The Long Haul, the Long Game, and the Long Read.

I recently finished what I consider a long-haul book. It was Wilbur Smith’s River God. A coworker told me it's his favorite book and recommended I read it.  So, when I found it at a used bookstore, I bought it up. It's over 600 pages with dense paragraphs filled with a lot of details. It took me several months to get through this book for a few reasons: I would only read about a half hour a day, I had started a couple other books at the same time, and it was over 600 pages! A couple of weeks ago I was determined to finish it before I went out of state for my wedding. I committed all my reading time to it (when I should have been writing my wedding vows).  I ended up downloading the audiobook so I could listen while working. I was happy to have finished it so I could discuss it with my coworker before I left.                  

The book is a historical fiction about ancient Egypt.  Not only was it a long book but it took place over several decades.  Wilbur Smith began writing in the 1960’s mostly big historical adventure books. He wrote up until his death in 2021 and several books have been published posthumously.  I had read his novel A Time To Die when I was younger and enjoyed it.  I appreciated the recommendation of River God and was glad to have made it through. I just didn't realize when I started it that it would be a long-haul book.

A lot of the indie books I read are mostly under 300 pages and I can finish them in under a week.  That being said, I have brought with me the new Garielle Lutz book Backwardness that is about 900 pages long! I don’t expect to finish it for at least a month.  I also brought with me several much shorter books to review while I have these two weeks off. 

Being a writer and a reader is a long game. It's not about the destination, it's about the journey. Yes, it is nice to finish writing a story, novel, or your wedding vows, but it's important to remember why you started writing them in the first place.  As a reader there have been plenty of times where I take longer to finish a book because I don't want it to end.  It's wonderful when a book fully transports to another world and you miss the characters after you finish the book.  While River God was rich in detail and offered a unique view of ancient Egypt, I was happy to be done with it.  Near the end it seemed even the author was ready for it to be over as he hastily wrapped up the character’s fates. 

I write this only days before my wedding.  Over a year ago I proposed to my soon to be wife.  Our engagement has been a fun adventure; the planning, the decorating, the dinners, and the wedding shower.  We came up with a theme early on in our engagement: library/books.  At the time I proposed, I was working at a library.  Our families both love reading, her grandfather had worked at a library, her cousin had worked at a library, and one of her relatives had owned a bookstore.  It was the obvious choice for us.  I am very much looking forward to the day and all the days after.  You could definitely say that I’m in it for the long haul.