Eight Big Books to Curl Up with this Winter

Disclosure: Eight Big Books to Curl Up with this Winter contains affiliate links. I’m an affiliate for Blackwell’s and BookShop UK, so this post contains affiliate links to their sites. If you buy a book via my links, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you – thank you! Titles with an asterisk* were received free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review

There’s nothing like snuggling up in a fuzzy blanket, big book in hand, wind and rain howling outside, and getting lost among the pages. I’m not much of a seasonal reader. I don’t like to read Christmassy books at Christmas or summer romances in the summer. But there IS something undeniably appealing about getting lost in the pages of a big book when it’s freezing outside and staying inside has never looked so good. (Especially now, you know, with the whole ongoing pandemic. Stay inside and read a 500-page book).

Now, everyone’s idea of a big book is totally subjective, of course. Fantasy fans will probably look at a 500-page book and think it looks like a nice bit of light reading. But for the purposes of this blog post, I’m classing a big book as anything from the 450 page mark and above.

These recommendations are all books I’ve read and loved, either this year or in previous years. They are all immersive, rich, complex and filled with vibrant characters you’ll never want to leave. You’ll notice I stuck mainly to contemporary and historical fiction. I’m planning another post for fantasy favourites, most of which are also big books!

Let’s dive right into the big books you’ll want to snuggle up with this winter!

1. The Eighth Life by Nino Haratischwili, tr. Charlotte Collins & Ruth Martin

We’re starting with the biggest book on the list! Yes, this book is 944 pages. Yes, that’s a terrifying number of pages. But I promise you, you will want MORE PAGES. This book is in my top three for 2020, and I have read a LOT of excellent books this year. It traverses an entire century, so you can see why so many pages are necessary. Haratischwili deftly weaves together the history of Georgia over the 20^th century with the personal trajectories of the Jashi family across multiple generations. Oh, and there’s a potentially cursed hot chocolate recipe, so obviously you need to read it with an accompanying hot chocolate.

Buy The Eighth Life at Blackwell’s

2. Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo

Oh look, it’s my other favourite book of 2020! Big books quite often make their way into my favourites list. Girl, Woman, Other is another book which covers several generations (I’m sensing a theme here), ranging from a mother suffering from post-natal depression in the 1940s to a non-binary person coming into their own in modern-day Newcastle. The chorus of voices within this novel is stunning, and each chapter has something new to offer. I read it in January, and it was the perfect companion on cold, dark evenings.

Buy Girl, Woman, Other at Blackwell’s

3. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

I read this book two years ago and it blew me away. It’s incredibly rich and slow-paced, again spanning multiple generations. Eugenides weaves together a narrative of immigration and identity, following Cal as he navigates his identity, as he was born intersex. Every single character is flawlessly developed, I could have read 500-page novels about any one of them. Although Eugenides addresses quite heavy topics within this book, Cal’s narration is sprinkled with wry humour which lifts the book up. I’m definitely overdue a reread.

Buy Middlesex at Blackwell’s

4. A Brief History of Seven Killings by Marlon James

I feel like this book is one that intimidates a lot of people – myself included. It sat on my TBR stacks for a long time before I finally picked up the courage to read during #ReadCaribbean in June. I then spent eight intense days immersed in this book, which is definitely one of the most challenging I’ve ever read. But the challenge is worth, you guys. A massive cast of characters, occasional stream-of-consciousness chapters, a frank look at issues like colourism and homophobia in Jamaica… James juggles it all. It’s a book to take your time with. You’ll be left exhausted by the end, feeling like you’ve lived a life along with the characters.

Buy A Brief History of Seven Killings at Blackwell’s

5. Shuggie Bain* by Douglas Stuart

Finally, a book that isn’t a multigenerational saga! But the fact that Douglas focuses mainly on Shuggie and his mother Agnes in this book just makes it all the more heart-breaking. Douglas transports us to 80s Glasgow, where many families were facing poverty and unemployment after Thatcher’s government closed mines and shipyards. Against this backdrop, we watch Shuggie grow up, trying to look after his mother, who suffers with alcoholism, from the young age of five or six. It’s a tough read, as Douglas tackles domestic abuse, homophobia and addiction. Basically, it’s 450 pages of pure heartbreak, and you’ll love it because you’ll fall in love with Shuggie from the first page.

Buy Shuggie Bain at Blackwell’s

6. The Robber Bride by Margaret Atwood

I think when people think about big books by Atwood, their mind jumps straight to Alias Grace or The Blind Assassin. The Robber Bride is critically underrated in my opinion! This book is based on the Grimm fairy tale of the Robber Bridegroom, but with the gender roles switched. I’m a sucker for books based around female friendship, so I loved reading about the dynamics between Roz, Tony and Charis. They’re all very different women, but united by one thing – Zenia, a force of nature in the form of a woman. In traditional Atwood style, she delves into the minute details of these women’s lives, intertwining them in her masterful way. It’s a little slow but have patience with it and you will be rewarded!

Buy The Robber Bride at Blackwell’s

7. White Teeth by Zadie Smith

This book will always hold a special place in my heart, as it was the first book I read by Zadie Smith who then went on to become one of my favourite authors. White Teeth has a few mixed reviews, but for me it’s pretty much an ideal multigenerational novel. Smith is able to craft such unique voices for each of her characters that it feels like you’re watching the events play out in front of your eyes. It takes place throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s in London, tackling a huge array of themes from religion, war, race, eugenics, sex and adolescence. This is another one I need to reread, and I’m sure it will be just as fantastic the second time around.

Buy White Teeth at Blackwell’s

8. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

My initial review for this book was: ‘Maybe one day I can write a cohesive review for this book but for now I’m just going to curl up in the corner and keep crying’. What a 2020 mood. But also still relevant for this book. Please do look up the content warnings for this one before you dive in, and it gets graphic with things like suicide, self-harm and sexual abuse, so do not take it lightly. Jude, Willem, JB and Malcolm all felt like lifelong friends after I finished this book. Yanagihara paints such a rich portrait of their inner lives, no holds barred. This is one of the few books to make me not just shed a tear, but literally sob, bawl and rage.

Buy A Little Life at Blackwell’s

Shop all of these recommendations at BookShop UK!

Bonus Big Books on my TBR

These are some of the big books I’ve still got on my TBR stacks right now. Who knows, maybe I’ll tackle one before the year is out?

• Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann
• The Parisian by Isabella Hammad
• Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
• 2666 by Robert Bolaño
• Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
• The Border Trilogy by Cormac McCarthy
• Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie

Let me know if I should prioritise any of those still on my TBR!

Don’t feel like a big book right now? How about a book you can read in an afternoon instead?