Winter is the perfect time to snuggle up with a long novel.  This winter, why not make the time to read those classics that everyone always feels like they “should read.”  Here are some classic novel suggestions to inspire the more literary side of your to-read pile.  

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell- Over the past few years, I can not tell you how many patrons have suggested that I read this book (or even watch the movie).  Gone With the Wind is a classic romance totaling in at a lengthy 959 pages depending on the edition.  This novel takes place during the Civil War and Reconstruction time period and follows the story of Scarlett O’Hara the daughter of a wealthy plantation owner.     

Rebecca by Daphene du Maurier- This Gothic romance is perfect for those who enjoyed Emily Bronte’s Wuthering Heights. This novel tells the tale of a young girl who becomes the new wife to Max de Winter, only to find that she is not the true mistress of the home as the house and all who inhabit it are forever dominated by the memory of the deceased Rebecca.      

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley – This piece of speculative fiction was originally published in 1932 and is about a psychologically controlled and genetically engineered society of the future.  This novel is on par with George Orwell’s 1984.      

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy – This novel is another lengthy one, totaling in at around 837 pages and tells the story of a doomed love affair set in nineteenth century Russia.

-Jessica Bielen, Adult Services Librarian