Change Your Life, a Thousand Pages at a Time

Reading for pleasure is already on the decline nowadays, so the thought of choosing to read a longer or more challenging book might be too much to ask of anyone. One might also wonder if there’s purpose in spending that much time on a long classic book when you should be reading more “spiritual” books.

Last year, my book club decided to tackle a more daunting book—the 1,200-page unabridged version of The Count of Monte Cristo. And as we read it, I discovered not only that it’s one of the greatest books of all time, but also there are benefits of reading longer books I hadn’t realized before.

If you’re skeptical or not sure how to make something like this happen, maybe my own discoveries can be helpful.

A long book is like a long relationship.

The more time you spend with a book, the deeper you get to know the characters. This was true with The Count of Monte Cristo, where the reader comes to care deeply for Edmond Dantes and his plight of being unjustly accused and sent to prison. Throughout the rest of the book, as he seeks vengeance against those who sent him there, readers are drawn into his journey because of how the author, Alexandre Dumas, makes them care for him.

Just like a long relationship, a long book requires setting aside time for it, coming back to it every day. It requires focused attention in a world that is constantly trying to fragment it. However, the more time you spend with the characters, their joys, sorrows, and lessons will have an impact on your own life. You will find yourself resonating with them in deeper ways than you would with a shorter book.

The longer the book, the more intricate the author can make the plot.

While it can be challenging to remember all the pieces, seeing everything woven together in a masterful way is satisfying. Tracking various elements of the plot and making connections while reading makes deeper pathways in our brains. This will extend to other areas, such as studying the Bible.

With The Count of Monte Cristo, there are events that seem random when they’re first introduced, but then several chapters later, they fall into place and their meaning is clear. Readers will get excited about connecting the dots, which makes the story fuller and richer.

Committing to something over a long period of time is good for us.

Reading a long book develops stamina and discipline, which we won’t find by scrolling on our phones. Just like training for a marathon, it may feel scary at first, but as we tackle it each day, it becomes more doable.

This commitment will strengthen our brains and bring joy in finishing it. If we can get lost in doomscrolling for a half hour, couldn’t we also retrain our brains to get lost in a longer book for the same amount of time? Not to mention the other health benefits of gaining longer attention spans, avoiding physical strains on our eyes and necks from being on devices, and not getting depressed by comparisons on social media.

Furthermore, the end reward of finishing a long classic book feels so much better than wasting time with pointless videos online. I won’t spoil the ending of The Count of Monte Cristo, but it’s one of the most beautiful I’ve read because of all that came before. Ultimately, it’s more satisfying because of the discipline I put in to get to that ending. And for believers, the connection to Scriptural principles of having hope and waiting through the darkest trials for what comes beyond is poignant.

How do we do this?

Practically speaking, we need a plan if we’re going to tackle a longer book. If you have a group of friends who want to make a book club with you, I’d highly recommend it. Deadlines and other people reading the same book make for great accountability—and it’s also fun to discuss what’s happening in the book together.

Here are some other practical tips for reading a longer book:

• Set deadlines. My book club split The Count of Monte Cristo into thirds, giving ourselves about five or six weeks to read each third. Broken down even further, that equaled about a chapter a day.
• Find your golden moments. This is something I talk about with my English classes. If your life is busy, look for pockets of extra time to squeeze reading in. Waiting for an appointment, before going to bed, while on a lunch break—pretty much any time you’d take out your phone to scroll, replace it with your book (which you’ll have to carry around with you).
• Keep a reader’s journal. Make character lists, setting lists, plot outlines, connections—anything that will help you make sense out of what’s going on in the story.
• Write it on your to-do list or set a reminder in your phone. Sometimes we forget to read unless we have it written down somewhere that we can check off.
• Read while listening to an audiobook, watch a good movie/show adaptation, or read summaries. These are not “cheats” as we may have learned in school—they can be good introductions to understand the storyline before getting into the actual text. One caveat about audiobooks is that if you only listen to a longer book instead of reading a physical copy, you might get lost in the maze of characters and intricate plot points. But if you listen while reading, it can help with pacing and pronunciation for more engagement.
• Get the book for free at the library! Most classics are available at the library, so you won’t feel like you must spend money on a new hobby.

While we should still be prioritizing time in God’s Word and reading for spiritual growth, reading the classics can also help us grow by showing values and virtues in narrative form. As we live vicariously through the characters in the books we read, we will learn how to make the right choices, how sin leads to destruction, and how we all have a longing for redemption. These books have stood the test of time because they have timeless messages that we need to remember.

So maybe this summer is the time to pick your first long classic book and set goals to finish reading it. It just might change your life.

Lydia Kinne

Lydia is a teacher, poet, and blogger, who serves various ministries here at Faith. You can read more of her writing and subscribe to her blog at lydiakinne.substack.com.

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