I’ve mentioned on the blog before that even though I read a lot of big books when I was younger (I’m looking at you, Wheel of Time Series), I’ve become averse to them in more recent years. There’s something about the sheer pressure of knowing that you have over 1000 books waiting for you on your TBR that makes reading a super long tome feel more stressful than enjoyable.
The last year or two hasn’t helped. I’ve been in and out of reading slumps that I can’t seem to shake. So, how do I combat that? With quick reads!
This past Tuesday I read a verse novel (The Seventh Raven) and a graphic novel (Long Distance) all in one day. And it occurred to me how much I love the feeling of reading a full book in just a couple of hours. You still get the satisfaction of a story arc, a change of perspective, and finding new characters to love, but it’s all packed into a powerful little punch. With graphic novels, you also get to enjoy amazing art, and with verse novels there’s the bonus of lyrical poetry that sings! It’s the most wonderful way to spend an hour or two of your day.
I used to feel guilty about adding these sorts of short books to go toward my Goodreads goal, but no more. My love of books is a love of stories, and both graphic novels and verse novels give me a great sense of story in a quick read.
Of course, there are other types of quick reads, too. Sometimes a sweet YA romance can fly by in couple of hours or a MG contemp can be read in an afternoon. I still love to read a meaty fantasy, but there’s something satisfying about a quick read!
In the spirit of quick reads, that’s all I’ll say on the subject.
Do you like the feeling of a book you can read in just a couple of hours? Are you a fan of verse novels or graphic novels? I want to know!
I rarely read a book over 400 pages these days. I like having a new story going each day or every other day. More characters to meet and adventures to experience. I do read novels in verse, but I don’t read many graphic novels. I do love that they are taking popular novels and making them into graphic novels. That’s a whole new segment of readers getting to enjoy the story and I think that’s brilliant.
I agree that it’s great that so many books are being made into graphic novels – I love to see more people getting access to the stories. Plus, sometimes it’s great to experience a book you’ve already read in a new way!
This is SO relatable! I always feel the pressure of big books, because there are so many more books waiting for me.
Usually the big books are the GOOD books, so I rush through, but still… I’m currently reading a 500+ book that I’m not enjoying that much and it’s taking forever…
Oh, yes, a SLOW big book is really tough. And I find that often big books start out a bit slow, even if they pick up eventually.
I LOVE verse novels. I actually don’t like long books as I can lose interest very quickly. So verse novels give me the satisfaction of finishing a book in a short period of time. It’s also good to add to the yearly reading challenges, haha! Elizabeth Acevedo would have to be my favourite author who writes novels in verse. I also loved The Black Flamingo by Dean Atta.
Believe it or not, I haven’t read Elizabeth Acevedo yet – I definitely need to fix that!
I’m a fan of verse novels. It’s shorter than usual, but man, the words are sometimes more impactful. Kwame Alexander is one of the best ones out there.
Yes! Kwame Alexander is amazing!
I agree that it’s intimidating to read a chunky book. When I’m in a reading slump, or need something light to read, I often read children’s books or graphic novels.
Yes, these types of books are the best for a reading slump! And sometimes you just need something quick to break up the chunkier reads.
I do tend to pick easy reads–reading is a hobby, but I also read for a living–I’m a paralegal–and that requires brain engagement. At night I want to relax and 600 pages of Russian names isn’t relaxation.
Ha! Yes, I can definitely see how that would be true. After all that legal reading, who would want to read heavy tomes for fun?
I read a lot of fantasy so a lot of my books are easily 400 pages and yeah…it wears you down. I started reading The Roommate Risk by Talia Hibbert which kindle tells me is only a four hour read and that just seems so exciting to me!
Yes, I used to read a lot of fantasy too. I think 2020 was really hard on my reading, though, and I couldn’t manage to read those long books anymore—I found myself putting them down way too often. I’m just now getting back to reading fantasy, and it feels good!
I could not agree more! For whatever reason, almost every book I read this month was at least 400 pages and it was a LOT. I just feel so much less intimidated by a smaller book, even though I often end up loving the longer ones!
For whatever reason, I haven’t gotten my reading mojo back completely since the colossal slump of 2020. I’m just now getting back to reading the longer fantasies that used to be my mainstay. Hopefully I’ll be back to reading mostly 400+ page books soon, but I always love to throw these shorter books in too!
The best book I’ve read so far in 2021 is Long Way Down, and I think I finished it in 2 hours because it’s written in verse. Short books can be brilliant. I never feel guilty about buying them, reading them, or counting them toward my reading goal.
Yes! I read Long Way Down again this year and also read the graphic novel version. I loved seeing the story again in this new format!
Some verse novels can be short but quite punchy. I’m thinking of Brown Girl Dreamong. I assume you can put it in this category. Loved it: https://wordsandpeace.com/2014/12/31/short-reviews-poetry/
I apologize, I meant Brown Girl Dreaming. Feel free to edit my comment and delete this one
I ADORE graphic novels and books in verse! In fact, I have a Bookshop list for each format because there are so many that I love to recommend. I think sometimes when I want to read, but my brain won’t cooperate changing the format slightly really helps me. It reminds me that reading is fun and doesn’t have to be stressful, and that I can complete a book in a day after all. Because of that whenever I feel stressed or slumpy, I tend to reach for graphic novels!
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