In fact, when I was checking out all my books all I could think was "Dang it, what have I gotten myself into? THESE ARE SOME REALLY THICK BOOKS." I then proceeded to find a nice and non-intimidating contemporary novel that had less than 300 pages. You know, just to even everything out. :P
So this brings me to the topic of this post.
Does size matter?
When you're at the bookstore, or at the library, or even just picking the next book to read of your shelf, does the size of the book matter to you?
I know that normally when people think of big daunting books they think of classics. Books like:
or
But long and somewhat intimidating novels can also be found in the YA genre. Some examples are:
or
All three of these books are really quite hefty for YA clocking in at 550, 578, and 870 pages (according to Goodreads). That's no light reading!
Personally, when I see a really huge book on the shelf, I do get intimidated. I know I can finish it, but I also know that it will take me more time and effort to read than the average novel. Furthermore, I don't know whether or not my investment in the novel will actually pay off in the end. What if I hate it? What if it's just so so? Then all the time I spent will not have even been worth it! And what about my yearly book goal progress? It's gonna take me nearly twice as long to finish a long novel as compared to a shorter novel. If I read this book, I'll fall behind on my goal! And yes, these are actual thoughts that run through my brain when picking out the books I want to read. Embarrassing I know. :P
So for me the answer is yes, size does matter. Of course this doesn't mean I blacklist all of the imposingly thick novels I run across. I do read big books, I just have to spread them out because if I don't and read too many in a row I tend to get burnt out.
That being said I do have a book confession to make: I CAN BE DISCRIMINATORY AGAINST BIG BOOKS. *sigh* I feel so guilty! There have definitely been a few books that I decided not to read partly because of their long length. What books were these? Revolution by Jennifer Donnelly, and Going Bovine by Libba Bray immediately come to mind. Sorry Jennifer Donnelly and Libba Bray! Maybe I'll get around to reading them eventually.... :P
So how about you guys? Do you tend to avoid reading bigger books? Why or why not? Do you find yourself constantly reaching for the thinner looking novel on your shelf simply because it's less intimidating and will help you reach your reading goals faster? Have you ever consciously avoided reading a book simply because of its length? I'm so curious to hear your responses! I hope I am not alone in my big book intimidation. >.<
Now I'm off to go read The Diviners by Libba Bray. It's a biggie guys, but I will conquer it. I WILL.
Julia :)
Big books ARE intimidating! I just finished reading Les Miserables, which for the longest time I was too scared to read. But I think there's a satisfaction that comes from finishing an enormous book that you won't find anywhere else.
ReplyDeleteOhhhh good for you conquering Les Miserables! I'm currently right in the middle of it but I'm having the hardest time pushing through. It's not that I don't find it interesting, it's just SO big. I definitely want to finish it by the end of the year. And yes, I love the sense of accomplishment I feel when I finish a particularly long and challenging book. :)
DeleteBig books can be such a pain! ^.^ For me, The Diviners dragged on for WAY to long, and I felt as if it could have easily been cut down a bit... That said though, sometimes I LOVE big books!!! The Infernal Devices, The Book Thief and all the Harry Potters are books I simply didn't want to end. It really does depend on the book to be honest... For me, not enough happened in The Diviners for it to be a great big book, but I did love the plot and setting!
ReplyDeleteYes! An interesting plot and storyline are definitely necessary to keep me interested in a really long novel. That's probably why I have trouble reading some classics. They tend to be long for the sake of being long and not for the sake of the storytelling. Harry Potter and the Book Thief are both perfect examples of longer books that I love, even though it did take me about 4 tries to get through The Book Thief. I kept having to return it to the library earlier than I anticipated because people had it on hold. :P
DeleteLibba Bray does have the tendency to draw out her stories. Her Great and Terrible Beauty trilogy felt the same way; a little long and arduous, but enjoyable nonetheless. I'm only about 100 pages into The Diviners and I think it's really good so far! Hopefully I'll be able to get through it with minimal plot dragging.... We shall see. :)
I remember when I was in 5th grade, I made it a goal to eventually read "big" books like Eragon hahaha. I think I still have that fear of big books, but it really depends because I've read all of Cassandra Clare's books which are pretty big and I've read all the Eragon books, except for the last one because that one is just waay to big and I found that I had to drag myself through Brisingr. I think currently I'm just too lazy to start a new series with huge books. Like, I was once at a signing and somehow my friend, the lady in front of me, and I started talking about The Host and she said it was actually a good book and I told her it's too big and that's why I won't read it. It might just be a laziness issue for me, but sometimes they do look a bit intimidating.
ReplyDeleteHaha yeah I definitely get you on the lazy front! I can't totally be a lazy reader. And yes, the Host is the perfect example of a book I've avoided due to its size. :P
DeleteI'm pretty lazy with starting a new series in general if I know there are lot of them and they're long. Harry Potter would be the exception to that rule though. My parents wouldn't let me read them because of the whole witchcraft thing so I had to wait till I turned 18 but once I did I tore through those books. Other long series though? Not so much. :P
We are SO with you on this! (Except Sarah, who reads fast enough that size doesn't really matter.) Everything you said? Is a big fat ditto for us. Great post!
ReplyDeleteGood for Sarah being able to breeze through those books! I'm a fast reader too, I just have trouble finding the time what with school and all. DARN COLLEGE! Haha. Thanks for commenting and sharing guys! :)
DeleteUgh, I am with you completely on this and that is so sad to me. I actually use to LOVE big book (pre-book blogging days) because I was always reluctant to see a book end assuming I liked it. But now, big books make me nervous for the reasoning you explained. I just wish I wasn't so caught up and pressured to feel like I need to get through as many books as possible and I can't waste time on a chunkster. I do still manage to fit them in on occasion (pretty rarely), but it is often with some anxiety. I wish I could stop feeling that way because I worry I'm missing out on some really great chunky books.
ReplyDeleteI feel like my reading habits haven't really changed since book blogging (other than actually reading/understanding what ARC's are) but I'm definitely MUCH more aware of what I read. I don't necessarily feel outside pressure from book blogging to read a lot of books, it's really just my own inherent competitiveness and trying to fulfill my own goal. I'm a very goal oriented person. :P
DeleteIt's a bummer that you aren't able to fit in reading a good long book all that often! I think it's a valid concern to not want to waste time reading something that won't be enjoyable, but at the same time it's a bummer that so many books get overlooked. :/
This is another reason I like eBooks. In eBooks, I find the size less intimidating. In person, the size intimidates me and turns me off.
ReplyDelete