Ah novellas, more than just a short story, but not quite a novel. For some, that distinction makes it just right.

What makes novellas worth talking about? Well, for one, there's a inexaustible supply of them out there. And some of them are even worth reading.

A majority of the YA books I've noticed on shelves lean more towards the novella length than a novel's. Not all, but enough to point it out. *point*

If you want to get all mathematical about it, a novella can range from anywhere between 1,000 - 50,000 words, with those min/max numbers varying depending on the writer's opinion you're working from.

Personally, I prefer the 20,000-50,000 word range for a novella, leaving shorter length pieces to duke it out as short stories or flash fiction. But that's really because I tend to ignore the fewer than 20,000 word blobs of plot I write anyway.

If one of my plots can't make it past 20,000 words, then I just shelve it until I can work it into another story. Or it just sits in a stack of ideas, collecting dust, bookworms, and the occassional tea stain if it happens to be on the top of the stack for any period of time.

For others, I've heard that novellas make for good length reads if you have a short attention span or precious little free time. I do appreciate a plot where I can read a few pages at a time, depending on where I happen be, whether it's waiting for a train, waiting for a subway, waiting for minions to do my bidding, or just the occassional lunch hour too.

If the plot is strong enough, my attention span can usually last several hours. I just never have several hours of free time left. *shakes fist at lack of 36 hour days* My length of dedication to reading tends to wane dramatically the more complicated the plot becomes, though. I've been averaging 20-30 minute reading sprints for Game of Thrones due to the absurdly packed multi-plots.

That, however, is not a novella by any means. Game of Thrones is part of a novel series...that has no end in sight for the next several years. But there's enough other books in my Read These or the Owl Will Eat You pile to help fill in until George R. R. Martin finishes the series. And a nice dozen novellas or so would be a nice change from the brick sized paperback I've been carrying around. (It does come in handy as a self defense weapon in a pinch, though.)

Novellas may not be for everyone. In fact, I can guarantee that they're not for everyone. But for plenty of people out there, a novella is perfect. What about you? What's your preferred length of book?