25 Books Worth Reading that are 600 Pages or Longer

There is nothing like finishing a long book in which you were fully immersed for days or weeks at a time and feeling like you wish you didn’t quite have to come back to the real world. The feeling of being transported to another world isn’t just for kids like Bastian Balthazar Bux from The Neverending Story—I’ve experienced it dozens of time as an adult, almost always after reading a book that can reviews usually describe as “sweeping” or “epic.” That said, long books aren’t for everyone, and even for me, my average book length is between 300-400 pages long. But I usually end up reading several very long books over the course of a year, and over the year, there are many that have stood out. My favorite books over 600 pages span a wide variety of genres, from nonfiction to dystopian epics to family sagas. I hope you can find something here that you might enjoy!

Note that I’m including the number of pages in each book, which in audiobook terms equates to about 3 hours per 100 pages. If you listen at 1.5x speed like me, then a 20 hour audiobook will take about 13 hours to listen to.

Fiction

Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian/Thrillers

The Stand by Stephen King (1,152 pages)

This is the longest book on this list, and it remains one of the best long books I’ve ever read. I wouldn’t necessarily start here if you’ve never read anything by Stephen King, but it was one of the first of his books that I read and it cemented me as a lifelong fan. Don’t let the page count dissuade you if you’re interested—it is a page turner from beginning to end. Having read fairly narrowly until I reached adulthood, this book opened me to the genre of post-apocalyptic fiction, which continues to be one of my favorite genres.

The Living Dead by George A. Romero (656 pages)

If you don’t like zombies, move on. I am always looking for good books about zombies, and there are so few out there. This was written by the creator of Night of the Living Dead and I continue to hope that he will come out with a sequel. It is a book with a lot of different characters, and the book shifts around between their perspectives.

The Passage by Justin Cronin (784 pages)

This is one of those books that made me wish I could travel back in time to before I read it so I could experience it all over again.

(And side note: I tried to watch the show they made based on the series and couldn’t get through the first episode. It failed completely at capturing the magic of this book.)

I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes (612 pages)

This is a thriller, but it takes place in a world that is much like ours and isn’t that hard to imagine. If you like spy novels or espionage and international politics, this book will be right up your alley.

Fantasy

I should start this section by saying that in general, I do not read many books about fantasy or magic. I want something set in the real world where the laws of nature are somewhat predictable. It’s OK if people are getting turned into zombies, of course, but they can’t be fighting the zombies with magic. The fact, then, that I have 3 fantasy books on this list tells you that they’re really good, because something about them other than the magical element drew me in.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell by Susanna Clarke (865 pages)

This is an insanely long book about two men who live in England where things look similar to what one would expect England to look like hundreds of years ago, except for one thing: magic exists. And people know that magic exists, so it’s not like the world of Harry Potter. I don’t want to give anything away, but if the premise interests you, I’d recommend diving in.

They did make a miniseries based on this book that is quite good, although it doesn’t have time to explore all the nuances of the story.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (752 pages)

Some friends who love fantasy books recommended this one after I said I didn’t like fantasy. They guessed correctly that I’d be drawn in by the heist / crime aspect of this book. What truly sold me on this book, though, is that it manages to be funny and smart at the same time. It is never cheesy. It’s the first book in a series, but I haven’t made it to any of the other books yet.

Elantris by Brandon Sanderson (638 pages)

My husband has read many of Sanderson’s books, including some of his series, and I kept saying I was not interested in reading 10 books in a row about magic. Then I learned about this book, which is a standalone novel, and I decided it was safe to try. There isn’t too much magic in this book, and the plot is extremely propulsive. The characters are well developed and it’s well written.

General

4 3 2 1 by Paul Auster (866 pages)

In general, I do not like books with time travel or alternate timelines. This book was an exception. It follows the same person, Archie Ferguson, from boyhood onward, along four different trajectories. For each version of Archie, things go differently, and the rest of his story changes. There are characters who exist in all four versions but who affect him in different ways. There is some “adult content” in this book, so if that bothers you, I’d skip this one.

A Time to Kill by John Grisham (738 pages)

I first read this book in middle or high school, which was kind of alarming to think about when I reread this book two years ago (at age 37), because it’s a lot more intense than I remembered. It is about a crime committed in a small town in the South and about a lawyer who decides to take the case on and defend the alleged criminal. It is about poverty, race, justice, and it is a page turner.

The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo (640 pages)

One of my best book friends recommended this one. It follows a family that at its core consists of parents and their four daughters. It shifts back and forth between the past and the present and explores so many things: parenting, mental health, marriage, and more. What made me love it is that the characters are complex and the relationships are complicated. But the people in this story are also willing and able to change, and you get to watch that change happen.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt (771 pages)

After reading this book and loving it, I was shocked to discover how polarizing this book is. There are many people who did not like it. It starts with a boy and a painting, and then it follows that boy as he deals with what happens after a traumatic event.

All the Colors of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (608 pages)

This was a recent read for me, and it squeaks into my 600 pages or more by only a few pages. I was actually surprised when I realized how long this book was. I listened to the audiobook and it went by extremely fast. Both of my best book friends have read this and also enjoyed it. It has many trigger warnings including sexual violence, murder, and other kinds of trauma, but it is not gratuitous and the author is excellent at writing children.

Historical

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy (964 pages)

This is one of the first books that marked my return to reading in adulthood. I read it in 2017 for the first time, and it affirmed my already existing love for Russian history. The middle third of this book is tedious, because you have to hear about all these plans for Russian peasants, but it’s worth pressing through.

Roots: The Saga of an American Family by Alex Haley (729 pages)

This is a saga just as the title says, and while there has been some controversy about it over the years in terms of the author claiming more of it was fact than actually is, if you are OK with reading it as fiction, it is a book that will change you. I can’t think of any other book depicting chattel slavery in the United States that is more powerful.

Deep River by Karl Malantes (820 pages)

This is a family saga that is also set at a discrete point in history, the 1890s-1930s. I had read few books set in this time period and was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. For an idea of how sweeping this book is, it begins in Finland and ends in Oregon!

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry (960 pages)

I’ve written about this one before, and I will write about it again. I never thought I’d love a “Western.” Come to find out, this was my dad’s mom’s favorite book as well. Any book this long takes a little time to get going, but it is worth every page. It also contains one of the most terrifying scenes of any book I’ve read. This scene involves snakes, and I still pushed through, which is saying something.

Nonfiction

Long Walk to Freedom: The Autobiography of Nelson Mandela by Nelson Mandela (656 pages)

I knew very little about Nelson Mandela or the history of South African apartheid other than a high school reading of Cry, the Beloved Country. This is a comprehensive autobiography of a man who lived an almost unbelievable life.

Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin (916 pages)

I can already hear you saying you don’t want to read an almost thousand-page book about presidents, but this book reads like a novel. It would also be an incredible book to read in our current political climate, because it is so different from how modern presidents have led our country.

When the Sea Came Alive: An Oral History of D-Day by Garrett M. Graff (608 pages)

I will continue to recommend every book Garrett M. Graff writes because I haven’t read a bad one yet. He is an amazing historian and the amount of work that goes into his oral histories is astounding. Whether you think you’re interested in World War II or not, this one will suck you in.

Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America by Annie Jacobsen (624 pages)

Nazis, espionage, and corrupt governments—what more could you want? Annie Jacobsen is an incredible historian as well, and all of her books that I’ve read are fascinating. I somehow had never read anything about Operation Paperclip despite my lifelong obsession with the Holocaust, and this doesn’t leave anything out.

The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore (784 pages)

As I already mentioned, I have long been interested in Russian history, specifically the last tsar, Nicholas II and the tragic end of his reign and the lives of him and his family members. This book goes back to the very beginning of the Romanov monarchy and traces the family over three hundred years. This isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoy very niche historical topics, this one is really well written.

The Devil Reached Toward the Sky: An Oral History of the Making and Unleashing of the Atomic Bomb by Garrett M. Graff (608 pages)

If you decide to read Operation Paperclip, read this one next, because much of the scientific background of the atomic bomb came from research done by some of the German scientists who eventually ended up working in America. This book sent me on a deep dive into the impact of the atomic bomb on Japan, and it truly changed my thinking about this historical event.

Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11 by Mitchell Zuckoff (625 pages)

While we’re reading about historical catastrophes, this is another long book that doesn’t leave anything out. This is a chronological retelling of the events of that day, jumping around from the two planes that hit the World Trade Center, to the Pentagon, to the other plane that crashed in Pennsylvania. For anyone below the age of 30 who doesn’t remember that day, this is definitely a recommended read.

The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson (793 pages)

This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read. I knew nothing about the Great Migration and I left this book hoping that Isabel Wilkerson never stops writing. It follows three different people and their true stories of trying to escape from the South during the height of the Jim Crow laws.

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I guess it makes sense that a post about long books would end up being very long. If you made it this far, congratulations. I’d love to know if you are planning on reading any of these; if you have already read any of these; or if you have any long books to recommend!