I appreciate that you talk about the books without telling the whole story! I like to go into a book without already knowing the whole story line. Your simple descriptions and genre identification is perfect!
Thanks! This was a stretch for me because I always get carried away talking about books, but I knew I had a LOT to cover and didn't want the video to be too long :) After this, I;m going to try to be more succinct in my monthly wrap-ups, too. I also hate spoilers & like to go into a book without knowing too much.
So many great suggestions for big book summer! I've picked four books from my shelves to read The Appeal by Janice Hallett, The Bookshop On the Shore by Jenny Colgan, At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon and The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. I'm hoping to add a couple more to my pile at some point.
Sounds great, Pamela! If you haven't already, be sure to join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Book!
I LOVED Pillars of the earth by Ken Follet, and to a lesser degree. World Without End. Now with the 4th book in the series out, I want to re-read to refresh my memory, but what a daunting undertaking!
Yes! Daunting, for sure. I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth but have never read the rest of the series - even with Big Book Summer to inspire me for the past 12 years!
Wonderful! Be sure to join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Books!
I really enjoyed The Lincoln Highway! I am going to add The Three, Life after Life, and Lucky Turtle to my TBR. I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't love The Secret History!
So many great suggestions! 👏🏻 I love the Wolf Hall trilogy, love Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now, The Count of Monte Cristo and to throw in a Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. 🤓 Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo a few summers ago for BBS and always love Dickens :) Haven't read A Tale of Two Cities since high school, though, so I'm due for a reread!
I started listening to the beginning of Clan of the Cave Bear on audio this spring and liked it so much that I stopped and put the physical copy on hold at the library (my preferred method of reading). I can't wait to get back into it!
❤📚❤️ Thank you for all the great recommendations! I've added The Sparrow and Hum if You Don't Know the Words, Blacout and All Clear to my Goodreads! 😅😅 A Gentleman in Moscow was one of my favorite books last year! I read Middlemarch this year and loved it. This summer, I hope to finish Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.
Sounds like we have similar tastes in books! I read Middlemarch a few years ago for a book group & really enjoyed it. If you decide to join the Big Book Summer fun, just join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Book!
Sounds great! I've always wanted to try Anne Rice. If you'd like, you can join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Book!
I read the first 4 in the Earth's Children series back in 1991! I still have to read the last two! I own book five, Shelters of Stone,. Maybe I'll get to it this summer. I have also read Project Hail Mary [as did my husband] we sent a copy to a friend as well because we both loved it.
I'm currently in the middle of recording a "try a chapter" keep or unhaul pile and on that pile is Hum if You Don't Know the Words. Which I keep thinking, read it already! So I'm hoping this will fire me up to read it, because so many books keep cutting the line. Sue, some of those books are mammoths! LOL
The Given Day by Dennis Dehane is my recommendation. The first book I ever read by him and it made me want to read everything he's ever written. It's 700+ pages but it sure doesn't feel like it and I wouldn't have minded if it had gone on for another 700 pages.
I'm doing several challenges and want to do yours and am starting with The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton slightly over 800 pages. I'm about half way through so may finish right about when June begins.
Sounds great! Be sure to join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Books!
I mentioned Lonesome Dove in my #BigBookSummer kick-off video - I'm reading it right now, and it's the official read-along book of the challenge this year. Great so far! Owen Meany is on my TBR list.
Hi everyone, I need some advice if anyone can help. I've chosen my 6 (at the moment) big books to read from my TBR this summer. One of them is The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. Just watched Sue's suggested books and did not realise that The Ferryman is part 3 of a trilogy. Question, can I read as a stand alone. I don't really need to go and buy more books at the moment as I have a huge tbr, apart from the big book pile on the shelves next to me, help 😢 Julie xx
I appreciate that you talk about the books without telling the whole story! I like to go into a book without already knowing the whole story line. Your simple descriptions and genre identification is perfect!
Thanks! This was a stretch for me because I always get carried away talking about books, but I knew I had a LOT to cover and didn't want the video to be too long :) After this, I;m going to try to be more succinct in my monthly wrap-ups, too. I also hate spoilers & like to go into a book without knowing too much.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins was great.
I've been meaning to reads that for years!
So many great suggestions for big book summer! I've picked four books from my shelves to read The Appeal by Janice Hallett, The Bookshop On the Shore by Jenny Colgan, At Home In Mitford by Jan Karon and The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan. I'm hoping to add a couple more to my pile at some point.
Sounds great, Pamela! If you haven't already, be sure to join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Book!
I LOVED Pillars of the earth by Ken Follet, and to a lesser degree. World Without End. Now with the 4th book in the series out, I want to re-read to refresh my memory, but what a daunting undertaking!
Yes! Daunting, for sure. I enjoyed Pillars of the Earth but have never read the rest of the series - even with Big Book Summer to inspire me for the past 12 years!
It only took my 2 weeks, but I finally got to this video...I love how giddy you are about big books!
ha ha - well that's our favorites bookcase for a reason!!
I can’t believe how similar our book taste is!!! 😄💕
Wonderful!
Life After Life is my favorite read ever. And I found The Secret History annoying. Lol. It’s good to meet you! 🦋
Nice to meet you, too - sounds like we have similar reading tastes! I LOVED Life After Life. And struggled with The Secret History.
I only just found out about Big Book Summer. I have five picked out for now but that list may grow.
Wonderful! Be sure to join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Books!
I really enjoyed The Lincoln Highway! I am going to add The Three, Life after Life, and Lucky Turtle to my TBR. I'm glad I'm not the only one who didn't love The Secret History!
Ha! I thought I was the only one! Those 3 you mentioned were all great (and all very different).
So many great suggestions! 👏🏻 I love the Wolf Hall trilogy, love Anthony Trollope's The Way We Live Now, The Count of Monte Cristo and to throw in a Dickens, A Tale of Two Cities. 🤓 Thanks for sharing.
I enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo a few summers ago for BBS and always love Dickens :) Haven't read A Tale of Two Cities since high school, though, so I'm due for a reread!
So many great suggestions...The Sparrow has been onmy TBR and dhelf for a really long time and you really boosted my motivation to read it!
Such a stunning, remarkable book! I really need to get to the sequel.
I started listening to the beginning of Clan of the Cave Bear on audio this spring and liked it so much that I stopped and put the physical copy on hold at the library (my preferred method of reading). I can't wait to get back into it!
That's such a good book! Hope you enjoy the rest of it - and the rest of the series is just as good!
❤📚❤️ Thank you for all the great recommendations! I've added The Sparrow and Hum if You Don't Know the Words, Blacout and All Clear to my Goodreads! 😅😅
A Gentleman in Moscow was one of my favorite books last year!
I read Middlemarch this year and loved it. This summer, I hope to finish Little Dorrit by Charles Dickens.
Sounds like we have similar tastes in books! I read Middlemarch a few years ago for a book group & really enjoyed it. If you decide to join the Big Book Summer fun, just join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Book!
Reading the new Greg Iles.
Enjoy!
I’m reading THE WITCHING HOUR by Anne Rice for big book summer. It’s 965 pages.
Sounds great! I've always wanted to try Anne Rice. If you'd like, you can join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Book!
I'm reading Kings of the Wyld (502 pg) on my Kindle during breaks at work. I'm 30% in and it's really funny. I highly recommend it.
I bought that for my son! He's the fantasy fan in our family, and when I heard it had a good sense of humor, I knew he'd like it. Enjoy!
I read the first 4 in the Earth's Children series back in 1991! I still have to read the last two! I own book five, Shelters of Stone,. Maybe I'll get to it this summer. I have also read Project Hail Mary [as did my husband] we sent a copy to a friend as well because we both loved it.
Project Hail Mary was such a joy!!
I'm currently in the middle of recording a "try a chapter" keep or unhaul pile and on that pile is Hum if You Don't Know the Words. Which I keep thinking, read it already! So I'm hoping this will fire me up to read it, because so many books keep cutting the line. Sue, some of those books are mammoths! LOL
ha ha I know!! Hum is one of my all-time favorites. Great historical fiction with a bit of a mystery and a great sense of humor.
The Given Day by Dennis Dehane is my recommendation. The first book I ever read by him and it made me want to read everything he's ever written. It's 700+ pages but it sure doesn't feel like it and I wouldn't have minded if it had gone on for another 700 pages.
My husband and I both love Lehane, but I don't think we've read that one. Thanks for the rec!
I'm doing several challenges and want to do yours and am starting with The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton slightly over 800 pages. I'm about half way through so may finish right about when June begins.
Sounds great! Be sure to join the Goodreads group (at the link in the notes) to officially join the challenge - then you can chat about Big Books all season with other readers, see what everyone else is reading, and you'll be entered to win the end of season giveaway drawing. Enjoy your Big Books!
I use Storygraph, I'm not on Goodreads. I didn't see this on the Storygraph app. But have finished my first and am working on my 2nd and 3rd.
I would recommend Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry or A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, or East of Eden by John Steinbeck.
I mentioned Lonesome Dove in my #BigBookSummer kick-off video - I'm reading it right now, and it's the official read-along book of the challenge this year. Great so far! Owen Meany is on my TBR list.
Hi everyone, I need some advice if anyone can help. I've chosen my 6 (at the moment) big books to read from my TBR this summer. One of them is The Ferryman by Justin Cronin. Just watched Sue's suggested books and did not realise that The Ferryman is part 3 of a trilogy. Question, can I read as a stand alone. I don't really need to go and buy more books at the moment as I have a huge tbr, apart from the big book pile on the shelves next to me, help 😢 Julie xx
No worries, Julie - The Ferryman is a stand-alone! The Passage is a trilogy. So, you're good :) It's in my BBS stack, too!