I've been feeling a little restless about my reading choices of late. I realize that I've been reading mostly shorter books recently (almost all under 350 pages), and I think they're contributing to my restlessness. I like becoming completely immersed in a novel, and it's much more difficult to become so in a novel that you can read in a few hours, a few sittings. Every once in a while, I need something that'll keep me present in its fictional world and caring about its fictional characters for a longer amount of time than a few sittings. A book that'll really allow me to understand the intricacies of the world and its characters. Ideally a book that's over 500 pages.
I suppose I should clarify here that my thoughts are directly related to speculative fiction novels, primarily fantasy. I do not expect general fiction novels to be lengthy, and I don't necessarily believe that they should be. Authors have more time for character development in lengthier books, of course, but for general fiction novels they do not need to worry about introducing their readers to as many new, created concepts and worlds.
I am also aware that many speculative fiction authors do write series, but that's not quite what I mean here. Series do not always necessitate longer individual books, and many are still in the process of being written. I want to start a book knowing that I can be immersed with characters in their fantastical worlds for a longer span of time, that there is a longer and more intricate story arc.
Here are a few lengthier speculative fiction books (and series) that I've enjoyed reading:
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| Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore | Cold Magic by Kate Elliot | Eon by Alison Goodman | Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers | A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin |
While I am not intending to criticize short works at all, I do think that shorter books (around 350 pages or less) are definitely the norm. This makes sense for authors who need to make a living off of the sale of their books, thus their desire to move on to writing another book. It also makes sense that not all readers want to get fully immersed in super lengthy novels. As a book blogger, I can understand the appeal of being able to get through quite a few shorter novels in the time it would take to complete a longer novel. And of course length does not necessarily determine the level of intricacy and overall success of the novel. None of these reasons lessen the appeal of lengthy novels for me, however.
I hope to fix my restless feelings by reading a few meatier books in the upcoming months.
And here are a few lengthier speculative fiction books (and series) that I intend to start reading in the near future:
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| The Diviners by Libba Bray | Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke | Froi of the Exiles by Melina Marchetta | Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor | The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss |
Have you read any of these? Do you have additional suggestions for lengthier books I should read (I mean over 500 pages at least)?
And please let me know if I'm not the only one out there who gets excited at the prospect of reading a lengthier book and being able to devote more time and thought on it.
Froi of the Exiles and Days of Blood and Starlight are both worth reading -- two of my favorites! I'm sometimes intimidated by books if they are this long, they usually pay off. I haven't heard of Cold Magic before, and I'm going to check that out, so thanks for putting it on my radar.
ReplyDeleteGlad to get some confirmation on those two! (Very glad, since I own them both!). And I am, too, but I can usually get past the intimidation if I read the blurbs and do some research and see what other people think of it. I'm pretty good at giving them my best educated guesses. And definitely consider reading Cold Magic. It's steampunk and very good! :)
DeleteI love lengthy, meaty books: some of my favorite books are over 900 pages long. I guess you are looking for speculative fiction recs (but TheCountofMonteCristoandLonesomeDovearesogood oops that just came out), so first I'd second your intention to read FROI and The Name of the Wind, and second I'd add some more books you can check out (no guarantee whether or not you'll enjoy them, as I didn't enjoy them all myself, but hey, picking what to read is about giving anything a chance):
ReplyDeleteKushiel's Dart - Jacqueline Carey
The Neverending Story - Michael Ende
The Ropemaker - Peter Dickinson
Incarceron - Catherine Fisher
Dreamhunter - Elizabeth Knox
Tender Morsels - Margo Lanagan
Daughter of the Forest - Juliet Marillier
Heroes of the Valley - Jonathan Stroud
Gotta love us some chunksters.
I'm not against literary fiction as well. I do plan on reading Les Mis and The Count of Monte Cristo and such at some point. And thanks for all the recs, Steph! I can't wait to look them up. I've heard of a few, but there are tons of new titles there. I'm glad I'm not the only one who loves a meaty book every once in a while!
DeleteYES! Well, it happened more when I was younger. Now that I'm buried under so many review copies, I'm sometimes anxious to finish a book just because I know there are so many others I need to read. But it still happens, and when it does, I always give the book five stars, which I usually never do. And I agree, mostly they're fantasy titles. Seraphina, for example. And Grave Mercy and Dark Triumph. :)
ReplyDeleteYeah, I think it's been harder for me to find time to read longer books recently in lieu of recently published books and those YA books that EVERYONE has read and I feel like I'm missing out on and such. But I'm going to try make reading lengthy books periodically a resolution of sorts. I hope you're able to every once in a while as well, Maja!
DeleteI think that is perhaps the worst side effect that blogging has had on me: I often get anxious and worried when I have a long book lined up. I used to be like you, relishing the lengthier stories, all the more time to spend with the characters and world. And sometimes I still do feel that way when I am really loving a book (like Days of Blood & Starlight), but more often than not I get panicked a bit when I see big page counts and wonder how I am going to fit it into my reading schedule. It's very sad, really! I wish I wasn't so stressed about it. Because just think of all the great books I could be missing out on because I am scared of the page length! I do have a few bigger reads lined up to read soon though: Clockwork Princess and The 5th Wave. And I am super excited for those! I would HIGHLY recommend the Chaos Walking trilogy as a lengthier read.
ReplyDeleteI think so too! But I want to resist those guilty feelings! I mean, blogging is all about enjoying reading, right? If I or you is enjoying reading a longer book, then we should find ways to make it fit into our schedules and combat guilt. Or, at least, that's my plan. I'm glad you do have some lengthier ones coming up to read yourself, Aylee! Also: I own The Knife of Never Letting Go and I plan on reading it very soon! I can't wait! :)
DeleteI'm actually the opposite I prefer average sized 350-400 pages (which is average for YA) over very long ones. Maybe it's because I'm not a big fan of fantasy and they seem to be the ones that run long.
ReplyDeleteI agree that it usually is fantasies that are longer. That's my favorite genre and I did transition from mostly YA books to longer adult books in my later teens and only started reading more YA books again fairly recently. I think part of my desire for longer books stems from the fact that writers of adult fantasies do tend to write more, and I love that. But I love YA fantasies too. (And I definitely appreciate the YA contemps I do end up reading not being super long. :))
DeleteI can get into some massive books. I like the immenseness of lonnnng series - A Song of Fire and Ice, while daunting, is probably the perfect length for how sprawling the story is, even if sometimes it's just two pages describing food being served at a feast.
ReplyDeleteDiviners and Jonathon Strange are both SO GOOD. Have you read the Gemma Doyle trilogy also by Libba Bray? They are pretty lengthy at 400+, 500+, and 800+ pages.
haha that is very true! I spent a few months two summers ago reading the first five books in A Song of Ice and Fire. Took up a lot of time, but it was definitely worth it!
DeleteAnd yay! Glad to hear that you enjoyed those two! I actually have read (and own) Bray's Gemma Doyle trilogy and quite enjoyed that. I haven't read any other works of Bray's, so I do really need to check out The Diviners soon.
This is a really great post. I haven't thought specifically about this, but I agree that fantasy novels are better when they're longer because there's so much world to build. Also if they follow several characters that usually increases their length. From the ones that you want to read, I have The Diviners, The Name of the Wind and Jonathan Strange on my list. I LOVE The Lumatere Chronicles and the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. I will say though that if a book is super long (like those three I listed that I want to read, I sometimes have trouble getting myself to pick them up, because I feel pressure to read more books as a blogger. This is more of a blogging problem, but it unfortunately does affect my choices.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lauren! I did not even think about the multiple POVs and how they increase a fantasy's length, but you're completely right about that.
DeleteAnd yes, the whole blogging guilt from a need to read through books quickly is an issue. I think how I'll try to alleviate the guilt is by reading a few short fast novels before the long one, and then a few short fast ones directly following it. Hopefully they can even out my reading time. We shall see! And I do hope that you're able to get to The Diviners, The Name of the Wind, and Jonathan Strange at some point yourself!
For me, it depends on the book. I LOVE longer books when it's a great read. But some books go on and on and I just want them to be over. If I feel that way about the book, it doesn't matter the length because I wouldn't have liked it even if it was shorter. With longer books, I'm warier. I have to be pretty sure I'll love it before starting a book over 500 pages, especially since I've started blogging. I hate the pressure I feel to read books quickly as a blogger. If it's Stephen King, I'll definitely read it even though his books are really long. Some other long books I love are The Historian and The Passage, which of course I mention a lot. Great post Manda! Definitely opens up discussion and makes me think.
ReplyDeleteWell, yes, I do want to do a bit of research before embarking on a super long book. I think I can figure out roughly whether I'll like it before I start reading, which also makes it better. I do not want to deny myself amazing books just because of blogging. My working solution, as I mentioned above, is to read a few short books quickly, then the long one, then a few more short ones, and hope it evens out my reading time. I do have to look up The Passage because I know that you love it. The Historian is new to me. Thanks, Cort! Let me know if you have any further thoughts or want someone to peer pressure you into reading a longer book without the guilt (cause I'm totally your girl for that :).
DeleteThis is a fun discussion topic:) And I think it's cool to meet someone who actually LOVES lengthier reads! I agree with Courtney. It depends on the book. The Diviners, Days of Blood and Starlight, Froi (all the Lumatere Chronicles actually) and Grave Mercy were long but I could NOT get enough of them! But yes, there have been a few books that felt like they were about a 100 pages too long. I don't mind a book being short so long as it feels complete. Gayle Forman's books and Jandy Nelson's book are two that fall in that category.
ReplyDeleteI would add Dark Triumph to your list if you loved Grave Mercy! I just finished it last week (getting ready to write my review) and I think i loved it even more than Ismae's story:)
And I have a copy of Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norell and have tried to read it a couple of times. I always seem to get pulled into something else. Same with The Name of the Wind. I'm hoping to read both of those this year too:)
Thanks, Heather! I do agree it does depend on the book. But hopefully I can get a general idea of whether or not I'd like it before I get started. I feel like I'm good enough at knowing what I enjoy to be a little selective of what lengthier books I end up actually reading. Based on all the amazing reviews thus far, Dark Triumph is definitely part of my list now! I'll have to figure out the best strategy for reading lengthy books as a blogger, since it is hard to simply focus on one long book for an extended period of time. But it's my blog and my passion for books, so I'm sure I can work something out. I hope that you're able to read Jonathan Strange and The Name of the Wind this year as well! We should totally be each other's cheerleaders with these lengthy reads. :)
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