On Christmas Eve, I started reading Little Women. It felt like an appropriate choice because the story opens with a Christmas scene. I’ve read Little Women before, or so I thought. My aunt gave me an abridged copy that contained several other stories. So, I knew I hadn’t read the book in its entirety. But I was amazed by how much this abridged version had missed.
The new copy that I bought is 777 pages long. The book is on the smaller side, and the print is on the larger side. So, I felt like it wasn’t as long as it seemed.
But it ultimately took me nearly three months to get through. This wasn’t a novel. This was a miniseries. In fact, I found myself wondering why they always remake it as a film when there is so much unexplored content that only a series would have the room to develop.
But more importantly, Little Women reminded me why I don’t read long books.
Limiting the length of the books I read
In my book review guidelines, I stipulate that the books that are pitched to me to read and review should be no more than 400 pages max. I do this because I tend to lose interest in a story that’s over 400 pages. As an avid reader, it really shouldn’t matter how long a story is. But I’m not a sit down dinner kind of person. I like to serve myself from the buffet.
The same goes for reading. I set a pretty large reading goal on Goodreads, and that goal is sacred to me. I not only want to read and review as many books for my blog as I can, but I also want to reread books that I’ve read before, work through my TBR pile, and still have room for other surprise books that I might borrow from a library or listen to on my way to work.
I like to finish a book within three weeks, not three months. And though I read multiple books at once, if every book I read was as long as Little Women, I wouldn’t have time for all of the other types of stories I could be reading.
It’s not that Little Women is bad, but it is long-winded. It’s as if Alcott didn’t want it to end. So, she just kept going, throwing in long poems or excerpts from Jo’s stories as a way to lengthen her own fictional tale. As a writer, I know where she’s coming from. As a reader, I’ve got other books waiting in the wings.
A decreased attention span
As a kid, I used to be able to read for hours. Of course, I had the time to read for hours. My school day was six hours long instead of an eight-hour workday which includes an early wakeup call and an hour-long commute both ways. I didn’t have a house to maintain or errands to run. I didn’t feel that constant sense of burnout or have to worry about what I wasn’t getting done because I was reading. Reading was part of my requirement for school, and I loved, and still do, love the variety and the stories that are told in a middle grade chapter book.
I do love to blame technology for my decreased attention span. I’m sure there’s some truth to the fact that I can only seem to read in 20-minute increments before I become too distracted to continue. Unless the book is going to be one of my favorites for the year, I have to read it in short spurts, even if I keep coming back to it multiple times per day.
When you’re dealing with a mammoth of a novel or nonfiction book, it can make your progress look miniscule when you’re only reading a few pages at a time. Should it matter how much progress I’m making on a book? Not at all. Does it? Unfortunately, it does.
Productivity and responsibility have ruined my reading habits. The fact that I still read at all is amazing to me. I find time for it because it makes me feel good to read, like I’m doing something that’s beneficial to me physically, such as eating right and exercising. It gives me something to do on my lunch breaks or while exercising. I like the idea of being able to multitask. And that makes only getting through a few pages in a reading session more forgivable, because, at least I walked a mile or did my homework for a blog post in that time frame.
Wordy books
I recently watched a Booktube video where a reader read War and Peace and struggled to get through it. The author tends to repeat himself, as if he wants to drive the reader crazy or purposely keep the book from ending.
My copy of The Princess Bride is a heavily abridged version that includes a length explanation as to why the author condensed it down from the original text. Essentially, he cites all of the twists and turns that the original novel takes which has nothing to do with the story in order to share his political beliefs of the day or confuse the reader.
This won’t fly today. There are plenty of books out there that are lengthy or drag, but their ability to intentionally get away with being wordy baffles me. They don’t have the reader in mind, and they don’t have the ability to hold a reader’s interest. All they’re doing is killing trees in order to be funny or to feed their ego that every word they have to say is important.
Splitting large texts up into smaller volumes seems to be the solution to this problem. I won’t read a 1,000 page book, but I’ll read a series whose books add up to over 1,000 pages. Whatever tricks get me to the finish line, right?
Not finishing
But you don’t always make it to the finish line. Due to my decreased attention span, I’m also more likely to not get into a book or give up on it soon after starting it. This is just as likely with audiobooks as it is with print versions. If I hate the narrator’s voice or the writer’s style, I move on.
I tend to do this with the books that I’m recommended via Booktube. My reading taste does not seem to match up with today’s bestsellers. Lucky for me, my specialty is in reading indie books which seem to suit my taste much better, and I get to thoroughly research them before agreeing to read them. Sometimes you just can’t take someone else’s word for it.
Other times, the story just isn’t going where you thought it would. It’s a little unfair to stop a book because the author’s version of the story is not matching up with your own. But if they’re taking this story in a completely different direction that isn’t going to hold your attention, it’s time to let go.
Long books are hard to physically handle
Large, print books are physically hard to handle. We’ve all seen the memes about the struggle to find a comfortable reading position that lasts. Now add a chunky book to that struggle. If a book is going to challenge you to a wrestling match, it had better be good.
I remember borrowing Stephen King’s 11/22/63 from the library. They came in a set of 22 or so CD’s, and I knew that I wouldn’t be able to finish it in the three-week borrowing time, and I couldn’t renew it. So, I downloaded it to my iPod, and it took forever to get through. I would go on kicks making my way through a big chunk of the book before taking a break for a few days before starting up again. I was engaged while listening, but the scope was too big to handle at once.
You start to feel trapped with this book while the rest of your TBR pile along with the new releases call your name. And there’s no escape until you turn that last page.
A thick book isn’t going to keep you from a good story, though. I’ve seen kids balance an entire Harry Potter novel on their lap as they immerse themselves in that wizarding world. I myself have hid in closets and shoved myself into corners with a hardback novel thick enough to kill a mouse while looking for peace and quiet.
Reading long books
In the end, long books just generally aren’t for me. There are exceptions of course, and because I read shorter books, my main complaint with stories is that the characters or the plots weren’t fleshed out enough. But thick books tend to have the opposite effect. They’re too bloated and need to be trimmed. And when you can trim just enough that you haven’t lost too much, that is when you have the perfect length.
What are your thoughts on reading long, thick books? Leave your answers in the comments below!
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Little Women is, in fact, two books. The first book is Little Women and the second is The Good Wives. The edition pictured here may compile both books into one edition, which could make for an overly long story. Since this book is also chunky; even just the first book in this format could be exaggerated by the untraditional dimensions of the book.
I have two paperback editions of each book that are easily read and a much more welcome digest! Loved reading your thoughts on how this particular edition reminded you of why you are not fond of overly long books. I like a crisp story myself! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! Yes, the book was split into two parts. It was also smaller in size than a typical book which I’m sure added to the page count. But, yeah, it definitely cemented the fact that I like my stories short but sweet.