fall reading: chunky books to dig into in november
four long reads to completely immerse yourself in this fall, from historical fiction to magical realism to century-spanning epics.
Now that we are firmly into cozy season, nothing feels more inviting than curling up under a blanket and losing yourself in a captivating story. Long evenings mean hours of reading, uninterrupted under the glow of lamplight. It’s the perfect time of year to take on a longer book. These 500+ page reads are some of my absolute favorite stories to be transported to a different time and place.
Babel by R.F. Kuang
542 pages
The title page of this epic novel shares the full title: BABEL or THE NECESSITY OF VIOLENCE, An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators’ Revolution. Just below, you see a fictional crest for the Royal Institute of Translation at the University of Oxford, perfectly setting the tone for this historical fiction novel with elements of magical realism. Babel tells the story of Robin, who was whisked away from his family home in Canton by Professor Lovell after an illness decimates his family. Brought to England and promptly given an English name, Robin is raised by the translation professor to be his ideal protegee. Developing fluency in five languages, the story focuses on Robin’s time as a student at Oxford, where he works for the translation department. Thanks to the one magical element that threads its way through the book, the department profits off of the student translators’ work. Just like Robin, the students have all been brought to Oxford from around the world.
There is so much to love in this book. The narrative beautifully takes us back in time to a historical version of Oxford. It’s a coming-of-age story, with the university students coming to understand their own self worth over the course of the book. It’s a captivating metaphor for colonialism. Most of all, it’s a beautiful ode to the power of language. It’s an impossible question, but if I ever have to choose a favorite book, it would be this one.
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
622 pages
One of my favorite authors, Doerr also wrote All the Light We Cannot See and one of my most loved books, Four Seasons in Rome. In Cloud Cuckoo Land, he weaves together three narratives spanning across the centuries. Five hundred years ago, an orphan named Anna lives in Constantinople, a city under siege. In the modern day, an 80-year-old former prisoner of war puts together a play in an Idaho library starring five children, while another teenager bereft with environmental destruction plans an act of eco-terrorism. In the third and future timeline, a young woman named Konstance is isolated on a space ship, finding solace in the ship’s library. One book, the story of Aethon, echoes across all three timelines. Combining coming-of-age stories and reflections on the world we live in and the future we are building, this book will burrow its way into your heart. The dedication reads “For the librarians then, now and in the years to come” and this is truly a love story to books and the people who cherish them. As soon as I finished reading Cloud Cuckoo Land, I immediately wanted to start it all over again.
Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead
593 pages
Marian Graves dreams of one thing: being the first woman to circumnavigate the globe from North to South flying over both poles. Living in the first half of the 20th century, we follow her painful journey to break out of societal expectations and eventually attempt the flight, only to disappear somewhere above antarctica. A modern day timeline weaves through the narrative, where we meet Hadley. She has been cast as Marian in a film and struggles to define her own identity within the confines of Hollywood. The mystery of Marian’s disappearance is slowly revealed over the course of the book. For me, the most powerful part of this book are the deeply lovable characters that surround Marian - her twin brother Jamie, her childhood neighbor Caleb, and her co-pilot Eddie. These characters are hard to say goodbye to at the end of the book.
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
559 pages
This is the classic read when it comes to dark academia, a beloved genre for autumn reading. A close knit circle of six students get to know each other over the course of a year at the elite and eccentric Hampden college, studying under classics Professor Julian Morrow. His unorthodox methods lead to the students’ isolating themselves from the rest of the college and retreating further into their own world. During the spring semester, one of the six students is killed and the remaining members of the group try to keep secrets secret and continue on with their lives. While the characters in this book are decidedly not lovable, the mystery around what exactly unfolded will pull you in.
This fall’s TBR
On my current list this November, I’d love to reread Babel or Cloud Cuckoo Land. I also have a copy of The Goldfinch, another Donna Tartt novel, that I’m considering reading. Clocking in at 771 pages, it would be a serious commitment. In a completely different genre, I have a copy of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (525 pages), the first book in a teen fantasy series that I have seen recommended countless times. Have you read either of these? Do you have any other long reads you’d recommend for fall reading?
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