I don't feel too good...aaaaaahhhhh choo.
Do I have your pity now?
Well good! Because it is time to check out this weeks Musing Monday question from Miz B at Should Be Reading ...
This week’s musing asks…
What is the longest book you have ever read? How long did it take you to read it?
What is the longest book you have ever read? How long did it take you to read it?
Well, let's cast my mind back into the distant past, long before I lost all patience with Giant Books. Although some might argue with my choice, I would say the longest book I ever read was The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. Of course, the question is whether or not that is actually one or three books. But since it has one title and each of the three parts is called a volume, I will stick with that answer. How long did it take to read? I have no idea. The first time I read it I was in my teens, the second time in my twenties, all well before I paid attention to such things as how many books I read in a month, a year.
And I will tell you, that will most likely be the longest book I ever read. Ever.
Because Giant books are one of my pet peeves.One of my many pet peeves.
If I were Empress of the World, a position that it seems unlikely at this point that I will ever hold, I would make a decree. No book over 400 pages.
If an author can not say it in 400 pages, write another book. A sequel.
Actually, I would probably prefer you just stuck with the one max. 400 page book, but if you must, write a second book. But you have to wait at least 6 months to publish it. A year would be better.
Yes, it may sound arbitrary, but then I am Empress of the World.
What is my problem with Giant Books? Number one, they are heavy. If you have an e-reader, OK, that is not an issue, but not everyone has an e-reader.
But more importantly, I am just not convinced there is any need for a book to be that long. 500...600...700 pages or more, I think it is either a bad writer, a self indulgent writer or a bad editor. Or a bit of all. The number of books I have read that could have benefited from the Big Red Pen gets longer all the time. Usually, it lags in the middle. Gets off to a good start and pulls itself together at the end but wanders around in the middle.
Like a lost puppy without the cute part.
A book is a book. If you can't write well the length doesn't matter. Honestly a book is a book the length of which has little to do with the quality. Short or long of you can't write well it won't matter if it is over or under 400 pages!
ReplyDeleteI think the longest book I've read is The Stand, or maybe Gone With the Wind. Do you remember the days of yore when you didn't care how long a book was? Before I started blogging, I'd take on any book if I thought the payoff was worth it. And in both of those cases, it was. But I think sometimes these 800 pages are self-indulgent...just an author who loves to see all his hard work in a big doorstop.
ReplyDeleteI think it is, more often than not, self indulgent. there may be an exception out there and the Empress is willing to admit that, but they are rare.
DeleteI too agree with the Empress regarding the number of pages. I recently received 2 books that are 300+ plus pages and having a hard time just picking it up to start reading. Have a great week.
ReplyDeleteI will admit that I have never read any of King's books. I have heard so many great things about his books and I like the genre..big fan of Koontz...but they are just SO BIG!
ReplyDeleteI just cast my vote for you as Empress of the World!
ReplyDeleteThank you! I will be a fair and just leader. And free books for everyone!
Deletega'bless ... I think the unabridged version of The Stand is the longest book I ever read .. and re-read .. and will re-read again soon .. in fact I am going to download it as an eBook .. loved it ... my other favorite long reads were Black Out and All Clear by Connie Willis .. intended as one book her editors had her cut in half and published it as two books .. its also fabulous and will be re-read .. sometimes I am so caught up I read very fast .. I have to get to the end, you know .. well once there I often feel as if I might have missed something in my haste ..
ReplyDeleteLove J.R.R. Tolkien and have ready many of his books. Some other long ones I do enjoy are The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Unfortunately if I limited myself to 400 pages there might be quite a few books that I have loved that I may have never read:) But, I certainly agree with the weight and ability to hold the big monsters, lol!
ReplyDeleteBut by reading the Giant Book, you may be missing 2 more reasonably sized ones.
DeleteI have read a couple Giant Books because of my reading group. But you're right--having an eReader makes a major difference.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite 800+ page book is Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurty and in my opinion, it was too short! Having said this, however, I admit to passing up books because they weighed too much (and it hurt when I fell asleep and they dropped on my face).
ReplyDeleteYou're def right about big books being too heavy. Can't exactly fit them in your purse to read in a waiting room or on the beach lol. I like big books though. Just a personal preference I guess. Thanks for stopping by today!
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on the book whether or not the numerous pages are needed. A saga might need that many. I can understand not wanting to read long books, but then again, if you are engaged in the story, what is wrong with enjoying a long book vs. several short ones that don't say much of anything? Just saying.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, I have read long books that sagged in the middle. So there you go...
Stephen King's 11/22/63 totally engaged me for the full 849 pages. So did Gone with the Wind in its 960 + pages.
Thanks for visiting my blog, Caite, and enjoy your books, whether long or short...lol
Well, Empress, I'm going to have to disagree with you. Some long books are perfectly fine with me and fly by -- 11/22/63 comes to mind, as well as Under the Dome. I guess Stephen King needs an editor.
ReplyDeleteMadam Empress, I agree with you about some of the books being full of unnecessary filler. I like a good storyline that moves along quickly and is interesting. I must say though, I have a few books by some of my favorite authors, and they were bigger books, I put off reading them for a year or two for that reason, however, after I decided to read them the books were very good. So I guess as the old saying goes; "Don't judge a book by it size!" or was that "by it's cover!?"
ReplyDeleteThanks for the visit today.
The empress admits that she may sometimes over react on this matter. We..the royal we..admit there are exceptions. But in general we are still convinced this is a real issue. War and Peace..ok. But some middling 'little' novel, weighing in at 800 pages is just silly.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we need a general exception for mr. King.
Even with an e reader 700 pages is enough...
ReplyDeleteYour supreme Caiteness, throw in a chicken in every pot along with the free books and ya got my vote! There are some books that are waaaaaaay over 400 pages that I've read and enjoyed immensely. I wouldn't cut out a word of Kate Morton's The Distant Hours (578 pgs)
ReplyDeleteHi! Thanks for the visit to my blog! Sorry it took me so long to reply as I was knee deep in grading papers all week.
ReplyDelete"What is my problem with Giant Books? Number one, they are heavy. If you have an e-reader, OK, that is not an issue, but not everyone has an e-reader.
But more importantly, I am just not convinced there is any need for a book to be that long. 500...600...700 pages or more, I think it is either a bad writer, a self indulgent writer or a bad editor. Or a bit of all."
I don't agree with you on that but I too think carrying around a heavy book if you don't have an e-reader is a pain.