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Big and popular books I’m avoiding // Because hype + long books are scary?

Analee @ Book Snacks87 Comments

In case you missed it, Big Books + Hype = EXTREME FEAR.

This is fact, okay. FACT. Decided by me, the Very Honest, Never Ever EVER Hyperbolic Queen.

So, “big” can kind of vary (because I am an unpredictable potato), but generally I’ll label anything from around 400 or mid-400 onwards as being a big book??

And okay, sure, I totally understand that fantasy books often have to be long because of how much content and world it needs to explore, but from simply a reader’s perspective, big books can be kind of a hassle. 😂

  • They take more time –> time is precious –> also more of a need for the book to be amazing because you spend so much time on it??
  • I like completing goals!! And overall succeeding!! But then in the time it takes for me to read one big book, I could’ve maybe finished 2 smaller books and that’s better for my GR challenge 😂😅
  • What if it disappoints??? Double the disappointment because it’s double the size of a normal book!!
  • I’m a lazy person
  • My logic is flawless
  • Often times the book doesn’t really even NEED to be that long (*cough* The Unexpected Everything *cough*) and so then it’s just filler which is annoying
  • THEY’RE SO HEAVY AND INTIMIDATING
  • What if they fall from my shelf and break my head
  • This is a true fear

Older hyped books

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin (848 pages)

Okay, barring the fact that there’s incest and all the characters die over and over or something tragic like that, THESE BOOKS ARE SO FREAKING BIG. Like omg I can’t even.

WHYYY are these books so big.

Not for world building or anything obviously

Am I ever going to read these? Uhhhhh.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer (620 pages)

Will I ever read this?? Hahahahah nope, probably not.

It’s just not my cup of tea??

Also it’s just wayyyyy too long PLEASE SPARE ME.

The Diviners by Libba Bray (578 pages)

I heard so much about The Diviners!! But I’m very skeptical because GOSH THAT’S LONG and I’m 99.9% sure it doesn’t need to be that long.

What a large commitment I cry

Seraphina by Rachel Hartman (500 pages)

I heard of dragons!! I might read this someday! (BUT 500 pages geez)

New Books

(So I tried organizing by release date AND page count and it did not work oops. But that’s okay!!)

Lord of the Shadows by Cassandra Clare (700 pages)

I ADORE SHADOWHUNTERS.
I ADORE LADY MIDNIGHT.

I STILL HAVEN’T READ THIS BOOK.

I know, I’m insane.

But guyssss everyone says this book is amazing and there’s a cliffhanger and I’m scared okay!!! I need my children to be okay!!

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman & Jay Kristoff (600 pages)

Also if I read it I also have to read Gemina, which is 660 pages (!!!!) and the upcoming Obsidio which is reportedly 624 pages….

I give y’all permission to screech at me to read the series!!

And I will!

Someday!!

Maybe!!

Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor (536 pages)

It’s staring me down from my shelf but gosh darnit it’s long. And it’s Laini Taylor!! Which means the writing will be beautiful but also very descriptive and hard to get into at first hahahah hence me still not having read it oops.

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (525 pages)

OKAY. I KNOW I’m going to love this book!! The hype is NOT going to be wrong with this one, I just know it.

Buuuuut I still haven’t read it.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯

And I Darken by Kiersten White (475 pages)

I was planning on listening to this on audiobook from Overdrive but I can’t focus as well in audiobook?? So I’m going to read the physical book and I’m so excited for Lada (is that her name) and Radu?? and all that murder and stuff…

except I’m apparently not ready enough to read it!! Surprise!!

The Belles by Dhonielle Clayton (450 pages)

Okay so this is on the smaller side of the big scale, but the HYPE. Omg. So huge. And 450 pages is still a rather large commitment?? Also there’s some certain content issues I heard of that makes me avoid it a bit more but I might end up reading it?

slightly spoilery/content warning

I’m a bit more hesitant because of the “bury your gays” trope I heard about in this, but also W/POC rep is so important and I think this book is still worth reading? I’m just so saddened by the bury your gays trope because I thought we would’ve been past that? But I do want to read this and basically I’m a contradictory mess hahahah oops

What popular and/or large books have you been avoiding? Do you avoid large books? Are any of these books still on your TBR as well? What is your preferred length for a book? Which of these books must I *ABSOLUTELY* read? 

87 thoughts on “Big and popular books I’m avoiding // Because hype + long books are scary?”

  2. The Host was surprisingly good. Don’t completely dismiss it. It’s actually a quick read with not that much filler. I went into it not expecting to like it because I LOVED Twilight but definitely enjoyed it.

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  3. Personally I love big books! Four or five of six hundred page books are my favourite! But I definitely get how they can be daunting…

    Illuminae, Serapina and Strange the Dreamer are all amazing (!!), but other than that I haven’t actually read most of these books either… too much hype…

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  4. YES I relate so much with all your points! I mean, c’mon, falling from your shelf is a completely rational fear. It could dent the floor (and the book!) too, you know? Most of these books are on my TBR and they sound so exciting but…I haven’t gotten around to reading them, haha.

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  6. I’ve been avoiding the last Throne of Glass novel…those books are just way too long for me and I’m a little over all the hype.

    The length of the Diviners also scares me lol. I was going through my TBR deciding what to keep and what to pass and when I saw that page count I was like WHAT!?

    The only really long books that I wish were longer are The Mortal Instrument novels (girl, Lord of Shadows–maybe wait closure to the next book so you don’t have to wait) and The Red Rising Series.

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    • Oh, same!! I read the fifth book but I’m just not very interested in the books anymore haha.

      Right?! It’s crazy! So many people loved it so I’m glad I’m not the only one put off with the length hahaha.

      Ahhh I get you! And those books are already so long haha. (So true!! I think I’m gonna do that, I’m not prepared to wait so long 😂) I actually found the Red Rising series to be a good length (but oh my gosh those books were hug)

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  7. I generally prefer larger books but the hype can sometimes dissuade me. I haven’t read Game of Thrones for that reason specifically. Lord of Shadows is so good!! You’ll definitely fly through it but wait closer to the release date of Queen of Air and Darkness so the wait won’t be that long.

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  10. I agree with you. Big books, more than 500 pages!!! Mmm daunting and takes me too long to get to the conclusion. 300 is a good amount for a good plot and character development. I had Illuminae on my shelf for ages and ended up passing it on.
    I haven’t read any of the books you mention. But if you do read them I hope they are worth it and live up to their hype. Happy reading! 😉📚
    Amanda xx

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  12. I picked up a pristine copy of The Diviners for 50 cents a few years back. The reviews were so positive and it’s the type of book I KNOW I’ll love……… but it’s huge!! Omg why does it have to be so big?! I haven’t read it yet because I’m so afraid of the size. I plan to brave it this year… maybe 😂
    And I know Illuminae seems big and scary but it’s a super fast read. The format makes it super easy to fly through. The Host was a book I had a friend force me to read and it made me cry like a baby! I was so invested emotionally in the characters. It was fantastic and surprising!

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    • First of all, 50 cents!! What a deal! But omg right?! Everyone keeps saying it’s super good but omg it’s so huge. Let me know if/when you read it this year hahahaha 😂
      That’s true! I’ve seen the format is pretty unconventional. I’m glad to hear it! Really? Oh my gosh, all the praise is making me reconsider not reading it ahah. That sounds great!

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  13. I read The Host like ten million years ago and remember enjoying it … but dang, that’s long! I don’t remember it being that long! The Diviners, Strange the Dreamer, and As I Darken are still on my list 😀

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    • I didn’t think it was that long either! But I’m glad you enjoyed it, I’ll have to take another look and maybe try it one day ahah. ❤ I did finally tackle The Diviners (really enjoyed) and As I Darken (was okay) but still haven't gotten around to Strange the Dreamer!! Hopefully one day haha 😂

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  14. I had to tap out on GoT because it’s just way too long. And I couldn’t stay interested. To help with your fear, but the big books on the bottom shelf. haha. Happy reading.

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  17. Oh, you have to read Illuminae! Now, I know it’s so thick, BUT some of the pages don’t have rows and rows of words. There’s graphs and pictures, so it’s not AS thick as it seems. And it’s SO GOOD!

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  18. I just posted a Bookstagram post on this! My intimidatingly big books that I know I need to read, but am scared to start are Gone With The Wind, Anna Karenina, and Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell. So big, so scary…but supposedly so good!

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  19. I understand your hesitation with ASOIAF and The Host, but thankfully for me, they were both worth the read. I think you should give them a try! As for the newer books, I’ve read Strange the Dreamer and The Belles – and they’re really not as huge or time consuming as they look to be.

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  22. The Host is actually really good, it’s not just another Twilight, I think because it’s an Adult book and not YA she comes at it from a different angle which is really refreshing. Been meaning to read her other Adult fiction The Chemist for soooooo long but have been putting it off and off because it is standard Meyer it’s huge lol so I totally get what you’re saying. Great post!

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  24. Woah, I relate so much? I don’t think I’ve read anything from your list haha and many of them have this exact reason for them 😅
    Great post!

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  25. i 150% knew i’d see illuminae when i came here
    ALSO LORD OF SHADOWS IS SO GOOD OMG and strange the dreamer was good but vvv long so eh i guess.
    Also im completely sure i will not pick up game of thrones because ONE THOUSAND PAGES WTF

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  26. Ooooo, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, it’s over 650 pages long and the writing is also pretty small…. I keep meaning to but then I look at it and just…. NOPE! Before running to my nice and cuddly 400 pages max books XD

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  29. This is such a great post, Analee, I love it! I know I tend to be intimidated by big books as well, because they’re just SO big and they take more time and what if the commitment isn’t worth it, in the end?? I think that’s what scares me the most hahaha, to lose my time while there are so many books out there.
    About The Belles, I recently read and enjoyed it, the world-building was amazing and so was the story… even if it took a bit of time to kick-start. There is the “bury your gays” thingy that really sucks though :/ I hope you’ll still want to give this a try, just because I’d love to see what you think of that world building 🙂 x

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  30. Seraphina is definitely worth it, in my opinion!! It’s long, but it goes by fast! And Children of Blood and Bone has only been out for a week, so I think you can get a pass on that one lol 😉 I really want to read that one too but it is quite a commitment!

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  31. I actually really loved The Host! You should totally give it a shot!! I found it to be a quick almost suspenseful read. Another long book I really liked was House of Leaves!

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  32. I remember when I was little that I loooooved big books. It was like a sign of how literate and amazing I was at reading if the book was huge, but lately … ain’t nobody got time for that! I prefer something around 300 pages way more than the huge tomes I used to read. Why are sooo many fantasy books so huuuge? *sobs* Anyway, don’t read Game of Thrones. It is so not worth it. I still don’t understand how I got to book 5 because I never finished it and don’t even think I could now.

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  33. I really liked The Unexpected Everything but I agree that it was too long and it really didn’t need to be? I was so shocked when it arrived in the mail because it’s so big for a contemporary??

    I feel you so much on your reasons why big books are scary – I don’t know what happened because I used to WANT big books because I’d finish smaller books so fast. Maybe it’s because I had more time back then haha

    Out of the books you mentioned I’ve only read The Host and uh yeah not worth it. I only read it because Twilight was huge back then and my best friend back then loved Twilight so I thought ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ I’ll try it. IT’S SO BIG. Also I was 12 and my English was not that advanced yet so that was fun lol (I was reading it for school too what was I thinking lmao)

    One book I’m avoiding is Les Mis because it’s,, over 1000 pages,, It’s been on my shelf for who knows how long (5 years by now maybe??) and I really want to read it but,, it’s so big. And heavy. and the letters are so small!! Though if they were bigger the book would be even bigger omg

    Anyway, love this post! 🙂

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  34. Those are very valid reasons you stated! You should totally read Game of Thrones, I was quite intimidated at first, but after you get into the rhythm you’ll fall in love with the world, the story and the characters and it’ll still take forever to finish, but you’ll have such a wonderful sense of achievement.
    Just think the opposite from how you think taking a long time to read a long book is a waste, and think about how reading a long book that is GOOD, will let you enjoy the amazing writing and story for much longer! ❤ Best of luck on tackling all the tomes in your TBR 😉

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  35. I haven’t read GOT series and I never will but I might watch its TV series adaptation. Illuminae files is one of my favorite series and I’m so looking forward to read OBSIDIO. I hope you give it a shot someday! I haven’t read COBAB yet but I’m hoping to pick it up soon.

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  37. The great thing about reading ebooks is that I am ignorant to how long they are, because like you, I find big books a turn off. Illuminae sat on my shelf for over a year. Then my co-blogger read it and raved, and convinced me that the thickness is deceiving, because there are pages with very little writing, etc. I read it and LOVED it! It was a really quick read. Now, Cassandra Clare. I love her books, but I feel like some could have been shorter. There were some cool side stories in there, but they really didn’t advance the overall plot and probably increased the already long book by 100+ pages.

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    • Ahh that is a perk! I never thought of that haha. A lot less scary! Yay I’m so glad you enjoyed Illuminae!! I really do need to pick that up one day. Very true, Cassandra Clare’s books have quite a number of pages that could’ve been taken out!

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  38. i’m so excited for you to read COBAB!!!!! ldsdksjfs i was crying in my room all night bc it’s just precious and I’m so attached to the characters now??????? I haven’t read any of the others but so many on my TBR, especially The Diviners (but woww it really is longg??) ❤ ❤

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      • I’VE MISSED YOUUUU!!! ❤ ❤ also i still haven't read it after an entire year AND I EVEN FORGOT ABOUT THE BOOK [decides to become a recluse bc i'm v sad about not reading The Diviners]

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  39. Even I don’t like the books which are very long both in page counts and series. That’s why I stopped reading Game of Thrones series after the very first book. What can I say I’m a really lazy person.:wink:

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  42. I’ve started the diviners (like serval months.. years ago) but I could never finish it… its just SOO long and I don’t have the patience anymore to wait for it to get interesting!! Also just watch A Game of Thrones the TV show is amazing!! (its so beautiful I could cry *holds back tears*) plus like 700 pages.. um no thanks! haha great post 🙂 (so very relevant to my current thought process!)

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    • I finally did get around to The Diviners and really enjoyed it! I totally know what you mean haha, I’ve been there. Yeah, I was considering that at one point! I’m glad you love it so much. 🙂 Haha I know the books are HUGE!

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  44. A lot of these are on my tbh, mostly because I seem to be collecting every stray book I find, building my own little stack of books! I have read ‘the host’ by Stephanie, and it was pretty good! Few years ago I read it though! Hope you finally enjoy the heck out of these books ❤

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