Valiant writing efforts have given us some mighty tomes that some of us visit while most of us probably don't. Reading those big works can be a lot of work!
Verbosity might be the cause of monster sized books, but usually the large size of many books is due to the sheer content. Many of the reference books on my shelves have many pages, but there is a lot of information on them. On the other hand, very lengthy novels have story, characters, or some other aspects that are revealed with great detail to a reader. Sometimes the length is warranted while other times I will be reading and wonder how much was really necessary. Maybe if you are paid by the word as a writer you want to amass many words to the detriment of the reading experience.
But what do I know? I tend to avoid reading many of the thick books that I own. I can attribute that to laziness perhaps, or lack of dedicated time. Many long books might not be worth my time, but that is the case with so much out there that is available to read whether it be long or short.
One long book that I've been reading off and on throughout my life is the Holy Bible. It's one of those books you can keep reading over and over and keep discovering new things. The Bible, specifically John 21:25, states that if everything Jesus did were written down, the world itself wouldn't have enough space for the books that would be written, implying the immensity of His deeds and ministry. That would be a very voluminous volume!
What long books are your favorites? Which long books have you been unable to finish? Do you prefer to read long books that are fiction or non-fiction?
The Bible is one where you will find new things and see things clearer every time you read it.
ReplyDeleteI'm gun-shy about really long books after reading so many that needed to be half the size. Feel the same way about movies over two and a half hours long. Really? Is it really needed?
Alex, so true. The Bible is a very amazing book.
DeleteLee
Jamie (jannghi.blogspot.com): Very big books can be scary to pick up.
ReplyDeleteI'm the kind of reader who likes to have several books going at once. I most definitely enjoy long reads, but I don't force myself to solely devote myself to them. My preference is for non-fiction tomes, and I'm currently working my way through a large book 10x12 about 350 pages and it weighs at least 5 pounds - on the artist Matisse.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was younger, I only read long books because I read so fast. A typical 80k word novel would be read in a couple of hours. Since I started writing my own novels, I haven't read much, but now that I'm slowing down that process, I look forward to reading again. Yay for my Kindle reader! I have thousands of books in my TBR pile.
ReplyDeleteDonna: Click for my 2025 A-Z Blog
I've done Uris's Trinity several times. McCullough's Truman was an interesting slog. King's Tommyknockers I only finished to prove I could. 1,300 pages of which only about 250 were necessary.
ReplyDeleteCW, I've read a couple long King books, but they were kind of fast to read, but just very long. I've got Truman on my shelf and keep being tempted to read it, but always find something else. Someday.
DeleteLee