a marathon reading list

i'm in the middle of john irving's newest novel until i find you, which clocks in at about 820 huge pages (as in, it's printed on big paper). it got me thinking, a long novel can either suck because if it's no good, there's no way you're stopping half way through. and if it's good, you'll be sucked in for quite some time.

so, here is my list of very excellent and relatively (VERY) long books.

the fountainhead by ayn rand. one of my favorite books of all time. this bitch (so mean) can write a book. i mean, she only wrote a few, but she didn't mess around. some prefer atlas shurgged to the fountainhead, but not me. about architecture, staying true to your creative innards and generally not giving a fudge about whether or not you're accepted. it's actually about things far more "intellectual" than that, but whatevs.

the corrections by johnathan franzen. i actually forgot to put this on my list of depressing books awhile back. it belongs in both categories. i don't feel like this book was THAT long because it was so engaging. i actually cried while reading it. on the bus. i'm such a dork. have you read it? you should.

porno by irvine welsh. i actually lost this book before i could finish it but it was not only long but also pretty great and at first, almost impossible to understand. i really want to buy it again so i can finish it, but there are too many other books on my "i need to read this" list and some of them are long, so it will probably be awhile.

one hundred years of solitude by gabriel garcia marquez. i'm fairly certain that every word he ever wrote is worthy of the hours or minutes it would take to read it. when i read this book it made me feel highly insignificant which at times is a reassuring feeling.

glamorama by bret easton ellis. i've already discussed my love for his books. this one is by far his longest and most "novelish." it's also crazy. i don't actually recommend that you read it unless you're cool with not having any clue what's going on for the 2 weeks it will take for you to read it.

oh, and until i find you...not the best book of his i've ever read, but definitely his longest.