--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People apparently only read mystery…" description: "\"People apparently only read mystery stories of any length. With mysteries, the longer the better, and people will read any damn thing. But the indulgen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/cormac-mccarthy-181_any_people-apparently-only-read-mystery-stor_2251747.jpg" --- # People apparently only read mystery stories of any length… ![“People apparently only read mystery stories of any length. With mysteries, the longer the better, and people will read any damn thing. But the indulgent, 800-page books that were written a hundred years ago are just not going to be written anymore, and people need to get used to that.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/cormac-mccarthy-181_any_people-apparently-only-read-mystery-stor_2251747.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/cormac-mccarthy-181_any_people-apparently-only-read-mystery-stor_2251747.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/328/cormac-mccarthy-181_any_people-apparently-only-read-mystery-stor_2251747.jpg) > “People apparently only read mystery stories of any length. With mysteries, the longer the better, and people will read any damn thing. But the indulgent, 800-page books that were written a hundred years ago are just not going to be written anymore, and people need to get used to that.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author argues that modern readers prefer shorter mysteries, and lengthy classic works are unlikely to be replicated, urging adaptation to changing tastes. **In simple terms:** Readers now favor short mysteries; long classics won’t return. Key Takeaway Adapt reading habits to contemporary preferences. Themes literature reading trends publishing culture adaptation Mood analytical thoughtful critical Type literary criticism industry insight When to use this quote - book clubs - publishing decisions - author workshops - library acquisitions Key Concepts consumer behavior literary history market dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Will shorter formats diminish literary complexity? - How can publishers balance brevity and depth? A Different Perspective Long works still hold value for depth and challenge. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Damn thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn-thing/) [Mysteries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mysteries/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) ## Related quotes > [I don't think the problem is that people don't read enough mystery books, but that people don't read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-perry/i-don-t-think-the-problem-is-that-people-don-t-read-enough-mystery/) [Thomas Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-perry/) > [I have never, ever, not once, met a writer who said he or she would never read a mystery or a story set in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-smith/i-have-never-ever-not-once-met-a-writer-who-said-he-or-she-would/) [Russell Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-smith/) > [“I think that’s why I love to read. I’ll read almost anything—mystery, suspense, slice of life—but what I really love is romance. Contemporary is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-t-prussing/i-think-that-s-why-i-love-to-read-i-ll-read-almost-anything-mystery/) S.T. Prussing > [I've watched so many mystery stories on T.V, when I turn off the set I wipe my finger-prints off the dial.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-watched-so-many-mystery-stories-on-t-v-when-i-turn-off-the-set-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Yes, I was one of the slightly vintage women who let out a shriek when we saw it at Costco: 'The Nancy Drew Mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-tsing-loh/yes-i-was-one-of-the-slightly-vintage-women-who-let-out-a-shriek-when/) [Sandra Tsing Loh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-tsing-loh/) > [I've been surprised that 'Elizabeth is Missing' has been so well received as a crime book. I love mystery stories, and that is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-healey/i-ve-been-surprised-that-elizabeth-is-missing-has-been-so-well/) [Emma Healey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-healey/) > [For whatever reason, I am just very attracted to mystery stories, solving mysteries. I was a huge fan of 'The Jinx.' That's such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-daddario/for-whatever-reason-i-am-just-very-attracted-to-mystery-stories/) [Alexandra Daddario](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-daddario/) > [And I really haven't done a damn thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-tillman/and-i-really-haven-t-done-a-damn-thing/) [Pat Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-tillman/) > [I always choose to remember the moment that was the best of Jeanne Cooper - those photos where she's in that wild dress triumphantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin-bernsen/i-always-choose-to-remember-the-moment-that-was-the-best-of-jeanne/) [Corbin Bernsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corbin-bernsen/) > [“I turn the key and I turn the key and I turn the key and she doesn't do a damn thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-cohn/i-turn-the-key-and-i-turn-the-key-and-i-turn-the-key-and-she-doesn-t/) [Rachel Cohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-cohn/) > [After you've been working fairly intensively on a novel for six months you never want to see the damn thing again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/after-you-ve-been-working-fairly-intensively-on-a-novel-for-six/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Everyone says we have our first African American president. Has there ever been a Jewish president? An Italian president? They don't say a damn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monte-irvin/everyone-says-we-have-our-first-african-american-president-has-there/) [Monte Irvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monte-irvin/) > [I'm the best damn thing that your eyes have ever seen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/i-m-the-best-damn-thing-that-your-eyes-have-ever-seen/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [We do the same damn thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swagg-mala/we-do-the-same-damn-thing/) Swagg Mala > [When you see something you want to do, go do the damn thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcafee/when-you-see-something-you-want-to-do-go-do-the-damn-thing/) [Pat McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcafee/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. 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Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. 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