During the worst of the pandemic in 2020, I read War and Peace with a huge group on Twitter (thanks to A Public Space!) I realized that I’ve really loved classics and old books and long books in general for a long, long time. It’s one of my favorite genres to read, and I will get as many people onto this (often decades-old) bandwagon as I can! With proper context and awareness, of course.

The Case For Long Books

A step-by-step, impassioned case for long books. Want easy to read? Life changing? This master post gives three tiers of long books, starting with the least-scary, fluffiest volumes to the epic, big payoff behemoths.

I haven’t reviewed many classics since starting the blog, but here are some of my favorites:

  • Dune by Frank Herbert has been my favorite book for years and years. I really liked the adaptation and if you follow my personal twitter (@412emma) you’ll see a whole lot of Dune content.
  • Anything by Leo Tolstoy. I’ve read a lot of his short stories and novellas, as well as Anna Karenina (my least favorite) and War and Peace (my favorite)
  • The Count of Monte Christo is one of my favorite long books of all time. One of the absolute wildest, most dramatic, most fun worlds to sink into.
  • I’ve read all of Jane Austen‘s novels and Emma is my favorite. I would actually recommend starting with Emma instead of Pride and Prejudice.
  • Alice in Wonderland is one of the only books I will read exclusively for the vibes. I don’t usually like books that are only vibes, but Lewis Caroll is special.
  • A Portrait of a Lady by Henry James was a sleeper FAVORITE. Wow. I cannot recommend this novel enough. It creeps up on you and then you look up and you’re floored.
  • I love the Hobbit, but hate the Lord of the Rings series because they’re a strange combination of textbooks and bro trip vibes. I respect it, though.