I have been a bookworm my whole life. My parents have been reading to me since I was a baby, and it wasn’t long before I started reading to myself. Our family would take multiple trips to the library, sometimes several a week. My parents figured it was a good way to keep me occupied if I got restless. I read practically anything I could get my hands on. I would check out as many books as I could carry every time we went. Most of those would be finished by the end of the day.
As my life has gotten busier and filled with more responsibility, I don’t read as much as I would like. That doesn’t stop me from having twelve unread books sitting next to my bed as I write this, and with the summer off from school, I have more time to read.
The book I’m currently reading is called Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson, the second book in The Stormlight Archive series. This book is special to me because it has taken me four months to read. The first book took about three. This is because they were over 1000 pages each.
It has been a very interesting experience, taking so long to read such large books. For one, I read books fairly quickly, so taking so long was new. But it was interesting in another way as well. I take whatever I’m reading everywhere with me (so as not to be without good reading material), and over these months I’ve gotten some unexpected reactions from the people around me. I’ve gotten looks of awe and horror. I was told that I was crazy for trying to read a book that big. I was told it was a waste of time.
What I don’t understand is why it is such a big deal. Even among people who like to read (and read a lot), big books are considered incredibly ambitious. Why? It’s still a book. It still has a story inside of it, a whole world left largely unexplored because of the amount of pages between the covers.
I have to say that I used to skeptical about big books, too. Because I read books so quickly, even with school work and a job, I would easily go through several books a week. One month into The Way of Kings, the first book in The Stormlight Archive series, and I was ready to put it down and never pick it up again. It was just taking so damn long to read! But it was one of my best friend’s favorite books, so I gave it another shot.
By the time I’d finished it, I was so thoroughly invested in the story and the characters that I just had to continue, even though the second book was even longer than the first.
The thing about big books is that it gives the author time to build their world, create a universe in which I can immerse myself completely, with plenty of time to spare for fantastic plots and character development. By the time you finish a long book like that, you’re walking out of a vibrant story, filled with well thought out and intricate plot lines and characters so real and so three-dimensional that you feel they could step out of the book and talk to you.
If you don’t pick up a big book because it scares you…
If you don’t pick up a big book because it will take too long to read…
If you don’t pick up a big book because it’s a waste of time…
…then you are missing out on so many great adventures and stories.
…then you are missing out on so many different worlds to explore.
…then you are missing out on some of the best storytelling I have ever seen.
Next time you go to the library or to a bookstore, try to find a nice big book to read, preferably over 500 pages. While long, it could take you on one of the wildest rides of your life. It could even become one of the greatest stories, and greatest companions, you will ever have.
I am a mere hundred pages away from finishing Words of Radiance, and while part of me is relieved to start another book or another series, another part of me is reluctant to finally say goodbye to this world I have lived in for most of this year. Part of me doesn’t want it to end, doesn’t want to put it down and admit that I have to wait who knows how long for the next book to come out so I can visit these characters again. I can gladly say that I will be sorry to see this book end.
Find a good book to read and settle in for the long haul. It’s a wild ride.
Happy reading!
