12 books to curl up with this winter
Since it’s winter, and there’s nothing better than cozying up with a great book, we decided to round up some of our favorite long books. Aside from Melville’s masterpiece, which published in 1851 (before the Amazon Book Review’s time), each and every one of these books was named a Best Book of the Month—if not Year—when these novels first published.
Is there a more iconic feat of literary strength than the great, always-referenced, white whale Moby Dick? The opening line, “Call me Ishmael,” is one of the most famous opening sentences in literature—and so begins the adventure of the sailor Ishmael, captain Ahab, and their quest to hunt down the great and mighty whale. An epic, rewarding, sea-worthy journey awaits you in one of literature's classic tales that is perfect for wrapping yourself up in a blanket while the wind howls outside. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Set in Southern India—where “the land is shaped by water”—The Covenant of Water follows three generations of a family that are bound by a uniquely disquieting truth: in every generation, at least one family member will drown. And, because it’s Abraham Verghese, it’s not just a humble story of life and death, it’s a resounding and astounding story of how cultural, social, and racial politics play out in the lives of wives, doctors, artists—striving to find home and purpose in a world that is ever-shifting and ever-dangerous. Filled with shimmery, charismatic people who love deeply and dream big, The Covenant of Water is an entirely magnetic read that you won’t want to end (despite its 775 page count), which is why we named it one of the Best Books of 2023. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
When you think war hero, you’re probably not envisioning someone wielding a stethoscope. Medical personnel putting themselves in harm’s way are often the unsung heroes of such conflicts, especially combat nurses. Kristin Hannah honors them in a novel featuring Frances “Frankie” McGrath—a naïve, idealistic woman from a moneyed family of military heroes, who signs up to serve in Vietnam. Despite the valor Frankie demonstrates in makeshift, muddy operating rooms, she isn’t met with gratitude when she returns home. Instead, she is subject to the same profound indignities and challenges—both practical and emotional—foisted on her fighting comrades. Adding insult to injury, this contempt comes from some of the soldiers whose lives may have depended on her, and even members of Frankie’s own family. She gets by with (a lot) of help from her friends—the lifeline that found family extends is a hallmark of Hannah’s beloved oeuvre. So are stories that elicit all the feels. If the best-selling author of The Nightingale is worried that she didn’t do the subject justice, this reader found The Women to be another stitch in a still open wound, one that can only help the healing process. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
Haruki Murakami is a surreal and dreamy writer—and in his books, strange (and often otherworldly) events give way to new relationships, new worlds, and new realities. 1Q84 is perhaps Murakami's most sprawling, ambitious, and certainly his longest novel yet. I could tell you that it unravels over the course of a year and there’s a parallel universe, shoot-outs, love triangles, mysteries and homicidal intrigue. But what I’d rather say is that to read this book (which we named the Best Book of 2011) is to be enveloped in a strange and genius magic trick. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Now out in paperback, Age of Vice was one of the Best Debuts of 2023. It has everything you could want in a cold weather read: power and pleasure, sex and drugs, love and loyalty, respect and violence. From extreme wealth to extreme poverty, and narrated by a cast of characters on both ends of the spectrum, Deepti Kapoor’s novel centers on a sprawling Indian family that controls—or attempts to control—all that’s around them, and at any cost. Paced like a TV series, this juicy and entertaining story will keep you on the edge of your seat and hotly anticipating the next in the trilogy as you root for each character to find their place in the world. With a dash of Narcos, Crazy Rich Asians, and The Godfather, Age of Vice is pure page-turning (556 pages) heaven. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Named a finalist for the 2023 Booker Prize, and one of the Best Books of 2023, this tragicomedy follows the Barnes family for the duration of a year, which will change each of them in small and profound ways—in the curiously frustrating and rewarding way that life does. Narrated by each family member, The Bee Sting churns with the exuberance of every character’s obsessions, offering a portrait of how family—as a collective and as individual members—reacts to the stings of life, whether perceptible (say, financial ruin or climate change) or the unseen kind (the pains that lead to self-sabotage, the staticky moments of jealousy between siblings and spouses). This novel is deeply rewarding because it does not shy away from the melancholy, the humor, and the truth of life. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Post-pandemic Stephen King is on fire: we named Fairytale one of the Best Books of 2022, and Holly appeared on our Best Books of 2023 list. Holly is retro King horror at its best in this high-stakes game of cat-and-mouse between an unassuming couple committing unspeakable crimes and PI Holly Gibney. With tension that coils tighter with every chapter, this unforgettable novel will thrill longtime King fans and newcomers alike. —Seira Wilson, Amazon Editor
When, oh when, will Min Jin Lee have a new novel? Pachinko is one of my all-time favorite books—it’s a sprawling and epic novel that follows a Korean family in Japan during the 20th century as they struggle, prosper, and reckon with what it means to belong. The opening line—“History has failed us, but no matter”—expresses the endurance, fortitude, and adversity that await the characters in this best-selling novel. It’s a long one and I promise, it’s one you won’t want to end. And if you’re like me, you’ll be waiting with baited breath for Lee’s next novel. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
A poetic knockout, and Best Book of February 2024, Ours conjures memories of reading Colson Whitehead’s The Underground Railroad, Ta-Nehisi Coates’ The Water Dancer, and Jesmyn Ward’s Let Us Descend. With a dash of magical realism, Williams unveils a multigenerational story of formerly enslaved men, women, and children, who live together in a town called Ours—a town that does not appear on any map—thanks to the powers of the town’s creator, Saint. But, as time ticks by, this idealistic safe haven becomes vulnerable and threats lurk everywhere. Supported by a cast of characters that you won’t soon forget, and exquisite sentences throughout, Ours is at once saturated in majestic myth, an interrogation of slavery’s legacy, and the complications of community, friendship, and the very notion of freedom. —Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
Hilary Mantel has captivated readers and critics alike with her rich historical novels about the schemer, dreamer, henchman, and political mastermind Thomas Cromwell. The first Cromwell book, Wolf Hall, won the Man Booker Prize, as did the follow-up, Bring Up the Bodies, the final in the series, and The Mirror & the Light, was a bestseller and one of the best books of 2020. Clocking in at 560 pages (more than 2,000 pages for the full series), Mantel recreates the drama of King Henry VIII’s court as he vies to divorce his wife and marry Ann Boleyn with the help of his indefatigable aid, Cromwell. A sweeping moody historical portrait that is perfect for winter time reading. –Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
A finalist for the Man Booker and the National Book Award and one of the Best Books of 2015, Hanya Yanagihara’s novel follows four college classmates as they move to New York in search of fame and fortune. At the center of this group of men is the brilliant, enigmatic Jude, a man bruised by childhood trauma. A breathtaking, heartbreaking, and utterly absorbing novel to get lost in over the course of 737 pages—just make sure your reading nook comes with tissues. –Al Woodworth, Amazon Editor
“All literature is about love. When men do it, it's a political comment on human relations. When women do it, it's just a love story. So, although I wanted to do much more than a love story, a part of me wants to push back against the idea that love stories are not important. I wanted to use a love story to talk about other things. But really in the end, it's just a love story." That is how Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie summarized her award-winning Americanah to The Guardian. But within this love story is an astute examination of race and identity. The two protagonists, émigrés fleeing an unsettled Nigeria, do not have the softest landings in America and London. As they find their way back to each other, they must navigate being Black for the first time, since it is only in the context of not being in Nigeria that they feel their race. This novel is so much more than a love story, but it is one, and it’s important. —Erin Kodicek, Amazon Editor
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