Why do you reread books?

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zoecourtmansmith
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by zoecourtmansmith » April 9th, 2010, 8:30 pm

The only books I find myself re-reading tend to be anything by Stephen King. Especially his short story collections. I think I've read "Skeleton Crew" and "Night Shift" about twenty times each. I've also re-read Clive Barker's "Imajica" several times. When it's King, I think I'm drawn back in each time by his warm, encompassing voice; it's like getting a flashlight and crawling under a duvet with a grinning friend who's all, "Get in here. I've got a story for you."

Ooh! See? Now I wanna snap up, like, "Thinner" and settle in for a good read. Or "From a Buick 8." Or "The Talisman," (co-penned by Straub, who is sidling up REAL quick as my second-in-command for favorite horror writers...I'm reading his 2004 "lost boy lost girl" novel and am pre-tt-y sure I'll be re-reading THAT real soon to crib some of his craft-building awesomeness...)
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BlancheKing
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by BlancheKing » April 9th, 2010, 8:43 pm

A combination of laziness to find new treasures and a limited budget. The second time around always reveals someone the first time missed. =)
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charlotte49ers
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by charlotte49ers » April 10th, 2010, 11:00 am

I reread fun, light books usually. Books that make me feel good at the end, type deals. Maybe I'm shallow, but it's hard for me to read more intense books more than once. It's not that I don't enjoy them, but when I am picking out something to reread from my library to take in the bathtub or whatever, I want somethihng fun and easy.

That's just me, though. :)

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Lorelei Armstrong
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by Lorelei Armstrong » April 11th, 2010, 1:53 am

I only reread Ulysses. Joyce manages to leave an impression of something more than is there on the page.

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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by lexcade » May 31st, 2010, 1:22 am

for me there are a few different reasons why. i miss the characters (jane eyre), or i still can't believe the plot, or it's just so beautifully written that i can't get it out of my head (deerskin).
"Art imitates nature as well as it can, as a pupil follows his master; thus it is sort of a grandchild of God." ~~Dante

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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by bcomet » May 31st, 2010, 2:46 pm

My daughter rereads all of her books over and over because she loves the stories and the writing.

I only started, in my life, to reread as a regular practice. I read first for the story and second for the story again and/or now to study the writing.

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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by writeaskew » May 31st, 2010, 8:48 pm

I read to relax. Honestly, I can't sleep if I haven't read for a few minutes before I put out the light. And that's where a lot of my rereads come from. If I start a new book at 9pm, and I get caught up, 2am rolls around, i have to be up for work in five hours and I refuse to put the book down because I have to know what happens. So I reread to relax. I know Scarlett doesn't really love Ashley. I know that Edmund Dantes is going to have his revenge, and his redemtion. I can just enjoy the words.

I do have a habit of rereading childhood favorites, and lately I think it's because it comforts me. When I'm stressed out I like picking up The Watership Down or an Anne of Green Gables book because I know things will come out right. Don't get me wrong, I love my Steven King and Jeanette Winterson just as much, but sometimes I need something that isn't horror and isn't going to depress me or make me think.

Most often I reread a book because it touches me. Books like Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden or To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee define you when you read them. That feeling of definition, or you changing because of something someone else wrote? That's worth experiencing twice.

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knight_tour
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by knight_tour » June 1st, 2010, 3:20 am

I divide my reading time between reading new novels and revisting beloved old ones. Like Nathan said, I just absolutely love certain worlds - Middle Earth, Lankhmar, Conan's age, GRRM's world, etc. - but there are also books I love where I don't particularly love the world, such as Ender's Game. I think it may be simply that I dislike the real world in so many ways that I prefer dwelling withing my favorite fantasy, sci-fi, and historical fiction worlds.

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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by Bron » June 1st, 2010, 8:03 am

Reading is like travelling. It's fun to go new places. There's the thrill of discovery and the feeling of adventure. But it's also nice to revisit places and have the joy of rediscovering old haunts. It's easier and more relaxing. And that's why I re-read. As others have said, there's also the practical side of it. When I was younger and finished a book, I'd walk down to the bookcase and decide what to read next. Now I'm older and have transport and more money to spend on books (and an e-reader) it's much easier to buy new books, and I don't think I've re-read a single book this year. This is also part of a deliberate policy of educating myself as to what's being published.

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mmcdonald64
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by mmcdonald64 » June 1st, 2010, 5:40 pm

I love re-reading books. I seem to be in the minority here. lol. One reason is that I'm guaranteed to like the book. ;-) Honestly, though, I'm not sure. I just love re-entering the world of whatever story I'm re-reading. Mostly I re-read long books. I think I've read Roots about five times in the last 30 years. Shogun, 3 or 4, Aztec, and The Journeyer, both by Gary Jennings, three times each. I always have copies of The Clan of the Cave Bear series in my house. Always. When I want something to read, and don't have a new book, I can pick up one of those and happily get lost in the ice age world again. The Little House on the Prairie books have been read countless times, along with A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.

One of my favorite re-reads is The Grapes of Wrath. I first read it in highschool, and loved it, but I didn't re-read it for about ten years. When I did, it seemed like almost a new book. Since then, I've read it several more times, and every time, there's a new element I didn't notice before.

Probably my biggest reason for re-reading those books is because new books similiar to them are very hard to find. They aren't what agents and publishers are clamoring for, so they don't get written.

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Ishta
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by Ishta » June 6th, 2010, 10:04 pm

I've found myself rereading a few books lately to scope them out for appropriateness for my 6-yr-old, who loves books and is pretty advanced in terms of ability, but is fairly naive in terms of life experience. (He finds the Wicked Witch of the West to be almost too scary in "The Wizard of OZ", and he didn't get through "Monsters Inc.")

As far as rereading books for my own enjoyment goes - and I have hardly any time to do this, but I manage it once in a while if I make it a priority - I do it because I either want to see if there is more to be gleaned from it, or to revisit a world or characters that I really liked.

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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by Claudie » June 11th, 2010, 2:53 pm

There are many reasons that can bring me back to a book. Sometimes it's a particular scene. Sometimes it's a character. Sometimes it's the setting.

I find, however, that every time I reread a book, it is a different experience. On the first read I discover the characters and the story. Everything is new and shiny, and it blows my mind away. On the second read, I start picking up more details. I see the hints planted by the author, heralding the twists and turns of the story unfolding before me. And every time I return, my perspective on the book has changed. Not only do I know this story better than the previous read, but I also change between those reads, and as I change, so does my reaction to what I read.

And sometimes, I return to books I love just to remind me of what emotions this story put me through, and how I long to bring others along rides so intense they will forget the meaning of sleep.
"I do not think there is any thrill [...] like that felt by the inventor as he sees some creation of the brain unfolding to success... Such emotions make a man forget food, sleep, friends, love, everything." -- Nikola Tesla

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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by wetair » June 11th, 2010, 8:53 pm

I reread pretty much only when nothing on my TBR pile appeals . It is usually a large, fairly exciting pile, so I have to be in a mood. I got some trust books that I can always read. The Belgariad series by David Eddings is at at the top of this list and I don't know what it is about them, I suppose they are just good comfort reads.

Anobile1
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Re: Why do you reread books?

Post by Anobile1 » June 12th, 2010, 8:41 am

I used to re-read books just because I loved them. I must have read Eragon nearly 20 times within the year after it came out (Yes, obsessive, I know, it was a phase. Yes, I'm also one of the people who likes that series.).

These days, I generally only read a book once. What will make me re-read, though, is if it's a series I loved and the next book is coming out soon. I did this for the LAST DRAGON CHRONICLES by Chris d'Lacey when the 5th book, DARKFIRE came out earlier this year. I'm currently re-reading TEMERAIRE by Naomi Novik, because book six is coming out next month. I doubt I'll read all of them in time, but they are worth reading twice (maybe three times!) anyway, and I didn't understand a lot of it when I first read it due to the higher-level writing. It's written like it was written in the 1800's, so the language is a little difficult to understand sometimes.

There was something else I was going to say, but I completely forgot what it was. Oh well.
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