Ten chunky reads for fall

Books to curl up with

A few weeks ago, I wrote about slim novels for the last lazy days of summer. But now it’s fall in my heart, even if the thermostat insists otherwise, and I’m ready to stuff giant paperbacks in my bag, get lost in some deliciously dense prose, and pick up books that reward close attention. I’ve pulled together an assortment of 500-plus page books I’ve loved over the years, as well as a handful on my TBR, and I’d love to know what hefty titles you’d recommend!

The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

This is my favorite of Atwood’s extensive catalog, a story within a story within a story of family secrets, illicit romance, and Gothic suspense. It’s an elegantly constructed puzzle of a book and Atwood brings all the plot threads together in dazzling fashion by the end. An intricate, enthralling modern classic. If you’d like to dip into the spookier end of Atwood’s backlist, I’d also highly recommend Alias Grace.

Possession by A.S. Byatt

A literary mystery, a love story, and a book that occupies a permanent position on my favorite books of all time list. Romantic in every sense of the word, this is a book filled with characters of huge, sweeping passions, and an endlessly rich, layered novel that rewards close reading and rereading. (Although you can skip the long Victorian poetry if you want.) My favorite kind of literary fiction is one that speaks to the reader on both an intellectual and an emotional level and Possession balances the two perfectly.

Fellowship Point by Alice Elliott Dark

One of my favorites from 2023, this story of two women’s lifelong friendship and the conflict that arises between them over the fate of the land they both love took me almost a week to read and was well worth slowing down and savoring. I loved the thorough and nuanced character development, the wonderful sense of Maine, the layers and layers of detail, and the perfect and surprising ending.

Free Food for Millionaires by Min Jin Lee

A sweeping, expansive modern take on a 19th century novel set in 1990's New York that successfully mixes 19th century writing conventions with 20th century concerns. Wonderfully ambitious, it’s a portrait of New York society, of insular communities from a Korean church in Queens to the trading floor of a Wall Street investment bank, and of a striving but aimless twenty-something. It might take you a minute to sink into its rhythms but once you do, the pages fly by.

The Shell Seekers and September by Rosamunde Pilcher

Two big, juicy family sagas with huge casts of characters to root for and against, wonderful descriptions of Cornwall and the Scottish countryside, satisfying twists and turns, and a real warmth to the writing that just wraps you right up in the story. I’d recommend reading The Shell Seekers first, since there’s a character that appears in both books, and then going right on to Winter Solstice or Coming Home if you like Pilcher’s style.

Great Circle by Maggie Shipstead

A historical novel that braids together the stories of a 20th-century female aviator who disappeared while attempting to circumnavigate the globe and the mega-famous actress set to play her in a movie decades later, sprawling from Prohibition-era Montana to the wilds of Alaska to World War II-era Great Britain to modern-day LA. This is one of those books that put me in a daze, spellbound by Shipstead’s gorgeous prose, complex characters, and transportative sense of time and place.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters

A Dickensian mystery and queer love story full of lowlifes masquerading as gentlemen and gentle lowlifes, packed with reversals and unexpected plot twists, written in a period style that feels both engaging and authentic. I remember first reading it years ago and thinking that I’d never read anything like it in years of reading historical fiction. It’s one of those books etched permanently in my memory and certain passages still send a chill down my spine.

Blackout and All Clear by Connie Willis

Maybe you’d like to spend your fall in wartime Britain, with a side of time travel? This meticulously researched duology about a trio of historians who travel back from Oxford in 2060 to WWII England is immersive, thoughtful, and packed with historical intrigue. Very much on the slower side of sci-fi but I deeply enjoyed how the deliberate pace gave the story and the sense of setting time to unfurl.

And a few lengthy titles currently on my TBR:

• The Bright Sword by Lev Grossman, which I’ve been saving for a weekend when I can give it my full attention.

• Wellness by Nathan Hill, which I’ve been meaning to read since last fall.

• More of The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard, because I love a messy family.

• The Lost Queen by Signe Pike, for another Arthurian retelling.

• Doomsday Book by Connie Willis, because writing this reminded me how much I enjoy her writing and I can’t resist a dash of time travel.

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Currently reading: Lady Macbeth by Ava Reid and I’m really not sure if I want to continue? For context, I’m a big Shakespeare nerd, so I’ve read, seen, and studied Macbeth multiple times and this is just…more YA-feeling medieval fantasy with some nods to the play? That might be great for another reader but it’s not exactly what I’m looking for. I also don’t quite understand the thinking behind some of the storytelling choices, including making Lady Macbeth a 17-year old girl from France. I’d be curious to hear what anyone else who’s read it thinks and if I should keep going!

Recommendations, miscellany, and little bits of joy:

• I spent a lot of this newsletter waxing poetic about the joys of rich, sweeping literary fiction but I have to admit that I also spent a significant portion of this week binging The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu, which I was mildly obssesed with.

• Zero Otto Nove in the Bronx and their perfect pizzas. An ideal day would be an excursion to the New York Botanical Garden and dinner there afterward.

• Slowly transitioning over to fall candles. I’m particularly fond of the Brooklyn Candle Studio fall scents and their woodsy Fern + Moss candle.