Why the fear, people? I simply do not understand.
Admittedly, I'm biased. I am a big fat geeky lover of big books. More space for character development, more space for plot development, etc. Sure, sometimes I feel like reading a quick 100-page novella or play, but when someone says ‘hey, there’s this great book I read recently…it’s kind of long, though’ my response is always ‘ahahahaha! Not long enough, my friend!’
For some reason, when I offer this same literary olive branch to people I know, they shrink back as if I had said “hey, I ate the most delicious infant the other day- would you like to go baby-hunting and catch one to share for an afternoon snack?”
It’s not that crazy, I swear. It’s just a few extra words. It really won’t take you THAT much longer.
“It’s okay!” I assure them, “It was just a suggestion.”
“But…but…longer than 200 pages…ack…brain…ack...melting…’
I don’t understand. Some people take to books like cavemen took to hunting and have this 'conquest' attitude. Instead of wanting to savor a long book that maybe has some character or message or idea that changes your life, they simply want to read as many as they can, regardless of content.
Which is honestly better? To say you've read ten books, but none of them had a lasting impact on you- or to spend a bit more time reading that one book that may just have a deeper impact on you.
Now, I'm in no way saying that shorter books are inferior. I'm just saying that sometimes, a book is passed over simply because of its length, and that's sad. So many great books are sitting on shelves out there, with people unwilling to read them because it'll 'take too long'.
Don't be a length-ist! Try to read a longer book, it'll be good, I promise!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
3 comments:
Let me first say: I love books.
The very idea that one can travel on an adventure right at your own convienence is mesmorizing.
I actually stopped reading awhile ago for quite a lengthy period (dont know why) but I actually saw the effects - I felt like I was slowly being absolved into a society that favors cheap thrills over quality, and that was a scary experience. Now I can say that im back on the path and have been tackling more material than ever. I may not be the quickest reader, but I appreciate the literature I do read. :)
Great post!
One last thing - WHO ARE YOU!? lol
^ a figment of your imagination.
Books are the only thing that has been constant over the course of my entire life.
Sometimes though a long book is really daunting. It can be difficult, if you are a particularly slow reader especially. It's a lot to get through, and a lot of the time the length of the book relates to the difficulty of the writing. Sometimes people just want an easy read, you know? They don't want reading to be a chore.
That being said, I love a good long book because I hate finishing books. I read really fast and am not afraid of heavier, more difficult reads. But I can see where others are put off by super long books.
Post a Comment