What is your preferred length for a book?

@megamatt (14292)
United States
July 18, 2010 8:34am CST
I think a few hundred pages is about the average of any book that I read. I have gone longer on a few occasions and shorter, but those are exceptions, rather than the rule. It gives enough time for the story to build and to get to know all of the characters, but not drag on too long. So at least a good three hundred or four hundred pages is my preferred length for a book.
2 people like this
9 responses
@surfermac (465)
• India
18 Jul 10
it should be atleast about a 700 pages or else it would be boring.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
18 Jul 10
Seven hundred pages, I think I have read a lot of books like that. A couple of them were rather good. Some of them were rather boring. I think that a good author will be able to make a book exciting regardless of the length. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
1 person likes this
• United States
18 Jul 10
I like 700 page books but I can actually name you all of the ones I have read because they really werent too many of them. Im more of a 200-300 page book reader. I go through them fairly quickly about 2-3 a week but try to stretch them out more than that otherwise I wouldn't get anything else done. I remember I read a 500 page book in one day once and didnt do anything else becuase it was so good. Thats when i decided its a bit habit forming and addicting so I have to try to make sure I dont stick my head in a book the entire day, unless its an educational book, in which case, its worth it!
1 person likes this
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
18 Jul 10
Yes, there are many books that no matter how long they are, you just cannot put them down. I have read far into the night, because I wanted to read the next chapter and the next chapter and...well you get the idea. I can burn through a couple of hundred pages, without even thinking about it. It is very easy to get drawn into the story. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
1 person likes this
@rmuxagirl (7548)
• United States
22 Jul 10
I really don't have a preferred length for a book. If I see a book I am interested in reading I will read it. Length really doesnt make a difference for me. I have read books that have been in the 8 hundred or 9hundred range.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
22 Jul 10
Absolutely if the author is good, they can make a good book at any length. So it seems interesting, it might be worth a look. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
@dogsnme (1264)
• United States
18 Jul 10
It doesn't really matter to me how long a book is as long as it's interesting. I've read books that are a couple hundred pages long as well as books 700-1000 pages long. I don't read very fast and don't tend to read for very long at a time. I'm reading a book about Japanese emperor Hirohito that's almost 700 pages long if you don't count the index. It's been a long hard slog reading this book because it goes into so much depth about Hirohito's life, beginning with his birth, and it has plenty of Japanese words and names to make it a challenging read. And I began reading it last year. On the other hand, I'm also reading a novel by Greg Iles called TRUE EVIL. I began reading it maybe a month ago and as I've progressed through the book it has become harder and harder to put down. Now I have less than a hundred pages to go and will probably finish it in the next day or two. So, whether it's history or fiction it doesn't really matter to me how long it is as long as it interests me. I'll just keep going until I finish it no matter how long it takes.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
18 Jul 10
That sounds like an interesting book. That might be one that I put on my very long list of books that I need to read, but I have not gotten around to reading them yet. Thank you for your response, it is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
• United States
18 Jul 10
Well I've read and enjoyed books of pretty much every length. From 100 pages to 1,000. I read children's books, YA (Young Adult) novels, and adult novels all mixed together. Yes, you can call me crazy. I think that a good book is a good book no matter what age it was written for. As for length, I do prefer them to be on the longer side. More than 200 pages is my idea of a reasonable length book. 100 page novels feel bite sized to me. I'll just be getting into it and then suddenly it's already over. lol I tend to get discouraged reading books that are longer than 600 pages. If it takes me more than a week to read a single book I'm automatically annoyed at the book... but even then I can still like and enjoy it.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
18 Jul 10
Well the amount of time it takes really does not bug me. Of course, one could say that the fact that I am not making a better effort to read it, might be based on the quality or lack there of with the book. A good book and it won't take me longer. Books that are not as good or do not hold my interest, I might take longer to read, because I want to avoid reading them. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
@o0jopak0o (6394)
• Philippines
19 Jul 10
hmm really depends on the book. But i have seen some books that being drag on for no reason. Or add some pages with little or no significance with the rest of the book. but its only few,.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
19 Jul 10
I think its all about whether or not the author of the book can pace it properly. Some can with the number of the pages. A lot of the time, it is just a lot of unneeded filler. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
22 Jul 10
It should be 550 pages...if its not then theres prob. nothing good about the book. I have read books with less than 500 pages but i prefer 500.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
22 Jul 10
That sounds like a pretty good length. Of course, if you can get it done in a shorter length, then there is no need to drag it out for the sake of dragging it out. After all, no one likes something that overstays its welcome, whether it is a person or a book. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
@shia88 (4571)
• Malaysia
18 Jul 10
Hi, I do read book once a while,but for sure not a thick book for me. Or else I will fall sleep. I prefer to read magazine than book. I don't like to read novel,not my favourite. Before I have a kid, I love to read those Female and Her World Magazine. But now with kid around, I read Parenting magazine.It helps me get better idea on parenting and some issue of children. Happy Reading !!
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
18 Jul 10
There are a lot of people who would rather not read any books. Magazines or maybe the newspaper is for them which is fine. Then there are some people who would rather stab an icepick in their eye then read. Trust me, I know people like that. Still, at least you're reading something. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.
@ET28LV (1890)
• Latvia
26 Jul 10
I am not a peole who love reading books, but If I need prefer book on lenght I would choose book about 300 pages long. My father love reading and he read books with 600-700 pages. I think kids would enjoy books who are not longer than 200 pages. Take care, Have a nice day!
@juryse (752)
• Philippines
18 Jul 10
I don't really pay attention on the length of the book that I read. If you are enjoying the story, you wouldn't really notice the length. But I guess 700-100 pages is good for me.
@megamatt (14292)
• United States
18 Jul 10
Yes, if the author is good, then they can make a good story out of any number of pages. I think the trick is, you don't really want the reader to go, this story is too short or boy this story is dragging on. You just want them to say that this story is good and...interesting, it was that many pages, rather that was at the higher or the lower end of the spectrum. Thank you for your response. It is much appreciated and it contributed to the topic well. Have a nice day and thanks.