When
I first started in my career as a librarian, I secretly judged people who asked
me about the number of pages in a book before they were even curious about its
plot. I used my “concern” about dwindling reading habits of America’s youth as
a thin disguise for my own smug attitude concerning my love for long,
meandering novels. At one time, I could read three or four books simultaneously
and couldn’t understand why the length of a book mattered. If a book is
interesting and well-written, why would anyone care about the length? I
couldn’t fathom a different answer than my own.
No
matter how well-concealed, this is not a good attitude for anyone in a position
to recommend books, especially to kids. Age and experience have thankfully
intervened to eliminate the uninformed judgements of my youth. The past
fourteen years as a youth services professional in public library has taught me
all the reasons book length is such an important factor for many readers. Kids
definitely judge books by their covers, and by extension, they factor in how
difficult a book might be simply by looking at it. While many kids do love
massive tomes like J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series or Rick Riordan’s Percy
Jackson novels, some see a large book and immediately worry they can’t finish
it.
Large
books can be intimidating to kids struggling with reading comprehension or
attention span challenges. Sometimes even strong readers quail at huge novels
when they know a school assignment is due in less than a month. In addition,
many kids (and adults) prefer a plot that moves along at a brisk pace. Longer
books can often involve many characters or subplots that bog a reader down in
more detail than he or she enjoys.
Finally,
motherhood has humbled me. For the first three or four years of my daughter’s
life, I was so tired that I could only finish a few pages before drifting off.
Frequently, I was rudely awoken by my own book hitting me in the face. And
forget reading multiple books at once. As with all things pre-child, that life
was over. One quick solution that kept me reading (and awake) involved turning
to short stories for some relief. Short stories offer the feeling of success
during dark reading times. Readers can easily finish a story or two in a few
minutes and don’t feel compelled to read the whole book cover to cover. Fortune
Smiles by Adam Johnsons satisfied my craving for character driven stories
without the slow plot that usually accompanies them. I also always enjoy short
story offerings from Flannery O’Connor, especially A Good Man is Hard to Find.
Many
mothers know the reality of “mom brain”, that foggy feeling and memory shortage
that seems to go hand in hand with raising little kids. During that time, I
would look at long novels with their cast of characters and realize that I
would never be able to keep all the names or plot twists straight. I loved long
series but frequently forgot what happened from one installment to the next.
Sometimes I even forgot what happened in the beginning of the book by the time
I reached the end. I shelved my intricate fantasy novels and moved on to
shorter, more humorous reads like A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Bachman. This
story of a grumpy old man who meets his match in his new neighbors kept me
laughing and turning the pages.
Now
that my daughter is school-aged and a beginning reader herself, I truly
understand how busy lives constrain reading time for most families. There are
only so many hours in the day and parents and kids are both exhausted at the
end of them Happily, I can report that most parents are doing the right thing
and insisting on reading at least twenty minutes a day. But I also can now appreciate
the grateful looks overwhelmed parents have given me when I help their child
find an appropriate book that’s not “too long”.
On a
personal level, I’ve found a new way to reconnect with my love for drawn-out,
character driven novels by incorporating audiobooks into my daily life. While I
don’t have a long commute, I seem to spend a lot of time in my car, to-ing and
fro-ing from errands to pick-ups and drop-offs. Even in short bursts, I listen
to thirty to forty-five minutes of a book per day. In addition, I also try to
make the tedium of chores more bearable by listening to a book as I bustle
around the house, folding laundry, emptying the dishwasher, picking up toys or
making the beds. Recently, Pachinko, an epic tale following four generations
of Japanese-born Koreans, powered me through spring cleaning.
Most
audiobook devotees will tell you the narrator plays a key role in the success
of an audiobook. A reader can make or break your interest in continuing to
listen to a story. If the audiobook reader has great inflection and creates
different but believable voices for each character, I’m hooked. If the narrator
as an irritating voice or mispronounces words, I know I’ll never commit to
listening to the story. Currently, the talented actress Liyah Summers is
narrating The Priory of the Orange Tree, an intricately detailed British
fantasy that rivals Game of Thrones for its unexpected twists and turns.
If
you are looking for ways to incorporate more reading into a busy life, check
out the library’s Overdrive and Hoopla services. Each of these services provide
access to free e-books and digital audiobooks through easy to download apps for
your mobile device. All you need is Norwood library card to gain access to
these amazing digital resources.
All
of this has made me a better librarian. I can’t truly help people if I judge
them or their requests. I don’t think twice now if a child asks me how long
each summer reading book is before making their selection. I understand the
practical concerns and, frankly, differing preferences most people have. If a
child or adult tells me they like a book that “moves along” or is “exciting”, I
know to dispense with involved plots and lengthy descriptive prose in favor of
well-written, shorter books with more appeal and a faster pace. I’m here to
create help kids and adults create their own positive reading experiences so
they can develop a lifelong love affair with books.
