Top Ten Tuesday – Top 10 Books I Can’t Believe I Read

 

Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.  Top Ten Tuesday has been one of my favorite memes ever since I started blogging, so huge thanks to Jana for taking over the hosting duties!

This week’s TTT topic is Top Ten Books I Can’t Believe I Read.  I imagine there are lots of different ways I could explore this topic, but looking around at my bookshelves, I’m going to go with ‘I can’t believe I read these…because they’re literally the size and weight of bricks!‘  That’s not to say they were bad reads — most of them were incredible and didn’t feel like they were anywhere near as long as they actually were, but there were a couple (I’m looking at you, Moby Dick!) that I thought I would never finish.

 

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TOP 10 BOOKS I CAN’T BELIEVE I READ

 

1. LES MISERABLES by Victor Hugo  (1,463 pages)

 

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2. A STORM OF SWORDS by George R.R. Martin (1,177 pages)

 

 

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3.  BLEAK HOUSE by Charles Dickens (1,017 pages)

 

 

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4. MOBY DICK by Herman Melville 

(728 Pages, but felt like it was about 3,000 pages.  Way too many chapters about whale blubber for my liking!)

 

 

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5.  JOHN ADAMS by David McCullough 

(751 pages – I don’t even usually read Nonfiction, much less over 700 pages of it, but this was riveting!)

 

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6. GONE WITH THE WIND by Margaret Mitchell

(1,037 pages – As much as I complain about romance, I still can’t believe I read and adored this one, lol.)

 

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7. UNDER THE DOME by Stephen King (1,074 pages)

 

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8. MIDDLEMARCH by George Eliot (904 pages)

 

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9. THE BROTHERS KARAMAZOV by Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1,072 pages)

 

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10. ANNA KARENINA by Leo Tolstoy (1,008 pages)

 


 

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Question:  What are some books that you can’t believe you read?

38 replies
  1. Sam@WLABB
    Sam@WLABB says:

    Maybe that’s why I stay away from the classics, especially ones written by Victorian writers, who were paid by the page. Gosh, I think the longest book I read came in under 800. *applause, applause* to you!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Right? If it hadn’t been for some Victorian Lit classes I took in college, I would have avoided several of these bricks, lol.

  2. Lynn
    Lynn says:

    I’ve read a few off your list – I would like to read Les Mis but the size just daunts me. And, Moby Dick – was a bit of a trial.
    Lynn 😀

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      For me anyway, Les Mis didn’t feel like it was anywhere near as long as it actually was. Moby Dick on the other hand, just ugh, lol.

  3. Angela
    Angela says:

    Wow, these are some long ones! Gone with the Wind is one of my favorites, so I never seem to notice how long it actually is! I’ve read Anna Karenina, too – I just can’t believe I read it in college. Like really, did I have nothing better to do?

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yeah, I think out of all of these Gone with the Wind was the one I was able to read without constantly looking to see how many more pages I had left. I can’t believe I read most of these in college either. The joys of being an English major, lol.

  4. Barb (boxermommyreads)
    Barb (boxermommyreads) says:

    I loved Under the Dome…until the end. I remember trying to watch the series with my husband and I kept saying “wanna know why this is happening? It’s super stupid.” I don’t know if I ever told him but we didn’t watch it that long. I couldn’t read Moby Dick either!

  5. ShootingStarsMag
    ShootingStarsMag says:

    I like how you approached the topic. I’m currently reading Les Mis but it’s a year long challenge as there are 365 chapters. Otherwise, I think I’d be overwhelmed. haha

    -Lauren

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I saw someone else mention they were doing that challenge and I thought it was a great idea. Thankfully even though it’s huge, once you get into the story, it goes much faster than I was expecting it to.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      If not for college, I wouldn’t have touched half of these and with the exception of the GoT series, I don’t really do big books like this anymore.

  6. Greg Hill
    Greg Hill says:

    Les Miserables is HUGE! Wow I’d be afraid to tackle that one. Although Storm of Swords is too and I did read that. I’ve been curious about Under the Dome- it sounds like a fun premise.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Les Miserables was actually a much faster read than I expected it to be, but yeah it rivals Storm of Sword in terms of how big a brick it is, lol.

  7. Literary Feline
    Literary Feline says:

    I like that you went with big books for this week. I had such a hard time thinking of any, I ended up passing this week. I am reading Les Misérables now as part of a year long read-along. I think stretching it out so long has its challenges too, but we’ll see. I am also tackling War and Peace this year. I read and enjoyed Anna Karenina a few years ago. Great list!

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      I hope you’re enjoying Les Miserables. I love the idea of tackling such a big book as part of a challenge. It’s also one of those books that goes by much quicker than I thought it would once I got hooked on the story.

  8. Lee @ Rally the Readers
    Lee @ Rally the Readers says:

    A Storm of Swords is pretty hefty, lol. Back when I read it, I had a lot more reading time, and I can’t imagine how long it would take me to get through it now. I lucked out when I was in school and had to read the abridged version of Les Miserables. I’ve always wanted to read the unabridged version, but I’m not sure I’m up to that task anymore, lol.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Yes, those George R.R. Martin books are all beasts. I love the series but can’t bring myself to read more than one book a year, lol.

  9. Olivia
    Olivia says:

    Have you read the Count of Monte Cristo? If you’re ever up for giving another Classics a shot, this one is fantastic. I have Les Misérables on my list to read this year but am currently working my way through War and Peace. I love those old books but they’re a challenge! As a child I didn’t find them challenging though, I guess I was very stubborn and maybe also just didn’t attempt to understand as much as I do today?

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      My sister keeps telling me I should read The Count of Monte Cristo. I haven’t read a classic in ages so maybe I will pick up that one at some point.

  10. Verushka
    Verushka says:

    Wow. WOWWWWW. Having endured way too many thin and thick classics in school, I’m just over all of them. Good on you for getting through these! (sometimes, I used to lie and say I read classics bc so many people around me were raving about it, but I never understood why)

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      If not for college, I’m pretty sure I would have never touched half the books on this list, maybe with the exception of the George R.R. Martin books. I don’t have the patience for books this size now.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Oh yeah, some of those books I read for college are just ridiculously large. I remember reading someone that Victorian authors got paid by the page and I believe it, lol.

  11. Evelina @ AvalinahsBooks
    Evelina @ AvalinahsBooks says:

    Wow, this is a serious list 😀 I am still “reading” Middlemarch. Got through most of it, but it just puts me to sleep, frankly. I kind of care what happens to the characters, but I estimate I might be reading it for a whole ‘nother year :DDD

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      Haha! Yes, Middlemarch was a chore for me when I read it in college too. I think there are probably drool marks on it from where I kept falling asleep while reading, lol.

    • Suzanne
      Suzanne says:

      If not for college, I wouldn’t have read most of them either. Aside from the George R.R. Martin books, I stay away from anything this big now, lol.

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