Do you refuse to read long books?

[Deleted User] · 31/12/10 - 12:28

Hey all,

Was talking to a couple of my friends and one was saying she got under the dome by Stephen king for Christmas but will never read it as it is just too long and can't spent that much time on one story and my other friend agreed. I love big long books!

Does anybody else back off from bigger books because you don't want to invest too much time in a story?

gmphmac · 31/12/10 - 12:30

xx~KC~xx wrote: »

Hey all,

Was talking to a couple of my friends and one was saying she got under the dome by Stephen king for Christmas but will never read it as it is just too long and can't spent that much time on one story and my other friend agreed. I love big long books!

Does anybody else back off from bigger books because you don't want to invest too much time in a story?

It depends on how big the text in the book is really. I had no problems reading through the Da Vinci Code, but "IT" was difficult to pick up again at times.

[Deleted User] · 31/12/10 - 14:36

To the contrary, I rarely read short books.

When I browse bookshops I never pick up slim volumes. On Amazon if a book is under 350 pages I also rarely bother. The exception is novella's by authors I love - I purchased Stephen King's Blockade Billy because he writes great novella's - and most of the time he gives you something more meaty.

I will not spend £6 on a book with 280 pages, I prefer a good long read myself. I'm not saying I never read shorter novels - I will if someone recommends one as worth the money..but when I start a book I still want to be reading it at the end of the day.

ironjade · 31/12/10 - 15:02

Get some new friends.

molliepops · 31/12/10 - 15:07

I'm not keen on short stories myself, although it depends on the weight of the book and when I am going to read it. I could kill myself with a large tome if I fell asleep in bed reading it so tend to chose smaller paperbacks for that time of the day.

CLL Dodge · 31/12/10 - 16:11

If I like the author I don't bother about how many pages it is.

[Deleted User] · 31/12/10 - 16:32

CLL Dodge wrote: »

If I like the author I don't bother about how many pages it is.

I'm the same. I like to read a long book if it's by an author I like, or a story I like.

cavalli · 31/12/10 - 16:33

I prefer long ones too.

d0lphin · 31/12/10 - 17:01

It depends, the Diana Gabaldan ones are VERY long and I have read 3 of them.

But I do prefer to read books as long as that when I know I have some spare time, as I can get bogged down in a really long book when I'm busy and only have time to read a few pages at a time.

Blackadder V · 31/12/10 - 17:11

Not normally. The only book I have ever been put off reading because of it's size was "The count of Monte Cristo". I bought it on a whim but when I assessed it later on I decided not to get started, that was 4 years ago.

-Sid- · 31/12/10 - 17:12

Big books used to daunt me when I was younger, but not anymore. In fact, they are often better because the characters and story are developed more.

I hope your friend does give Under the Dome a go OP. It's one of the best books I've ever read and as I neared the end I didn't want it to finish!

UrMyStar · 31/12/10 - 17:35

molliepops wrote: »

I'm not keen on short stories myself, although it depends on the weight of the book and when I am going to read it. I could kill myself with a large tome if I fell asleep in bed reading it so tend to chose smaller paperbacks for that time of the day.

I gave myself a big bruise when the passage fell on me

I don't mind long books by authors I love (Stephen King for example) but I do find it more difficult to get into a book if I'm still getting used to an author's style of writing. I had read around eight SK books in a row, so to go from that to Dan Simmons was a little getting used to. But I wouldn't turn around and say "I won't buy that, looks like there are over twenty pages".

Are your friends scared of commitment OP?

Rolnikov · 31/12/10 - 17:44

Longer books are just a bit more awkward, harder to carry, harder to hold, and many of them are long because that's what the market demands rather than the story.

But I'll read long books; they just have to be good enough to justify the time it takes to read them.

Someone above mentions The Count of Monte Cristo - I worked my way through that in French, and it was one of my all-time favourite reading experiences.

Rolnikov · 31/12/10 - 17:46

One thing I will very rarely do is pick up a 500+ page book with "Volume 1" on the cover.

[Deleted User] · 31/12/10 - 17:54

A long book doesnt bother me, but what i do dislike is an omnibus edition so you get three books ( or whatever) in one cover. Cant stand that, and will look for them separately.

mklass · 31/12/10 - 18:25

I always feel really sad when i come to the end of a story that i am not going to be in it's world any more!..... so as far as i am concerned the longer the better!,

I started reading the first of Jackie Collins 'Santangelo' novels in May this year after i was given one as a birthday present, i methodically went through each of them as they were written/published and it took me months because i mainly only read at bedtime!, although i must admit in the summer i did make some coffee a few times, got in my car and went to the lake where i live and sat reading for an hour or two, (very enjoyable).. but i absolutely loved commiting that amount of time to the story, although it wasn't in one volume as you are talking about!, it has the same effect.... Bliss!,.. and i can't wait for the next one in the series that she is writing now.....:)

rwould · 31/12/10 - 18:43

Size of a book does not bother me, although deciding to get a series of books if it is very long can make me think twice as I tend to buy most/all of the series at once instead of being sensible and just buying book 1:o

Rolnikov · 01/01/11 - 07:46

rwould wrote: »

Size of a book does not bother me, although deciding to get a series of books if it is very long can make me think twice as I tend to buy most/all of the series at once instead of being sensible and just buying book 1:o

I bought the entire Aubrey-Maturin series in one go in a 3 for 2 offer... The bookseller looked at me as if I was mad.

[Deleted User] · 01/01/11 - 08:45

as a reader of the wheel of time series, unfortunately, no :P

rwould · 01/01/11 - 09:10

Rolnikov wrote: »

I bought the entire Aubrey-Maturin series in one go in a 3 for 2 offer... The bookseller looked at me as if I was mad.

Those 3 for 2's are great, until I see the pile of books I need to read!

ravensborough · 01/01/11 - 09:16

The size of a book doesn't bother me. If I'm really enjoying a book, it can take me a day and a half to read a five hundred plus paged book, but it took me over a month to read Heart of Darkness which is only about a hundred pages.

dosanjh1 · 01/01/11 - 10:12

I don't mind a big, long book as long as it's engaging, I think Bonfire of the vanities is the longest I've read at 700+ pages. I own war and peace and ulysses, and would dearly love to read both but they intimidate the he'll out of me, especially as I've had a few drunken, false starts!

[Deleted User] · 02/01/11 - 12:24

rwould wrote: »

Those 3 for 2's are great, until I see the pile of books I need to read!

I'm the same lol. I seem to forget I've got a massive to read pile when I walk into a shop and see 3 for 2. It seems I just have generally weird friends lol. She said she might give under the dome a try which is good. After the first fee pages I was hooked so hopfully she will be the same

stud u like · 02/01/11 - 12:27

I love lengthy books. Short books bore me and you don't get your monies worth.

Lemonhunny · 02/01/11 - 17:32

Lizzy11268 wrote: »

To the contrary, I rarely read short books.

When I browse bookshops I never pick up slim volumes. On Amazon if a book is under 350 pages I also rarely bother. The exception is novella's by authors I love - I purchased Stephen King's Blockade Billy because he writes great novella's - and most of the time he gives you something more meaty.

I will not spend £6 on a book with 280 pages, I prefer a good long read myself. I'm not saying I never read shorter novels - I will if someone recommends one as worth the money..but when I start a book I still want to be reading it at the end of the day.

I completely agree with this, and would honestly say that the only reason I picked up the Stephen King novel, Under The Dome because of it's size.

The bigger the book, the more time the author has invested in the story, and the more enjoyment you'll get out of it. As a general rule!

Spacedone · 02/01/11 - 23:13

Scott_P wrote: »

as a reader of the wheel of time series, unfortunately, no :P

Halfway through Towers Of Midnight so I'm with you... one more to go

I personally don't have any problem with long books. One of my favourite books is 1,300 page long and I've read it 5 times

Short books are just as good (or even novellas) but I tend not to read them simply because I can't justify paying £7 for something I'd finish in a few hours. I don't see how they can charge so much for short books.

Hey there!

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Do you refuse to read long books?

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