Book Length

[Ronny]

I hate getting bogged down in page after page of poor writing, inane description or various other literary ailments. That said, I'm a sucker for an epic. As Kookamoor mentioned, there's nothing better than stumbling on a 900 page book that still ends too soon.

Yes, if I love a story it can't be too long, but I can't stand reading through chapters upon chapters that get you nowhere. That said if I'm buying a book I go for the longer ones and if I'm at the library I pick up the shorter ones.

 

[StillILearn]

Guess I'm more of a bang-for-the-buck person.

The two dollar tamale?

 

[Halo]

The length of a book doesn't really bother me - certainly, I would never be put off by a really thick book. I would just think "Great!" The only exception would be if fairly large parts of the book could have been excised without affecting the story *cough*Lord of the Rings*cough, then I get a bit annoyed. As someone else mentioned (Kook?), I too am about to start Jonathan Strange... , a large book if ever I saw one. I'm looking forward to it.

Like Novella, I do have an issue with the price of some books. As a Yorkshire person (reputation for being "careful" with money - ahem), I do honestly begrudge paying the same £6.99 for a doorstop of a novel or a book that is a third of the length. I think that's a rip-off. When I discovered Dean Koontz and decided to read/collect his back catalogue, I must admit that when I couldn't choose between which of two books to get, I would choose the thickest to get more book for my money! The slimmest novels were acquired last.

 

[ions]

The length of a book doesn't affect if I'll read it but when I'd read it. I try not to read two long novels consecutively. Sometimes when choosing to read a longer novel I consider the plot which, is not usually a consideration for me if a story is purported to be well written. Also a longer book has to have a reputation before I pick it up. Whether that reputation is due to the fact it was written by Tolstoy or the story is well regarded as being particularly good.

I'm reminded of an episode of The Simpsons, the one where Homer and Grandpa Simpson go on the road selling the elixir they make in the bathtub, where in the beginning of the episode the Simpsons go to a book store and the sign in front of the bookstore says: "Michener: 99cents/lb". The size of a book is a consideration when making a purchase. Although an author may have spent just as long writing 200 pages as another spent writing 700 pages that doesn't change the rate at which I read them. There are several books I'd like to pick up but they're frankly too short for their cost. Maybe it's because I'm not particularly wealthy but I do feel better buying a book for $20 that I'll get 30 hours reading out of, arbitrary numbers, than paying $20 for a book I'll get 2 hours reading out of even if the shorter book is the better story.

 

[Mari]

Poe criticized novels as being too long to read in one sitting. He recommended short stories because the whole effect could be gained without taking breaks.

I agree, except that I try to make up for it by reading novels in as few sittings as possible. I will read about 350 pages in one sitting; so a longer novel could take three days. I will give almost any novel two days, however. If I'm getting tired of it by then, I won't finish it. (Of course, if it's just awful, it could lose me after the first page.)

As for cost, we can't afford any new books, so that's not really an issue.

As for size and weight: my husband takes a used paperback copy of a long novel and slices it down the middle of the spine. He also tears pages off as he reads. After a few days, his War and Peace was quite portable.

 

[ions]

As for size and weight: my husband takes a used paperback copy of a long novel and slices it down the middle of the spine. He also tears pages off as he reads. After a few days, his War and Peace was quite portable.

Oh my. the idea of tearing a book apart like that is unimaginable to me. I picked up a copy of Hawaii by Michener used and it was tearing in the centre where the colour pictures from the motion picture were bound. I treated this old paperback like a one of a kind stamp until finally it did tear. I carefully lined it back up so the bottom and top were square and gave it a new duct tape binding, handyman's secret weapon you know. Being almost 1200 pages Hawaii feels like a thick brick in your hands. Although it's not as thick as War and Peace in mass market paperback.

 

[Clara]

I am not bothered by the size of a book but I hate it when the publishers use a really small font to make a book smaller. I bought a copy of One Hundred Years of Solitude by Marquez that was like this and couldn't read it so I sold it and found another copy that used a larger font. My eyesight is fine for reading so it must be a publishing ploy to make the book fit onto fewer pages.

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

I don't really mind reading large books and I don't go out of my way to avoid them, but I do prefer reading books that are around 400-800 pages in length. I don't think that the length of a book has ever put me off it, but it has swayed my choice in which book to read first. Like ions, I prefer to not read two large books in a row.

The main reasons for this are mostly the same as novella's - I find them uncomfortable to hold, and I also lament the time lost reading such a large book, especially when a lot of it could be cut out.

And with my TBR list increasing dramatically every day, I'm feeling the pressure of time even more.

 

[wilderness]

I prefer reading books that are between 300-400 pages. I'm reading a 700 word page book at the moment, and am reading books alongside it because its just too much a commitment at once, and I need breaks from it.

I dont like very small books either. (books below 250 pages)

lani

 

[StillILearn]

That's an interesting concept to me -- that all these books are piling up and somehow getting ahead of you. You aren't the only person who's mentioned this as a problem, either. I always feel more secure somehow, knowing that I have a superabundance of reading material available to me. In case of an emergency, you know?

What is this pressure of time you speak of?

 

[leckert]

That's an interesting concept to me -- that all these books are piling up and somehow getting ahead of you. You aren't the only person who's mentioned this as a problem, either. I always feel more secure somehow, knowing that I have a superabundance of reading material available to me. In case of an emergency, you know?

What is this pressure of time you speak of?

I don't know about MC, but I feel a "pressure" at times as well. It is like looking at a huge stack of laundry, or a pile of paperwork that needs to be done. It can feel daunting, and, with all the awesome books out there, it seems there is not enough time in one life to read them all. Of course, there isn't, and to read them all is an unrealistic goal, but some of us have a little competitive fire that tells us that we need to keep up with all the other "smart" people. To add to this is the enjoyment that we know we will draw from these books.

Prolific authors like Stephen King compound this for me. I want to read his latest, but by the time I get to it, it is no longer his latest. I would have to commit myself to read no one else, which is definitely not an option.

In the end, though, I often step back and say "screw it" I can't read them all anyway, so just enjoy the now and don't worry about all those books I haven't read so much that I forget to enjoy the ones I have read.

Just my thoughts.

 

[StillILearn]

But, but -- what if something happens? Like if everybody suddenly gets it into their heads to completely stop writing? Or you fall down the stairs and get two broken legs and all the power goes out so you can't turn on your computer and there's gas rationing and nobody can drive to town to get more books for you? You have to have extra unread books in case of emergencies like these.

You need to be prepared!

 

[Mari]

LOL. I have enough books to last me 40 years, and I still catch myself cringing at the thought of running out of things to read.

 

[Ell]

This might seem like a dumb, shallow question, but at what point does a book's length put you off?

Do you mind really long books? Do you prefer them? Or do you think, Nah, that's too much of a commitment?

The only time a book's length puts me off is if I don't think I can finish in a reasonable length of time because of work/life time commitments (reasonable to me is about a month, since I'm usually reading more than one book at a time). That's why I usually leave the real biggies (1000+ pages) to vacation time when I can immerse myself for hours and days at a time.

Do you look at slim books and think they're a waste of money? Or too short to be interesting?

I never think something is too short to be interesting. However, unless it's an author I'm sure of, I won't shell out the cash for a new book. Dai Sijie's, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, at under two hundred pages, was wonderful but I got it from the library. If I see it in a used book store or bargain table, I'll snap it up. But sight unseen, I wouldn't spend $30 on a short book.

Do collections of novellas or short stories appeal to you?

I like collections of short stories, but find really good ones hard to come by. I've been burned a few times, so tend to stick with my tried and true favourites of Alice Munro and an old collection of Somerset Maugham that I re-read from time to time. I also like some of the sci-fi collections like those of Philip K Dick's earlier works.

ell

 

[MonkeyCatcher]

I don't know about MC, but I feel a "pressure" at times as well. It is like looking at a huge stack of laundry, or a pile of paperwork that needs to be done. It can feel daunting, and, with all the awesome books out there, it seems there is not enough time in one life to read them all.

Exactly what I was thinking

I feel like I'm wasting a lot of time that I could be using to read other books when I read an especially long novel. I'm just really anxious to get to the next book on the list and read it for myself, so it makes me annoyed when I read a book that is 100 pages longer than it needs to be.

If it's a really good book then usually I'm split between never wanting it to end, and /wanting/ it to end so that I can get to the next book.. I never really was a very decisive person though

 

[Prairie_Girl]

If I buy a book that's less than 300 pages, I've probably already read it and liked it. I discriminate against short books, I'll admit it. They're over to quick, it's like the last miniature cheesecake out of the box. Really freaking expensive cheesecake.

 

[WoundedThorns]

i gravitate towards shorter books lately just b/c of time. but for the longest time i loved long books b/c i used to get really attached to the story. i dont really like buying short books for that reason, they seem almost like a waste of money. ironically i bought a copy of The Fountainhead for $3 =D i'm still proud of that bargin. (brand new copy)

i dont really like short stories b/c again, i get attached to the plot/characters and its almost like i'm left hanging.

I think 400 pages is more than enough for someone to tell a story. Thick books put me off, I rarely buy them. The Harry Potter books are an exception, though, but I still have to read "Order of the Phoenix".

ahhh i couldn't stand order of phoenix.. to longggg. it didn't have a plot of its own. it was more like rowling rambling in my opinion. well, i read it over 2 years ago while i was moving.. so maybe my opinion might change 2nd time around. also, holding that hardcover got annoying

 

[Miss Shelf]

This might seem like a dumb, shallow question, but at what point does a book's length put you off?

Do you mind really long books? Do you prefer them? Or do you think, Nah, that's too much of a commitment?

Do you look at slim books and think they're a waste of money? Or too short to be interesting? Do collections of novellas or short stories appeal to you?

Just having this discussion with someone and would like to conduct a little straw poll.

1.) No more than 300 pages for me in general. After that, they're what I call "doorstop books" because they're so large you can use them to prop a door open in a strong wind. If you can't tell a story in 300 or even 400 pages, you're just long-winded.

2.) Not too much of a committment, but it would have to be a very, very good story.

3.) Slim books should cost no more than $15. I occasionally read novellas and short stories, but some short stories are so good I wish the author had made the story into a full book.

 

[Herenya]

Length isn't an issue If the book holds my attention. I thought Gone With the Wind was an example of a long book that I would never have finished if not for the fact that it was requred reading for class. It probably took several pots of coffee to get to page 400, and that was only the first third of the book.

Ha, I got to page 400 and something, read the final chapter and left it at that!

I don't really mind about length, though sometimes I'll put off reading an exceptionally big book just because it's difficult to carry around. Several years ago when I was still reading stuff from the children's section, I'd only look at books that were over a certain length, because otherwise I'd find they'd be kinda stupid and aimed at 10 year olds. But it's not really an issue anymore.

 

[Billy]

This might seem like a dumb, shallow question, but at what point does a book's length put you off?

Do you mind really long books? Do you prefer them? Or do you think, Nah, that's too much of a commitment?

Do you look at slim books and think they're a waste of money? Or too short to be interesting? Do collections of novellas or short stories appeal to you?

Just having this discussion with someone and would like to conduct a little straw poll.

A book's length has never put me off. If I am really enjoying a book, the longer, the better.

I never see books as a committment. I love long books, but I don't prefer them to shorter ones. The only time I get annoyed with longer books is when there are things talked about that I don't feel are necessary, like endless descriptions of scenery, etc.

As several others have said, I don't like it that I have to pay the same amount of money for a slim book as I do for a thicker one. Some short books are very interesting and just as enjoyable as the longer ones. I don't, however, read short stories very often.