The Buzz...About Books

Yes, this meme is a bit old, but it still holds true.   Like many people, I love diving into a lengthy book, especially for summer vacation reading.    If you are looking for a book that will keep you occupied a good long while, try one of these recently published books, all of which are over 500 pages in length:

River of Stars is Canada's Guy Gavriel Kay's latest historical fiction/fantasy novel.  This story takes place about 400 years after Under Heaven.  This is the story of Lin Shan, a determined and unconventional young woman, who uses her unusual
relationship with the emperor to manipulate events behind the scenes in
an effort to protect the life of her beloved father.  As we can expect from Kay, the book is based on history, but given a twist into the realm of the fantastic which allows for his excellent stories to unfold.

Guy Gavriel Kay was recently interviewed as part of The eh List Author Series.  If you missed this event, you can watch the interview with Chatelaine book editor Laurie Grassi below:

Edward Rutherfurd is well known for writing excellent (and long) historical fiction. Paris is his latest novel and the third book he has written on the history of a city, following London and New York.   This multigenerational saga takes readers from the founding of Paris under the Romans, through the major events of Parisian history, including religious wars and the French Revolution up to the Nazi occupation and the French Resistance. Paris is also available in eBook, audiobook and Talking Book (Restricted to Print Disabled Patrons).

Winter of the World is the second book of Ken Follett's The Century Trilogy.   In continues the stories of the American, German, Russian, English, and Welsh families first introduced in the first book, Fall of  Giants.  This time the five families are dealing with the turmoil of the mid-twentieth century,
including the rise of Nazi Germany, the Spanish Civil
War, and the horrors of World War II.  The final book, Edge of Eternity, is expected to be published in 2014.  Winter of the World is also available as an audiobook, eAudiobook and Talking Book (Restricted to Print Disabled patrons).

The Twelve is the second book in Justin Cronin's trilogy which began with The Passage.  This post-apocolyptic series takes place in a world devastated by military research gone wrong, where people infected by a virus have become brutal, vampiric killers who have destroyed most of humanity.  The survivors are on constant watch, fighting to keep themselves safe from the 'virals'.  The third book, City of Mirrors, is expected to be published next year.  The Twelve is also available in Large Print, eBook, audiobook, eAudiobook and Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled patrons).

Shadow of Night is the second book in Deborah Harkness's All Souls trilogy.  The first book, Discovery of Witches, began the story of the historian and reluctant witch Diana Bishop and the handsome and sexy vampire Matthew Clairmont.  Pursuing information on the mysterious book Ashmole 782, Diana and Matthew travel to Elizabethan England where they meet several historical figures, Diana begins to learn the skills she needs to survive as a witch and Matthew confronts his past.  Fans of the series wait quite impatiently for the third and final book to be published, hopefully sometime this year.  Shadow of Night is also available in Large Print, audiobook, eAudiobook and Talking Book (restricted to Print Disabled patrons) formats.

Of course, the biggest downside to being a fan of an author prone to long novels is that the wait between books can seem endless, as evidenced by this video by fans of George R R Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series (also known as Game of Thrones)…

Are you a fan of Big Books?  If so, which ones are your favourites?