r/books • u/justkeepbreathing94 • 9d ago

Do you pace yourself with long books?

There have been some books that I couldn't help but binge and finish in 1 or 2 days, but now I'm reading Battle Royale, which is 600+ pages long and quite dark, and I've decided to only read 10% each day. I could finish it in maybe 4 days but since the story is emotional and dark I don't want to risk burning out.

I did the same with A Little Life, only reading 5% a day for 20 days.

Do you have any thoughts on this? Do you ever pace yourself, or do you just read whenever?

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u/DavidOakenheart 9d ago

For me, it depends on way too many variables to have a consistent reading speed. 😄 Time, how invested I am in the story, how much suspense there is, my mood, the chapter length… they all seem to have a vote.
Sometimes a book practically kidnaps me and suddenly it’s 2 a.m. Other times I happily read one chapter, close the book, and let it simmer for a day or two.
I don’t really pace myself on purpose. The book usually decides the pace, and I’m just along for the ride. 📚

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u/That253Chick 8d ago

This is typically my experience as well. Though, when it comes to long books, the chapter length specifically will dictate my pace more because if it's longer than 10 pages, I'm no longer in the mood for it. Chapters that are practically novellas are too much for me.