it was well worthwhile! Thank you
When this video started, for some reason I thought, "I hope he mentions A Suitable Boy!" Despite its massive size, I remember being surprised at just what an actual delight it is to go through. His language, the story, just everything made the pages fly by for me. I hope you have a great time reading it too.
Thanks! 😊📚
I like big books and I cannot lie. A suitable boy is in my top ten of all time and I haven’t read Stalingrad but life and Fate was amazing and seems to be underrated in the Russian classic oeuvre - if you like war and peace then you’ll love that
😊📚
A suitable boy is an amazing read. You'll love it Mr. Eric, I am sure of it. I read it in 2021
I read Drive your plough over the bones of the dead by Olga Tokarczuk and really liked it, so the Books of Jacob is going onto my TBR.
Thank you for thos video Eric. Big books are daunting but once accomplished are such a source of satisfaction. I've had A Suitable Boy on my TBR forever so I really need to tackle that as well as Ullysses and Anna Karenina. Happy Reading!
LOVE LOVE LOVED A SUITABLE BOY! Maybe my favorite book from last year! Long, but it flew by. Actually I read it on kindle so didn't really realize how long it was. A wonderful novel!
That's great to hear!
We share Vikram Seth. He has been very patient… he’s been sitting on my shelves for a decade I think! 🙂 I also own many classics that are over 700-800 pages… 😅
What a great assortment of books! Thank you so much for sharing these with us. I look forward to hearing what you think of these.
I loved the story of the signed copy! Good luck with your reading goals! I have no doubts about your success with them :)
Hey Eric. Just discovered your blog recently and have been watching some of your older entries. I read Shogun last year. 1125 pages. It reawakened a desire to read big books. I will read A Suitable Boy this year. It was given to me when it was 1st published but I didn't get far with it but it's time to give it another go.
Snow days are ideal for delving into a doorstopper.
so much love and encouragement!! for all of 2021 i serendipitously ended up reading one 500+ page book one at a time for the whole of 2021. i read a few chapters a day (usually about an hours worth of an audiobook) and i ended up reading 20 500+ page books, some of them 800 pages, some of them 1000 pages. you can do it!! i believe in you. a fraction of the whole reminds me of that iconic anna karenina line - every family is happy in the same way, but each family is unhappy in its own way.
I've been dipping in and out of The Books of Jacob since just after Christmas last year, slowly making my way through it, and I'm loving it!
That's encouraging!
I've not read any of these books, will have to add them to my TBR. I've been trying to arrange my physical TBR shelf in order of the seasons. I'm a very seasonal reader (weather, holiday, mood) that helps me to keep track and feel more ambitious. I'm not sure where any of these ambitious books would fall in line, but they all sound super interesting!
I have just bought A Suitable Boy to read for this year too. I think I'll love it, I love an epic, long family saga.
‘A Suitable Boy’ is probably one of my favourite books! I read it when it first came out and loved it! I’d like to re-read it but am definitely a bit put off by its length, particularly when there are so many new books to read. Also, just wanted to say, your videos are so enjoyable and full of great recommendations, so thank you. And, just a final thought, talking of re-reads, how about a video on books you’d consider re-reading, or have read multiple times?
So happy to hear about your intention to read A Suitable Boy. I have seen it on several book lists and would love to read it too but perhaps not this year, at least not until I get through some of my other classics first but I look forward to hear your thoughts on this one.
Thanks! 😊
Thanks to recent changes in my job/life I finally have the time to read regularly again, but I didn't realize I was so used to just reading in short snippets that I automatically just reach for shorter books (which have the added bonus of fitting easily in my purse 😆). So I only have a few long(ish) ones on my tbr right now‐Middlemarch, David Copperfield, The Secret History, and the new Franzen, but I'm looking forward to really diving in on them.
And speaking of short books, just wanted to say thanks for recommending Small Things Like These so much recently. I probably wouldn't have heard of it otherwise,, but I picked it up last week thanks to that and just loved it.
Hello! Glad to have found your channel. I loved A Suitable Boy. Even though I read it quite a few years ago , I remember so much and I just recently bought the e-book to reread. The characters still stay with me; I felt like I belonged in each one of the families. It’s a sweet and lively book. The writing is wonderful. I’ve always wanted to pick up Seth’s other novels and maybe I will in 2022
Hi! That’s very reassuring, thank you. And I imagine it will be much easier to hold the book up on an e-reader. 😄
What a great happy vid again,!!! But what a frightening stack that is... please keep us updated of your endeavors, and good luck to you... you'll need it 🥰
Thanks! 📚📚📚
ooooh, I can't wait for your reaction/review of Suitable boy! I loved it so so so much! I hope you enjoy it!
Thanks! 😊
I've always wanted to read A Suitable Boy! I read his An Equal Music several times, it was so good! Putting Suitable on my next book order... You're absolutely right, it's time! And now I'll un-pause and watch the rest of your list... :)
Good to see what made the Anderson “long” list. I’m starting The Books of Jacob tomorrow and felt the same as you with Bones and Flights. I need to look for A Fraction of the Whole and. Suitable Boy. If I feel brave again soon
I decided that I cannot die without reading the Divine Comedy. I bought the Hollander translation, which has lots of footnotes. I am currently finishing Purgatory. When I finish Paradise I am going to buy a pizza to celebrate, as this is being a challenge indeed. But worth it :)
Great way to celebrate and it's a book I really ought to tackle myself one day. 📚
I started A suitable boy years ago and was really enjoying it but stopped for some reason. Would love to get back into it this year. The language is great and it's easy to get sucked into as I remembered. And I have The book of Jacob staring at me on my shelf. Matthew Sciarappa said in a video recently that he wanted to read it this year too. I usually think big books are worth it so I hope you get to all of the six books and that you enjoy them!
I love big books, and I started the year with some. I have some catching up to do, so I don’t know if you’ve already read it, but I really enjoyed Alison MacLeod’s “Tenderness” this month. I’m excited to talk about it in my January wrap up video. I’m still thinking about it and researching some things of interest the book pointed me towards. Definitely a story that stays with the reader for a while.
Oh yes, I enjoyed "Tenderness" a lot when I read it a few months ago. There certainly is a lot to unpack the book and I loved the way it became a discussion about the real-world impact of literature in the political AND personal. I posted my thoughts about it here: lonesomereader.com/blog/2021/11/3/tenderness-by-alison-macleod
I read a suitable boy last year, and I was surprised how easy to read it was. It is very intimidating to start, but once you do, you just keep going no problem.
Oh good! Yeah, I'm hoping it'll be one of those books where I don't even notice the page numbers anymore.
I’m definitely hitting MWSK. Love to see a suitable boy on here. I’d love to read that as well. Currently 300 pages from the end of books of Jacob. It’s a slow dense read but very enjoyable. I’m sure it’ll get long-listed for the international booker.
I’m hoping to read Kin by Jergovic and The Dying Grass by Vollmann as my other big reads! I also just started volume 1 of my struggle on audiobook and am thoroughly enjoying it so far.
Good luck! I´ll be reading Middlemarch in February. We´ll see how it goes. :)
I read A Suitable Boy a couple of years ago. A masterpiece of literature, I just don't know how Vikram Seth did it but thank god he did. I used to pick up short non-fiction reads or short story collections to dip in and out of at the same time (so I could 'finish' books). That helps me slowly enjoy a longer story and not just count down the hours till I've finished reading it.
My long book read for 2022 is War and Pease. I'm about 100 pages in and I'm enjoying it very much so far. A Suitable Boy is one I would be very interested in reading.
I have wanted read A SUITABLE BOY for years! My TBR pile is huge but I really want to get to it. I love all things Joyce Carol Oates so I will definitely read BelleFleur! Thanks for another fantastic video-I just love your posts so much. I just need to triple(at least) my reading speed!
Thanks! 📚 No need to speed read. Just enjoy what you're reading. 😊
I love you resolution to read big books! Actually, my resolution is kind of similar, I decided to read almost exclusively 1000+ classics this year. So far, I'm doing OK, having read 75% of Sholokhov's "And Quiet Flows the Don". The middle was tough but the last 1/3 picks up again.
That's a great project! I imagine it really lets you get inside the story.
I'm hoping to get hold of The Books of Jacob soon, it sounds intriguing.
A Suitable Boy has been on my tbr for some time. I haven't previously heard of any of the others.
Have you ever had a book that you tried several times to read, but just couldn't get through it? For me, only Ulysses.
In addition to reading books, I listen to audio books while at the gym. Took me two months to get through Bleak House.
Thank you for your video, Eric!
I read the JCO gothic trilogy in my early and mid-twenties. It was a bit of a transformative experience, and some scenes are still vivid in my brain. I've been thinking about re-reading one of them (either Bellefleur or Bloodsmoor), but I'm not sure it will be this year. I'm looking forward to hear about your re-read!
My one big book for the year is the same as last year (I failed ;) ), Belle du Seigneur, by Albert Cohen. I'm 300 pages in, which is about 1/3. The nice thing about it is that it is very slow, so I can let it down for a while and come back to it.
I'm so good you feel that way. I think my favourite out of all of them is Mysteries of Winterthurn. Several scenes have definitely stuck with me! I'll also be glad to hear about your experience rereading them if you get time to do so this year.
I've not heard of Cohen's book before but I looked it up and it sounds excellent.
@@EricKarlAnderson I think it either of them might be a good read for October - I'm already planning a whole TBR around it.
And yes, Cohen is pretty great! Very dense and you have to be in the right mood because it is extremely slow-paced, but once you've gotten in the flow it's fantastic
Nice Anna Karenina reference in the description of a fraction of the whole. Let's see if it lives up to the name it compares itself with!
I have never read Tokarczuk and there is something very appealing to me about the sound of The Books of Jacob. I think it’s because it sounds a little bit like Michael Chabon’s The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, which is one of my all time favorite books. Big books in the right time and head space are so worthy. To Paradise is a reading achievement but I just loved it. It would be great to do a read together with your book tube contingent of one of these.
Thanks for your reviews. Have read Vikram S and really enjoyed An Equal Music with A youTube section of the music written about in the novel which can be played along with the book sections. It was engrossing during lockdown.
Joyce Carol Oates books are on my list TBR after your great recommendations.
My issue with big books is when you are about 2/3 the way in and it gets harder and harder to keep reading if the plot stales; however you don't want to just stop and miss the ending.
A Suitable Boy sounds really interesting. Started this year with Anna Karenina. During this year I'd like to read The Love Songs of W.E.B. Dubois, Cathedral, and finish the last three books of the Barchester Chronicles.
I have two. THE FLOUNDER (gunter grasse - sorry if I misspelled), ORYX AND CRAKE (margaret atwood). Moved into a flat with a bookshelf wall, and there they are!
I keep reminding myself that if I just average 5 pages a day most are doable in a year. Don't think I'd set my goal at six of those though. Just started Radcliffe's "Mysteries of Udolpho". Probably not wise since I already keep stalling on "Anna Karenina". Tempted to check out Freedenberg's "America and the Cult of the Cactus Boots: A Diagnostic", but it will probably escape me. Maybe I'll make it a birthday request. Anyway, have fun with those! Looking forward to your reactions.
book of jacob is tempting but a bit intimidating... :-D great list!
More than a bit! 😅
An ambitious list! I recently started Carpentaria by Alexis Wright and that’s about all I’m ready to commit to for now on the big books front
I love to read but physically I cannot hold a book that is more than sixty some pages. I know I could use kindle or audible but not the same as holding a book. Good luck Eric. I would feel like you did about the Joyce Oats book-there are so many intriguing books out there I would like to read. Great review of long books! Thank you. Just finished The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles and liked it very much.
A suitable boy is a wonderful book enjoy definitly worth the effort of the long read.
The big books on my shelf right now are Count of Monte Cristo, and Ducks, Newburyport. I'm hoping to read them by summer, but we'll see 😬
Stalingrad is on my TBR pile as well! It's intimidating.
I’m in the same camp of big book lover. I feel like my TBR list is always huge. Although, when you said the total number of pages, it was lower than expected. Considering if you read over 100 books per year, your page count will likely be much higher.
My list this year also includes A Suitable Boy, To Paradise, The Love Songs of W. E. B. DeBois, The Morning Star, The Count of Monte Cristo, and The Eighth Life. I’ve started Count and The Morning Star, both excellent. And JCO, I’m torn between the Gothic books and the Wonderland books. My first read from her was Garden of Earthly Delights and that’s what sucked me into reading her. Do you have a preference on either of those collections? Looks like many comments are about A Suitable Boy so you may need to dedicate a book club for that one!
I read half of A Suitable Boy and want to read the whole thing this year. The Marlon James book is outrageous. Currently I am reading a biography of Edward VIII by Philip Ziegler, which is wonderful. Also plan to read Tale of Genji.
Good Luck. I just picked up Ada Palmers' new book, Perhaps The Stars, tipping the scales at 592 pages. 2 others that I want to tackle this year are XX by Rian Hughes (990 pgs) & the classic sci-fi Dhalgren by Samuel Delany (830 pgs) both of those are long time members of my TBR 😂
I’ve not read the other two you mention but XX is definitely worth it! Such a great novel!
Yes, I have such a list, and I'm actually tackling A Suitable Boy as we speak! I tried to get an audio a couple of years ago, but could only find an abridged edition (shudder). So I finally bought a print copy, as I don't think I'll get through a library copy in time. Good news - I'm 79 pages in and really, really enjoying it! I'd also like to get to The Books of Jacob - I liked both her other books, though you're right they are quite different from each other. Some others on my list are Sira (sequel to The Time in Between, which I loved), Love Songs of WEB DuBois, Beijing Coma, The Border (Fatland) and The World of Yesterday (Zweig). I'm also thinking of a Trollope, not sure which one (I have yet to read any, which I'm hoping to remedy) but aren't most of them doorstops? ;)
A Suitable Boy is huge and wonderful. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry is great too. I read both and loved them in 2021.
Have read A Suitable Boy - really enjoyed it. I read it in I think 2 weeks as reward for finishing a year of post-grad study about 20 years ago. An Equal Music is also very good if you haven't read that (a few others have also mentioned it).
Wolf Hall might be the biggest book on my list to read. It is on my Kindle and I started it a year or two ago, but didn't get far with it for whatever reason.
Dear Eric, I finally read a book you recommended. Unsettled Ground. Oh my God, what a fantastic dreary classic, one for the ages. I even wrote a 5 star review on goodreads and the author herself liked my little note. How sweet. Thank you! I will now read another of your recommendations. A Fraction of the whole somewhat reminds me of the story line of Unsettled Ground.
That's great to hear! I'm thrilled you found it so meaningful.
@@EricKarlAnderson by the way reading a fraction of the whole, it is a fantastic book so far. a quarter into it. Hilarious.
@@KanwarAnand That's great to hear!
Read The Books of jacob last year. Really good book. Just finished reading Ulysses and Middlemarch this month. Hoping to re-read Gravity's Rainbow.
New intro? Amazing 🤩
Thanks!
I combine audio and physical reads always for the " whoppers"!
I devoured A Suitable Boy... and not giving up on A Suitable Girl! I read somewhere that the publication date is November 2025.
I've made myself a list of four, I'm daunted but I've started my first Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell, the other three are A Fine Balance, The Goldfinch and The Wind Up Bird Chronicle. I'm taking one book at a time but if I manage them I have Marlon James A History of Seven Killings
My goal is to read either war and Peace or The Count of Monte Cristo this year. Not both because I'd like to read more than two books this year!
It's my plan to re-read The Count of Monte Cristo this year. I also want to finally read the massive And Ladies of the Club, which has been in my To Read pile for several years.
I really want to read this year To Paradise and the Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois. My current job doesn’t give me as much reading time as I had hoped it would do it’s a challenge to do the big books that call to me . I love your devotion to Joyce Carol Oates; I can’t keep up with her output but I have loved them since I read Them when I was in high school in a Detroit suburb I just started High Risk Homosexual and just finished Brown Girls , which was great
Before you close your eyes for the night, try taking 20-30 minutes to read, unless you are the type to fall asleep once you hit the bed. :)
Life and Fate! A hard one to get ahold of here. I periodically try to get to it. I didn't know about the connection. Guess I'll check that out beforehand.
I also have Books of Jacob and A Suitable Boy on the docket. We'll see what happens.
📚📚📚
What a great idea. Mine is Anna Karenina. I've had it for years.
Good plan, I need to read that at some point as well.
I started A Suitable Boy at the beginning of the year. Taking it slow. Buddy reading it with an aunt of mine.
That's great!
Oooh, I love this list- lots of these are on mine too, especially A Suitable Boy and A Fraction of the Whole!
I’m up for a joint effort on A Suitable Boy if you like! I think I need someone to moan/cry/cheer with! 😂
I’m hoping to start Books of Jacob and The Love Songs of WEB Du Bois soon, and I’ve got A Fine Balance and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell staring out at me for this year.
Bob the Bookerer, I can't believe you haven't read Suitable Boy! It's marvellous so go ahead and take the plunge.
@@darrylchristopherdguerra4227 I know! It’s one of those books I’m sure I’ll greatly enjoy, but I just felt I needed a proper run-up to it!
I’ll take the plunge at some point this year, I’m sure!
It'd be great to read A Suitable Boy alongside you! I'm sure there will be a lot to discuss along the way. I'll let you know when I plan to start it.
Can't wait to hear what you think of Love Songs of WEB Du Bois! And I'm sure you'll really enjoy Jonathan Strange too.
@@EricKarlAnderson Amazing, thank you!
And yes, I really hope so- I have a feeling I’ll love them both!
Mine are the same. I have Gai-Jin, Noble House and Whirlwind by James Clavell. I've started vol 2 of Gai-Jin today.
Great, hope you enjoy them! 📚
the book of jacob is also on my list!! but i'm a bit overwhelmed!
😅
The only thing I remember about Bellefleur is the cat.
Haha I bought Eighth Life because of you and I haven't touched it yet...
I want to hear your thoughts on Fraction of a Whole. I found it pretty funny. But very long. It took me 6 months to read
Have you read A fraction of the whole? I read it years ago and loved it. Cant remember much and thinking of reading it again. Wanted to know your thoughts.
I have one rather large book on my shelf....a non fiction - Grant by Ron Chernow. It is a really good book, but I have not completed it...Still a long way to go.I also have War and Peace that I would like to read this summer.
I've just started Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Big fan of his writing, but as it is a loan from my local library, I only get 20 days in which to read 834 pages!! 🙂
I keep meaning to read that too!
Books are to enjoy not to endure.If after fifty pages they don't engage move on to the next novel
I've just finished A Brief History of Seven Killings and unsure whether to add Black Leopard, Red Wolf to my 2022 tbr. Which did you enjoy more? Other big books I want to get to this year are The Eighth Life, The Morning Star, the Lovesongs of W.E.B du Bois, 1Q84 and The Books of Jacob. Would love to join in if you are buddy reading Tokarczuk!
They're quite different books in some way, but if you enjoyed Seven Killings I'd definitely recommend giving the adult fantasy a try. I definitely recommend reading Haratischvili and Jeffers' novels! And I'll let you know if I engage in a buddy read of The Books of Jacob.
Would like to take two months off and read them all, especially a Suitable Boy...Thanks.
If only I could take two months off! 📚
A Suitable Boy is a wonderful book. Recommend that 👍 sure you will love it!!
I am in search of fiction based in modern day Poland. I love literary fiction and family fiction!! Any suggestions from you pls?
My aim is to read a very large book I bought a year ago called The Art of the Glimpse- 100 Irish Short Stories selected by Sinead Gleeson. This has been described as a unification of classic stories with neglected voices and marginalised writers - women, LGBT writers and so on. I am hoping to read one story a day. Surely that is possible! 😀
That's a fantastic plan! I loved the short story collections Gleeson edited called The Long Gaze Back and The Glass Shore.
Funny, I much preferred Flights over "Drive your plough over the bones of the dead". Regarding big books: I want to tackle "The brothers Karamazov" this year but I'm not sure if I should read it in an English or Romanian translation. Started and abandoned an English translation last year because it was just horrid. It may be that it works better in a different translation and Romanian has a good component (I think 30 to 40% of the common vocabulary) of Slavic, which may be closer to the 'spirit' of the original
Interesting! And I'm not sure which way would be best to read The Brothers Karamozov but that's another book I've been meaning to reread for a long time.
i LOVE chunkers!!
grossman book is brilliant...enjoy
A suitable boy is beautiful... can't wait to hear your views on it... 😊
Shantaram is another huge book? have you read that one...if yes,do you recommend it?
Fab, I can't wait to start it. Shantaram is a book I've often passed by in a bookstore and been curious about but I've not read it yet.
@@EricKarlAnderson oh ok...I'm confused about it...not sure whether it should be on my tbr or not... thought will go by your judgement....
Brilliant book
@@sachinpathare1396 Thank you....
Shantaram is wonderful
8:54 that is taken from Anna Karenina. Strange.
I have A Suitable boy on my bookshelf sadly unread.
I'm hoping it'll be worth the time. 🤞
I’m concerned for your comfort in that chair…
Yo! Where's the "hello!"
Hello.😉 I've been dating you for a while. I thought it was time that we should make it TH-cam official. You're my book boo now.😋 And we're very exclusive as your channel is the only one I'm subscribed to.
I want to have a book signing there!
I bring out books that I plan on reading I usually find others I want to read so my stack gets dusty I clean it and put them back in the bookshelves where they will sit forever