Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.
I’m not always a fan of doorstoppers in fiction – most of the time it often feels like the book could have been edited down, and I think some larger books end up being a little repetitive or overstuffed. However, there are a handful I think are really good, and I don’t think non-fiction has the same problem, so here’s 6 of my favourite 400+ page books.
Top Six Books with a High Page Count
Under the Banner of Heaven
Jon Krakauer
Genre: Non-Fiction – True Crime – History
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: July 1st, 2003
Pages: 400
Review
Some people might scoff at 400 pages and see it as ‘light’ reading, but the ebook version runs to over 500 and the paperback has very small text. This took me a long time to get through, but ultimately, it was worth it.
The Enemy Within: The Secret War Against the Miners
Seumas Milne
Genre: Non-Fiction – History – Politics
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: December 1st, 1994
Pages: 511
Review
This was another heavy one, though I found it more dense than Under the Banner. There are a lot of names, facts and figures throughout this book, but I definitely think it’s an important, valuable read, and it really strongly highlights the tactics used even today to silence those who go against the state.
The Dark Half
Stephen King
Genre: Horror Thriller
Age: Adult
Format: Hardback
Published: January 1st, 1989
Pages: 460
Review
There are a lot of Stephen King books I could have included here – actually, I could have done a whole SK Doorstopper list! But this is the most recent SK book I’ve read that I really enjoyed, so it sticks out for that. It’s quite an intriguing novel, too, though I have to admit I read Garth Marenghi’s TerrorTome not too long after, and it’s an excellent parody of it.
Our Share of Night
Mariana Enríquez, Translated by Megan McDowell
Genre: Historical Horror
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: November 27th, 2019
Pages: 736
Review
This is one of those books that could have easily felt like it dragged on but, to be honest, although it was a little slow in places, I’ve read shorter books that felt longer. It’s mysterious and gripping, and a really strong horror novel.
Babel
R.F. Kuang
Genre: Fantasy
Age: Adult
Format: ebook
Published: August 23rd, 2022
Pages: 544
Review
This is one of those books everyone else seems to hate, but I actually really liked it. Kuang is a talented writer, and I liked the ideas behind this one. Definitely worth the time.
A Lady for a Duke
Alexis Hall
Genre: Historical – Regency Romance
Age: Adult
Format: Paperback
Published: May 24th, 2022
Pages: 460
Review
I read this when I was first getting more into Regency Romance, and it’s remained with me. I adored this book. Such a lush, sweeping story that completely grips you and refuses to let you go.
As always, if you have favourite doorstopper books you’d like to recommend, feel free to let me know, or drop me a link to your review(s)!
Unwrapping Words 