Anyone else buy books based on # of pages?

[Jamie]

So at $10 I wasn't thrilled with Leviathan Wakes. Once I found that people generally liked it and this 'group' is discussing it I was still unconvinced to buy it. The thing that finally did it for me is that it is 592 pages... Tell me, am I warped!?

[Kim]

So are you saying the page count made you buy it or did it further convince you to not buy it?

I generally avoid massive tomes, 1000+ pages, unless I really want to read it. Other than that page count makes no impact on my decision to get a book or not.

It does impact on when I might read it though. I like to read a couple smaller books for each large one.

[[deleted user]]

I generally don't pay attention to page count.

[Shomeret]

I don't buy based on page count, but I do make reading decisions based on page count. If I'm in the middle of a semester, I never read books over 500 pages. In fact, the shorter the book the more likely I am to read it unless I'm on vacation from school.

[Peggy]

I've bought/not bought books for a lot of random reasons (title, cover, number of made-up words on the first few pages), but I've never paid attention to the number of pages. Though I do appreciate a well-told story that comes in under 350 pages. Sometimes more is just more.

[Jon]

I've always read fantasy, mostly because I felt I was getting more bang for my buck. I could get more reading time for the same amount of money. Yes, I love long, thick, heavy tomes. Thank goodness I now have an 'alternative' to the heavy part in my Nook.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

If there's a book that I think looks good and I definitely want to read, then I don't even check page count.

If, however, I'm on the fence about a book in the first place, then page count may play a factor - the higher the pages, the less likely to buy or read. (I've also started getting fence books from the library first.)

If there's a book I think I probably won't like but everyone prayers me about, then page count & number of books plays a big role in whether I'll read it or not.

So page count does play a factor, but generally only with books I'm not sure I really want to read in the first place.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

LOL

Effing auto-correct.

Pesters. That everyone pesters me about.

(And it tried to change it to prayed again. Pesters is a word, damnit, stop trying to correct it you worthless piece of shit!)

*ahem*

[Chris]

I thought maybe it was some yankee expression.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Or maybe a heathen one? "People always praying at me..."

[Chris]

Yeah, that could be too.

[Deanne]

Sometimes I find the page count daunting, but it wouldn't stop me reading a book, though it might stop me carrying it to work and back.

[Crusader]

I love lengthy tomes and I think the longer the book is the more value you get for your money.

[Michael]

Page count doesn't really matter to me.

[Jamie]

lol, sounds like most don't care. I am always disappointed when the story is over and I have to try to find something new... perhaps with these forums i won't have to struggle quite as hard to find new things to read. for me, the longer the better...

[Chelsea]

Crusader wrote: "I love lengthy tomes and I think the longer the book is the more value you get for your money."

I feel the same way. I keep putting off Something from the Nightside because of its low page-count.

[[deleted user]]

It's a fun, quick read though.

It's popcorn, brain-candy, a literary snack.

Munch it between bigger, weightier tomes for a bit of palate cleansing.

[Chelsea]

Does it have a light, fruity nose with a crisp finish?

[[deleted user]]

It's actually a bit tart with an slight aftertaste of sulfur.

[Chelsea]

Mmmmmm....

[Pickle]

i started buying fantasy books (Tad Williams, Roger Zelazny, etc all 900+ pages) as i was ploughing through sf novels at a rate i couldnt afford each month.

I now rotate between a sci-fi or two then a chunky fantasy.

[Jensownzoo]

Page count doesn't affect my buying habits, but like others, it does affect my reading habits. I have this problem that once I start a good novel, I can't stop. I have to be really careful when I start one of the bricks.

[Al "Tank"]

I don't often pay attention to the page count. Let's face it, the larger book is going to cost more, so "bang for your buck" is almost meaningless.

I'm currently re-reading an old Ace "Double" (how many are old enough to remember those?) and enjoying the first story all over again (it's been over a decade since I read it -- maybe more since I don't remember this story at all).

Now, for those youngsters who don't know what I'm talking about, waaaaayyyyy back in the dark ages, before dirt was invented, books used to run around 50,000 words and were pretty thin by today's standards. An Ace Double was the same size, but it contained two novellas of around 25,000 words each. They had a cover on each side (upside down from each other), so when you finished one book, you close it, flip it over, and start the next.

Hardly War and Peace, but still very enjoyable yarns, and well worth the price (two rocks and a beaver pelt).

[Kim]

Quantity does not mean quality.

[Bill]

I tend to like longer books, because if I really like it I don't want it to end. OTOH after reading The Stand, I did pick out the skinniest book on my TBR pile.

[Dan]

Once a book passes the 500 page mark, I get a little uneasy about reading it. Especially if it's the first book in a series of similarly sized books.

[Jamie]

@kernos haha, I remember feeling a bit worn out after reading The Stand. I also recall having a cold when I started, this seemed to add quite a bit to the story for me.

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

Everyone I know was either sick when they read the Stand, or seemed to start feeling sick while reading it. Heh.

[[deleted user]]

The Stand had that same effect on me when reading it too.

[Ann]

King is on the top of my list but I must agree about The Stand. But I did find myself missing the characters in Under the Dome. (I admit to being guilty of looking for really long books)

[Jamie]

Not to compare to The Stand but when I was much younger I really enjoyed Battlefield Earth. One thing I recall about this book was Hubbard continued the story well after the conclusion.

[Deanne]

Started to notice people sneezing around me when reading The Stand, felt like I should be wearing a Hazmat suit. Doesn't help working in a hospital.

[Al "Tank"]

The longest book I've read recently, was an eBook called Star Marine by John Bowers (it's part of his Fighter Queen saga).

The thing is half the size of War and Peace, but it still went by too fast.

The shortest is one I'm reading in my "spare time" (whatever that is). One of my Ace Doubles that I mentioned earlier.

[Bill]

Jim wrote: "@kernos haha, I remember feeling a bit worn out after reading The Stand. I also recall having a cold when I started, this seemed to add quite a bit to the story for me."

:-) Indeed! This my 1st King, I was quite surprised how good a writer he is. Is he consistently so?

[Jamie]

I have only read a handful of Stephen King books. The Dead Zoneand Firestarter come to mind. I really can't handle horror that well as it causes me to lose sleep but all three of these (including The Stand) are excellently written.

[Mach]

I don't really care about the page size, i read Epic fantasy so i always end up with 600+ page books.

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

Doorstops are kind of a turnoff for me, in fantasy and sometimes in SF. I guess I care about the ratio of signal to noise, or fascination to filler.

Cyteen covered a 20 year time period and needed to be as long as it was. Its sequel Regenesis was about the same length but covered a 9 month time period. I was not nearly as impressed.

I enjoyed Anathem, but couldn't make it past the first volume of the same author's Baroque Cycle.

Topical: Baby Got Books, some parodic lyrics by Jim C. HinesJim C. Hines.

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

Thanks, Pia. :)

[Dan]

Snail in Danger (Sid) wrote: "I enjoyed Anathem, but couldn't make it past the first volume of the same author's Baroque Cycle."

Quicksilver is the book that knocked Neal Stephenson off my buy on sight list. Fascination to filler is a good way to put it.

[Michael]

I must admit I prefer books in the 300 - 350 page range rather than the 800 - 1,200 page range. But I know that many in fantasy like the bigger tomes.

[Dan]

Michael wrote: "I must admit I prefer books in the 300 - 350 page range rather than the 800 - 1,200 page range. But I know that many in fantasy like the bigger tomes."

300-350 is my optimum range as well. Any longer than that and I start thinking "How about wrapping this up? Have you seen that stack of books I have waiting for me in the next room?"

[[deleted user]]

I love long books, because I'm always sad when they end. But I'll settle for a shorter book if it's part of a long series. I primarily started reading the Song of Ice and Fire series because it's the best of both! :-)

[Lara Amber]

I like long books and series. The more real the world feels the better. Plus it can get really expensive at $7 or more a book when the shorts ones are finished in two days.

[Sarah]

Usually I buy books that come with my favorite magazine or I buy books based on different criteria (author, theme, name, et cetera). Page count is my last concern.

[Trike]

I buy primarily for the author, but even there pages-to-price ratio will often forestall my hand on the short side. Case in point: I enjoy Scalzi's work, but the novella The Sagan Diary was 100 pages at the cost of a regular-sized book. I like the "Old Man's War" universe and have read the other 4 books, but I didn't feel the need to continue.

That said, the collection of short stories by James D. Macdonald about his modern Templar priest Peter Crossman was something I snatched up because the only other story involving Crossman was the superb The Apocalypse Door (5 stars) and I wanted to read more about the character. It was a print-on-demand deal and so a bit more costly, but worth every penny.

Mostly, though, for an unknown author I buy using the "around 300 pages" rule.

[Snail in Danger (Sid)]

The Sagan Diary was posted online by the publisher here. Read it for free, legally! /tangent

If I've never heard of an author, there's basically no way I will cough up the full price of a hardcover book. Sometimes I'll gamble on a paperback book if I've never heard of the person. But usually I hit the library to give an author a test drive.

[Joon]

It used to matter to me. Now, not so much. I won't lie, a nice heavy book still feels neat in my hand, but in terms of the reading experience...as a slow reader it gets kind of dispiriting when I've been reading a book for two weeks and I'm still only halfway through it. I get impatient for the next book.

[Valerie]

Overall, it depends on the content. However, I think there's something really satisfying about finishing a 600+ page book (provided it was good, of course). Smallish books are good once in a while, but I like something that can hold my interest over time. :)

[Julia]

I hate long, long books in hardback, because when I inevitably fall asleep reading them in bed, they hurt when I drop them on my face. At which point I often continue reading, because hey, I'm awake!

[Iahel]

of course author and recs are main reasons when I buy a certain book, but page count is also important. I'm a pretty quick reader and books of 300-400 pages usually get read in two days or so, a mammoth of thousand pages has all the chances to get my attention for a bit longer. and I just love this soothing feeling that if I fall in love with characters and their story it will last longer.