Hello,

I'm somewhat of a quick reader, so normal-sized books go by really fast for me. I would like to read some books that are lengthy, so the experience is drawn out a bit. Does anyone have any good recommendations for books that are 500 pages or more? (Individual books, please, not the sum of a series.) I read pretty much any genre of fiction besides war novels, if that helps.

I love long books! Here are a few:

Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry

 Homeland - John Jakes

 The Stand - Stephen King

 A Game of Thrones - Martin

 A Clash of Kings - Martin

 Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

 The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

 Anna Karenina - Tolstoy

 Don Quixote - Cervantes

 Gone With the Wind - Mitchell

London and Russka  by Rutherford

War and Peace by Tolstory

The Count of Monte Cristo - Dumas

James Michener, Steven King, and Ken Follett tend to write lengthy novels

There was a post in the Hidden Gems forum for books 800+ pages in length. You will find more ideas there.

Each book of Madison Smartt Bell's Haitian trilogy  is substantial (and superb). You could read All Soul's Rising and go on to the other 2 if you like the first. (Not sure if you'd consider this a "war novel," though.)

I read and loved Matthiesson's "Watson" novels before he combined and revised them into Shadowlands Shadow Country, which supposedly is even better.

Little, Big by Crowley & Sarah Waters' Fingersmith & The Little Stranger are over 500 pages, as are a couple of Wilkie Collins' lesser-known works, Eliot's Middlemarch and Steinbeck's East of Eden.

Also, most of Gore Vidal's historical novels seem to run 400-600 pgs & are pretty dense. And of course, there are several Dickens novels to choose from.

For contemporary fiction, THE CORRECTIONS by Jonathan Franzen (around 600 pages)

I second the Lonesome Doveseries by Larry McMurtry.  

I never thought I could enjoy a "western", but I will never part with my copies!

Mary in KY

I know Mary, I loved it way more than I thought I would :-)

Although they are older books, most of Irving Stone's novels meet your page requirements. He thoroughly researched a subject, then wrote a book that made the subject fascinating. Some of his books were: Lust for Life about Van Gogh, The Agony and the Ecstasy about Michelangelo, The Passions of the Mind about Sigmund Freud (fabulous).  Go to http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/s/irving-stone/  for a complete list.

James Michener was another author who researched meticulously before writing the comprehensive novel.  These are books that read just as well the second time around.  He won a Pulitzer for his first book, Tales of the South Pacific. Others include: Hawaii (from the arrival of the first humans on the islands to the present at which Michener wrote it - covers over a million years), The Source (a survey of the history of the Jewish people), Chesapeake (takes place in and around Chesapeake Bay. Each chapter begins with a different voyage, beginning in 1583 and ending in 1978).  

All 3 of Stieg Larsson's "girl who" blockbuster crime novels set in Sweden are over 500 pages. 

The Matthew Shardlake books by C.J. Sansom are about a lawyer in the time of Henry VIII who happens to have a hunchback (kyphosis, more correctly).  They make Henry & Cromwell & all the other characters seem alive.

Some people didn't like them, but I found Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth  and World Without End fascinating depictions of life in 12th and 14th century England fascinating. They certainly meet your length requirements. I got Fall of Giants  for Christmas & it is in my TBR pile.

Atlas Shrugged-Ayn Rand

IMHO everyone needs to read this at least once in their lifetime.

-RD

The Physician by Noah Gordon--follows a boy from 11th century England through his life and through his experiences and training to become a medical doctor.  About 700 or so pages long--one of the books that stayed with me LONG after I finished it.  If interested, there is a sequel named Shaman.

I am halfway through Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth.  It comes in at just under 1000 pages.  I find it hard to put down.  I definitely recommend this one.

I'm sorry. I meant Follett's Fall of Giants, not 

Pillars of the Earth. Pillars of the Earth. 

 rs of the Earth.  

I second the Atlas Shrugged recommendation. Excellent book, and one I think every reader should experience. I may be a bit bias however. I'm a big Ayn Rand fan. have been ever since I read Anthem in 7th grade.

Roses by Leila Meacham

The Last Ship by William Brinkley.  Great novel.

Just read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.  Loved it!

Dont know if this is what your looking for but,its taken me forever to read.

http://www.paperbackswap.com/Paradise-Second-Opportunities-Judith-McNaught/book/0743474163/