Maybe it’s because I studied English Literature at Uni, or maybe I just have too much time on my hands, but planning which books to take on a trip has always been one of my favourite pre-holiday activities. Before I became a Kindle convert, it wasn’t unusual to see half of my suitcase taken up with lengthy tomes, at least whenever I was headed out on a beach trip.

To me, reading goes hand in hand with travel – both provide the kind of escapist relaxation I love. Though I tend not to do holidays where all I do is lie on a sun lounger,  I still always aim to take at least one big book; something epic I can get my teeth into. In the age of iPhones, social media and ‘always-on’ attitudes to work, it’s unusual to be able to have the time to properly get stuck into something.

In making my selections, I tend to try and follow these rules:

• At least one book must be about the area I’m travelling to, or be written by an author from that location. I like to feel like I am getting under the skin of a place, learning more about its history, culture and people

• One book must be something a bit ‘worthy’: a classic of some sorts. This clearly stems from long-term hangover from my literature degree! Every time I visited the university library I would sit around looking at all the books and thinking ‘there is so much knowledge here and yet no time to read them all!’ That sense of sheer panic drives this pointer! The positive here is that it provides a long list of those books to get engrossed in, though, don’t get me wrong, I’ve also battled through some very bizarre novels in the name of being a ‘good’ Literature student (erm… James Joyce, anyone?!)

• The rest can be trash. We all need a bit of trash in our lives

For this list, here are three beach reads that are epic in both senses of the word: wide-ranging, riveting, exciting, and in some cases heartbreaking, but also long enough to keep you entertained on your next week away.

And, if all else fails, you can use them as a doorstop for your hotel room.

The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver

One of my favourite, and most-recommended, books of all time, Kingsolver’s vivid story tells the tale of the 5 women in the Price family, led by their American missionary father to do ‘God’s work’ in the Congo in 1959.

Over the course of the novel, Nathan Price’s wife, Orleanna, and four daughters take it in turn to recount their individual experience and interactions with what is a strange new home. Each woman approaches this new chapter of their life with different expectations, hopes and prejudices, and each also finds they are shaped by the country in different ways.

What makes this novel epic? Kingsolver brings both the landscape and these flawed but (mostly) empathetic characters to life. She deals with complex and polemic issues such as post-colonialism, the role of religion, feminism and Otherness, but wrapped in an engaging and affecting story. I once saw Kingsolver speak on writing her novels, and the sheer amount of research she does is staggering, and comes across in her books. I didn’t want the book to end and, when it did, I instantly wanted to learn all I could about the Congo.

Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray

Thackeray’s Vanity Fair is a multi-layered, funny and satirical look at 19th Century ‘Society’ life, primarily through the lives of two young women: the ‘good’ Amelia, and the ‘bad’ Becky Sharp. The book’s sub-title is, aptly, ‘A novel without a hero’ – Becky is a rare case of a strong, cunning woman being presented in a Victorian novel, and in a way that does not openly call into question her womanliness or mental state!

The book has a juicy plot and addresses wide themes but also uses sketches and vignettes to delve into the day-to-day lives of its characters, and indirectly comment on the trends and political happenings of the day. This makes all c.900 pages of it a fun and enthralling read.

What makes this novel epic? Written between 1847-48, this novel is a great example of the Victorian soap opera, aka, the weekly serialised novel, played out week by week to eager readers who would discuss the installment’s events. Think lots of cliffhangers and detailed characters you love to love, and love to hate.

Plus Becky Sharp is a bitch. And, let’s be honest, bitches are really fun to read about.

The Goldfinch – Donna Tartt

A modern-day epic, Tartt’s brick of a book sat on my bookshelf and stared at me for about a month. I then went on only my second trip alone so decided to take it with me for company… After all, it was probably the weight of a small child.

Tartt’s novel follows the journey of Theodore ‘Theo’ Decker in the years after a tragic, and soon to be mysterious, incident involving an attack on New York’s Met Museum, an old man’s last words, and a small, Dutch painting of a goldfinch which Theo steals. Intriguing, no?

What makes this novel epic? At a basic level, the plot is about Theo and the Goldfinch painting he steals. What will happen now he has this painting? Will he return it? Will he be discovered? But really this ambitious story, which follows Theo through his childhood and into adult life, depicts how this one incident, and indeed his relationship with the painting, shapes his entire life.

Like a Dickens or a Thackeray, we are introduced to a host of characters during the course of the novel, with varying levels of importance to Theo’s life. The locations span New York, Las Vegas and Amsterdam. As you get into one character, story, or location, the scene shifts, and we move to another part of Theo’s life. Though this might be frustrating for some, I found it adventurous and gripping even just in terms of the descriptions, content and depictions of Theo’s inner state. Having read The Secret History (and loved it), I was expecting a similar, more plot-driven novel centred around the painting. This was so much more than that.