This year, I've made a decision that might sound strange to some readers: I'm mostly going to read books that would take four hours or less to listen to as an audiobook.
Why?
Because I've learned something about myself as a reader. Most books that are much longer than that feel full of filler.
Now, before anyone gets upset, this is just my personal preference. If you love long books, that's wonderful! You have every right to enjoy reading books that take eight, ten, or even twenty hours to finish. But I've finally accepted that those books usually aren't for me.
Over the years, I've tried a lot of longer books. Time after time, the same thing happens. I get about four hours into the story, and then I start feeling bored.
The plot slows down, extra scenes get added, and it often feels like there are pages and pages that don't really move the story forward.
Many times I've thought, "If you took this chapter out completely, the story would still make perfect sense."
After starting and abandoning so many books, I finally decided to stop fighting against the kind of reader I am.
My new rule is simple:
Read books that take four hours or less to get through.
Will I occasionally pick up a longer book? Sure. There are always exceptions.
But my main goal is to enjoy reading again, and shorter books help me do that.
One thing I've noticed is that many junior novels are exactly the length I enjoy.
They're short, sweet, and focused. The authors don't spend pages and pages
wandering away from the story. They get to the point and keep things moving.
Some of my favorite series are:
The Boxcar Children
Nancy Drew Clue Crew
Jennie McGrady Mysteries
In fact, I love the length of the Jennie McGrady books. They're around four hours long as audiobooks, and for me, that's just about perfect. The stories move along at a good pace, and I rarely feel like I'm reading unnecessary material.
I've started several books this year, and almost every time a book was significantly longer than four hours, I ended up quitting it. That was frustrating at first, but now I see it as valuable information. Instead of forcing myself to finish books I don't enjoy, I'd rather spend my time reading books I actually look forward to picking up.
Another thing I've realized is that reading preferences can change with different seasons of life.
Lately, I've been reading a lot of Karen Witemeyer books, and I truly enjoy her writing. She's a talented author, and her stories are well written. But many of her books focus heavily on romance and falling in love.
I don't want to spend all my reading time thinking about romance. At this point in my life, I'm content being single until God says otherwise. I want my mind focused on other things, and reading story after story centered around romance just isn't what I'm looking for right now.
So for this season, I'm choosing books that fit who I am and where I am in life.
- Shorter books.
- Mysteries.
- Adventures.
- Stories that keep moving.
- Stories without a lot of filler.
- Most importantly, stories that make me excited to read.
I've spent too much time trying to be the kind of reader I thought I should be. Now I'm giving myself permission to be the kind of reader I actually am.
And honestly?
Reading has become a lot more enjoyable because of it.
