To Re-Read or Not To Re-Read??
Some readers love reading the same book over and over again, while others just don’t have time to read books more than once. I can really understand both points of view and have been in both camps at different parts in my life. On one hand, my current TBR list is so large that I know that I will never read all of the books on it during this lifetime. It is just not going to happen. Obviously, I really don’t have the time to read the same books more than once since I have so many that I need to read the for the first time. On the other hand, I read for pleasure and if reading a much loved story more than once brings me some enjoyment then I feel like I should re-read as much as I want. I am happy to admit that I do read books more than once quite often.
Why I like to re-read books:
- My failing memory – It is no secret that I am getting older. It happens to the best of us. I have been reading books for a long time and I don’t always remember a whole lot about them. I am sure that I have read thousands of books at this point in my life. One of the reasons that I started reviewing books is so that I can go back and look at my thoughts about a certain book. I often don’t remember a whole lot more than the fact that I enjoyed a book or didn’t. So sometimes, I re-read books simply because I don’t remember much about it at all.
- Guaranteed enjoyment – Every time I pick up a new book there is a lot of unknown elements. I may like it and I may hate it. With a re-read, I am almost certain to enjoy the book. I liked it the first time so why wouldn’t I like it now. I sometimes use a re-read to pull myself out of a book slump. There have been a few cases where I didn’t like the book so much on a re-read but I usually find myself enjoying a book more the second time around.
- Moving on in a series – I am a series reader. But I am a series reader that tends to get distracted and by the time I am ready to move on in a series, I don’t remember a whole lot about the books that I have read. I re-read a lot of book series and find it to be very eye opening. I am amazed by how many times I see the ground work being laid out for things that I know will happen much later in the series.
- To experience a book in a new way – I often do my re-reads through audiobooks. Reading the book in print and listening to a book in audio form are really two different experiences. I love listening to a favorite book after reading a print version. Oftentimes, the narrator is able to bring a new element to the story that just makes everything come together.
I have found that I usually really remember a story after going through it at least two times. I won’t remember every detail but I do remember the basic story. I do spend most of my reading time on books that are new to me but I make sure to fit a few re-reads in every year as well.
How do you feel about re-reading books? Love it or hate it?
I am not really a rereader. I have found I like to relisten though. It is comforting but fun to expierence the book in a different way. I have a couple relistens in mind for this year.
I love listening to books that I have read before. I do the majority of my re-reads this way lately.
I love to go back and read my favourite bbooks again! When I get a reading slump a quick trip back to Harry Potter usually cures it and I get the fun of enjoying a great book again. However at the moment I have so many books on my physical 'I own this' tbr (over 850)that I haven't had the chance of rereads recently. When I get the tbr under control over the next year or two, I'll have time to enjoy old favourites again. The only rereads this year will be to refresh my doomed memory on book one in a series before I do a series catch up to get up to date!
I still need to visit Harry Potter for the first time! I have so many books that I should be reading but…I find myself sometimes going back anyway.
I'm kind of in the same boat. I have a huge TBR pile and a long wish list so re-reading shouldn't happen, but yet I love re-reading certain authors and books. I've found that with audio, I can alleviate the guilt of a re-read since I only listen to audio during times that I can't read a book. It's a fun way to get a familiar story with a new nuance through the narrator.
I think that is why I do so many re-reads by audio as well but I have sat down with the same book several times.
I love rereading favourites, but nowadays, I have way too many books on my TBR. Rereading is an indulgence I can't afford, unfortunately. But yeah, it's always comforting to know that when you've been on a streak of sucky books, you can always go back to something that you used to love.
My TBR is out of control right now. I am trying hard not to add too many more this year so that I have more time to focus on favorites.
I reread books a lot. Sometimes after I read a not so good book or even one that was really dark, I like to go back and reread something that made me happy or is a little lighter. I also reread things like Harry Potter so I can experience that world again…movies just aren't the same
I really need to read Harry Potter. I have been watching Outlander and the show made me want to read the books again so I listened to several of them last year.
I am a fan of re reading and the reason I do it is for pleasure. I love having a chance to reconnect with old favorites. I don't re read that much, just one book a month but I really try to do it because it can keep the reader refreshed and helps me from getting into reading slumps.
I don't re-read as often as I would like either but I do several re-reads by audio every year.
I'm a re-reader! Usually more so with romance novels than others, but agree, sometimes I need to review before the next book in a series. Since I've started reading more ebooks and can highlight/flag spots sometimes I'll just go back -and re-read my favourite parts, haha.
I never think to highlight things on my ereader. I should because it is a great feature. I do feel the need to go back over a series before moving on with any new books but don't do it as often as I would like.
I have re-read very few books in my life. I tell myself that I only save books after I read them that I want to re-read, but because I have so many unread books . . . Well, I am not sure when I will get to them. Another thing I tell myself is that I am saving them for retirement. 🙂
I seem to want to re-read more and more these days. It really seems to take me reading a book at least twice to really remember it well.
A really good book works on many different levels and I have found that it is rare for me to pick up on everything first time around. When re-reading I already know the story-line so I can concentrate on everything else that is going on and enjoy a book in a completely new way.
I have nothing against re-reading and do it every once in a while but not too often since, yeah, review pile is large. But when I have some spare time I'm all over some of my old favorites 🙂
I love the idea of re-reading but I rarely actually do it! Mostly because I have so many unread books at home, I feel bad reading an old favourite again when I could be discovering a new favourite. But when I'm especially sick or down and don't want to actually pay too much attention to what I'm reading, I reread a book.