# Do you re-read extremely good novels?



## Ciuri Di Badia

There are times when I find my self wanting to read a novel all over again. This is especially when I find it so exciting that I feel that I have not had enough. I'm I the only one who feels like this?


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## gdae23

Do you mean right away? I do reread some favorite novels, usually after many years. I'd reread more books, but then there would be less time left in life to read new books! It's a hard choice, but I try to fit old favorites in between the new ones. There are some books I've liked so much that I hate to see them end, and almost feel tempted to reread them on the spot. I usually just settle for skimming for favorite passages, though.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked

I don't think I've ever done that very quickly after finishing a book. Mostly I reread something after 20-30 years (I've been book-reading for about 60 years).

Mike


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## Neil Ostroff

I've read some of my favorites three or four times.


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## Loren DeShon

I almost always re-read the best novels, and I do so time and again.

For example, I have the entire 20 volume Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian (_Master and Commander_ is the first one), and I've read the entire series in order four or five times, and as well as individual books more than that.

_Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick, Shogun, The Killer Angels, Lonesome Dove_, etc-many, many times each.


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## Margo Karasek

I re-read all the time. Usually I go back based on my mood. So, for instance, if I need a pick-me-up, I'll go to an old favorite that cheers me up. And since moods fluctuate, I tend to re-read a bunch of books at once. It's really great therapy. Better than any pill. I highly recommend it.


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## Dracula

Not typically.  There are just too many books and too little time.  But every once in a while I'll crack open Anansi Boys or even A Series of Unfortunate Events again.


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## J.R.Mooneyham

I'm a lot pickier in recreational reading material now, than I was in my youth. So I really have no choice but to re-read old favorites, because it's so tough to find something new to suit my tastes. I prefer to wait for some years between such reads, though.

The past couple years I've had another reason to re-read these books. Namely, since I'm now writing myself too, by reading slowly and carefully I can learn a lot from my betters in such pleasure reading. Plus, with the great fast definition look up on Kindles, I can improve my vocabulary at the same time.


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## Guest

Yes, often. I have a few old favourites I come back to every now and then, just for a story I know I will enjoy. Sometimes I will re-read a book immediately, but if I do I tend to look for different details, e.g. foreshadowing, subtle characterisation pieces and such that I may have missed or not been aware of the first time through.


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## Ann in Arlington

I don't re-read often.  But I did re-read each of the HP books every time a new one was coming out. . wanted to be sure I had the story details down.  I also re-read the whole series before the last couple of movies.


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## Debbie Bennett

Of course. If I enjoyed it that much the first time, why wouldn't I read it again and again? Maybe you lose the suspense if you know what happens, but that leaves you time to find other elements of the book that you missed the first time around. Or even just marvel at a scene or sentence.

I have been known to fold the corners on paper books to mark a passage or scene I know I'll want to go back to. Is this not normal?


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## JRTomlin

Of course. Why would I not want to repeat an experience I very much enjoyed?


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## Krista D. Ball

When Jim Butcher's Ghost Story came out, I stayed up all night and read it. Then, I read it again a day later, after the ending sunk in and I was able to go back and read it slower and look for all of the hints and foreshadowing for the series.


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## Meb Bryant

I have rarely reread a novel. Only LORD OF THE FLIES and CATCHER IN THE RYE come to mind.


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## Kay Bratt

I never have but maybe I'll try it now!


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## apbschmitz

One of the virtues of getting older is that you can reread books and still manage to feel like you're reading them for the first time. Recently my daughter was assigned War and Peace in a college class. I had last read it about 40 years ago when I was in college. I took another crack at it and loved it again (except for Tolstoy's too-frequent yammering about the nature of history). But the experience was very close to reading a book I had never read before.


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## The Hooded Claw

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> There are times when I find my self wanting to read a novel all over again. This is especially when I find it so exciting that I feel that I have not had enough. I'm I the only one who feels like this?


As I've said before, "Of course I reread favored books, often many times, doesn't everyone?"


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## NogDog

I've even re-read books that were not extremely good. One time I was about halfway through a new paperback book before I was becoming quite sure I'd read it before. Sure enough, I found another copy with the exact same cover in a box of books. 

But yes, I've re-read many books intentionally, though usually with a year or more between readings (which has still allowed me to read Zelazny's original 5 "Amber" books at least 20 times   ).


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## Dragonfly Editing (Janet)

I have reread a lot books, accidentally and on purpose. I've found that I slow down when reading through the second time and pay more attention to details than the first time. I've read 'Gone With the Wind' 15 times. Love that book!


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## Al Stone

I don't often re-read books even if they are very good. I've only re-read about two books one of which is Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I just love that book. I'm thinking of re-reading Perks Of Being A Wallflower because the movie is coming out soon and I want to refresh my memory. I also remember loving it the first time round and want to return to that feeling, so I think I will re-read it.


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## Atunah

I re-read books very rarely. I much rather read a new to me book. For some reason I re watch certain movies over and over again, but I can't do the same with books.


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## KM Logan

Yes, as far as fiction goes I probably re-read more than read for the first time.


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## 31842

Absolutely!  Especially after a spate of lousy books, I love to curl up with an old favorite and visit all of those wonderful friends that live inside the pages.


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## gina1230

I never reread.  Too many books in my TBR pile.


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## NogDog

gina1230 said:


> I never reread. Too many books in my TBR pile.





KateDanley said:


> Absolutely! Especially after a spate of lousy books, I love to curl up with an old favorite and visit all of those wonderful friends that live inside the pages.


This is one of the reasons I re-read: sometimes I just have to read a book that I know for sure I'm going to love -- I guess it's one of the prices I pay for being a rather picky reader.


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## The Hooded Claw

NogDog said:


> This is one of the reasons I re-read: sometimes I just have to read a book that I know for sure I'm going to love -- I guess it's one of the prices I pay for being a rather picky reader.


I call these "comfort reads" and do it quite often. I've done so much of it lately I'm trying to sharply limit re-reading stuff this year. And it is working, though I've had the yen to pick up a Horatio Hornblower novel of a nice science fiction series that I am comfortable with. I am going to indulge myself with some of the original Sherlock Holmes stories sometime during the year.


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## D/W

I never re-read. There are too many new books that beckon.


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## Steph H

I re-read for several reasons: among others, to go back and visit old friends; because I read a lot of series and it's good to go back occasionally and re-read to pick up on things that foreshadow later books that I didn't really catch the first time; and to save money.   If I'm re-reading, I'm not spending money on new books, whatever their price. And since I read from 30-100 or more books a month, it can really add up.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i agree with you guys, when yo reread a book, you understand it better.


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## Dee Ernst

Ann in Arlington said:


> I don't re-read often. But I did re-read each of the HP books every time a new one was coming out. . wanted to be sure I had the story details down. I also re-read the whole series before the last couple of movies.


Thank God I'm not the only one who does this


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## smallblondehippy

I total re-reader. My fave books have been read at least five times each. At last count I'd read LOTR 9 times (and I bet that won't be the last!) I'm currently re-reading the Malazan series so that I understand all the nuances of the plot for when  I read the final one in the series.


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## LauraB

Yes, I do. I've read  A Tree Grows in Brooklyn more times then I can count. Also I've read The Count of Monte Cristo , Don Quixote, and The Divine Comedy many times. I've read a couple of Heminway's books more then once as well. Oh, and the Harry Potter books. I have read them again since they came on Kindle as I had forgotten some of the differences between the books and the movies. When I read some books again it is sort of like visiting an old friend. Weird I know.


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## LauraB

The Hooded Claw said:


> I am going to indulge myself with some of the original Sherlock Holmes stories sometime during the year.


I've never read any of Sherlock Holmes, and I think I will! Which one do you recommend to start with?


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## Ann Herrick

I rarely do re-read books, simply because there are always new books waiting to be read. However, every three or four years, during the winter, I will re-read _All Creatures Great and Small_. I just love the humor and personalities in that book and being transported to another country and decade.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

Yes Ann...all creatures great and small is a good book. it has alot of humoor. i liked reading it too. when you re-read, you understand the story better and catch humors that you could have missed during your previous reading.


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## Joel Snape

I've recently re-read a lot of stuff that I first read as a teenager - the likes of 1984 and Catch-22. Amazing how much of them I didn't really understand or pick up on when I was younger.


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## SJ_Parkinson

LauraB said:


> I've never read any of Sherlock Holmes, and I think I will! Which one do you recommend to start with?


There is a Complete Sherlock Holmes collection on Amazon for $10 at the moment. It has all four novels and fifty-six short stories. I would start there. Classic literature.


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## Steph H

There's also a complete Sherlock Holmes collection on Feedbooks - or there was a couple of years ago - that was free. Presumably close to the same thing as on Amazon, but I couldn't say for sure. Worth a look, Feedbooks always has well formatted books.


ETA: Never mind, looks like the omnibus is no longer there.


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## ruadh

Now and again I will pick up and old treasured book and re-read it, but usually after a year or so. I like how I can understand it differently each time depending on my mood or how life has changed, or perhaps pick up something I missed first or even second time around.

OTOH, Mystery books usually get a second read almost instantly, good or bad, because I tend to miss the plot points which hint at what happened.


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## Lindafaye

I reread books all the time...especially series. If I enjoyed it the first time, why not the second, third, or fifteenth time?  

I have a hard time finding new books that I love to read - the Hunger Games is the last series that I found that I will reread.


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## TWErvin2

I do re-read novels I really enjoyed. Often I'll listen to them as audiobooks as well. Normally I don't rer-ead them right away, but often I'll enjoy a chapter or section instead of the entire novel.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

@TWErvin2, you have a good point. re-reading a part of the novel will save one a lot of time and energy. this is because one will zero in on what they did not understand


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## Betsy the Quilter

Or, in my case, a section I particularly enjoyed.

Though, honestly, I don't re-read parts very often....it's generally the whole book or nothing.

Betsy


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## Craig Halloran

smallblondehippy said:


> I total re-reader. My fave books have been read at least five times each. At last count I'd read LOTR 9 times (and I bet that won't be the last!) I'm currently re-reading the Malazan series so that I understand all the nuances of the plot for when I read the final one in the series.


WOW!  LOTR 9 TIMES! Pretty impressive!

Anyway, I'm going back and re-reading original Robert E. Howard Conan stories. Basically, I was pretty young when I read them the first time. Good research for fantasy too.


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## AN Patel

Why re-read when there are so many new novels coming out everyday?
Just my view.


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## JETaylor

Simple answer yes.  

Although, sadly, I haven't had the time lately.


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## robertbevan

i read all of the hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy books about a billion times each when i was younger, because they were easy reads and a few bits that never stopped being laugh out loud funny.

on the opposite end of the spectrum, i've tried to read "v." by thomas pynchon a couple of times, because i'm sure i'll be able to understand more of it the next time round. i never do.


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## John A. A. Logan

I tend to read very slowly, so usually will look for something new in the long list of what I've not read yet...
There are only 2 novels I've read three times each, but I spread those re-reads out over 10-15 years:
ZEN AND THE ART OF MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE by Robert Pirsig, and HUNGER by Knut Hamsun.


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## Katie Salidas

Oh Yes! If a book is _that _ good, you bet I'm re-reading it somewhere down the road. It's nice to come back to an old favorite classic when you've been away from it for a while.


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## psychotick

Hi,

Heck yes. I have a few books I just love to read over and over again. Stephen Donaldson's stuff, LOTR (only a couple of times so far), all of the Stainless Steel Rat, Hitchhiker's Guide etc. Comfort reads someone called them and that's probably a good description. It doesn't matter that I know the plot points, its just nice to be able to immerse myself in a makebelieve world once more - but then often when I'm reading its more about what I'm thinking of, where my mind's wandering with each patch of prose then it is about anything else.

Cheers, Greg.


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## Katja

When I was younger I used to re-read my favorite books a lot, but since then I've realized just how many awesome books are out there, that I want to read, so I don't have time for re-reading. Harry Potter-series and LotR are the exceptions for the rule (though haven't re-read them either in a few years).


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## JETaylor

I can name a handful of books that I read until they were dogeared.  The Stand, Executive Orders, Master of the Game come to mind.  When I was younger I read Silver Chief over and over.  I also read the Tarzan series mulitple times because it was the only book collection my grandfather kept at his lake house and I read on the beach a lot.

It's like my favorite movies, I can watch those over and over too and still get a great deal of enjoyment out of it.


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## Katja

JETaylor said:


> It's like my favorite movies, I can watch those over and over too and still get a great deal of enjoyment out of it.


Now when you mention it... I do re-watch movies and TV-series a lot more than re-read books. Lost count how many times I've watched Buffy or the Die Hard movies.


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## jenniferlweil

I often will read a book or series more than once if I couldn't put it down. I find that I can re-read any book by Nora Roberts, but I usually don't re-read back-to-back. After some time, I'll go back and pick up again when I find myself bored.


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## KTaylor-Green

Yes I do. It is like revisiting old friends. Especially books I had a hard time putting down the first time.


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## Pawz4me

The only books I can remember reading twice are _Gone With The Wind_ and _Black Beauty_. I'd like to re-read _1984_ and _The Stand_. So it's _extremely_ rare for me to read a book twice. Mostly I think there are way too many good books out there waiting to waste much time re-reading.


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## Craig Halloran

Pawz4me said:


> The only books I can remember reading twice are _Gone With The Wind_ and _Black Beauty_. I'd like to re-read _1984_ and _The Stand_. So it's _extremely_ rare for me to read a book twice. Mostly I think there are way too many good books out there waiting to waste much time re-reading.


If I had more time I would re-read more books. I started Lord's Fouls Bane, but moved on. The Elfstones of Shannara was another one that I read twice and enjoyed. I would re-read Joe Abercrombie's First Law series too. Right now there are just so many books to get caught up on.


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## WVMark

I have a few series that I reread all the time.  Robert B. Parker's Spenser series is one.  Steven Brust is another, but not as often.  Dennis McKiernan's Trilogy and Duology.  Loved those.  A few other series that I reread every now and then, but usually it's quite a few years apart.

Mark


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## purplepen79

I re-read old favorites all the time -- it's like visiting an old friend, and I always get some fresh insight the second or third or fourth time around if the writing is good.  The first time I read a book, I read for story.  The second time I read for character, the third time theme and symbolism and all that snazzy stuff.  Rereading enriches my experience of an excellent book.


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## Alexandra Sokoloff

All the time. Multiple times. I try lots of new books per week, sometimes dozens, but if nothing grabs hold of me I will almost always reread an old favorite, or new favorite.


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## stitchbug

YES!
I reread almost every book. My favorites, I have read dozens of times, literally!
I have a chronic rereading problem.


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## Low Kay Hwa

I will, after a few years. Then I'll see it from a different perspective.

For example, I just reread To Kill a Mockingbird, after reading it as a literature text for secondary school (high school) ten years ago. Now, I'm doing a degree in literature and it seems so different.


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## herocious

Not usually. I've read _The Metamorphosis_ by Kafka several times, as well as _Heart of Darkness_ by Conrad. But novels I usually experience one time and that's it, even the ones I love. I guess I've read some of Sebald 1.5 times. Does that count?


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## LT Ville

When I read the question, my immediate response was "no, but I re-watch good movies or television shows all the time." I don't reread good novels. Sometimes I'll look at the book and skip to the best chapters, but I never read the whole book again. I'm sure that would probably change if I had more free time.


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## QuantumIguana

I'll reread sometimes, but not all that often. I recently reread A Princess of Mars, but it had been several years, and I had forgotten much of it. Generally, while I might be able to get more out of a book on a second reading, I can get even more by reading a new book, there are diminishing returns.


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## tru_blu32

I've got about 5 faves and I've read all them at least 5 times within 5 years.


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## LilianaHart

Absolutely! There are books on my shelf I've read more than ten times. They're just that good. A few weeks ago, I actually read an entire series twice in two weeks because the books were so good.


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## Verbena

I don't re-read often, but the book I like most, I would read many times.


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## KaryE

Yes!  A lot.  I've lost count of how many time I've read books like The Hobbit and the LOTR trilogy. When Anathem came out, I read it three times, back-to-back. Robin Hobb's Apprentice Assassin books, the list goes on and on.    I don't re-read all novels, though, just my favorites.


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## SlenkDee

All the time - of course that may be because I have a horrible memory! I can read a book, know I love it, and 2 months later not be able to remember hardly anything about it. So I get to re-read all the ones I know I loved, but can't remember why! haha


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## hs

Oh yeah, I definitely do, but nowadays a very small percentage of novels that I read fit the criteria.


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## jenjiyana42

I always re-read my favorites, especially if they're very long and involved, because there's undoubtedly something I've missed.  I read my paperback copy of The Silmarillion to pieces, and I think I've read my Patrick O'Brian books at least five or six times each.  The mark of a really good novel, in my opinion, is something you can return to and enjoy just as much, if not more, as the first time.


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## WynneChanning

I have the worst memory in the world so I re-read novels as if it were the first time. I save a lot of money this way 

Worth a repeat: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates. A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry.


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## Sergio

Normally, I don't re-read the whole book but, if it's good, sometimes I like to re-read some random passages. Since I already know the story, I'm more interested in re-experiencing some parts and get my fix of good literature


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## Brian Rush

I've been known to re-read my favorites so many times that their lifespan was severely impacted. Of course nowadays that's less of a problem thanks to e-books, which were invented, I'm convinced, with people like me in mind.

I tend to wait a few months between readings, though, to let myself forget some of the details so it doesn't feel as much like re-reading.


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## M.V. Kallai

I love re-reading my favorites. It's like having a reliable car on an icy road, or a pair of jeans that are worn in just the right way. I usually re-read when I have gone a stretch of time reading books that are just mediocre. Then, I crave a great read and scour my bookshelf.


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## David J Normoyle

I haven't re-read much lately but I used to do it too much. I used to read my favorite series every time a new one was released. I've read the the first 6 books of Wheel of Time at least 4 times with the first one over 7. And they are long books.


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## Andrew Cort

Oh yes. Tolkein, One Hundred Years of Solitude, many times. Probably many times more! (On the other hand, last year I re-read an old favorite, Heinlein's "Stranger in a Strange Land", and Wow! was it ever 'dated' by sexism!)


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## Darlene Jones

Yes, I reread some books. If I really love a book I'll sometimes reread it right away. A Cup of Tea is one example - so beautifully written, that I just had to read it again. Another is The Uncommon Reader. I have a couple of other books that I've read several times over a period of years because I like them so much or they make me laugh out loud each time I read them. They're like best friends.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

Somebody is telling me that re-reading can get us in touch with a book we had forgotten. i totally agree with him


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## Patrick Skelton

Book Two of The Hunger Games was pretty terrific!  Just finished that one.


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## soyfrank

Absolutely. Great books are touchstones that continue to inspire me -- and I always find something new each time I read them.


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## thesmallprint

Top of my re-read tree is a wee book that is out of print now called _I Bought a Mountain_, a memoir by Canadian Thomas Firbank who, despite knowing nothing about farming, bought a Welsh sheep farm on the side of a mountain in Snowdonia. Set in the early 1930s, it's an enchanting book and I've visited the valley in which it is set many times. The farm the Firbanks ran and lived in is now owned by The National Trust and it can be rented as holiday accommodation. A winter weekend there by a log fire is high on my bucket list. I'll be curled up with a glass of whisky ready for my seventh reading of _I Bought a Mountain_.

I often re-read Cormac McCarthy novels simply because he's such a stunning craftsman (imo). He is the only writer who seems to write in 3D.

The late John McGahern's _Memoir _is also a wonderful, touching (if harrowing) book and I've read that 5 times.

I love Annie Proulx too. And Mark Twain.

Happy reading

Joe


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## JezStrider

Generally, I'm not a person to read a novel more than once.  I'm just more interested in reading something different.  That being said there a few books that I have read more than once.

The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.  It's short, so it's not a large endeavor to read again.

1984 by George Orwell  The first time I read the book I was only 13-14 years old, so I wanted to read it again as an adult.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

each time you read a book, there is a new discovery that you make. this is because you clear out areas that you did not understand during your first reading. i do it all the time.


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## Phil Berry

Good thread.  Last one I re-read was Les Miserables, it's got some great set pieces, but also some tedious stretches I now realise!  Before that Sacred Hunger, great atmosphere (RIP Barry Unsworth).  Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - essential if you're going to follow the film.


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## KateEllison

I have a small list of books that I reread about once a year. They are like old friends now.


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## Shaun4

I've only reread a novel twice: American Gods by Neil Gaiman and The Sun Also Rises.

I've reread comics books quite a bit, but they're a much faster read.


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## Maya Cross

I reread a ton. I'm actually scared to acknowledge how many times I've reread some of my favourites. The sheer number of reading hours that have gone into the Wheel of Time series for example...what can I say, I was young? Heh.

Others include:

1984
The Road
Ender's Game
Some China Mieville books

Depending on the book, I find rereading often increases my appreciation. And if it doesn't I am still capable of enjoying it despite knowing the plot. Perhaps that's because I tend to like things that are a little more reflective, as opposed to pacey, plot driven stories.


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## brianjanuary

I love to re-read novels I like, but I need to allow sufficient time to go by before I forget most of the plot!


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## bookuniverse

sometimes....I read the notebook 5 times.


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## Betsy the Quilter

brianjanuary said:


> I love to re-read novels I like, but I need to allow sufficient time to go by before I forget most of the plot!


I've been know to read a good book a second time back-to-back.  Not often.

Betsy


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## Ciuri Di Badia

I agree with you guys. Sometimes, i find myself going through the list of books that i have read in a year. from here, i master the contents by re-reading them.


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## metal134

Dracula said:


> Not typically. There are just too many books and too little time. But every once in a while I'll crack open Anansi Boys or even A Series of Unfortunate Events again.


This. There are many books I would love to re-read, but my "to read" list is WAY to long to be reading a book that I have read already. Maybe, someday, if I ever start to see the end of my list, I will start to re-read some of them, but I doubt that will happen because for every one book I read, three get added into the queue.


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## CEaston

There are only a few of them, but I do re-read novels that I can't stop thinking about. Many books, I read once to myself and then again aloud with someone. I love books that read well out loud.


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## Karen Mead

JezStrider said:


> 1984 by George Orwell The first time I read the book I was only 13-14 years old, so I wanted to read it again as an adult.


Exactly the same here. I'm still blown away by that book, it's in a league of its own.

I have reread a couple of books, but it seems to be something I do very rarely and after a lot of time has passed. I reread the entire_ Chronicles of Narnia_, since I first read them when I was 9 or 10 and I barely remembered the story. Interestingly, while all the Christian symbolism was really obvious the second time through, I don't think I noticed ANY of it as a child.

Also reread Haruki Murakami's_ The Wind Up Bird Chronicle _ fairly recently, a book I really love but I find it hard to make it through some of the disturbing war flashbacks. If I reread anything soon it'll probably be _Black Beauty_, because I last read that book when I was...7. It was the first non-children's book I ever read and I want to see what it was about it that captivated me.


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## Tony Richards

I've never re-read anything, I'm afraid, because there's so much else still waiting out there. But maybe when I'm really, really, really REALLY OLD .....


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## Ciuri Di Badia

George Orwell has nice novels that i also find myself re-reading. however, i nowadays find it hard to balance between re-reading old novels and finding new novels on the market.


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## alawston

I re-read a lot of stuff, especially Terry Pratchett novels, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, and some of the classics (in which I include 1984). A couple of years back, I also reread most of the French literature I studied at university. It was much more fun to read when there was no essay to write afterwards.

I try not to re-read stuff too often, but with a truly excellent book I do find you get extra nuances with each re-reading.


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## Natasha Holme

'Catcher In The Rye' by J.D. Salinger is the first book I read twice. First time when 18. It knocked me sideways. Read it again twenty years later. Still loved it.

I mainly read spiritual books twice - books by: Neale Donald Walsch, Byron Katie, Eckhart Tolle.


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## alawston

I got a lot more out of _Lord of the Rings_ after a 15 year gap between readings. Though I still skipped some of the poetry as an adult, I was much more struck by the passages dealing with the cyclic nature of history than all the orcish goings on that enthralled my teenage self. There's a lovely melancholy moment towards the end of _The Two Towers_ when Frodo sees a long-ruined statue of an ancient King and realises that even if the Dark Lord wins, it won't be forever. I totally missed that kind of reflection as a younger reader.


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## Steve D Palmer

When I was younger I'd re-read things til the covers fell off and pages started yellowing and falling out. Loved Watership Down, The Hobbit, and Grendel, those were my favourites. A good book is treasure.

I think Kindle is changing me. It's so much easier to get into new books now that I don't have to go all the way down to the book store and pay £20-30 for a few novels.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

re-reading rekindles the connection one had with a book. however, with so many tittles that one has to read in the future, it is unbelievable how some people still manage to reread. for me, i re-read one book every week.


----------



## That Weird Guy....

All the time. Some my favorite books that I re-read are:

 Love this book. Usually read it once a year.

 (Harry Potter Series) of course. Just thought I would lump them all together instead of listing each one separately.

 This is one of the funniest books I have read.

All of Christopher Moore's Books (Practical Demonkeeping, Bloodsucking Fiends, Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove, Island of the Sequined Love Nun... etc)


----------



## pamstucky

I do occasionally re-read books I absolutely loved. Your question is an excellent one, because it made me think: What about a novel is it that makes me re-read it? It comes down to story. If I love the story - _even if the writing itself isn't top-notch_ - I might re-read. Which is really interesting to me! I remember an author once telling a roomful of other authors that "People need stories," and I guess it's true. Re-reading a book for me is about re-immersing myself in a world, place, or time that I loved; being a part of the story again.


----------



## Lanesy

To this day, I have never re-read anything. It's quite sad really. I guess I am just yearning for that book that I can relate to in every way, shape and form. I know its out there!


----------



## sandyL1090

Loren DeShon said:


> I almost always re-read the best novels, and I do so time and again.
> 
> For example, I have the entire 20 volume Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian (_Master and Commander_ is the first one), and I've read the entire series in order four or five times, and as well as individual books more than that.
> 
> _Huckleberry Finn, Moby Dick, Shogun, The Killer Angels, Lonesome Dove_, etc-many, many times each.


I'm with you, Loren! I've read the Aubry/Maturin series over again and again. I'm a huge fan of historical fiction - and anything well written that can take me to a time and place in history and immerse me in the everyday ( and sometime exceptional) lives of well developed characters is going to be revisited often.


----------



## Nicole5102

I have re-read books most of my life. It is always fun to go back to a series in particular, after some years have passed. To me those books are like a warm soft blanket wrapped around me--someplace I know and feel comfortable in, without having to think too much.

Re-read Faves: Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Harry Potter series, The Belgariad and The Mallorean series by David Eddings, Charlaine Harris' Sookie Stackhouse series just to name a few


----------



## JimC1946

I'm usually so eager to start a new book that I seldom reread one. I have, however, read the _LOTR_ trilogy three times, and _The Hobbit_ twice.


----------



## Audrey Finch

I find I get different things when I re-read. Having said that, since I discovered Kindle I haven't had time to.  So many books, so little time!


----------



## WVMark

alawston said:


> I re-read a lot of stuff, especially Terry Pratchett novels, Douglas Adams, Jasper Fforde, and some of the classics (in which I include 1984). A couple of years back, I also reread most of the French literature I studied at university. It was much more fun to read when there was no essay to write afterwards.
> 
> I try not to re-read stuff too often, but with a truly excellent book I do find you get extra nuances with each re-reading.


Most definitely the Hitchhiker's Trilogy. Love rereading that.

Mark


----------



## mkeyth

I wish I had time to re-read them...


----------



## sandyL1090

Currently re-reading Mary Stewart's Merlin/King Arthur series. I hadn't thought about them in years. Saw someone's mention of her in a post and immediately went to the Kindle store and bought the bundled books for a price I couldn't pass up!  Tiny snatches of work between reading binges is getting done around here at the moment. Love her work!


----------



## Miriam Minger

You bet!  The beauty of it is seeing things in the text that you missed the first time around.

Miriam Minger


----------



## Cathy21

I've re-read Lord of the Rings and Brideshead Re-visited three times (at least) but not much else; now so many books waiting to be read on Kindle no time for re-reading apart from The Godling: A Novel of Masalay by CK Collins which I read for the second time recently and enjoyed even more than before.

Cathy


----------



## Aaron Scott

Quite often, and I really have only kept books I wanted to reread.  Sometimes I do reread a novel right away, because the book is written in such a way that things at the beginning will have more meaning when you've read it to the end.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

when i re-read, i get to understand a book better.


----------



## Ruby Barnes

I do like to revisit books that have made a strong impression on me, but usually after a couple or few years. My wife often immediately re-reads books that she really enjoys, which makes me wonder if she's skipped parts.


----------



## RJMcDonnell

I re-read at least one Lawrence Sanders mystery novel each year.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

its time to reread 'the help'


----------



## Mike @ Acute Angle books

The ereading revolution has brought with it many advantages - the fact that you can get access to so many hundreds of thousands (or millions?!) of great books so very easily must mean that a lot of people hop from one book to the next without much reflection. 

But for me, one of the great joys of books is their lasting quality. To me, the idea of throwing or giving away a book after reading it is unthinkable - unless I really didn't enjoy it, which is rare. And I often return to books that I have enjoyed. Even when the Kindle is used as my primary reading source (it's a bit of both at the mo), I'll always want to have books in the house - even if I don't read them again, I can remember the experience by looking at them on the shelf. 

In my late teens, I went through a SciFi period, picking my way through Asimov, Clarke and Wyndham in spades. One book I went back to time and again was Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End. I often find myself thinking about picking it up again and re-reading it even now, although it must be about 15 years since I last did, despite getting through it at least 5 times when I was younger. The copy I had was my mums - a paperback from the late 60s/early 70s - and it was a favourite of hers, so it was pretty dog-eared even then. Now, it's completely collapsed on itself, but I'll probably read it again. 

Even if I have to buy a new copy, I'll never throw the old copy away.


----------



## NogDog

Mike @ Acute Angle books said:


> The ereading revolution has brought with it many advantages - the fact that you can get access to so many hundreds of thousands (or millions?!) of great books so very easily must mean that a lot of people hop from one book to the next without much reflection...


I guess that's where I might argue just a bit: there are certainly many, many books easily available now, but for me, at least, there are not "hundreds of thousands (or millions?!) of *great* books" [my emphasis]. Thus, when I do find a great book, I cherish it and want to enjoy it more than once -- or perhaps read it after going through a spate of poor to mediocre new books just so I know I'm going to enjoy it. (The curse of being a picky reader.  )


----------



## Mike @ Acute Angle books

NogDog said:


> I guess that's where I might argue just a bit: there are certainly many, many books easily available now, but for me, at least, there are not "hundreds of thousands (or millions?!) of *great* books" [my emphasis].


Good point, actually, NogDog - I guess if there were thousands/millions of _great_ books, they wouldn't be great. But ereaders allow a lot more good and great work to find an audience than was possible before.

It is nice to know that there are favourites that you can lean on after a bad or baffling reading experience. I tend to go back to a favourite author, if not a favourite book, to ensure a good reading experience (although that can sometimes have mixed results).

Nothing wrong with being a picky reader!


----------



## jacobchastain

I tend to do this more often with nonfiction rather than fiction. I think I have read Stephen King's, On Writing, at least 10 times back to back... But, I have read some fiction like that. Genesis by Bernard Becket is AMAZING and short. I never hear many people talk about the book though...


----------



## raychensmith

I reread books based not on the story but on the exceptional language.  I've reread The Great Gatsby like 3 times and a few Stephen King stories (like Firestarter) a couple of times.  Often, I reread specific scenes I found arresting many, many times.  Even bad writers often have specific strengths.  I've read the first 14 chapters of James Patterson's Kiss the Girls maybe a half-dozen times.  Say what you will about Patterson, his ability to create and sustain tension is impressive, particularly the beginning of Kiss the Girls.


----------



## Drew Merten

I have re read more books than I can count. I grew up with the Hary Boys and Nancy Drew, and have probably read those a dozen times a piece. More recently, I've re read cold fire by Dean Koontz, and also Odd Thomas. Great stories, awesome characters.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

yesterday in was rereading animal farm and i found it interesting.


----------



## Lucia

I think the only books I've finished and immediately turned to the first page to reread were The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy and two unpublished books.


----------



## vistawriter

There are a few that I've gone back years later and reread, but never right away—unless I'm editing, of course.


----------



## ryansumo

I very rarely re-read or re-watch any kind of media.  I feel like there's so much new stuff out there everyday that I need to try to absorb it all.  

In my younger days I would go back to old fantasy novels though, sort of like comfort food.  I've reread Michael Moorcock's Eternal Champion series a bunch of times.


----------



## NancyHerkness

I re-read my favorite Georgette Heyer novels: Venetia, Frederica, Devil's Cub, and several others. Heyer is the writer who inspired me to write romance (although my books are contemporary), and I always learn something about the craft from her books. They are also my comfort reading when I just need to sink into a book without worrying about whether it will take me where I want to go. She was brilliant at what she did, and her characters are as vivid to me as real people.


----------



## Vincent

When I was a kid it was _Battle Circle_ by Pierce Anthony.

More recently _A Farewell to Arms_ and _For Whom the Bell Tolls_ by Hemingway are repeats.

_Man's Search for Meaning_ by Frankl and _The Seven Storey Mountain_ by Merton... read both at least twice and sections of both tens of times.

_Brave New World_ by Huxley... 2 or 3 times.

The book (ok, not a novel) I have read more times than any other (hundreds??).... *HOP ON POP* by Seuss... I have five kids!


----------



## jasonzc

I'm sort of sad. I reread King, Robbins, Heinlein, etc. 

It's only the ebook revolution thing that's forced me to read new works...


----------



## Echase

All of the time. I find I can be quite picky with Authors, so I tend to re-read anything I really liked.


----------



## capenewagen

I re-read some.  Preservation Hall by Scott Spencer just intrigues me.  I've read it at least three times. Room at the Top by John Braine, ditto.  Deliverance by James Dickey - had to decide if the guy got shot or just fell out of the canoe.


----------



## psychotick

Hi,

Yes, I reread many books, but I don't know that they are exceptionally good novels. They're just the ones that I enjoy. So all of the Stainless Steel Rats, Hitchikers, Some of Stephen Donaldson, LOTR and quite a bit of Piers Anthony are now almost worn out from being thumbed through too often. It doesn't matter that I know the ending, its about the enjoyment of putting myself in that particular world again for a few hours.

Cheers, Greg.


----------



## Roz Morris

I reread unintentionally, usually while researching for my own books. I'll pick up a favourite novel intending just to find a particular passage, or to skim to a paragraph that expressed an idea just so, and before I know it I've fallen into the text and I simply have to reread the whole thing. It's a pity because I have bookshelves groaning with new delights that I haven't yet got round to. 
Books that have recently snared me this way are Donna Tartt's The Secret History, Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca and George Orwell's NIneteen Eighty-Four.


----------



## Sam Medina

Yes! I've had a few novels that I've read again and again because they were either so great or so fun to read... One of my recent favorites was _*Caine Black Knife*_... action-packed, and very interesting... Another would be the *Earthsea Cycle*... as well as *The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever*... then there's the classic Asimov, Herbert, and Tolkien stuff that I'll re-read now and then.


----------



## Manny

Totally. Just downloaded Alice in Wonderland for a lark (it was read to me as a child; I read it in school; I read it in college; and at age 55, it had me laughing out loud. 
But non-classics too: Most books by Philip K. Dick I've read at least twice. Especially Ubik and the Valis trilogy.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

today i am re-reading the help and i am loving it


----------



## mooshie78

Yes, but not often.  Too many books to read to spend much time re-reading IMO.

But I have re-read some favorites (and some a few times) like LOTR, The Great Gatsby, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, some of Chuck Palahniuk's books, some of the Harry Potter books (re-read the first 5 before book 6 cameout) etc.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

You are right mooshie...if you have a lot of books to read, there is no point of rereading...however, that can wait for a future time when you will have more time.


----------



## readingril

They don't even necessarily have to be extremely good books for me....they are like comfort food.


----------



## mooshie78

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> You are right mooshie...if you have a lot of books to read, there is no point of rereading...however, that can wait for a future time when you will have more time.


That time will never come since there will always be more great books coming out than I have time to read. Especially since reading isn't my top priority in my free time and I thus only read around 2-4 books a month usually.


----------



## SuTatic

Absolutely yes. There's nothing sad about it!

...although I used to do it a lot more when I was younger. I think it had to do with the lack of opportunity to get new books every hour of the day. I'd start re-reading out of fear that if I stuck my nose out of a book, someone might talk to me, or something. Jeez.

All kidding aside, I do re-read books I've enjoyed. Recently, two of my friends discovered  so I started re-reading those books. 
I've re-read Ivo Andric's _The Bridge on the Drina_, in english. Lamentably, that book isn't on the kindle!


----------



## lvhiggins

I just finished To Kill a Mockingbird (yeah, yeah, I know, I should have read it in school) I loved it so much I'm going to re-read it right now.

Last summer I re-read Moby Dick (which, yes, I _did_ read in school.] I came away with a different impression than when I last read it. It was like visiting an old friend -- and discovering something new about her -- all at the same time.


----------



## NancyHerkness

readingril said:


> They don't even necessarily have to be extremely good books for me....they are like comfort food.


Yes, yes, Readingril! That's the way I feel about re-reading my favorite Georgette Heyer Regencies: they are like my favorite carbs or a puffy quilt I can wrap myself in. They are old friends who don't make demands on me; I can just BE with them. Sometimes you need that from a book.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

yes Nancy. I totally agree with you. re-reading is a matter of clearing facts.


----------



## CJArcher

I hate re-reading novels, just like I hate watching a movie a second time. The only books I've re-read are the 6 Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett with a 10 year gap in between reads. She was a brilliant historical author, and her writing had so many layers, themes and subtle references that I wasn't bored. The only other books I re-read were some early Stephanie Plum books, but that was more to study how Evanovich wrote dialogue.


----------



## Cathy21

I downloaded The Water-Babies by Charles Kingsley the other day which I read several times as a child. I read the first few pages and am looking forward to re-reading all of it. Cathy


----------



## sarahdalton

I've only ever re-read two books in my life - Wuthering Heights and Dracula. 

I'm terrible for finishing a book and completely forgetting the entire plot line. Some of us can read a book and then quote it. Some of us absorb books - I'm the latter. I think books can subtly change your perspective on the world even if you don't really remember what happened. I think we draw from the characters, learn new things about human existence and grow as a person. 

But then I am a bit of a hopeless romantic


----------



## mooshie78

CJArcher said:


> I hate re-reading novels, just like I hate watching a movie a second time. The only books I've re-read are the 6 Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett with a 10 year gap in between reads. She was a brilliant historical author, and her writing had so many layers, themes and subtle references that I wasn't bored. The only other books I re-read were some early Stephanie Plum books, but that was more to study how Evanovich wrote dialogue.


I differ on movies. I own 300 some and love re-watching movies, despite seldom re-reading a book. I'm more into movies than novel reading, and not being a speed reader a book is a much more significant time investment. Easier to find 90-120 minutes to re-watch a movie, than the several hours it takes to re-read a book--particularly a longer book. Especially when I generally only read a chapter or two at night before sleeping.


----------



## Roz Morris

sarahdalton said:


> I've only ever re-read two books in my life - Wuthering Heights and Dracula.
> 
> I'm terrible for finishing a book and completely forgetting the entire plot line. Some of us can read a book and then quote it. Some of us absorb books - I'm the latter. I think books can subtly change your perspective on the world even if you don't really remember what happened. I think we draw from the characters, learn new things about human existence and grow as a person.
> 
> But then I am a bit of a hopeless romantic


I'm with you there, Sarah. I have a terrible memory and can't quote to save my life. A few months after I finish a book I can't remember much about it, except how much I liked it and actively sought its company. But I love your point about us carrying a little piece of a book's DNA with us afterwards. I think that although I don't remember facts and events from the book, I remember its deeper examinations and resonances. I'd never thought about that before until you said it here.

Does this mindset make it easier to be a writer or more difficult? You've definitely got me thinking.


----------



## Candee15

Roz Morris said:


> I'm with you there, Sarah. I have a terrible memory and can't quote to save my life. A few months after I finish a book I can't remember much about it, except how much I liked it and actively sought its company. But I love your point about us carrying a little piece of a book's DNA with us afterwards. I think that although I don't remember facts and events from the book, I remember its deeper examinations and resonances. I'd never thought about that before until you said it here.
> 
> Does this mindset make it easier to be a writer or more difficult? You've definitely got me thinking.


What a great saying...You liked a book so much that you "actively sought its company.". That describes my feeling perfectly when I love a book


----------



## A. S. Warwick

My two favourite novels I've read so many times that the initial copy has fallen apart and have needed repairs.  I've had to buy new copies of them now.


----------



## Blue Bull Book Design

I find myself re-reading books during stressful or chaotic times in my life. It's just comforting to know that some things never change, I guess! I gravitate towards books I loved when I was younger, so for me it's more about nostalgia/comfort than an extremely good novel.

It's really interesting that so many people rarely or never re-read. I envy you and your onwards and upwards attitude


----------



## Candee15

Clare Horton said:


> I find myself re-reading books during stressful or chaotic times in my life. It's just comforting to know that some things never change, I guess! I gravitate towards books I loved when I was younger, so for me it's more about nostalgia/comfort than an extremely good novel.
> 
> It's really interesting that so many people rarely or never re-read. I envy you and your onwards and upwards attitude


I'm not good at the not looking back attitude. I love the comfort factor of re-reading books that take me to a happy place!


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

you are right Candee...re-reading a book can enable you to get points that you could have otherwise missed.


----------



## carolineluvs2rt

I have read several favorites many times. I always see something new or am reminded of just why I loved that book. I love my Kindle, but sometimes I buy a book I've loved in print to save forever on my shelf. Some of those I've reread are Julie Garwood's FOR THE ROSES and PRINCE CHARMING, Maggie Osborne's THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES, Loretta Chase's LORD PERFECT and MR. IMPOSSIBLE, Louis L'Amour's FALLON, CONAGHER, and CROSS-FIRE TRAIL, a couple by Jodi Thomas, and several by Agatha Christie. I enjoy the way good authors phrase descriptions and capture the reader. 

Caroline Clemmons


----------



## MalloryMoutinho

I almost never re-read books. But, I often find myself accidentally starting to reread books. I almost never remember the specifics in a story, but I can't tell you how many times in my youth I picked up a book thinking 'Wow, this sounds awesome!' only to get one chapter in and suddenly remember the whole plot. So, I would put it down and start a new book instead.


----------



## Justawriter

Yes, not often, but sometimes I will return to a 'keeper' book, the ones that have really resonated with me. Two of John Grisham's, his first two actually, A Time to Kill and The Firm, I've read many times. The one I've read the most is an old Barbara Taylor Bradford saga, A Woman of Substance, which was the first in what turned out to be a series of sorts about rags to riches self-made woman Emma Harte. 

Sometimes I've accidentally read a book twice, picking it up in the store and then realizing not far in that I've read it before. That's happened with Danielle Steel and Nora Roberts and I think because their books are often reissued so it's not always clear that it's an older book.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

they say that when you are re-readinng, you master all the connceps in a book.


----------



## JRTomlin

I have two reasons for re-reading novels. The first is that I enjoyed the experience of reading it in the first place. Why wouldn't I want to repeat an enjoyable experience. Because I've already eaten chocolate doesn't mean I won't eat it again. The same with books.

The second is to study them. You don't absorb all of the techniques that worked or identify what didn't on one read. I have read certain novels over and over again, making notes and thinking about what the writer did (and didn't do) right. But mostly did do right since I'm not likely to study a book I don't think is extraordinary.


----------



## gamarshall

I find myself re-reading novels because I get more out of them as I age. There are too many books to name that that I read as a teenager, while missing major plot points. Now, I get it.


----------



## herocious

I've read The Metamorphosis 4 times.


----------



## AnnMHammond

I'm a chronic re-reader of books.  One's I have enjoyed anyways. 

If a new book in a series is coming out, I usually try to re-read the entire series. OR if there are to many books, I try to at least re-read that last 1 or 2.


----------



## Gareth K Pengelly

I've re-read Space Marine, by Ian Watson.

And I've re-read The Pariah, by Graham Masterton. Such a good horror book that it still scared the crap out of me second time round...


----------



## Author MMC

The book MUST be one of those timeless and great novels, but time must pass first...about three years or more before I pick it back up.  It's a great thing to do though...have done it about three times.


----------



## K.M. Malloy

Absolutely. There's a handful of books I've read two or three times, and a few that have their spines beginning to fall apart and their covers tattered because I've read them so many times. I've read the entire Vegas series by Fern Michaels at least nine times. As a kid I read Mick Hart Was Here at least thirty times, and even as an adult I read it again every two or three years. I may reread Stephen King's IT again in a couple years. True, there are so many great new books out there to discover, but I think every reader has their personal little library of beloved books they just need to revisit every few years. If you fell in love with a great novel once, why not reignite that spark again?


----------



## Simon Haynes

Yes, always re-read. I have shelves packed with favourites like Agatha Christie, Alistair Maclean, Desmond Bagley, Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, etc, etc. I can't replace them with ebook editions because the physical books themselves hold the memories. E.g. the tattered copy of Lord of the Rings (Fellowship of the Ring) which my dad had on the dashboard of the Kombi camper during a family trip in the late 70's.


----------



## L.M.Sherwin

I love re-reading my favorite novels. A few I've read OVER AND OVER again are: Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

Re-reading is the best way of strengthening your mastering capability.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

hi guys, i am rereading the haws syndrome


----------



## TylerCoulson

I think I re-read compelling non-fiction more frequently than fiction. Having said that, I've read 100 Years of Solitude and For Whom the Bell Tolls each about 40 times.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

Tyler, thats funny. you mean you have re-read over 40 times?


----------



## mestrin

I don't think I've ever re-read a novel cover-to-cover (or whatever the ebook equivalent is of that expression).
But I often go back an re-read passages I'm really fond of. Sometimes it's to pick apart the author's style and use of language -- sort of a _how did they do that._ Other times, it's just for pleasure.
I don't do this a lot, but I do re-read passages in both ebook and paper. Maybe I re-read paper a little more because those books are literally sitting on a massive shelf near my couch. 
But overall, I don't think I'd re-read an entire book because, frankly, there are just too many other books I'd rather read.
Sidenote: I have several friends who are English teachers. They re-read novels every year to stay ahead of their classes. I've asked them if that gets boring. The typical answer is no, but they all stress that they tend to change up their reading list each year, so it might be a few years before they come back to the same book.


----------



## Leslie_Messy

Of course! But depending on the novel dictates the time in which I will re-read it again. For instance, something that's lighter in subject I can usually re-read within a years time. But more serious works like "In Cold Blood" every couple of years or so. Another one I just read was My Antonia.....best part about it was that I found that it was free!  http://www.amazon.com/My-Ántonia-ebook/dp/B004UJIQNU/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1347663022&sr=1-1&keywords=my+antonia

Amazing how this book is only 200 pages, yet she packed a lifetime into it.


----------



## Dawn McCullough White

You know I never used to, but within the past couple years I've started doing that.  They're "comfort reads" I guess, maybe that's why, not sure exactly what has changed about me to seek that out but... yes, the answer is yes.  I do.

Dawn


----------



## Casper Parks

Yes, yes, yes...


----------



## Russell Brooks

I've re-read THE HOBBIT and THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING. So glad that I did.


----------



## DCBourone

Constantly.
Greg Bear's "Blood Music"
All MartinCruzSmith.
"Cold Mountain"
"Dune"
The covers epoxy themselves to my hands, it seems.
Inconvenient when I'm trying to type.


----------



## TwoSuns

On very rare occasions. I am rereading the Harry Potter series with my son; I reread White Oleander and an Alice Walker book long ago; and now I so want to reread The Language of Flowers (which I mostly listened to on audio anyway). 
Honestly, there are too many good books out there to spend too much time (for me) in rereading. My TBR list is enormous.


----------



## jatkin

Always.  Often I re-read multiple times if the book makes my top 10 favorites list


----------



## Iron Fist

I read my favorite novel 5-6 times in last 10 years.


----------



## Ciuri Di Badia

i was rereading under siege and i feel so relieved.


----------



## vikiana

I never read one book twice! It's just like watching a movie twice . Yes,it might be funny but solving mystery is done and after all you know what's going to happen in the end....  What do you think?


----------



## vikiana

Neil Ostroff said:


> I've read some of my favorites three or four times.


 I agree there must be a very serious time period for re-reading a book. Otherwise I don't think the impression of the very same book could be stronger rather than the first reading of it .


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## NancyHerkness

I absolutely re-read my favorite books.  Sometimes it's for comfort; sometimes it's to find new facets of genius; sometimes it's just to get the taste of a bad book out of my brain.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i re-read the help and it was lovely. i got points that i had missed before.


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## vikiana

gdae23 said:


> Do you mean right away? I do reread some favorite novels, usually after many years. I'd reread more books, but then there would be less time left in life to read new books! It's a hard choice, but I try to fit old favorites in between the new ones. There are some books I've liked so much that I hate to see them end, and almost feel tempted to reread them on the spot. I usually just settle for skimming for favorite passages, though.


 You are not the only one which want to re-read some books. There are book which are eternal. You can read them thousend times and it become like your "personal" bible )) The wisdom in it you can use anytime all the time.. )))


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## vikiana

NancyHerkness said:


> I absolutely re-read my favorite books. Sometimes it's for comfort; sometimes it's to find new facets of genius; sometimes it's just to get the taste of a bad book out of my brain.





The Hooded Claw said:


> As I've said before, "Of course I reread favored books, often many times, doesn't everyone?"


 I do the same thing for the same reason. Re-reading a book is the best way to fill the blank spots from the very first reading as well


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## vikiana

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> i re-read the help and it was lovely. i got points that i had missed before.





apbschmitz said:


> One of the virtues of getting older is that you can reread books and still manage to feel like you're reading them for the first time. Recently my daughter was assigned War and Peace in a college class. I had last read it about 40 years ago when I was in college. I took another crack at it and loved it again (except for Tolstoy's too-frequent yammering about the nature of history). But the experience was very close to reading a book I had never read before.


 yea ,completely agree with you! )


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## Ciuri Di Badia

you are right vikiana


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## vikiana

Something I have ever re-read is "Little prince". I adore this little book but with a huge potensial and wisdom for the human beings.


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## Kwalker

I love to re-read my favorites.

I've reread a lot of the Alex Cross books, years later and it's like reading it the first time all over again.

I wont even admit how many times I have reread Twilight, though no times were as magical as the first.

My hubby and I each reread all the Harry Potter books as the movies were coming out, in preparation for the movie. 

I started to re-read The Sword Of Truth series, but could only make it through the first one.

I did the same thing when I was a teen. I re-read Christy I don't know how many times.


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## vikiana

jmiked said:


> I don't think I've ever done that very quickly after finishing a book. Mostly I reread something after 20-30 years (I've been book-reading for about 60 years).
> 
> Mike


i would neverbe bale to re-read a book after so many years. First of all what I have liked in the book when I'm 20 years old is not what I would like from another book when I'm 40 years old.I do hope you understand what I mean. Re-reading is a good thing but not every book can be appropriate for it. For such a re-reading you should choose very "long termed" book ...


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## Ciuri Di Badia

yes vikiana, re-reading will refresh your mind and enable you to see tips that you could have missed.


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## JimC1946

I've reread about half a dozen novels and about the same number of nonfiction books. The only books that I've read three times are those in the _Lord of the Rings_ trilogy, and I'll likely read it again before I die.


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## azure111

Yes, I will re-read if the novel is extremely good. I have only done this a few times..


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## Ciuri Di Badia

I re-read the jilted and it made me grasp points that i had missed.


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## carolineluvs2rt

Yes, I have several I reread to study the style of writing. PRINCE CHARMING by Julie Garwood, FOR THE ROSES by Julie Garwood, THE PROMISE OF JENNY JONES Maggie Osborne, LORD PERFECT by Loretta Chase, and several by Louis L'Amour are books I reread to study. I love the vivid writing as well as the plotting. I enjoy reading the decriptions. They are great learning tools. Mostly, though, I read the new books by friends. That takes most of my free time. The rest of the time, I'm writing my own books.


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## Gertie Kindle

_Outlander_ about once a year even before it came out on Kindle. I might also read the next two in the series, but I stop after that.

I reread Susan Howatch a lot, and now that her historicals have been kindleized, I'll be rereading them, too. When I start reading the Starbridge Series (six books), I'll read them straight through and then go on to read the St. Benet's trilogy right to the end. Can you tell she's my favorite author?


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## thedavebright

I go through cycles. If it has been a very long time I will consider going back to a book, especially if some of the finer points are becoming hazy in memory. I'll only do this with books I find incredibly captivating though


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## Candee15

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> _Outlander_ about once a year even before it came out on Kindle. I might also read the next two in the series, but I stop after that.
> 
> I reread Susan Howatch a lot, and now that her historicals have been kindleized, I'll be rereading them, too. When I start reading the Starbridge Series (six books), I'll read them straight through and then go on to read the St. Benet's trilogy right to the end. Can you tell she's my favorite author?


Hi, Gertie,

I just started reading The Rich are Different last night and am already loving it. I feel so good having five LONG novels of hers on my Kindle now


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## Gertie Kindle

Candee15 said:


> Hi, Gertie,
> 
> I just started reading The Rich are Different last night and am already loving it. I feel so good having five LONG novels of hers on my Kindle now


IMO, The Rich Are Different has the best opening paragraph ever.


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## Candee15

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> IMO, The Rich Are Different has the best opening paragraph ever.


Yes, it does! I'm loving Dinah and her cosmetics. While I was growing up in New York back in the 60s, my mother was a traveling makeup artist for Elizabeth Arden. Cosmetics played an integral part in our lives. It was a very glamorous profession, and she used to work in Manhattan and the fancy stores in New York.


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## Gertie Kindle

Candee15 said:


> Yes, it does! I'm loving Dinah and her cosmetics. While I was growing up in New York back in the 60s, my mother was a traveling makeup artist for Elizabeth Arden. Cosmetics played an integral part in our lives. It was a very glamorous profession, and she used to work in Manhattan and the fancy stores in New York.


No wonder she loved Howatch!


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## Candee15

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> No wonder she loved Howatch!


I'm realizing that now! I'm falling in love with this story for that reason, too. I don't have my mother anymore, so the books she loved are giving me some special hours. I'm loving reading books that meant so much to my mother. There just aren't enough hours in the day for all I want to read and savor


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## Gertie Kindle

Candee15 said:


> I'm realizing that now! I'm falling in love with this story for that reason, too. I don't have my mother anymore, so the books she loved are giving me some special hours. I'm loving reading books that meant so much to my mother. There just aren't enough hours in the day for all I want to read and savor


I'm going to start reading it this week. Let's discuss it in the Howatch thread you started. Okay?


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## Candee15

Gertie Kindle 'a/k/a Margaret Lake' said:


> I'm going to start reading it this week. Let's discuss it in the Howatch thread you started. Okay?


Perfect. See you there.


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## carolineluvs2rt

I certainly do, but for varying reasons. I've reread Julie Garwood's PRINCE CHARMING about once a year because I love it so much. I've reread most of Louis L'Amour's books numerous times. Other novels, I reread to study; to figure out what it was about that author's style that entranced me. In other cases, I read because the book gave me such pleasure. Rereading a good book is like visiting an old friend.


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## Savannah_Page

Yup! Some books, once finished, I've run out and purchased after reading them as a borrowed or library book. Some are just must-haves and therefore re-reads.


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## J. W. Rolfe

I never re-read books. If the book was so good as to where I would want to read it again, I usually have a strong enough recollection of it to suffice.


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## thaynes

I re-read Pride & Prejudice about once a quarter. I normally re-read a P&P spin-off called Before the Season Ends once a year. I'm thinking about re-reading A Tale of Two Cities sometime soon.
I think these books are like comfort foods. You revisit them because they're safe and you already know you're going to enjoy them. That's important to me because there are so many books to chose from and I don't always want to take a risk on something I might not enjoy. There are times when I'm feeling adventurous, but there are also times I want something familiar and good.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

I've re-read pride and justice tooand i have to admit that the book is amazing


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson

I think it depends a lot on the genre. Plot-driven books such as thrillers, crime or mystery are not as likely to be re-read because you know 'who did it' and how it ends. However, the classics are usually character-driven and one tends to re-read them because of the quality of the writing even if you know how they end. The only books I re-read are Jane Austen and Monica Dickens.
I've tried re-reading books that I enjoyed 30 or more years ago, but found I couldn't get into them. I think your tastes in books either changes or matures  .


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i am re-reading the bench


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## Moira Bianchi

Psyche27 said:


> Yes! All the time.
> 
> I've read Pride and prejudice about ten times.
> 
> I'm currently re reading the whole Song of ice and Fire Series
> 
> The Catcher in the Rye, maybe thrice
> 
> plus a whole lot more books i've read numerous times.


I'm also a huge Mr Darcy fan! Huge! I like other romance novels and big classics, new block busters but I always come back to Mr D´s arms!


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## Ciuri Di Badia

today i'll be re-reading under siege. i want to get the story better


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## PaulLev

I've read Isaac Asimov's Foundation Trilogy at least three times.


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## Edward C. Patterson

I have read The Lord of the Rings every year between 1964 (High School) and 2003 as an annual ritual, until I replaced it with Stephen King's Dark Tower Series (10 temes now). I have also read The Harry Potter series three times (well, once on audio books). I ofter re-read a book I love - Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth and World Without End recently - and many Pearl S. Buck books (although I need to remind myself she wrote over 50 books and I've managed to to collect them all and many still remain unread). That reminds me to start a Buck thread in th near future.  

Edward C. Patterson


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## LDB

Yes, I just finished rereading Danny Dunn and the Homework Machine again. I've always got Sherlock Holmes around as well.


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## MLKatz

Do you ever start reading a novel, and then get about 30 pages into and just realize you have read it before? I guess I'm getting old, but that seems to happen a couple of times a year to me now.


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## Ann in Arlington

MLKatz said:


> Do you ever start reading a novel, and then get about 30 pages into and just realize you have read it before? I guess I'm getting old, but that seems to happen a couple of times a year to me now.


Sometimes. . .but I usually can't remember any of the plot forward. Just have a sense of dejá vu about everything as I read it. So I usually just go ahead and re-read it.


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## Miriam Minger

You bet!  But I give it a little time first.

Miriam Minger


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## Christopher Bunn

Definitely. Re-read and own them.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson

MLKatz said:


> Do you ever start reading a novel, and then get about 30 pages into and just realize you have read it before? I guess I'm getting old, but that seems to happen a couple of times a year to me now.


Many years ago I took my elderly mother to the library and watched her open a number of books and look inside the front cover before replacing them on the shelf. When I asked her what she was doing she showed me the secret signs she and other elderly readers had penciled in the cover so they would know which books they had read


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## Seth Mueller

Definitely! I mentioned in a different thread that I read _Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil_...again. I've also read _The Devil in the White City_ a few times.


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## Julia444

I always re-read my favorite novels! It's a sure mood-lifter and has no calories, as opposed to the chocolate chip cookies that I also use as mood-brighteners.  

I teach a high school creative writing class, and I love Mary Stewart's THE MOONSPINNERS so much that I'm having them look at a chapter of it, too.  Just another way I sneak in a bit of a re-read.  I must have read the book 20 times by now.

Julia


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## ymccoll

Oh yes, I am rereading Wolf Hall right now - I finished Bringing Up the Bodies at the weekend.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i was re-reading the quick box and one thing that was apparent is that i had missed the concept of the story from the previous reading.


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## Anisa Claire West

I don't generally reread a great novel from start to finish, but I will revisit my favorite parts.  With great novels, I agree with the Sade song, "Never As Good As the First Time."  There's a certain magic of discovery that gets lost in a reread.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

You are right Anisa. revisiting your favorite pages would save you a lot of time and energy.


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## Kodai Okuda

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> There are times when I find my self wanting to read a novel all over again. This is especially when I find it so exciting that I feel that I have not had enough. I'm I the only one who feels like this?


There are a few books that every so often I just have to go back and reread.
So, yes, I feel like you do.
The book that constantly sucks me back into reading it is A.E. van Vogt's _Voyage of the Space Beagle_.
That book (actually a series of short stories turning into a book) calls to me every now an then. 
_The Stars My Destination_ by Alfred Bester and John Campbell's _The Mightiest Machine_ are also like that for me.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

thinking of re-reading the hunger games series this coming weekend. i get to refresh my memory on the books.


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## Carrie Rubin

I always say I'll go back and reread a book, but I never do. There are so many others on my list I want to get to. But if I were to reread any, I'd reread "A Fine Balance" by Rohinton Mistry, "Memoirs of a Geisha" by Arthur Golden, "A Tale of Two Cities," and "The Shining," because another thread about scary horror novels reminded me I'd like to revisit that Stephen King classic.


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## gljones

I do re-read books over time.  The books that are thick with description and imagery are the ones that I re-read, Tolkien for example.  Thrillers and stuff that are plot driven I don't re-read as once you know "who dunnit" the thrill is gone from the thriller.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

you are right gljones. books with imagery are hard to understand especially with one read.


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## Psyche27

I reread books al the time. I wont even mentioned Pride and Prejudice or Jane Eyre, both of which I have read like 50 times.

I definitely read books over and over again. I learned that from my father, he can quote whole passages from books like Ivanhoe and Past Caring.

I'm reading the Song of Ice and Fire books the second time round

I've read the first twilight book maybe thrice.

The Catcher in the Rye about thrice too.

Rebecca twice

Lucy Sullivan is getting married... about twice.

All the Nick Hornby books, probably twice each,

Of Mice and Men, The Elegance of the Hedgehog etc.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i agree with you guys. re-reading makes it easy for one to understand points that you could have missed in your previous reading.


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## BTackitt

Ciuri Di Badia said:


> There are times when I find my self wanting to read a novel all over again. This is especially when I find it so exciting that I feel that I have not had enough. I'm I the only one who feels like this?


Doesn't everyone?


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## MLKatz

Jan Hurst-Nicholson said:


> Many years ago I took my elderly mother to the library and watched her open a number of books and look inside the front cover before replacing them on the shelf. When I asked her what she was doing she showed me the secret signs she and other elderly readers had penciled in the cover so they would know which books they had read


LOL, well I know where I'm heading.

I guess during my lifetime I have re-read LOTR and The Source at least 3 times. I also re-read Evolution by Stephen Baxter a couple of times. I have probably re-read others, but as I have already admitted - I forgot.


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## RhiannonDouglas

I am a big fan of re-reading a good book.

There are some that I will re-read within the same year, some that will take me a few years. If I didn't really enjoy a book I'm not likely to read it again.

I have books that I re-read every single year.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

douglas; it seems we share a hobby in re-reading books yearly!


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## 65404

I have listened to Halo: Glasslands about 10 times in just a few weeks. I haven't listened to it in about two weeks but because I listened to it so much I can hear it in my head. Haha. It is nice actually... I really enjoyed that book.


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## BJ Whittington

I tend to re-read series. I’ll pull the books off the shelf in order and delve in. Usually at least a year or two passes between re-reads. Since I got my kindle, I have series filed in their own folders, that helps when I am ready to jump back through them.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

series being long and full of content needs re-reading. however, one should save time by re-reading only sections that they did not understand.


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## AddisonWestlake

I re-read "Pride and Prejudice" at least once a year -- always makes me laugh


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## ChrisWard

I've re-read Destiny's Road by Larry Niven three times.  I have the hardback and I just love that book - not sure why, as it's not particularly well known.  I guess it's the whole sci-fi mystery thing.


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## ronvitale

I must have read Tolkien's Lord of the Rings at least nine times, but that's over 30 years. Typically, I don't re-read a book again, but Tolkien's work puts me back into that mindset where I can remember being young and how affected I was at reading a book. When I do re-read the series, I try to start in the fall to go along with Frodo on his journey.

To me, books are precious gems that have such nostalgia and emotion associated with them. I would like to go back and re-read more (I'm toying with the idea of re-discovery Asimov), but my TBR list is long. Still, a little trip down memory lane everyone now and again is fun.


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## lmroth12

Some classics have to be savored every 2 or 3 years. My list:

The Lord of the Rings - simply for the beautiful prose and moments of enchantment
The Chronicles of Narnia - will whisk you away to another world
Gone With the Wind - best character study I've ever read
Little Women - brings an aura of romance and adventure to the mundane events of ordinary life
The Age of Innocence - because for everyone, there is just one true love that you never forget
Rebecca - an unacknowledged horror story: "Mrs. DeWinter, you're excusing him for doing what, exactly?!"

There are probably more, but this is my go-to list.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i will be re-reading over 5 books this weekend. however, i will only peek on chapters that i did not understand during previous readings.


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## boblenx

I read Water for Elephants twice - loved it.


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## Will Hadcroft

One thing I've started to do recently is buy the audiobooks of books I've really enjoyed. I have loved John Christopher's _Tripods _ trilogy since my mid teens and have re-read those books many times. However, listening to an actor read them really brings them to life. Listening to The White Mountains (The Tripods) was so good, I downloaded _The City of Gold and Lead _ straight away.

I'm currently reading Doctor Who: The Wheel of Ice, which features the second incarnation of the Doctor as played by Patrick Troughton in the late 1960s. I'm told that the audiobook, read by David Troughton, is quite uncanny because when David reads his father's lines he sounds just like him. I cannot wait to get it!


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## Ciuri Di Badia

'doctor who' is a very good book.i'll reread  it soon!


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## Ciuri Di Badia

Re-reading chrismas in the sky


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## CiaraKnight

I've re-read several books, but there are so many great new ones it is rare.
Classics: Little Women, Pride and Prejudice
Romance: Redeeming Love
Young Adult: Harry Potter
Poetry and short stories: Edgar Allen Poe
Christian: Mark of the Lion Series
Other: The Outsiders, many science fiction books


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## oflittleatomi

I probably read my favorites (Harry Potter, Fried Green Tomatoes, and a few others) once every year or two. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm due for another HP marathon sometime soon.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

will be re-reading Christmas limbo tomorrow. what about you?


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## SFM

I have relatively limited bookshelf space (before Kindle anyway) and I have always re-read my favorites often. I have books I've read at least once a year, if not more, since I read them for the first time. For me, it's like a visit with an old and comfortable friend, I know exactly what they are going to say before they say it but I still enjoy the visit.


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## andrewclawson

Yes, but often years later. If they are worth re-reading, they won't have lost any of their luster. My absolute favorite book of all-time is The Alienist, and even though I've read it over a half-dozen times, it keeps getting better.



As I grow older, I appreciate the description and character development even more. This window into a bygone era is one that will remain open forever.


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## memorywi

Definitely. An uncle once told me that he re-reads books he loves every seven years because then they are like new, yet have the lovely feeling of re-entering a dream that impacted you deeply but that you can nonetheless only vaguely remember.


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## MannyLBirch

A lot of the books that read are parts of a series.  So literally every time that a new book in that series comes out I will try to re read the series in order to refresh my memory.  It is also something I find enjoyable.  I think of it the same as rewatching an old movie. There was a very good reason you liked it the first time and just because you now know the outcome does not mean the journey to get there wasnt fun.  

Manny L Birch


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## Avis Black

I do that periodically, though I have a to-be-read list that's mountain high.  For example, I like to re-read The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder, usually about January or February when I've grown thoroughly sick of the cold and snow.


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## manhattanminx

Sure, extremely good novels are so hard to find that I'll reread one when get the chance.


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## boblenx

Yes. "Travels with Charley in Search of America" by John Steinbeck. I've read it three times. Just writing this post makes me want to read it again.


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## MayaP

Since I first read it, I've re-read The Secret History about once every couple of years or so. I re-read The Pickwick Papers about once every 4 years and A Christmas Carol every Christmas.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

A Chrismas carol is a good book that all of us should read.


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## NicWilson

I reread some of my favorites, but rarely. Nowadays I'm far busier writing than reading. Plus, I'm a slow reader. So it has to be _really_ good for me to put time into rereading it.


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## DNSimmons

One of the reasons I love my Kindle is because I love to re-read my favorite books. I've actually purchased ebook versions of my favorite books that I originally had in paperback just so I can do that at the touch/swipe of my fingertip.


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## DatDame

I've re read Jean Auel's  Earth's Children Series a few times. I love her books, their setting and characters.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i am going to re-read jilted and homorphone tonight


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## RosanneRivers

I know a lot of people reread books, but I prefer to move onto something new!


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## NogDog

RosanneRivers said:


> I know a lot of people reread books, but I prefer to move onto something new!


While I can (sort of) understand that, I guess that for me, reading a really good book only once is like listening to a favorite song only once. Obviously, the time commitments are very different, so I don't re-read anywhere near as much as I re-listen, but for me, never re-reading is _almost _as unimaginable as never hearing the same song twice. Obviously, though, we are not all alike, so _vive la différence_.


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## Ciuri Di Badia

i feel that harry potter is another book that i should re-read


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