Big book December

Some FAT recommendations as the New Year approaches

Dec 11, 2024

I’m a big fan of short books. (You can read my love letter here.)

But - the cold is coming, and I find myself with an irrepressible urge to start reading a big, fat, chunker of a book. Something that’ll see me into the New Year & beyond.

I haven’t decided what I’ll pick up. (If you have a recommendation, email me!)

But if you share that urge to read something truly colossal, here are three recommendations for your Big Book December (+ Beyond, Probably).

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

(Fiction; 1880; 823 pages)

This book is dense as well as long - be prepared for lots of philosophical meanderings, heated arguments, and cold, cold, weather. The Russian naming system can also be difficult for non-Russians like me, as a single character might go by several names (Alexei, Alyosha, Alyoshechka…).

But despite the density, this was one of my very, very favorite reads of the year, and I’ll remember it for life.

Two particular questions that stuck out at me through all 800+ pages:

Why do humans self-destruct?
Am I responsible for the evil deeds of others?

If either of those questions intrigue you, you might like following Ivan, Dmitri, and Alexei through The Brothers Karamazov.1

“Who wants to know this damned good and evil at such a price? The whole world of knowledge is not worth the tears of that little child to ‘dear God.’”
—from Book Five, Chapter 4: Rebellion

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

(Fiction; 1952; 601 pages)

Surprisingly approachable. Yes, it’s long, and yes, it opens with a 5-page description of the Salinas Valley, but once it gets going, I couldn’t put it down. It has that classic-book feel without the classic-book impenetrability.

Someone commented on my YouTube channel that East of Eden was “the most bingeable 600 page classic” they’d ever read, and I have to agree. If you’re anything like me, you’ll get home from work & need to crack it open.

If you’ve ever wondered “Am I a bad person? Why do I do bad things? Can I change?” - you might like meeting Cal and Aron in East of Eden.

“He says Trask hasn’t got it in him to kill anybody.”
”Everybody’s got it in him,” the sheriff said. “You just find his trigger and anybody will go off.”
—from Chapter 18

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

(Fiction; 1846; 1065 pages)

Edmond Dantes is young, brilliant, and has the world ahead of him - but other people are jealous. They hurt him. What happens next? A thousand pages of sheer calculation, intrigue, escapes, disguises, romance, hidden treasure, poison, knives in the dark, and OH the DRAMA.

Writing this makes me want to re-read it (again). I can’t explain my love for this book in any other way than by saying - once you read it, it’ll never leave you.

It is very long. But if you do attempt it, please make sure to read the unabridged version.

(For what it’s worth, everyone I know who read a shorter version has been ‘so-so’ about this book - but everyone I know who read the full version loved it.)2

This horrible place consisted of fifty chambers; their inhabitants were designated by the number of their chamber, and the unhappy young man was no longer called Edmond Dantes—he was now Number 34.
—from Chapter XIV, “The Two Prisoners”

That’s it for today! There are other wonderful long books, but three recommendations is enough for one newsletter.

If you do end up choosing one of these, shoot me an email to say hey - I’d love to hear from you!

Cheers & stay warm,

-Tim

P.S. Here’s a bonus poem, based on a passage I loved in Moby-Dick (another chunker of a book):

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when published

FLASK, ALAS!
Flask, alas! was a butterless man!
The butter, unasked for, sat still in its pan
And Flask sat still stiller, 
   with unadorned bread
Restrained by a rule 
   he’d made up in his head

I read (and enjoyed) the Pevear and Volokhonsky translation, but I’m not an expert! Choose what you like.

I didn’t include a ThriftBooks link because I wasn’t sure I could guarantee you’d receive an unabridged copy. Get your copy wherever you like to buy books, I guess! :)

Brittany

Dec 11

my big FAT winter book goal is Les Mis :)

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2 replies by Tim DeMoss and others

FTF

Both my big books for winter reccomendations are by Wilkie Collins; No Name & Armadale. Beautifully developed characters in settings you can feel, just thinking about them prompts the desire to reread them again this winter myself!

1 reply by Tim DeMoss

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Big book December

Some FAT recommendations as the New Year approaches

The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky

(Fiction; 1880; 823 pages)

“Who wants to know this damned good and evil at such a price? The whole world of knowledge is not worth the tears of that little child to ‘dear God.’”—from Book Five, Chapter 4: Rebellion

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

(Fiction; 1952; 601 pages)

“He says Trask hasn’t got it in him to kill anybody.””Everybody’s got it in him,” the sheriff said. “You just find his trigger and anybody will go off.”—from Chapter 18

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

(Fiction; 1846; 1065 pages)

This horrible place consisted of fifty chambers; their inhabitants were designated by the number of their chamber, and the unhappy young man was no longer called Edmond Dantes—he was now Number 34.—from Chapter XIV, “The Two Prisoners”

Discussion about this post

“Who wants to know this damned good and evil at such a price? The whole world of knowledge is not worth the tears of that little child to ‘dear God.’”
—from Book Five, Chapter 4: Rebellion

“He says Trask hasn’t got it in him to kill anybody.”
”Everybody’s got it in him,” the sheriff said. “You just find his trigger and anybody will go off.”
—from Chapter 18

This horrible place consisted of fifty chambers; their inhabitants were designated by the number of their chamber, and the unhappy young man was no longer called Edmond Dantes—he was now Number 34.
—from Chapter XIV, “The Two Prisoners”