Do you ever choose a book to read based on its length? - Page 4

Elfwreck · 05-10-2011, 06:19 PM

Interesting discussion. I read a lot of fanfic, which on most modern archives is tagged with word count. (Older ones often tag with filesize, which is how I know that 40kb of text is roughly 7000 words.) I'd started paying attention to word counts when I first looked at Fictionwise; the multiformat books are described with word counts.

Today, I'm a bit miffed at any ebook store that doesn't have word count or filesize listed--what, I'm supposed to fork over $5 without knowing if this is a short novella or a mega-epic novel?

I regularly decide what to read for the day based on length. I don't know any way to sort my unread stack by length (I find Calibre rather baffling, and I haven't figured out how to not have it make annoying extra folders I keep tripping over, and anyway the books on my readers don't show length), but I regularly open them, check the page count in the reader, and decide if I'm up for that at the moment.

sakura-panda · 05-11-2011, 09:31 AM

No, I don't choose a book to read based on length, although I will sometimes consider it.

The only time I really consider length is when I'm loading books onto my Sony -- I tend to fill up the internal memory as much as I can, and sometimes I'll pull off longer books (bigger files) to make room for new smaller ones, or I'll sort by size in Calibre and try to "fill in" with shorter books until I can't get any more onto it.

JCarig · 05-12-2011, 08:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sweetpea

I prefer long sagas and series. The story won't end that fast that way...

And reading a complete book in one sitting???? There are times where I can hardly read a few pages a day...

I gotta agree with Sweetpea. I love long sagas and series where I can lose myself for awhile. It used to be if each book in a series is 1000 printed pages, I might shy away. However, with the advent of ebooks, the length of the book means far less than it did before. The biggest reason is that I can read a couple of pages while standing in line at a local coffee shop, on the bus, in the car, etc... because Sweetpea is right - There are times where I can hardly read a few pages a day.

patrickt · 05-12-2011, 08:15 AM

No, I don't select books on their length. When I was reading paper books I also didn't select books based on the color of the cover.

mldavis2 · 05-12-2011, 09:31 AM

On occasion I will temporarily re-order my book selections based on length. For example, I may have 10 days until my next book discussion group to finish the target novel for the month, so I may knock off a short one in the interim rather than start War and Peace. On the other hand, I never read digests or condensed versions, nor have I ever simply ignored a work due to its length.

elemenoP · 05-12-2011, 10:09 AM

I'm a slow reader so a long book is a big commitment for me. At the same time, I have a hard time quitting a book even if I'm not enjoying it. So, I will spend more time and mental energy deciding if I want to read a long book. Whereas with a short book, I'll dive right in.

eP

odiakkoh · 05-12-2011, 02:58 PM

I tend to leave novels for nighttime after my son is asleep and i can read in peace. During the day i stick to short stories, articles, etc that can be put down on a moment's notice.

Sorilla · 05-12-2011, 07:32 PM

It depends on a genre, for thrillers I prefer short length for fantasies - long one.

hidari · 05-12-2011, 07:56 PM

300 pages max. Occasionally 400 to 500. Most longer books I find aren't worth the time and lack quality. Describing a table for two paragraphs is not my idea of talented writing...

Todd Young · 05-12-2011, 09:22 PM

When I was working full-time, I used to like to read a book on Saturday and a book on Sunday. At that time I sourced my books from second-hand book stores, and I found Fontana's from the 70s were just about the perfect length for a day's reading. I must have read a few hundred of them.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
World Book Night - Which books would you choose?	Helen Smith	Reading Recommendations	38	03-09-2011 02:54 PM
Find me some books to read based on what I have recently read (and liked)	rahulm	Reading Recommendations	16	08-11-2010 03:18 PM
How do you choose which self-published works to read?	chlorine	Reading Recommendations	35	11-01-2009 10:46 PM
ReadManiac V2.3 Java-based e-book reader	Alexander Turcic	Reading and Management	3	08-09-2008 11:22 AM
Html based book > PDF or Mobipocket	alanboss	Workshop	1	05-05-2008 03:02 AM

05-10-2011, 06:19 PM	#46
Elfwreck Grand Sorcerer Posts: 5,185 Karma: 25133758 Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: SF Bay Area, California, USA Device: Pocketbook Touch HD3 (Past: Kobo Mini, PEZ, PRS-505, Clié)	Interesting discussion. I read a lot of fanfic, which on most modern archives is tagged with word count. (Older ones often tag with filesize, which is how I know that 40kb of text is roughly 7000 words.) I'd started paying attention to word counts when I first looked at Fictionwise; the multiformat books are described with word counts. Today, I'm a bit miffed at any ebook store that doesn't have word count or filesize listed--what, I'm supposed to fork over $5 without knowing if this is a short novella or a mega-epic novel? I regularly decide what to read for the day based on length. I don't know any way to sort my unread stack by length (I find Calibre rather baffling, and I haven't figured out how to not have it make annoying extra folders I keep tripping over, and anyway the books on my readers don't show length), but I regularly open them, check the page count in the reader, and decide if I'm up for that at the moment.

05-11-2011, 09:31 AM	#47
sakura-panda Guru Posts: 923 Karma: 9558874 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Southeast Michigan, USA Device: 2017 10.5" iPad Pro (Kobo, NOOK, Kindle, Google Play Books & Scribd)	No, I don't choose a book to read based on length, although I will sometimes consider it. The only time I really consider length is when I'm loading books onto my Sony -- I tend to fill up the internal memory as much as I can, and sometimes I'll pull off longer books (bigger files) to make room for new smaller ones, or I'll sort by size in Calibre and try to "fill in" with shorter books until I can't get any more onto it.

05-12-2011, 08:15 AM	#49
patrickt Wizard Posts: 1,221 Karma: 8381518 Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Oaxaca, Mexico Device: Paperwhite 4 X 2	No, I don't select books on their length. When I was reading paper books I also didn't select books based on the color of the cover.

05-12-2011, 09:31 AM	#50
mldavis2 Coffee Nut Posts: 410 Karma: 298350 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Missouri Device: Kindle 3; K4PC; Calibre	On occasion I will temporarily re-order my book selections based on length. For example, I may have 10 days until my next book discussion group to finish the target novel for the month, so I may knock off a short one in the interim rather than start War and Peace. On the other hand, I never read digests or condensed versions, nor have I ever simply ignored a work due to its length.

05-12-2011, 10:09 AM	#51
elemenoP Wizard Posts: 1,717 Karma: 3790058 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: NYC Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650	I'm a slow reader so a long book is a big commitment for me. At the same time, I have a hard time quitting a book even if I'm not enjoying it. So, I will spend more time and mental energy deciding if I want to read a long book. Whereas with a short book, I'll dive right in. eP

05-12-2011, 02:58 PM	#52
odiakkoh Guru Posts: 823 Karma: 1818344 Join Date: Apr 2011 Device: iPhone 5s	I tend to leave novels for nighttime after my son is asleep and i can read in peace. During the day i stick to short stories, articles, etc that can be put down on a moment's notice.

05-12-2011, 07:32 PM	#53
Sorilla Member Posts: 11 Karma: 10 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle, iPad, iPod, Android phone	It depends on a genre, for thrillers I prefer short length for fantasies - long one.

05-12-2011, 07:56 PM	#54
hidari MR Drone Posts: 1,613 Karma: 15612282 Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: DRONEZONE Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20	300 pages max. Occasionally 400 to 500. Most longer books I find aren't worth the time and lack quality. Describing a table for two paragraphs is not my idea of talented writing...

05-12-2011, 09:22 PM	#55
Todd Young Addict Posts: 243 Karma: 1004164 Join Date: May 2011 Device: Kindle 2	When I was working full-time, I used to like to read a book on Saturday and a book on Sunday. At that time I sourced my books from second-hand book stores, and I found Fontana's from the 70s were just about the perfect length for a day's reading. I must have read a few hundred of them.

Advert

Advert