What do you get on the longest day of the year? More time to lose yourself in a fantastical fictional world of robust characters and settings that make you feel as if you’re there. So, in celebration of this extra long day, we bring you six extra long books that are definitely worth the read… and your time.

The Time In Between by Maria Duenas

Sira Quiroga has life planned out – a career alongside her mother, a fiancé and a future. But all this changes when a handsome stranger comes into her life. Before she knows it, Sira is swept away to Morocco, living on love, but quickly abandoned and left penniless. She returns to Madrid at the height of World War II and finds herself at the service of Nazi officers’ wives. Espionage and intrigue ensue.  

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

It’s 1945 in the Scottish Highlands, and Claire Randall, a former British combat nurse, has just returned home to reunite with her husband. That’s when she wanders through some large ancient stones on the British Isles and suddenly finds herself in the savage year of 1743… and eventually into the strong arms of Jamie, a gallant, young Scottish warrior.

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

When young Theo Decker survives the accident that kills his mother, he is welcomed into the home of a wealthy friend. He’s safe, but not where he belongs, and takes refuge in art. As an adult, Theo takes on commissioned work while managing an antique store but slowly finds himself being sucked into a dangerous underground circle where there may not be a way out.

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

In this stunning novel about the families we create for ourselves, four friends – broke and floundering – move to New York in search of fame and fortune. Over time, their relationship deepens, and even in the most tumultuous of times – and in spite of haunting childhood trauma, addiction, success and pride – their loyalty never wavers.

Shirley Jackson: A Rather Haunted Life by Ruth Franklin 

In this thrilling portrayal, Franklin reveals the dark, uninhibited life of the American literary genius behind The Haunting of Hill House and The Lottery. Franklin investigates the “interplay between the life, the work and the times with real skill and insight, making this fine book a real contribution not only to biography but to mid-20th-century women’s history.” (Chicago Tribune.)

The Weight of Ink by Rachel Kadish

Helen Watt, an ailing historian with a passion for Jewish history, is enlisted by a former student to identify the scribe in newly discovered 17th-century documents. That mysterious scribe is Ester Velasquez, an immigrant from Amsterdam, who scribes for a blind rabbi just before plague sweeps the region. Separated by centuries, the women share many likenesses in their hearts, choices and sacrifices.

(Feature image courtesy of @x.khaab)

*Disclosure: The links above are affiliate links. These picks are editorially selected, but if you purchase, She Reads may get something in return. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.