Hi! Lou Sylvre, here, glad to be back on Love Bytes after missing my chance in August. I’ve got just a short and simple post for this month, and a question for you with a prize on offer. Details at the end. Let’s start with the question:
Does size matter?
I’m talking about books, of course. And here’s the thing: I love long books—have since I was very young. When I was in elementary school, I’d go into the school library and walk along the shelves looking for a title to catch my eye. Maybe at first it was because I’ve always been quite nearsighted—the bigger the spine the easier to read—but most often the ones that did catch my eye were the fat ones. This led to some great childhood discoveries, such as the 1884 classic by Helen Hunt Jackson, Romona, Enig Bagnold’s NationalVelvet from 1935, The Wild Heart by Helen Griffiths (1963), and many others.
Sometimes it didn’t work out so well, but only because the books I read weren’t meant for people as young as I was when I read them. In Junior High School I read Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, both of which I mostly understood, but also Les Miserables, Lord of the Rings, The Gormenghast Trilogy , The Chronicles of Sir Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever, and even The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. I didn’t understand those on my first read through, but that was okay, really, because they stretched my mind, and when I went back and read them again, I did understand, or at least I touched the outside of understanding.
That’s not why I liked—and still do like—long books, though. The reason I choose them is because when I fall into a fictional world I like to stay there for a while. A well-written book of say sixty-five to eighty thousand words is long enough to tell the story, perhaps, and to let me fall in love with at least some of the characters, and yes, for romance it works out okay much of the time. As a writer, my romance books fall not too far outside this range. As a reader, though it may be right for the story, I still resent it being over so soon, and I generally prefer longer romance if I can get it and it’s well-written. But you may guess from my list above, I like fantasy. Perhaps because it requires acclimation to a whole new world, I strongly believe fantasy just works better if it’s loooong.
Let me add that in audio books I won’t even buy them (at regular audio book prices) if they’re less than twenty hours. This is because (added to the reasons I laid out above) I’m the child of parents who endured the Great Depression and WWII rationing, and as such I’m a bit of a penny-pincher. I’m on a plan on Audible that gives me one credit (good for any book) per month at discount price—but that credit isn’t cheap, by my lights. Although there are a few exceptions, I’m not going to spend my credit on eight hours if I can get a good book with a great narrator that’s also three times that long.
In my defense, I’ll mention I’m certainly not the first person to think this way. Aristotle 
himself (the godfather of fiction structure) said in his Poetics that as long as it was a reasonably good and not so long that the reader couldn’t remember what was going on,
“the greater the length, the more beautiful will the piece be by reason of its size.” Eh, well, maybe so, Mr. Aristotle, but even I don’t think that’s foolproof.
Size, as in length of novels, has been on my mind recently because I am writing (under pen name Lou Hoffmann) Ciarrah’s Light, book three of The Sun Child Chronicles series, and it’s running long, I’m thinking it will be around a hundred and fifty thousand words, all told, which surpasses book two, Wraith Queen’s Veil, by more than twenty thousand. I think that’s okay, as by book three a fantasy such as The Sun Child tends to get complicated. Not only, to my mind, does the length make it more fun to dive into the alternate universe, it’s necessary to tell all of the story. I’m sure not all readers agree with me, and I’m wondering what your thoughts on the subject might be.
In your opinion, does size matter when it comes to books? Do you have a “favorite” length? Do you feel the same way about all genres and formats? Exceptions? Reasons you feel the way you do? Examples of M/M fiction or other rainbow-friendly books that run very long? Give me a substantive answer to enter the drawing to win either book one (Key of Behliseth) or book two (Wraith Queen’s Veil). The contest is open until next month’s Love Bytes post.
Thank you for reading and for any and all comments! See you next month, if not before that.
Well I tend to go for shorter stories these days. The more stress I am the faster I feel the need to quickly get through a story. The stress makes me feel as if the story drags. Usually I read standalones and shorts but I when I am in the mood I like to tackle a series. I do it with books of all genres but the last several years have been just mainly m/m romance. Series-wise I would like to point out Wolves of Stone Ridge Series by Charlie Richards and In the Company of Shadows by Santino Hassell.
Hi H.B. I think I might be exactly the opposite about how stress affects my reading—If I’m stressed I want to get into a story and feel like I don’t have to come out for a very long time. 🙂 Another vote for Hassell! A must read, I see. I’m not familiar with Charlie Richards as an author—I’ll check out that series. Thank you!
Size does not matter to me. It depends on my mood. I know of Illegal Contact and Insight by Santino Hassell.
Thanks for commenting, Debby! Everybody is recommending Hassell. It’s moved up another notch on my TBR. 🙂
Had vision problems lately, so I’ve been buzzing through a lot of audiobooks. When I CAN read, the books are on the short size, usually under 100 pages. Series wise, I’m all over the map. Most anything by Rhys Ford, but especially her Sinners series; anything by Lisa Oliver, esp. her Cloverleah Pack series; JCP’s PsyCop series; Rob Colton’s Galactic Conspiracies series; and of course, most anything by Josh Lanyon. I can go on and on, but my eyes are gritty from all the ash in the air and I’m coughing up a lung.
Hi Judy! So glad to see your comments. I hope your vision is better, but that’s exactly why I started listening to audiobooks too. My eyes are better now, but I find I miss the audios if I don’t listen regularly! Funny how our habits change over time. Rhys Ford’s Sinners series is at the top of my favorites list. PsyCop is close to the top of my TBR. 🙂 Thanks!
Generally, long books have a greater appeal to me. And I believe it’s for the very reasons you’ve mentioned. I love to completely immerse myself in a story and the world in which it takes place. And, I want to get a good value for my investment, as well. Longer doesn’t always mean better, but I love getting the chance to absorb details about characters and the subtle nuances of a plot that may not be *as present* in a shorter story. I do buy short-story and anthology books, but usually do so if the s/s pertains to a series in which I’m invested, or if a particular author’s s/s is included in an anthology. I’m also a habitual re-reader, and love to luxuriate in the familiarity of a many-paged and well-loved book. One of the best m/m books I’ve read (and reread) is The Catch Trap, by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Takes place in the travelling-circus world of trapeze/aerial artists, and focuses on two boys-to-men, friends-to-lovers aerial acrobats. Set in a time when such a beautiful love was rejected by society, and even considered illegal in some places. Another much-loved story is a four-book series with a significant page count–In the Company of Shadows. Toss in the supporting side and back stories, and a read-through requires a serious time investment.
Thank you for your comments. I didn’t know Bradley had written a MM—I will definitely be looking into it. You are one of several who’ve recommended Hassell’s series, and it is on my list. (Along with way too many other books… 🙂 )
I believe that in certain situations longer stories are required. When there’s backstory to be filled in or world building to be done for example. I also believe It’s difficult for many authors to master the feelings of completeness & satisfaction readers need when doing shorts. Josh Lanyon does this very well. As far as long stories go, I’ll agree with the other commenters about Santino Hassell’s ICoS. And although I haven’t read it yet I’ve heard Kim Dare’s Axel’s Pup is a great story.
Thank you for commenting, Lisa. I’m going to have to look into ICoS too. I have loved some of Lanyon’s shorter stories, but confess they were a series (I Spy) and I read them all in a row, so it was a bit like one longer book. Lanyon is a really talented author! 🙂
Honestly, I do not have many preferences in what comes to size. As long as the story is satisfactory, I do not mind if it is twenty or two thousand pages. What matters to me is that it keeps my interest (which can be difficult if the book is too long) and that I feel satisfied at the end (that’s sometimes difficult when it is a too short story… You feel cheated because you want to know more, or they tend to feel rushed).
In short, I read short, middle size, and long books as long as i find them entertaining. No favourite size for me 😉
Thanks, Susanna! I agree about the main pitfalls of long and short books. It is a challenge for a writer! 🙂
Thanks, Susana! I agree about the pitfalls of long and short books. It’s a challenge for a writer!
I really prefer the longer books, especially if they are part of a series. Short stories and novellas seldom give me the depth I appreciate in order to connect to the characters and a well written plot. I read every genre except horror. Luckily there are always so many to choose from and my list of favorite authors just gets longer and longer!
The series are choose run from Amy Lane (Johnnies & Talker), Alessandra Hazard (Straight Guys), Ann Lister (Guarding the Gods), Alexa Land (Firsts & Forever), Rhys Ford (Sinner), Sean Michael (Chess), Lynn Kelling (Twin Ties), and Kindle Alexander (Nice Guys) to Lucy Lennox (Made Marian), Jordan Castillo Price (Psychop), Sara York (Colorado Heart), A.E. Wasp (Veterans Affairs), Aimee Nicole Walker (Curl Up & Dye), Kaje Harper (Life Lessons), Riley Hart (Crossroads), Laura Harner (Willow Springs Ranch), Cardeno C (Home) and Jaime Reese (Halfway House.)
Standalone include those written by Anne Wineheart, Kay Simone, S.J. Himes, Chase Potter, Ashley John, Peter Styles, and Sue Brown.
Thank you for the post. It’s great to see what other readers are recommending.
Thanks for commenting with recs. I haven’t read a number of those, and I will be looking into them. (I really need more time for reading…) 🙂
Once I learned how to read I basically took off. My very first series of books – Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery. I was 8 yo and fell in love with written word.
In general I prefer long books. I also don’t shy away from series. Cliffhangers from one installment to the next don’t bother me, providing I like the story. However, what gets my attention is a writing style. Nowadays, if someone’s writing style doesn’t grab me, I will speed-read through the book. I don’t like to leave unfinished books 😉
If I like certain author’s writing style, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a long novel or a short story though. I have been known to follow an author for their writing style alone. Haven’t been disappointed yet.
I am not a big fan of audiobooks though. The only time I will reach for those is when I travel alone, be it by car or plane. Otherwise I can’t keep my attention on the spoken word, I get distracted easily. Maybe because I am a tactile person, I have to physically hold a book in my hand or maybe because English is my second language and I have to pay attention more 😉 I’m not sure.
I can’t think of any long running series of M/M right now. But I have my favorite authors I know I won’t be disappoint by and I reach for their stories again and again. Let’s see, I’ll say, anything by these authors: Santino Hassell, Adrienne Wilder, Bey Deckard, Garrett Leigh, Annabeth Albert, Nash Summers, J.M. Dabney, A.E. Wasp.
This was a very interesting post. I wrote down some of the authors and I will definitely check them out. I’m always on the lookout for a good stories.
My motto is “so many books and not enough time.”
Agi, thanks for your comments. I appreciate the viewpoints, and agree except I have learned to listen to audiobooks. It took a while, and I do still frequently have to go back and listen again to a section because I’ve become distracted, but I enjoy them more than I thought I would. Thanks for the MM author recs, which actually include several I haven’t read yet. I’ll have to remedy that. 🙂