A Tale of Too Many Chunksters

The past two months, since getting back from our big trip, things have just been nuts. Our schedules haven’t seemed to slow down as we caught up at work, had a few out-of-town weekends, prepped for a huge work convention and got ready for the holidays. On top of that I made the mistake of starting a bunch of chunksters all at once.

Honestly, I wasn’t trying to. It was a combination of factors. I realized I really needed to start Don Quixote if I was going to finish it in time to complete the Back to the Classics Challenge (I don't think that's going to happen). I was way behind on starting the final book of the #Trollope2014 Barsetshire series, then I randomly picked up a couple of the others at the library. Anyway, it quickly spiraled and I found myself reading the following books either back-to-back or at the same time.

The Last Chronicle of Barset: 1,003 pages
Don Quixote: 992 pages 
An American Tragedy: 896 pages
The Interestings: 560 pages
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly: 560 pages
The Last of the Mohicans: 432 pages
Brick Lane: 432 pages

Consequently I’m struggling to keep up reading momentum and my sanity. I just finished An American Tragedy, I’m done with The Interestings, and am nearing the end of Don Quixote. I’m still wading through the gigantic Last Chronicle of Barset and Mohicans and Brick Lane. I feel like I need to speed a couple weeks reading mysteries or YA or something really fun to balance things out again.

Do you guys ever find yourselves lost in a sea of chunksters by accident? Or if you’re reading a huge book, do you ever struggle to keep up the momentum?

Book Reviews: The Pillars of the Earth

The Pillars of the Earth
by Ken Follett
★★★★☆

This sprawling story, told over 1,000 pages, is set during the twelfth century. It spans more than 50 years, (1123-1174), three countries (England, Spain and France) and the building of a cathedral. It focuses on a monk, driven to revitalize a town and build a cathedral, and the family that provides the master builders capable of the job.

I loved learning about monastic life and what it takes to build a cathedral. I’ve seen dozens of them throughout Europe, but reading about the process of building one gave me a new appreciation for the work that goes into their creation. We watch a cathedral rise out of the sweat and blood of a single village and all of this unfolds while royals vie for the throne and control of the country.

The reason the big book was such an addictive read was the characters. This kind of epic tale is appealing to me when I want to lose myself in a story, but it only works if you care about the people that make up that story. I loved both Ellen and Aliena, two unconventional women whose strength inspired the men around them.

Follett created some delicious villains in his story. William Hamleigh is vicious and evil, but in the way of a selfish, petulant child. Bishop Waleran Bigod on the other hand is manipulative and always self-serving, but in an underhanded and subtle way. Both men are evil, but in completely different ways.

Even though it's long, it was a fast read. I've never read Follett before, but I would assume that writing his other thrillers gave him the perfect practice to create this compulsive read. The writing isn't perfect or lyrical, but it just right for a book. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction or just a good absorbing read.

Have any of you read the sequel "World Without End?" Any good?

What about the new miniseries? I'm curious to see if it stayed close to the novel at all.

The Chunkster Challenge

I completed the Chunkster Challenge. Woo hoo! To complete the top channge (Mor-book-ly Obese) I needed to read 6 books that were at least 450 pages, no e-books or audio books allowed. You can find the details and other participants here.

The Girl Who Played with Fire: 512 pages

The Angel's Game : 544 pages

The Lost Symbol: 528 pages

Holly's Inbox: 672 pages

The Little Stranger: 528 pages

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets Nest: 576 pages

Les Miserables: 1,488 pages

The Pillars of the Earth: 973 pages