I love the idea of big, chunky books with lots of pages to sink into, but lately I’ve noticed that I’ve been avoiding them. Is it that I’m too focused on the number of books I read and think a long book will slow me down? I’m not sure, but I’d like to push myself to remember how much I enjoy long stories. In the rush-rush of life, it’s good to remember to slow down and settle in. 

So what constitutes a long book? I did a bit of poking around on the internet and there seems to be a consistent belief that a book 500 pages and over is considered long. Books 300-400ish pages are considered average in length, and those 299 pages and under are labeled short. 

Interested in reading and thinking more about the length of novels and how that correlates to word count? Check out this article from Writer’s Digest: Word Count for Novels and Children’s Books: The Definitive Post | How Long Should a Book Be? 

I’m calling this fall: Operation Long Books, and I hope to read the following three titles:

September 2023: Christy by Catherine Marshall, 512 pages (Updated 10/13/23. I did read this! Here’s my Goodreads Review)

October 2023:  A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness, 592 pages

November 2023: The President’s Daughter by James Patterson and Bill Clinton, 608 pages

I’ll be sure to report back. What long books are on your TBR?

Wishing you many happy reading experiences!