What to Read Next: Big Books for Big Reading Goals Edition
Huzzah — we’ve got an extra day to read this year! Think about all the really big, recently published books you’ve been meaning to get to. (And by recently published, we mean we’ve left off War and Peace, The Brothers Karamazov, The Tale of Genji and the like — you get the gist.) We’ve rounded up a sizeable selection with some historical fiction, some modern, all deeply satisfying. From badly behaved families to stories of political dealings and murder, to dystopias that challenge history as we know it… we’ve even added two nonfiction titles for anyone feeling even more ambitious. The books here represent 17,080 pages to read — or, if audio is your thing, it’s a whopping 658 hours and 4 minutes of listening, so settle into your favorite chair and get started on these hefty reads.
The Book of Love: A Novel
The Book of Love: A Novel
By Kelly Link
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$27.90
$31.00
Everything you’re hearing and reading about this novel is true: it’s a deeply satisfying read that combines fantastical elements, varieties of love and a supernatural bargain, all set in a picturesque seaside town.
Everything you’re hearing and reading about this novel is true: it’s a deeply satisfying read that combines fantastical elements, varieties of love and a supernatural bargain, all set in a picturesque seaside town.
Ours: A Novel
Ours: A Novel
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$28.80
$32.00
This luminous and epic debut novel from an acclaimed poet (Mutiny) — conjured from humankind’s quest for freedom, folklore and magic, indelible characters and gorgeous prose — is exceptional. There are few others like it.
This luminous and epic debut novel from an acclaimed poet (Mutiny) — conjured from humankind’s quest for freedom, folklore and magic, indelible characters and gorgeous prose — is exceptional. There are few others like it.
Fellowship Point: A Novel
Fellowship Point: A Novel
In Stock Online
Paperback $20.00
This is a spectacular novel of family and female friendship, love and loss, loyalty and legacy, that cuts across decades as the story runs from Philadelphia to the coast of Maine.
This is a spectacular novel of family and female friendship, love and loss, loyalty and legacy, that cuts across decades as the story runs from Philadelphia to the coast of Maine.
The Priory of the Orange Tree
The Priory of the Orange Tree
In Stock Online
Paperback
$17.99
$20.00
High fantasy, dragons, and a royal court hanging in the balance in a brand new world — this will satiate any Game of Thrones fanatic. This book, and its prequel, A Day of Fallen Night, is such a treat.
High fantasy, dragons, and a royal court hanging in the balance in a brand new world — this will satiate any Game of Thrones fanatic. This book, and its prequel, A Day of Fallen Night, is such a treat.
A Little Life
A Little Life
In Stock Online
Paperback
$14.99
$18.00
A deeply profound, moving and emotional work that examines the intimate ties between families bound by choice rather than blood. This is a heartbreaking story sure to be solidified as a modern classic — you’ll want to keep the tissues close by.
A deeply profound, moving and emotional work that examines the intimate ties between families bound by choice rather than blood. This is a heartbreaking story sure to be solidified as a modern classic — you’ll want to keep the tissues close by.
House of Earth and Blood (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Crescent City Series #1)
House of Earth and Blood (B&N Exclusive Edition) (Crescent City Series #1)
Paperback $19.00
We know, we know, everyone else has already finished their Sarah J. Maas tandem reads. But just in case you need it, we’re dropping a reminder here about kicking off a binge-read to end all binge-reads.
We know, we know, everyone else has already finished their Sarah J. Maas tandem reads. But just in case you need it, we’re dropping a reminder here about kicking off a binge-read to end all binge-reads.
Wellness: A novel
Wellness: A novel
By Nathan Hill
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$27.00
$30.00
Nathan Hill (The Nix) knows how to open a novel — we promise you’ll be hooked from the first page — and keep his story moving as his characters learn that the grass isn’t always greener next door.
Nathan Hill (The Nix) knows how to open a novel — we promise you’ll be hooked from the first page — and keep his story moving as his characters learn that the grass isn’t always greener next door.
The Shadow of the Wind
The Shadow of the Wind
By
Carlos Ruiz Zafón
Translator
Lucia Graves
In Stock Online
Paperback
$16.99
$19.00
A book about a book set in postwar Spain, this lyrical novel is steeped in magic, mystery, and a deep love of literature.
A book about a book set in postwar Spain, this lyrical novel is steeped in magic, mystery, and a deep love of literature.
The Bee Sting
The Bee Sting
By Paul Murray
In Stock Online
Hardcover $30.00
Packed with secrets and lies and characters you’ll love (even a couple you’ll tell yourself you can’t possibly like, let alone love), this is a barn-burner of a story about money, power and family mythologies.
Packed with secrets and lies and characters you’ll love (even a couple you’ll tell yourself you can’t possibly like, let alone love), this is a barn-burner of a story about money, power and family mythologies.
City on Fire
City on Fire
In Stock Online
Paperback $20.00
An ambitious, thousand-page historical novel, stuffed with character and incident just like the Gotham where its story takes place. Has the verve of The Flamethrowers and A Visit From the Goon Squad.
An ambitious, thousand-page historical novel, stuffed with character and incident just like the Gotham where its story takes place. Has the verve of The Flamethrowers and A Visit From the Goon Squad.
Pachinko
Pachinko
By Min Jin Lee
In Stock Online
Paperback
$17.99
$19.99
If epic, multi-generational sagas are what you love most, you need to read this National Book Award finalist — a story of love, loss and family, ambition and survival.
If epic, multi-generational sagas are what you love most, you need to read this National Book Award finalist — a story of love, loss and family, ambition and survival.
The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)
The Covenant of Water (Oprah's Book Club)
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$28.80
$32.00
We waited 15 years for Abraham Verghese’s new novel, and wow is it worth it. A story of three generations of one family, this is a tribute to the choices we make for the people we love most.
We waited 15 years for Abraham Verghese’s new novel, and wow is it worth it. A story of three generations of one family, this is a tribute to the choices we make for the people we love most.
The Luminaries (Booker Prize Winner)
The Luminaries (Booker Prize Winner)
In Stock Online
Paperback
$19.99
$21.99
Eleanor Catton is the youngest winner of the Booker Prize and this is the extraordinary book that did it. This is a literary novel that reads like a thrilling mystery, one that will keep you in your seat (and marking great sentences).
Eleanor Catton is the youngest winner of the Booker Prize and this is the extraordinary book that did it. This is a literary novel that reads like a thrilling mystery, one that will keep you in your seat (and marking great sentences).
A Brief History of Seven Killings (Booker Prize Winner)
A Brief History of Seven Killings (Booker Prize Winner)
By Marlon James
In Stock Online
Paperback
$16.99
$19.00
Bob Marley’s name is almost synonymous with Jamaica, but less known are the multiple attempts made to assasinate him. Marlon James’ Booker Prize-winning novel drops us into a new world and never lets us go. This is a wild — and beautifully written — story.
Bob Marley’s name is almost synonymous with Jamaica, but less known are the multiple attempts made to assasinate him. Marlon James’ Booker Prize-winning novel drops us into a new world and never lets us go. This is a wild — and beautifully written — story.
Midnight's Children
Midnight's Children
In Stock Online
Paperback
$16.99
$19.00
Before The Satanic Verses, there was Midnight’s Children, the novel that made Rushdie’s reputation as a great modern storyteller. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the partition of India and Pakistan, this is a deeply human story with global reach.
Before The Satanic Verses, there was Midnight’s Children, the novel that made Rushdie’s reputation as a great modern storyteller. Set against the tumultuous backdrop of the partition of India and Pakistan, this is a deeply human story with global reach.
The Corrections (National Book Award Winner)
The Corrections (National Book Award Winner)
In Stock Online
Paperback
$17.99
$20.00
This is a family that will surprise you and one you’ll love to get to know (even reluctantly). This National Book Award-winning novel is funny and moving, and an immense pleasure to read.
This is a family that will surprise you and one you’ll love to get to know (even reluctantly). This National Book Award-winning novel is funny and moving, and an immense pleasure to read.
1Q84
1Q84
In Stock Online
Paperback
$19.99
$22.00
A genre-busting, roller coaster ride of a story that pulls two complicated, fantastical, and seemingly unconnected lives together.
A genre-busting, roller coaster ride of a story that pulls two complicated, fantastical, and seemingly unconnected lives together.
Fingersmith
Fingersmith
By Sarah Waters
In Stock Online
Paperback $19.00
This is historical fiction at its best — perfect for fans of Dickens and Brontë. (And the inspiration for the hit movie The Handmaiden, directed by Park Chan-wook.)
This is historical fiction at its best — perfect for fans of Dickens and Brontë. (And the inspiration for the hit movie The Handmaiden, directed by Park Chan-wook.)
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois
In Stock Online
Paperback
$17.99
$20.00
A finalist for the National Book Award, poet Honorée Fanonne Jeffers has conjured an epic and indelible story of an American family with her debut novel. Beautifully written, it’s a book we never wanted to end (and you won’t either).
A finalist for the National Book Award, poet Honorée Fanonne Jeffers has conjured an epic and indelible story of an American family with her debut novel. Beautifully written, it’s a book we never wanted to end (and you won’t either).
Same Bed Different Dreams: A Novel
Same Bed Different Dreams: A Novel
By Ed Park
In Stock Online
Hardcover $30.00
We were shocked and surprised (in the best ways) by Ed’s audacious second novel. Pop culture and tech, hit-men and the promise of a unified Korea. Think Squid Games with a literary twist.
We were shocked and surprised (in the best ways) by Ed’s audacious second novel. Pop culture and tech, hit-men and the promise of a unified Korea. Think Squid Games with a literary twist.
Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy #1)
Sea of Poppies (Ibis Trilogy #1)
By Amitav Ghosh
In Stock Online
Paperback $25.00
Set aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean in the weeks leading up to the outbreak of the Opium Wars, and featuring an excellent cast of characters, this kicks off a series of novels worth binge-reading — especially if you love 19th-century adventure stories, but also if you love true stories like The Wager by David Grann.
Set aboard a ship in the Indian Ocean in the weeks leading up to the outbreak of the Opium Wars, and featuring an excellent cast of characters, this kicks off a series of novels worth binge-reading — especially if you love 19th-century adventure stories, but also if you love true stories like The Wager by David Grann.
The World: A Family History of Humanity
The World: A Family History of Humanity
In Stock Online
Hardcover
$40.50
$45.00
For readers who want to know everything about everything — The World is humanity’s history told through time and family trees. Cinematic triumphs, betrayals, love affairs and even all-out war — woven through 1300 pages of stories from names you’ll know to those you’ll be fascinated to see for the first time.
For readers who want to know everything about everything — The World is humanity’s history told through time and family trees. Cinematic triumphs, betrayals, love affairs and even all-out war — woven through 1300 pages of stories from names you’ll know to those you’ll be fascinated to see for the first time.
My Name Is Barbra
My Name Is Barbra
In Stock Online
Hardcover $47.00
Happy days are here again! EGOT, icon and the funny girl herself shares her story — from Brooklyn to Broadway to Brolin, and everything in between.
Happy days are here again! EGOT, icon and the funny girl herself shares her story — from Brooklyn to Broadway to Brolin, and everything in between.