The Best 500 Page Books Are...
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2024
- The internet absolutely loves lists, but did you ever notice that when it comes to making lists of books they're always about the best SHORT books or the best LONG books, and never the best "medium length" books?
Of course, medium length is being used subjectively here, and perhaps it's because this length of book makes up most of the published books in the world, but still, it seems that people don't often discuss their favorites that are specifically between 300-500 pages.
So on today's episode, that's exactly what we do!
Here are all of the books in today's episode, but first, be sure to subscribe to our newsletter:
linktw.in/BRYAnVh
Solenoid Mircea Cartarescu
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Marshland Otohiko Kaga
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Death in the Andes Mario Vargas Llosa
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Conversation in the cathedral Mario Vargas Llosa
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The feast of the goat Mario Vargas Llosa
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Catch 22 Joseph Heller
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The sympathizer Viet Thanh Nguyen
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1984 George Orwell
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Last Boat out of Shanghai Helen Zia
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All the pretty horses Cormac McCarthy
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The crossing Cormac McCarthy
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The cities of the plain Cormac McCarthy
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Hard rain falling Don Carpenter
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The adventures of huckleberry Finn Mark Twain
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Omensetter’s luck William H. Gass
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Been down so long it looks like up to me Richard Fariña
amzn.to/3yclILs
On the road Jack Kerouac
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A tale of two cities Charles Dickens
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Libra Don Delillo
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If this is a man/the Truce Primo Levi
amzn.to/3yaIUK3
Warlock Oakley Hall
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Between two fires Christopher Buehlman
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Trying to find "Been down so long it looks like up to me" at a reasonable price for so long now, that it looks like down to me.
Nice!
Ha! I had the same thought. I was sitting there with in my cart saying "$40 really isn't that bad, right?"
@@Lifeonbooks was it really worth it?
@@azazeln I didn't actually buy it! $40 is a lot for a book haha. I'll just continue to keep my eyes peeled at used bookstores.
@@azazelnimo, yes it is
30:41 as a greek incredible pronuncing. almost perfect i would say
@lifeonbooks I just discovered you guys and I’m hooked. You pick books that aren’t YA or typical. Thank you.
I’ve actually bought some of your recommendations.
Glad you're enjoying it!
Thank you for listening!
“I thought Drake might be cool for a second…”
“No, he’s definitely not.”
😂
Great, RUclips just recommended me this podcast and I'm enjoying it, I just subscribed. Saludos amigos!
Thank you for being here!
Scrolling thru various bookish YT channels I came across yours. I am going to "SUBSCRIBE" Unfortunately, I have not been able to although I have tried over the decades to grow facial hair and have not seen any "prerequisite" to that affect and have been unable to accomplish this feat. I haven't noticed any type of Beard growth picture submitance
Could always go with word count over page count when judging length. Might make the process of choosing the arbitrary ranges.
I think you're giving us too much credit in the amount of preparation we do!
Warlock is amazing. Totally overlooked
Just wanted to point out that the right pronunciation for Mario Vargas Llosa’s lasta name is Josa as in Jam
Hey guys, I’ve recently gotten really into this channel and love the discussions and recommendations. I’d be interested in joining the book club if you could drop some info
same!
Some of my favs below. Though it seems most of my favorite books are closer to 600 pages.
Grapes of Wrath
All Quiet on the Western Front
Tess of the D’urbervilles
Cahokia Jazz
Trust
The Trackers
@@reading_fastandslow absolutely love All Quiet on the Western Front
I could have added all of the Thomas Hardy books (that I've read) to my list. I know he is well-known, but I still think he is an under-rated and under-read author, IMO. People only seem to read Tess, and then no more.
@@kurtfox4944 guilty! Although Jude the Obscure and Madding Crowd are on my long, long list.
I think a lot of authors we are assigned read in high school unfortunately meet this fate.
I’ve just started reading William Golding’s Free Fall, and he deserves more attention outside of just Lord of the Flies.
Did you say a Fish Taco is killing people? LOL
(closed caption says "Paco")
I think my top 5 at the present time are:
East of eden by John Steinbeck
Watership Down by Richard Adams
The Assommoir by Émile Zola
Katherine by Anya Seton
Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens
@@LuxVi7 East of Eden is GOATed
That's probably the first time I hear about This is a man by Primo Levi on RUclips. My respect. I read this book in Ukrainian translation and it was a big change in my reading life, 10 years ago or so...
@@Zhuki_ definitely a life changing book!
I'm at a point in life (busy job, wild kiddos) where I'm DNF'ing more than ever. I lasted exactly 100 pages through The Tunnel before I cast it aside for an Indiana Jones prequel novel. Time is precious when you only have about 1.5 hours of free time a day, haha.
I've been there for sure, where it seems like I just DNF book after book. I'm ambivalent about it. On the one hand, I think it's good to be able to DNF a book and not force yourself to read something you hate. On the flipside, when it's half dozen books in a row, it can be depressing.
I think regarding the Tunnel specifically, Gass said he used the first few hundred pages to "test" the reader, to see if they'll stick it out.
@Lifeonbooks I failed that one, haha. The Goodreads community who posted negative reviews all say there's no change in the character throughout the book, and it's not worth the hassle. Based on your comment I'm wondering if that's actually the case.
I feel that. I have a little more time to read but I like to balance a more serious or challenging book with a simultaneous read of something easy and fun (King, Crichton, etc)
random question: do you still have a copy of the Tunnel?
@@Lifeonbooks I don't. My first option for reselling is Recycled Books in Denton, TX, and they snatched it up immediately.
It seems to me that page count is not a good way to measure length. Publishers do some silly stuff with font size to make all books look medium sized because (I assume) sell better than maximalist and minimalist books.
It's really just an excuse for us to talk about books.
I would love the bookclub info. ❤
Sorry, just seeing this discord.gg/GnqZwqzy
@@Lifeonbooks It's all good ✌🏽 Thank you ☺️
How do I join the book club?
Click this link! discord.gg/23Wawp67
20000 leagues under the sea is a good book although it feels in parts that verne is dumbing facts he researched
Yeah, about 25% of the book is fact-dump, or giant lists of marine life. Verne is not Melville. I liked Journey To the Center of the Earth better... but not even in my top 200
Can I join the bookclub?
Absolutely! discord.gg/GnqZwqzy
What is your top 5 songs? Ask me today, ask me tomorrow, ask me next week, and you'll probably get 15 different songs. Same here.
For my list, I will exclude the ones everyone seems to pick (eg. Blood Meridian), and older Pulitzers, etc., so I'll pick ones that I think most people don't talk about on booktube, and just don't get the love I think they deserve.
Fiction
1) Song of Solomon (337) - IMO, better than Beloved
2) Memoirs of Hadrian (337)
3) Snow Falling on Cedars (460) PEN/Faulkner winner
4) All the King's Men (464) Pulitzer, but nobody seems to talk about it. I think Tony will like it.
5) The Unbearable Lightness of Being (320)
Honorable mention: Blindness (339), My Name Is Red (417)
Non-Fiction
1) Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers - Interesting. Funny but not disrespectful
2) The Autobiography of Malcolm X
3) Seabiscuit: An American Legend
4) Imperium: A Novel of Ancient Rome
5) Columbine - incredibly researched. writing is not the best, but the content is great. basically, all the things you think you know about Columbine are probably wrong, skewed by the media.
Honorable mention: Angela's Ashes, but ONLY if you listen to the audiobook told by the author himself.
In all honesty, I do not feel that offering my recommendations should be taken seriously if, on the other hand, I wouldn't be willing to read something you recommend. To that end, I have read one of Tony's recommendations: _Between Two Fires_ and am currently reading Andy's suggestion of _Warlock_
Can I join the Book Club?
Of course!
discord.gg/GnqZwqzy
Mein Kampf is a collector's book... if you have the original, and worth more than your average book. I think they reprinted it in the mid-1970s, and added commentary to make it more palatable to a wider audience that wanted to see what the hoopla was about.
Andy, It also comes in a Red Cover.
Geh stap oh