This is a weekly meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week, they post a new Top Ten list that one of their bloggers will answer. Everyone is welcome to join!
Today's list is a FREEBIE. So, here is the topic that I've chosen:
TopTen Fourteen Big Books That I Find Daunting (Are They Worth The Time Investment?)
Confession time: I'm scared of big books!! I am not a fast reader, and the only sit-down time that I have to read is at bedtime. I consider it a success if I can manage to read 40-50 pages per day. However, sometimes I can't even keep up to that pace because, let's face it, life gets busy with work and the kids and sometimes I wind up falling asleep pretty quickly instead of reading. For me, picking up a BIG book of 800 or 900 pages is daunting! Do the math: If I'm really diligent and reading 50 pages a day, that 900-page book is going to take me 18 days to finish! That's a huge time investment for me! I personally find it easier to read those big books via audio format. However, those are equally intimidating! Dragonfly in Amber, for example, is 39 hrs long. I listen, on average, about an hour per day on my work commute. So, if you do the math, it will take me more than a month to finish that audiobook! Argh!! So, what to do? Are these big books worth the time investment? How do you get through them, or do you shy away from them as well? Have you read any of these ones below, and are they so fabulous that I absolutely MUST make the time to read them? I need the encouragement to tackle them!
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
(Outlander, Book #2)
I absolutely loved Outlander, and I want to read on in the series. I bought the audiobook, and it's 39 hrs. Gulp!! Page count is 947. There are also six more books in the series, that are equally if not bigger! I bought most of the books in this series, and others are 57 hrs and 55 hrs.
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Here's another audiobook that I bought, which is 34 hrs long. Page count is 956.
The Pillars of Earth by Ken Follett
(The Pillars of Earth, Book #1)
This one is 973 pages, and I've heard the series is excellent.
I could pick any Stephen King book off my shelf because they are ALL big, so here are a few that I am most interested in reading but keep putting off because of their size:
The Stand by Stephen King
1,153 pages
Insomnia by Stephen King
787 pages
It by Stephen King
1,116 pages
I especially want to read this one, since the movie will be released later this year.
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
(A Song of Ice and Fire, Book #1)
I love the television show, so I think that I would enjoy the books.
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
1,037 pages
I actually joined a read-a-long for this book last year, and I had to pull out because I just couldn't commit to reading a book this long! I bought the audiobook, and it is 49 hours!
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
1,276 pages
Here's a classic that's on my TBR, which I find intimidating! This one would take me at least a month to read!
Middlemarch by George Eliot
904 pages
Here's another classic that was recommended to me.
The Passage by Justin Cronin
(The Passage, Book #1)
766 pages
It's even tougher to start a new series when they are all big books!
Angels & Demons by Dan Brown
(Robert Langdon, Book #1)
713 pages
The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel
(Earth's Children, Book #1)
Alright, this one is "only" 495 pages, but the whole series is lined up on my bookshelf and they are all this size or bigger!
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
(Millennium, Book #1)
Same with this one. It's "only" 465 pages but, again, the series as a whole is an investment!
So, what are your thoughts on BIG books? Love them or hate them? Are you as conflicted as I am about tackling them? Are any of these "must-reads"? Please let me know in the comments, or leave me a link to your blog post if you are also participating in the meme!
Top
Confession time: I'm scared of big books!! I am not a fast reader, and the only sit-down time that I have to read is at bedtime. I consider it a success if I can manage to read 40-50 pages per day. However, sometimes I can't even keep up to that pace because, let's face it, life gets busy with work and the kids and sometimes I wind up falling asleep pretty quickly instead of reading. For me, picking up a BIG book of 800 or 900 pages is daunting! Do the math: If I'm really diligent and reading 50 pages a day, that 900-page book is going to take me 18 days to finish! That's a huge time investment for me! I personally find it easier to read those big books via audio format. However, those are equally intimidating! Dragonfly in Amber, for example, is 39 hrs long. I listen, on average, about an hour per day on my work commute. So, if you do the math, it will take me more than a month to finish that audiobook! Argh!! So, what to do? Are these big books worth the time investment? How do you get through them, or do you shy away from them as well? Have you read any of these ones below, and are they so fabulous that I absolutely MUST make the time to read them? I need the encouragement to tackle them!
(Outlander, Book #2)
I absolutely loved Outlander, and I want to read on in the series. I bought the audiobook, and it's 39 hrs. Gulp!! Page count is 947. There are also six more books in the series, that are equally if not bigger! I bought most of the books in this series, and others are 57 hrs and 55 hrs.
Here's another audiobook that I bought, which is 34 hrs long. Page count is 956.
(The Pillars of Earth, Book #1)
This one is 973 pages, and I've heard the series is excellent.
I could pick any Stephen King book off my shelf because they are ALL big, so here are a few that I am most interested in reading but keep putting off because of their size:
1,153 pages
787 pages
1,116 pages
I especially want to read this one, since the movie will be released later this year.
(A Song of Ice and Fire, Book #1)
I love the television show, so I think that I would enjoy the books.
1,037 pages
I actually joined a read-a-long for this book last year, and I had to pull out because I just couldn't commit to reading a book this long! I bought the audiobook, and it is 49 hours!
1,276 pages
Here's a classic that's on my TBR, which I find intimidating! This one would take me at least a month to read!
904 pages
Here's another classic that was recommended to me.
(The Passage, Book #1)
766 pages
It's even tougher to start a new series when they are all big books!
(Robert Langdon, Book #1)
713 pages
(Earth's Children, Book #1)
Alright, this one is "only" 495 pages, but the whole series is lined up on my bookshelf and they are all this size or bigger!
(Millennium, Book #1)
Same with this one. It's "only" 465 pages but, again, the series as a whole is an investment!
So, what are your thoughts on BIG books? Love them or hate them? Are you as conflicted as I am about tackling them? Are any of these "must-reads"? Please let me know in the comments, or leave me a link to your blog post if you are also participating in the meme!
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Yeah...I find big books daunting too, and for the same reason you listed.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura. I'm glad that I'm not the only one who finds them intimidating!
DeleteBig books can take SO long to get through. On your list I've read only Game of Thrones, and for me they fly by because the chapters are fairly short. The Clan of the Cave Bear I've always been and The Count of Monte cristo also!
ReplyDeleteThat's good to know, Greg. I do find that short chapters seem to make it easier to get through a book! That's why I like James Patterson.
DeleteI don't really like big books. There, I said it. I have friends who love books with 600+ pages when honestly I feel intimidated when mine have more than 400. I'll read a big book once in a while, but it has to be a very anticipated book, say Carry On by Rainbow Rowell, which is 500+ pages long and I read it in a weekend. Usually though, it takes me a LONG time to read big books, and not just because they are lengthy, but because big books sort of discourage me, like I can't see when I'm going to finish. It took me over a year to get through Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and let's add to that the fact that I read it in my Kindle...it was simply exhausting.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain ;) I'm stuck on Goblet of Fire, and it's taking me even longer than I would normally take because I'm doing it as a read-aloud to my kids! I don't like to read e-books because I can't see where I'm at in the book! I can see how that would feel never-ending, especially with a big book. Thanks for sharing!
DeleteMan, those are a lot of big books! I'm trying to dive into some long books too, but I can never find the time to do so!
ReplyDeleteHere’s my TTT!
Ronyell @ Rabbit Ears Book Blog