Lets Talk | Big Books

So last month I posted my first discussion post and I want to say a huge thank you to those of you who read, commented, and voted. It really meant a lot to me. It is always a little nerve-wracking to try something new and the support was great. Now this month I wanted to talk about something near and dear to my heart, big books. But, before we move on to this months discussion topic I want to go over the poll results. If you want to see last months post you can find it here: Lets Talk | Reading Formats

The Results

 I have to say I was a little surprised by the answers. I guess I just always assumed people always wanted hardbacks. I think because I see them the most in book hauls and such. I was also surprised that paperbacks and Ebooks tied. I was really expecting there to be a clear winner. What do you think about the poll results?

Now lets talk about big books. I used to absolutely be afraid to read big books. I think for me there were a few reasons for this. The first stems from when I was little. I had a very difficult time learning how to read, I had extra help throughout my schooling, but specifically when I was in elementary school. I dreaded being picking on in class even reading a sentence. I clearly remember finding out the order that the teacher was calling on us to read and seeing how many kid there were so I can find my sentence and practice.

Another reason was I was impatient. I wanted the gratification of finishing a book. So I kept reading smaller books because I was able to say I read x amount of books. If I read bigger books that number would be smaller. That is a bit of a problem I have with goodreads. I think it focuses to much on the number of books overall, not necessarily the amount someone reads. But, I move away from my point.

I am not sure when my view point changed, but in the last 2 years I have been craving bigger books. I think it started with someone from my work telling me to read Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy. I also think it may be related to me not having as much assigned reading since leaving Uni. Also, if I look back at my goodreads page to compare my biggest books of each year, you can see a gradual change in my reading as well.

2014: City of Glass by Cassandra Clare 541 pages

2015: The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton 834 pages

2016: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien 1,216 pages

2017: It by Stephen King 1,156 pages

So with everything there are pros and cons, the same is true about big books. Some of the  bonuses of reading big books is you get to spend more time in a world and on an adventure. You can spend multiple sittings binge reading and get lost. I find that the world building and details in larger books are more plentiful. This may be because the authors have more room to be more in-depth and explore more. Another thing I have found is that you can see the characters grow and evolve. While you can do this in a shorter book it is usually either abrupt or there is a huge time jump. With larger books you get to see what events led the character to change and grow. Additionally, you get to spend more time with the characters. Now that point could also be a negative as well.

If we are going to explore the negative aspects of big books you cannot ignore that fact that some big books just drag. Sometimes I feel like the publisher give authors page goals and they just fill them up with words and nothing really happens. Also, they are a pain in the butt to carry around with you. Unless you have an ereader, which according to last months poll you most likely have. Another drawback is that they tend to cost more money because they require more paper and ink.

Even with these prominent faults, I still love big books and I cannot lie.

What are some pros and cons of big books?

Do you read big books? Let me know in the poll below.