Do long books put you off reading?

[Ant]

I like a good mixture, I like short stories, I like long novels, but which is best ?
Only one way to find out.......
Seriously, I'm not put off by long books, it's inside what counts, I can either race through it, or discard it after 150 pages if I can't get into it.....then move on.

[Va_treehugger]

Right now I am doing a book club, which I enjoy. But it makes it hard to read a big book while I am doing this club. If the book is great, then I love a big book so I can savor it for a long time. If it is not so great, it is painful...

[loksin]

Absolutely yes.

If I have to carry it around and it weighs heavier than a brick, if I have to forgo good short stories and novellas for it, it jolly well be more than just good.

Thankfully, the latest Van Gogh biography fits the bill. Nevertheless more than half the reading is still done at home. I couldn't read it while commuting because it's simply too heavy to carry around.

On the other hand I have a very compressed and relatively light paperback copy of Brothers Karamazov, but it is still moving *very* slowly...

Generally yes...long books put me off reading for these reasons: the weight of the book, the amount of information (history, family saga etc.), langauge that is usually not concise(unlike Orwell, Yates, Hemingway -- sharp and to the point), and the difficulty of sustaining interest over every 50 pages or so.

[DATo]

I think Rest_In_Pieces put it well in stating that as long as the book sustains interest and isn't bloated with filler the length does not matter.

One could also ask the question: Are there books you wish were longer? I can think of several books that I wish never ended because of the beauty of the prose and/or the fascinating aspects of the premise. I can think of many books I've read that held me spellbound though they were very long and some shorter novels that seemed to drag on forever.

If a person chooses a book based upon how quickly one can get from one cover to the other I think that person is missing the whole point of reading.

[james365]

its fun to read long book if its love story and intersting

[Fran]

I think Rest_In_Pieces put it well in stating that as long as the book sustains interest and isn't bloated with filler the length does not matter.

One could also ask the question: Are there books you wish were longer? I can think of several books that I wish never ended because of the beauty of the prose and/or the fascinating aspects of the premise. I can think of many books I've read that held me spellbound though they were very long and some shorter novels that seemed to drag on forever.

If a person chooses a book based upon how quickly one can get from one cover to the other I think that person is missing the whole point of reading.

Agree with you completly it's what's between the cover that counts not how long it takes to get from cover to cover

[Bighuey]

I agree with you all, it depends on the book. If someone says you gotta read this, its a classic, one of the best books ever written and so on, but if its a subject that dosent interest me I usually wont start it, or if it does look like somrthing Im interested in, but after I get into it a ways and dont like it Ill give it up. That works the other way, too. Ive read monsters like Gone With The Wind and some of Dickens books and found them fascinating.

[DATo]

If a person chooses a book based upon how quickly one can get from one cover to the other I think that person is missing the whole point of reading.

Agree with you completly it's what's between the cover that counts not how long it takes to get from cover to cover

Greetings Fran ! It seems you have been a part of this forum for a long time. Nice to make your acquaintance! [:-)

Yes, it seems to me that the imperative of some readers is not the quality of the books they read but rather the quantity of the books they read. This reminds me of a quote:

"I took the Evelyn Wood speed reading course and read 'War And Peace' in 20 minutes ... it was about Russia." - Woody Allen

*LOL*

[ClarityJules]

If it's a good book and it's well written, the longer the better. One of the reasons why I love reading trilogies so much. Then at the end I always wish it was longer. The only exception is War and Peace. I have started that one so many times I can't even guess how many. I've never been able to get pass the first few chapters. I feel that if I do, I would really enjoy the book. I loved Anna Karenina.

[kg211970]

for me the Black Jewels Trilogy is a very very long book for me, since it's the first 1,200 page i've ever read, it's 3 books in one, and once i started reading, i couldn't stop, it's an amazing feeling to finish this book, if I can read that i can read anything

[TLESLIE89]

Long books are great, but sometimes one that's a little shorter is the way to go.

[kg211970]

I love to read Trilogies or Series books, my favorites trilogies are Nora Robertse In The Garden Trilogy, The Circle Trilogy, The Born In Trilogy... Anne Bishops Black Jewels Trilogy.... Sherrilyn Kenyon Dark Hunter Series, Maggie Shayne Wings of the Night Series.....

[Leonardo Noto]

Some of the best books are intimidating at first glance due to there length, but that shouldn't dissuade you from giving them a chance. I mean, if you refuse to read anything longer than 300-400 words then you'll miss out on classics like David Copperfield and Atlas Shrugged.

Leonardo Noto

[kg211970]

i'm not worried so much about the length, if it's a book i'm interested in, i'll read it, no matter how long it is... for example I'm reading a book right now that 1,200 pages... an amazing sci-fi book by Anne Bishop...... the longer the book, the more it's worth reading

[ClarityJules]

for me the Black Jewels Trilogy is a very very long book for me, since it's the first 1,200 page i've ever read, it's 3 books in one, and once i started reading, i couldn't stop, it's an amazing feeling to finish this book, if I can read that i can read anything

oooh...that's on my reading list. Just finishing up a light-hearted freebie I got off Amazon, "50 Ways to Hex your Lover" and was going to start the Black Jewels series next. Didn't even realize it was going to be a long read (not something that I notice straight away when reading on an e-reader). Thanks kg, looking forward to it.