If you want a great non-fiction read, get the journal of Meriwether Lewis which he wrote on the Lewis & Clark expedition... a first person account of the voyage of discovery.
The older I get, the fewer novels I read. I find myself reading more history, psychology, economics, and history of science/exploration/discovery. Too many novels are formulaic (Lee Child) or boring internal monologues.
I am disappointed in a lot of fiction. The first part is nicely written, well thought out,while the latter half seems rushed and superficial. Often it seems as though the author got bored or was being pushed by his publisher or agent to get the thing finished!
I finished two western novels this week, fiction of course. Today I downloadexd from my library Kurt Vonnecut's "Welcome To The Monkey House," which is a book of short stories. It's getting harder to find something that will hold my attention. I don't have much interest anymore.
That used to be what I read most often, Adventure and Spy thillers. Since I went blind in one eye I have limited my reading severly. Although occasionally I will read a John le Carre or a Daniel Silva novel. But I started reading westerns when I was twelve years old and they are still my favorite although good stories are getting harder to find.
I, too, would rather keep a story simple. However, with Kindle, the dictionary is only a tap away. Bring on the difficult words.
As someone who has always wanted, but never will become a writer, the thing I enjoy most about fiction is discovering the ways in which different authors put their stories together. It's the art, rather than the story, that hooks me in - although, if the art is good, the story will be worthwhile too.
Some year ago I read an account of Norman Mailer in action, working at his desk. As I recall, he owned a secluded cabin. His typist worked in another room and fetched his pencil written pages at certain invals. When he submitted his work the publisher requested that he add an additional 3500 (I could be wrong about the number). So back to the cabin they went. In short, the publisher has the final word on length. And Mailer can try a reader's patience.