[izzydata]

I find that part of the reason a book can feel so great is because of the time investment. If you could somehow read Count of Monte Cristo in 5 minutes and absorb all the information I don't think it would have the same impact. So basically you need the "dull" or at least more mundane parts of the story so that the climax can exist and actually feel climactic.

Semi related, but I feel like this is one of the reasons that a lot of Japanese RPG games are 80-100 hours long. It feels much more like a long adventure and despite a large percentage of it being mundane it really adds to the emotional investment in what you are doing.

[danielodievich]

Yes, that's right! In many ways a good book experience is like a really nicely made and presented dinner. Sure, you can wolf down a nicely made steak and drown a glass of wine quickly, but you would have missed out on a nice conversation and enjoyment.

Lots of modern literature for youths is all about crash boom bang getting right into it tiktokiness algorithm wise - hey if something isn't flipping on the screen quickly it's no good. I enjoy that occasionally, like at the beach or by the pool, but not always.