Long Books Short Stories
Last week, I hit my yearly reading goal on Goodreads, and it gave me virtual confetti. I set a goal I knew I could read — 48 — which isn’t really the spirit of a challenge. But I like my challenges to be not that challenging.
Most of the books I read are in the mid-300-page range. Last year, my average was 363 pages, and I assume it will be around that this year, too. I don’t like short stories. I feel like it’s a lot of work to get to know a character, and if I’m investing the time, I want to spend a few days with them. I don’t like long books. I feel like some characters overstay their welcome, and long books feel like a guest who never leaves. Books in the 350-ish page range are just long enough that the characters feel familiar, and I can imagine my way through their world, but not so long that the interactions on the page begin to feel tedious.
Do you like short stories or long books?
3 comments
Congrats! I just hit my target of 30 books. I had to hunt around to find the details, but my average book is similar to yours – about 380 pages. I don’t generally like short stories. Like you, I just start getting interested in the characters, and poof, they’re gone! I tend to avoid short stories – it’s very rare to find one (or a collection) I like.
I do like long books, though, as long as they hold my attention. In fact, a long book is a real treat, and I often feel sad when it ends. It’s a bit like the difference between a frustratingly short movie and an excellent TV series. (Pride and Prejudice, for example). My longest book this year was Philip Pullman’s The Secret Commonwealth, at 784 pages, and I loved it.
I didn’t used to mind long books, but I don’t seem to have the patience for them any more. But short stories aren’t really my thing either. I like them once in a while. I guess I’m just difficult to please.
I’m ALMOST at my target of 45 books (SHOULD hit by year-end). I prefer not to set a target that’s too challenging either. My average book length last year was 350 pages. I will occasionally read something longer, or shorter. I’ve never been especially fond of short stories either, even in high school. But I do enjoy essay collections that I can dip in & out of, without feeling like I’ve lost the thread of the story (just got a new one today, in fact!).