Comments on: On Short Books http://www.librarystuff.net/2008/01/30/on-short-books/ The library weblog dedicated to resources for keeping current and professional development Sun, 12 Feb 2012 05:33:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Jessi http://www.librarystuff.net/2008/01/30/on-short-books/comment-page-1/#comment-18501 Jessi Fri, 01 Feb 2008 17:19:43 +0000 http://www.librarystuff.net/2008/01/30/on-short-books/#comment-18501 Harry Potter has done more to "save" reading than about any other book published in the last decade. Short is the last word I'd use to describe JK's writing style. Harry Potter has done more to “save” reading than about any other book published in the last decade. Short is the last word I’d use to describe JK’s writing style.

]]> By: walt crawford http://www.librarystuff.net/2008/01/30/on-short-books/comment-page-1/#comment-18361 walt crawford Wed, 30 Jan 2008 21:43:28 +0000 http://www.librarystuff.net/2008/01/30/on-short-books/#comment-18361 Save? I didn't even know it was lost! Since a lot of nonfiction books these days are novella length, Graff actually has an interesting point. SFWA defines a novella as between 17,500 and 40,000 words; you'll find a lot of library books and other nonfiction books coming in under the 40,000-word mark (including First Have Something to Say, to be sure). [A typical issue of Cites & Insights is novella-length, but only as a whole.] There are many great novellas. There are many great longer novels. People keep buying more books and checking more books out from libraries. Somehow, somewhere, I don't believe reading ever got lost...quite apart from all that onscreen reading we all do. Save? I didn’t even know it was lost!

Since a lot of nonfiction books these days are novella length, Graff actually has an interesting point. SFWA defines a novella as between 17,500 and 40,000 words; you’ll find a lot of library books and other nonfiction books coming in under the 40,000-word mark (including First Have Something to Say, to be sure). [A typical issue of Cites & Insights is novella-length, but only as a whole.]

There are many great novellas. There are many great longer novels. People keep buying more books and checking more books out from libraries. Somehow, somewhere, I don’t believe reading ever got lost…quite apart from all that onscreen reading we all do.

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