Long Reads for a Long Summer
[Photo by Karolina Grabowska from Pexels]
As spring falls away and the first hints of summer begin to shine their way through the clouds, it is important to note that this summer will be different than others. The activities which normally whiled away the hours—like going to conventions, beaches, and amusement parks—are all shut down due to the current Covid-19 situation. Vacations have been canceled, and most people will be spending a lot more time indoors until the world can safely open up again. Still, that doesn’t mean you can’t go to some of the most amazing places in your mind, and what better time to start reading one of those long, epic, and winding tales to fill both your mind and those waking hours? With that in mind, Quirk has a list of especially long standalone novels and even longer series for you to consider reading with links to get them into your hands.
The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson
This series of books is no joke. If you are a fan of Game of Thrones, the complexity and twists and turns of Robert Jordan’s fourteen book series will keep you reading into the wee hours of the night well after you know you should be asleep. Follow the story of three good friends Rand Perrin and Mat as they each come into their own magical powers, this book series has been a long time favorite of fantasy readers. Unfortunately before he was able to finish the books, Robert Jordan passed away in 2006 of a rare heart condition, but his notes were used by Brandon Sanderson to finish the story.
Buy the first book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
The Stand by Stephen King
There has been a trend for people to be into pandemic literature and film of recent, and Stephen King’s novel kicks off with an epic virus decimating most of the Earth’s population. After that though, it settles in to some real horror. Where the original release of the book was only around 800 pages, the most modern version seen today is the uncut author’s preferred version which caps out at just shy of 1500 pages.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Queen and Country by Greg Ruck and various artists
This one is for the thriller lovers out there and it is a doozy. Starting with the comic book series of the same title, Queen and Country follows Tara Chance, a young MI-5 agent. While the comic only lasted 32 issues, not a particularly long run for comics, it was then followed up with a series of novels, A Gentlemen’s Game, Private Wars, and The Last Run. All of these together create an amazing multimodal read which is satisfying and intense.
Buy the comic:
Buy the first book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Jerusalem by Alan Moore
Rolling in at around 600,000 words, Jerusalem is a perfect piece to read at home because you are not going to want to lug this around in a backpack or purse. The winding narrative of this novel is broken down into three parts and follows the intertwined tales of a family and the people from the town in which they live. Jerusalem also touches on multiple realms both literary and metaphysical. Keep in mind though, before starting this novel, it is not for the faint of heart. Moore has never been known as a taciturn man, and his verbosity is on full display in the dense prose of his masterwork.
Buy the book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
Poldark series by Winston Graham
This one is for those Civil War History buffs. In America, there is a very focused discussion of what the Civil War meant and how it affected American soldiers and historical trajectory, but what about the British. In the Poldark series, this discussion is put on full display when Ross Poldark returns home from America to find his family mine failing and his former betrothed married to his cousin. The effects of war on the progressive Ross carry him through the course of the twelve book series, plenty of reading for plenty of historical drama and occasional bodice ripping.
Buy the first book:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books A Million | Bookshop
My Babysitter is a Vampire series by Ann Hodgman
There are a lot of people who are going to be at home with their kids this summer, and there are only so many video games a kid can play. In order to keep their reading skills up to snuff, it can be good to find a series of solid chapbooks. With her book series My Babysitter is a Vampire, Ann Hodgman created spookiest stories for kids who are into darker stories.
Buy the first book:
