To reread or not to reread...

I know this has been touched upon in other threads (there may have even been other threads *about* it), but I'm lazy...

I have never reread a book. Not even my favorites. I want to and have some romanticism about the idea of doing so, but then there's always the specter of the TBR pile, which will only grow. Like a lot of folks here, I will, on my deathbed, not have read everything I want to read. On the other hand, 'you ain't takin' it with you', so what does it matter? I'm *already* widely read - so why the compulsion to never look back / revisit?

I love clever writers and clever use of language FAR more than I care for plot. Like the late, great Shelby Foote would say (to paraphrase): 'If a writer is good enough, they don't need a plot.' Too true. So if I'm not constantly hungry for new stories, why the heck do I care whether I've read something one time or five? What difference does it make?

Admittedly, some of my favorites are an investment; I don't read particularly fast, and I love doorstops - Infinite Jest, Cryptonomicon, Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series (which, let's face it, is one single, massive work), etc. In some cases, a reread would take months, not weeks. But still, I haven't traded in my wife after 18 years, why do I have to go through books like Kleenex?

And doesn't endless choice just make us miserable? Pick up one book, and all the other books stare back in neglect. Some even scream to be read.

Yeah, so there's no point to this post, other than a lement that I somehow can't 'savor' books - I can only 'use' them and move on.

Sigh.

Well, I've always like to back and re-read books again and again. Like Stephen King, Anne Rice, Tolkien and The Hobbit and Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, as well as some other favorite Authors I like to read and collect.

I feel going back to re-read books again is like visiting a very old and dear friend. I also feel like it's the very first time I read the book since it may have years and years since I last read them or it may be as recent as reading them on a yearly basis. It's like the music I grew up with in the 60s amd 70s. It's a very comfortable feeling to me. I know all the words to the songs and never tire of hearing it again and again. I'm in my own little world as far as my music and books go.

beatles1964

me, too. I pick up a book I think is new and within a few words I know if I have read it before. I put it down. But recently I picked up Catcher in the Rye and realized I had read it so so so long ago I might actually be able to re-read it and appreciate the writing from a whole new perspective.

I try to maintain a Buddhist "in the moment" attitude. If I enjoy what I am reading I do not let "I've read this before" or "I have so many other things to read" bother me. Let me say, again, I try to maintain this attitude.

I reread often. I have been known to reread certain books once a year or so.
I love vanilla ice cream. Just because I ate it once and really enjoyed it, it doesn't keep me from going back and having some again. and again.

#3 - Your 'in the moment' comment is so, so accurate. Regret has been my constant companion - although I AM getting better as I get older.

In the end, I really think it is just a 'time' thing: I listen to the same albums over and over (although my 'go-to' list has certainly grown over the years), and I've seen 'The Color of Money', 'Three Kings', and 'Fight Club' more times than I can count. But with those, you're in, you're out, you're done. Books, not so much - at least not at the pace that I read...

I find re-reading at a new age with more experiences under my belt can make a book seem brand new. I also understand more allusions, references, symbols and can get a lot more out of a book on a second or third read. Not that I've done much of it, but have some books on my TBRR pile for sure!

I never try to jump ahead and think oh, I know exactly what is going to happen next, It's the same way with me about my favoirte movies. I remember when ALIENS first came out and I went to see it at the Movie Theater and when the guy started choking I thought, ok I guess you can still choke on a piece of food in Outer Space then when the little creature jumped out of his chest and started running down the table out of the room. I literally jumped out of my seat. That scene still scares to this day even though I know about. I just like to get involved with my books and movies and feel like I'm one of the characters.

beatles1964

I recently re-read 2 books that I had read a while back that were chosen for a recent book club pick. First one was The Lovely Bones which I really did not enjoy at all 1st time I read it. I liked it much better the 2nd time around. Also I re-read Shadow of the Wind which I loved 1st time and I got so much more out of it the 2nd reading. So it does pay to re-read --sometimes if you are not in the right mood or frame of mind a book could be really bad one time and then much more likeable 2nd time around.

I agree completely with mckait, both about the books and about ice cream. I'm a big re-reader, and there are certain books (Lolita, Jane Eyre, and Pride and Prejudice are the ones that come to mind) that I've lost track of how many times I've read them. beatles1964 is right, too. They are old friends. Actually, since I try really hard to read a book before I purchase it, I only buy those books that I intend to read more than once.

>8 momom248: I'm hoping to have that experience with Prodigal Summer by Kingsolver which is one of our book club selections. I read it when it first came out and didn't like it at all - though I've loved everything else she's written. I want to like this book!

I think there are probably at least two different kinds of re-reads (not including the books you never finished the first time): that beloved book that you want to re-experience at least once every decade or so! (for me that would include William Gaddis's The Recognitions). And then there are the books you read once and for whatever reason you know you didn't really get it. Coming back for a second look may help. In this list I'd include Proust's Swann's Way which I read many years ago and stopped there, indifferent at best. Picking it up again last year, it meant a lot more to me and I continued through the complete Rememberance Of Things Past.

Heck, maybe rereading is the answer I've been looking for all along. Maybe if you're not racing from book to book, you can take a more relaxed view of things. If anything, I read too much - certainly at the expense of my other interests (which are myriad), and maybe rereading is a way to still enjoy the practice of reading and absorbing without it being such a 'to the exclusion of nearly everything else' activity.

Then again, maybe I'm dreaming.

I'm not the only one who treats the 'Thing as free therapy, am I?

I'm a non-re-reader. I've only ever re-read five books in my entire life. It's not because I don't love them though, and I certainly have favorite books that I simply couldn't imagine living without. I just have a very good memory, and if I read it once I've memorized the plot, character names, and chunks of writing. When I am busy doing other things, and can't read, I like to dwell over these books, and follow the stories through again. I have very few movies that I like to see more than once or twice. My favorites only get watched three or four times a year.Otherwise I just can't get in the mood to enjoy them. With movies if you aren't in the mood you tune out, but if you aren't in the mood for a book, it just becomes a struggle or a bore, and I hate to turn a good story into a burden.

However, I have been at myself to try and re-read some of the classics I read as a kid, to see if I can glean any new meanings from them. I've yet to get around to that...but I have good intentions. It's just the thought of all the undiscovered stories out there , waiting...wanting to be read first...tempting me.

#11 - Funny you should mention Proust. There's something that I very much enjoyed, but I would never read the whole of again. Since I mentioned Shelby Foote in my first post, I'll note that Foote reread Proust once a year. Yeesh. Plus, to be honest, I have no idea how Swann's Way really fits into the rest of the work, nor do I understand why it is so highly thought of. For my money, the last two or three 'books' are where the payoff is. If I were to reread any of Remembrance, that's where I'd head.

I re-read occasionally as well. When I need something to read as a distraction, but can't put that much brainpower into it is a perfect time for a re-read. Or if I really liked something the first time around, I'll often read it again to see if it holds up. I did that recently with What Was She Thinking and I found that my view of the narrator changed slightly from the first read.

Often a change of view is brought on by the # of intervening years from one read to the next. Shadowlands is a perfect example of this. I read it as a young 20-something (or maybe I was a teenager, I can't remember) and then as a 30-something and boy did that book change for me. It was a good change, but certainly my experience was very different.

I'm a big fan of rereading...take the Harry Potter novels. I think I've read the first book at least 20 times since I was 11 or so, and the same goes for the rest of the series. I find that I can find more and more things that I never noticed the more I read a book, and I also find it very enjoyable to revisit a story that I love. Granted, this may keep me from getting to my TBR pile, but as long as it makes me happy, I don't really care.

I believe in re-reading in moderation...there are tons of books I would love to re-read, but that would prevent me from reading more great books for the first time, so it's a balancing act.

I re-read A Prayer for Owen Meany and The Sparrow every year or two. I re-read The Great Gatsby and The Catcher in the Rye about once a year.

I've already started thinking about my reading resolution for 2009, and it will definitely involve a set number of re-reads.

I'd love to go back and read The Things They Carried again...so good.

I re-read L.M. Montgomery's books on a regular basis. That woman was my junior high idol. I avoided doing so for a very, very long time out of a fear that my now overly analytical, English major brain would "ruin" the experience. However, I've found revisiting her books in particular to be a far more relaxing reading experience than I anticipated.

Another childhood favorite I like to visit is Alexandre Dumas. The Three Musketeers, my first "adult" book, is always a fun, quick read. I'd love to re-read The Count of Monte Cristo more often, but the 1000+ page count is a bit daunting for someone with as large a TBR list as mine.

I re-read some books for comfort when I'm stressed and need something non-demanding.

Others I re-read because there's always something new to discover in them. Authors that come to mind are Dorothy Sayers, Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, Michael Connelly, Georgette Heyer, Charlaine Harris. Darned touchstones!!

>12 mikeepatrick:,
In some ways it's therapy, and in other ways, it feeds some of my compulsive spending behavior. I'm never sure whether we should be nominating Tim for sainthood for giving us such a treasure, or cursing him for giving me a new obsession that's hit my wallet pretty hard (everyone keeps recommending all these great books... but that's for another thread).

Back on topic...

I'm definitely a re-reader. I try to re-read some of my favorites on a regular basis, but honestly, a lot of my re-reading is compulsive. I get a sudden urge to revisit a book, and the next thing I know, I've put aside everything I'm currently reading in order to re-read said book.

In the latest Michael Ondaatje book, Divisadero, he makes the argument through one of this characters that a reader really hasn't read a book until he/she has re-read it. I think I agree that most great books don't reveal themselves completely on one reading and now I'm old enough to know that my experience of a book changes (usually deepens) as I reread books I read many years ago.

booklady

The Sparrow is one that I reread often. The Once and Future King, Mists of Avalon are books that I have read many times. The Outlander series, I have read several times. The first book about 5 times. Black Elk Speaks and Ishmael have been reread a number of times.. I always enjoy each reading as much as the first with these and some others.

For years I never reread, and now I do so sparingly, because there are so many books I want to read for the first time.

There are two categories of books I reread. Like some others here, I find I can get a lot more out of reading books like Anna Karenina and War and Peace now than I did when I read them 35+ years ago as a teenager. I may see characters and plot in a very different light, now that I've experienced more of life myself.

Then there are books that I reread because they're humorous but warm-hearted and have a calming effect on me when I'm stressed or nervous, and I've read each of these several times over the years: The Straight and Narrow Path by Honor Tracy, Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons and some of the Nancy Mitford novels.

Finally, there are books I started when I was younger and never could finish, but have read recently and enjoyed, including The Magic Mountain and In Search of Lost Time, aka, Remembrance of Things Past.

I reread a great deal. I even have a seperate 'reread' list on my 50 Book Challenge. I've been known to read a book and then immediately reread it. I always miss things the first time through if it's a good book because I am so eager to see what happens next. The little details & bits of subplots gets skimmed in my rush to absorb the book. I'll reread earlier books in a series right before the next book comes out. Some stories I just enjoy so much I want to experience them again. Sometimes I reread for the same reason I watch certain movies over and over again. I want to be entertained but I don't want to be surprised or have to do a lot of mental work keeping track of things. I can recite any movie by Mel Brooks from memory at this point and most of the Miss Marple books as well, but I still love to experience them again and again.

This drives my parents nuts. They have never reread a book to my knowledge. They won't rent movies they have seen already but they do occasionally watch reruns. They get a different sort of entertainment from reading than I do I guess. They don't see how I can reread a mystery when I already know whodunnit. For me it's not just about the plot, it's about the characters, the dialogue, the settings. I know who killed Roger Ackroyd but I always enjoy reading how Hercule Poirot found out.

I do not re-read as much as I used to, and when I do it's often unplanned -- I'll pick up a favorite, flip through some pages, and before I know it several hours have gone by.

I re-read on the rare occasion that I'm lacking a new book to read. I usually re-read either Harry Potter, anything by Murakami or anything by Palahniuk.

Outside of books that I absolutely love, Anna Karenina, Lolita, Clockwork Orange, and perhaps a few others, the only books I have reread are those that I teach. Sometimes I'm rereading it because I'm teaching it for the first time. I always read along with my students because I don't want to be that teacher - the one who read it twenty years ago and no longer has a clue about it. I will echo that there is just way too much that I want to read. If I really like something, I will seek out something else by the author. I can experience more of the author's talent with language, character development, etc. with a whole new story.

I read way to slowly.
I work in a bookstore and see dozens of books every year that pique my interest.
I have no preferred genre. I don't even have a preference between fiction and non-fiction.

These are reasons I don't re-read.

#26 - Harry Potter and Palahniuk - now THAT is a combination, I must say.

#28 - Amen. Me too: no preferred genre, no distinction between fiction and non. I'm not sure what just made me think of this, but there are sci-fi and fantasy forums where I hang out, and people will honestly say things like, 'I hate first-person narration.' and I'm like, 'Okay, it's one thing to admit you don't care for, say, romance novels, but wtf?' :)

I'm a big re-reader. But pretty much only of books I love - I'm completely with you if you say that if it's a choice between a new book and an old book, then I'll read the new one - too many books, too little time and all that. And I will always try to explore the other books of a favourite author before re-reading the old ones.

That said, I also completely agree with many of the other people in this list who re-read things - there are certain books that I re-read as old friends - books I read when I'm in a particular frame of mind or want to be so (I mostly re-read things when I'm feeling tired, sad or homesick - or when I'm particularly busy and don't have the concentration span for something new).

But I would also add that certain favourites gain infinitely by re-reading them.

My memory for detail in books (and films) that I love (or, in fact, those that have a big impact, even if I don't enjoy them, like Never Let Me Go) is usually better than most - nonetheless, with many of my re-reads, (I'm thinking in particular of Jane Austen here, who I have re-read countless times and more than any other author except maybe Diana Wynne Jones - it's a comfort thing), there are frequently things that I've missed the first time round, or even the second - or things that I notice could be interpreted a different way - and at any rate, different things to think about.

This is particularly evident (as several people have said) in the books I read as I was growing up - your life experiences shape who you are and how you interpret things after all, and we never stop changing.

For an extreme example, I first read the C. S. Lewis Narnia books when I was about 8 and completely missed the religious subtext - I just read them as great adventure stories and strangely enough the ones I enjoyed the least (those without the Pevensies) actually turn out to be a lot more enjoyable than I remembered. But a more subtle example would be the re-reading of books that had a big impact on me when I was a teenager, for example, 1984 (which actually, at the time, I was so appalled by the outcome, I didn't think I could ever re-read it), or Jane Eyre, both of which left me with completely different impressions the second time around (although I still find the concept of 1984 terrifying).

#27, emaestra - I'm curious, do your students ever make you rethink the books you teach, or come back with something completely new, or do they always respond with the same reactions? I do think reading along with the class is very admirable (and also that you're completely right in doing so) - do you ever have to teach books that you don't enjoy? I ask this as we had to do D. H. Lawrence at school, which I really didn't enjoy - although again, maybe here's someone I should give another chance to...

Incidently, I would add that the books that I re-read frequently and know extremely well, I rarely read completely - I tend to skip about a lot and just read the best bits - a bit like you might fast forward through to the best bits of a good film...

I do sometimes completely despair of reading everything I want to read though!

Edit: Also do the cross-genre thing. But then I hate categorising anything - I don't see how anyone can say "I don't like crime" or "science fiction" etc etc - I may read more of some things than others (for example I should probably read more non-work related non-fiction than I do), but there are exceptions to every rule and I believe we should always be open minded to everything (except possibly Coldplay ;) )

# 30 I totally agree with your edit!

I read whatever appeals, fiction, non fiction, and all varieties of those..

mikeepatrick - I can relate to your first post. I read slowly and there are so many books I want to get through that I never set time aside to reread. But, then again, I want to reread books because it gives me a chance to study the book a bit more and understand how it works and figure out some of the things I missed the first time.

It sounds strange, but I'm still working this out and trying to figure out why I read books and why sometimes they work for me and sometimes they don't. I seem to read for many reasons, one is cathartic, as a sort of meditation to clear my head and relax. Another is because I want information, I just want to download the book into my head and move on the next book. I'm a bit obsessive on this, and egg myself on as I reading the weekly book reviews in the NY times and my local paper. I haven't found the balance. When I do, I imagine it will involve a lot more rereading.

I'm definitively a re-reader, but usually only do so to the books I really love and enjoy. I read the entire Harry Potter series once a year, this usually happens, for some reason, in november-december each year. I'll also re-read series before a new book in a series is released. Another book I re-read more or less every year is Beyond the Deepwoods by Paul Stewart. I guess the reason I re-read books is because I miss the characters, and it's a great comfort to read something so familiar. Also, I'm ensured a great read.

"I guess the reason I re-read books is because I miss the characters" yes! so right~

That and the comfort thing....

I have some I re-read every two or three years, like The Lord of the Rings and every time there are other things remarkable ;-)

I even sometimes re-read a book right again after reading it, then it has been such a good read that I don't want to say goodbye yet...

I have reread very few books but as I get older and, well, older, I think I should reread more. I had a time in my life where I didn't read at all (Gasp, I know!) followed by reading a lot and very fast. I feel like I missed out on so much. There are books that meant a lot to me and I think that I didn't give them the time I should have, that I could get even more out of them. BUT, there are so many more books that I want to read. Sigh. What's a girl to do?

I have come to the conclusion in regards to re-reading that since I am never going to finish all the books on my TBR list anyway (not in this lifetime, at least) that I may as well spend time with old friends that I am familiar with, so I do re-read. Some books, such as Louis L'Amour's autobiography Education of a Wandering Man, I read on an annual basis. Some books I just re-read periodically as the mood strikes, especially when I am stressed out and just need the comfort of those old friends. Having just recently moved and gotten books out of storage that have been there for 3 years, I am excited about making the acquaitance of some of my old friends again!

Hi alcottacre! As usual, your writing is inspiring!
I agree with you and cal8769; there are some books that are very much like old friends. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee are the three that I re-read, gaining new insights each time.

Some books I re-read all the time, like Pride and Prejudice, Gone With the Wind and the Outlander series. Some books I read years ago and loved, and I'm almost afraid to read them again and find I don't like them as much. I read Stephen King's The Talisman when I was in my early 20's and loved it, i thought it was great. I re-read it last year and it was just bleh - what did I see in it? I'm afraid that will happen with some other books, so I'm hesitating in reading them. On the other hand, some books I read when I was young that I didn't care for at all, I might really enjoy now - such as Ethan Frome which I detested in high school!

I won!!! I lost my outlander series in a bad loan...
So with all of this talk of rereading, I was aching for it again.
( and for the first three Camber of Culdi books.

Camber I mostly mooched, I went to ebay for the Gabaldon books.. got 6 of them.... yay for me...

I seriously love all nine of these books, and will indeed reread.. and reread again.

I never read the Camber books but I LOVED Outlander. *off to the wishlist*

Some of my books are so good that I enjoy rereading them. It's like comfort food or my childhood blanket.

Mikeepatrick:Finally! I've found someone who doesn't reread books no matter how outstanding they are!!
In many cases I long to reread the story...but I usually just find favourite paragraphs or phrases or a chapter that I loved.
It's a funny feeling in putting down a book that blew me away and wanting to read the words again...but I can't take the time away from another new book waiting for me.

I would love to have more time to re-read books. I have so many books on my shelves TBR, I would rather read something new. I do save favorites in hopes of re-reading some day. If I never get the chance to read them again, maybe my daughter will enjoy reading these books.

ok well im not really BIG on rereading. i've only reread 2 books Of Mice and Men and 1984 . i also might have to reread the first half of voyager. i started reading it and finally put it down but never got to finish it. i think its been like a year.

I have about 200 books that I have earmarked to re-read - thinking that there will come a time when I will never read another new book and just read all my old favourites - I wonder if this will ever happen!

I don't reread fiction, since there are so many excellent books out there that I haven't read yet.
I very occasionally reread a novel of the highest quality like The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, after reading it ten years ago and would like to read War and Peace again.
But for typical fiction, no rereading.
Nonfiction of course I often keep and look things up in, especially if it is about gardening or other topics so it is a reference book.

Rereading is a very small percentage of the total reading I do all year, but there are definitely some books that I like enough to revisit, including The Lord of the Rings, The Chronicles of Narnia, Pride and Prejudice, Fruits Basket, To Kill a Mockingbird, and more. I've sometimes reread a series when the new book was coming out and I wanted to remind myself what happened before. There's even more books that I liked enough to reread someday and haven't got around to yet. I often find that the book hits me in a different way each time I reread...and sometimes it's just fun to fall into a familiar world again.

Since I listen to audiobooks as I'm falling asleep, I often choose to reread a book in that manner because it's easier to keep the thread of the story going in a somewhat drowsy condition if I already know what happens.

Bell,

lol Fruit Basket? I agree I kinda re-read most of my manga books too! hehe.

I only tend to re-read nonefiction books for some reason but the exception is Pride & Prejudice which I read about 4 times.

Snodgrass -- well, it's a quick reread even if it's odd company to keep. Anyway, sometimes on the first pass I didn't notice how some of the artwork or comments were repeated from one volume to the other, so that was a fun one to reread and realize how early some things were foreshadowed. And for series like Tsubasa, when I pick up the volumes that I haven't read I know already it's going to be so complicated that I'll have to go back...

I'm kind of intrigued by the rereading primarily of classics and nonfiction. Maybe it's because I mainly read fantasy, but I often find that I have to go back and reread a series to remember what's happening in the newest book. Do others here do that too?

#51 - It seems like more and more people have less and less tolerance for epics that aren't yet complete, and maybe the need to re-read to 'catch back up' is part of that.

I enjoy fantasy (hell, there's not a genre I *don't* enjoy, really), but that's one genre that doesn't appear on my eventually-to-be-re-read list. Guess I haven't found anything weighty enough to bump what's already there...