In Praise of Short Chapters
Don’t judge a book by its cover, but maybe do by its chapter length.
Starting in 2019, I set a goal for myself to read 20 books a year. In 2019, I hit it. Ditto for 2020.
In 2021, I only made it halfway. Ten books. Not even one a month. I’ve tried not to beat myself up too much over falling short, but I have entered 2022 with renewed dedication to hit the mark this year.
I finished 2021 by reading Deacon King Kong by James McBride in less than two weeks and am currently making decent headway through Our Country Friends by Gary Shteyngart. There are some familiar reasons for the speedy progress through both: interesting characters, intriguing plot points. But there’s another less obvious one as well: short chapters.
I’ll characterize a short chapter as between 6-12 pages for these purposes. And what I’ve noticed is that they act as great motivators to keep reading. If you’re reading before bed, seeing that you only have a few more pages left to the end of the chapter (as opposed to 20) can incentivize you to finish it instead of just flipping off the lights wherever you are. Similarly, when you’re in a groove and humming along, seeing that the next chapter isn’t too long can spur you to keep going. I find short chapters to be especially effective in long books, which can feel daunting at first before you gain traction in the story.
As I set off to finish Our Country Friends and 19 other books this year, I am certainly not going to let chapter-length be the only factor in my reading choices, but it will be a factor. Because in the same way that you can’t judge a book by its cover, you can’t ignore its cover either. And if short chapters help me read more, in the long run, I think they will help me read better.
I’ve Spend 25 Years As A Joan Didion Thief
The death of Joan Didion just before Christmas inspired numerous well-deserved accolades. But I really enjoyed this piece by Jay Caspian King about the mechanics of Didion’s writing and how attractive they are to young writers to try to mimic.
—Justin
A Q&A With the Woman Who Installed These 2-Foot-Tall Address Numbers on Her House
I had a blast reading this brief interview with a random woman in Virginia who put extra-large numbers on her house, mostly because she wanted to, but also for a handful of other reasons. I don’t want to pull any quotes, because it’s short enough that you should just read it.
—Andrew
Alison Roman Just Can’t Help Herself
Sometimes I want to read a New Yorker profile, but put it off due to length, which is perhaps just an indicator that I’m not that interested in the subject. When Rachel sent me this Alison Roman profile, I started and finished it immediately. I go through waves of who my favorite food creators are (Babish held the title for the longest stretch). Currently, it’s Alison Roman for reasons this profile does a better job of explaining than I can.
—Andrew
More to That
Throughout the 35 editions of this newsletter, a few patterns have emerged. One of the most obvious is my adoration of Tim Urban’s Wait But Why. When longtime reader and NBA insider, HL sent me this post by Laurence Yeo (aka More to That), it reminded me so much of Wait But Why. I’ve since read a few other posts and can’t wait to read more. Some have resonated with me more than others, but all have filled the procrastination-monkey-sized-hole left by Tim Urban’s absence as he writes a book. Bonus: Tim’s EOY Twitter thread.
—Andrew