Bookish Blog Hop: Spring 2020--Day 6! "A Book With More Than 400 Pages"

Jo Linsdell www.JoLinsdell.com

I recently finished reading Stone Cold Heart by Caz Frear which has 471 pages. If you enjoy crime novels it’s definitely worth checking out.

About the book:

From the beloved and internationally bestselling author of Sweet Little Lies comes the second novel featuring DC Cat Kinsella—an investigator “on par with Susie Steiner’s and Tana French’s female detectives” (Kirkus Reviews).

After a brief stint in the Mayor’s Office, Detective Constable Cat Kinsella is back at the London Metropolitan Police, wisecracking with her partner Luigi Parnell and trying to avoid the wrath of the boss, DI Kate Steele.

But for Cat and Parnell, it’s serious business when a young Australian woman turns up dead after a party thrown by her new boss. The initial investigation of Naomi Petrovic’s murder points to Joseph Madden, the owner of a coffee shop around the corner from police headquarters. Madden insists he’s innocent, that he was home with his wife Rosa at the time of the murder. When police question her, Rosa contradicts his alibi, swearing that she was home alone.

While the team builds its case against Joseph, Cat is tasked with getting to the heart of the Maddens’ marriage. Cat knows that one of them is lying—but the question of which one, and why, is far more complicated than she could have expected. As she tries to balance the demands of the investigation with a budding romance and unresolved family drama, Cat has to decide how far she’ll go to keep her own past mistakes buried.

With her trademark wit and brilliant plotting, Caz Frear ratchets up the tension and keeps you guessing as she explores the secrets we keep from our loved ones—and the ones we’d kill to keep safe in the dark.

Stormi - Bewitched Reader Book Blog - www.bewitchedreader.com

My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie is a whopping 658 page read, which I plan on undertaking at some point in 2020. I don’t read a lot of historical fiction, but this one sounded too good to pass up when I saw it on Amazon. Fingers crossed it lives up to my expectations!

About the Book:

A general’s daughter…

Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington’s penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she’s captivated by the young officer’s charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton’s bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.

A founding father’s wife...

But the union they create—in their marriage and the new nation—is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all—including the political treachery of America’s first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.

The last surviving light of the Revolution…

When a duel destroys Eliza’s hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband’s enemies to preserve Alexander’s legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she’s left with one last battle—to understand the flawed man she married and the imperfect union he could never have created without her…

Erica Robyn - Erica Robyn Reads - www.ericarobynreads.com

One of my favorite books that is longer than 400 pages is NOS4A2 by Joe Hill. My copy has 692 pages. This tale is a very chilling read about strained family dynamics, but for better or for worse, how love always wins in the end. For those that don’t know, NOS4A2 is the license plate version of “Nosferatu,” the German word for vampire. So as I’m sure you can assume, this book is also about a vampire… of sorts. I’ve already read this novel a few times and I cannot wait to read it again! This is definitely one that I will reread from time. I also highly recommend checking out the comic, Wraith, which gives you a little background information about Mr. Manx. The Netflix adaptation is also wonderful! Feel free to check out my review of NOS4A2 here. 

Leslie Conzatti -- (Me!)

I have a lot of books that are more than 400 pages! The perils of being an avid reader, I suppose--we don’t much care about the length of a book, if the author is good and the premise is fitting! Pretty much anything by David Baldacci, I believe, is at least that long. Also I have several books by Michael Crichton that are at least 500 or 600 pages long.


The trick is to keep a reader interested, if a book is going to be that long. A book doesn’t have to be short enough to read in one sitting (though any book can be read in “one sitting” if that sitting is as long as the book!), but if the story drags on for pages and pages, then what’s the point of a long book?


Laura Doherty - Tales of a Natural Spoonie - https://talesofanaturalspoonie.com

Each of the books in The Black Magician trilogy by Trudi Canavan come in at over 400 pages. This was a trilogy I read a few years ago over a long weekend at my brothers in Belfast when I had forgotten to take my Kindle with me. I really enjoyed this fantasy series but the first book The Magician’s Apprentice was definitely my favourite.

About the book:

“In the remote village of Mandryn, Tessia serves as assistant to her father, the village Healer - much to the frustration of her mother, who would rather she found a husband. But her life is about to take a very unexpected turn.

When treating a patient at the residence of the local magician, Lord Dakon, Tessia is forced to fight off the advances of a visiting Sachakan mage - and instinctively uses magic. She now finds herself facing an entirely different future as Lord Dakon's apprentice.

But along with the excitement and privilege, Tessia is about to discover that her magical gifts bring with them a great deal of responsibility. Events are brewing that will lead nations into war, rival magicians into conflict, and spark an act of sorcery so brutal that its effects will be felt for centuries...”

Eline - LovelyAudiobooks.info

I recently re-read The Fellowship of the Ring. I first read the Lord of the Rings paperbacks shortly before the The Fellowship movie was released. I’ve watched the movies a bunch of times but never actually re-read the books. 

Well, this year, I did the audiobook challenge and needed a book with a singing narrator. That was unexpectedly tricky! But it turned out to be the perfect opportunity to listen to the Fellowship audiobook, narrated by Rob Inglis. There’s lots of singing indeed!

Robin Loves Reading - https://www.robinlovesreading.com

I checked my spreadsheet and found that I read 17 books this year over 400 pages. I will just mention a few now. For starters I will mention Becoming by Michelle Obama. There’s not a lot I can say about the book that hasn’t already been said other than it is truly a wonderful read and I devoured it via audiobook format in just a couple of sittings. Another book I read this year is Mermaid Inn by Jenny Holiday. I have only read a couple of books by her but from what I have read so far she is very entertaining. Mermaid Inn is the first book in a series and I am eager to read more. In January a challenge I do monthly, Reading Rivalry, had a criteria I needed to meet, and that was of a book about friends, so I chose Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I loved this book and, despite its length, read it in under a day. Lastly I will mention The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter. I read the prequel before reading this and my attention was snagged from beginning to end. I love main character in this book, Charlie Quinn, and now I want to read Ms. Slaughter’s entire backlist.


Veronica - The Burgeoning Bookshelf https://theburgeoningbookshelf.blogspot.com/

Whenever I see a chunkster of a book I always seem to put it off. When it finally came to the stage I couldn’t put Grown Ups by Marian Keyes off any longer I was worried it would drag. At 656 pages it was big! I needn’t have worried I flew through it. The story was funny, sad, captivating and I loved the characters. It was a great read.

How about you? What's a book you've read that's more than 400 pages long, and how did you like it? Let us know in the comments, and don't forget to head back to the Introductory Post to check out the other stops in this blog hop!