I ended up taking close to two-months reading "The Stand" by Stephen King.  I had read it around '82 or '83, and saw the original mini-series when it came out on DVD.

This time, I read the extended version, which added roughly 345 pages to the already massive 823 or so pages of the original version.  I don't remember what the differences would have been.  I did enjoy the book again, and admit I honestly forgot many sub-plots.

Once finished, I did watch the new mini-series, which I thought was pretty good.