# Do you enjoy re-reading books?



## KC Estime (Aug 25, 2013)

I have noticed that a lot of times instead of reading a new book I will re-read a book. This has never been a problem for me, but I am noticing that for many it is something they just don't do. My question is:
Why do you re-read books?
What do you get out of re-reading a book?
Do you often find something new when you read a book again?

You can also just skip the questions and tell explain why you re-read in general.


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## AngryGames (Jul 28, 2013)

I've re-read "The Forever War" by Joe Haldeman at least twenty times. "Hyperion" by Dan Simmons at least six times now. There are a lot of my favorite books that I read again. Not because I am bored of new books, but because the stories were so fantastic, sucked me in so deep, that I want to re-live the scenes in my imagination as I read the words again. 

Think of it as the same as why we watch the same movie (like Forrest Gump for instance) repeatedly. 

And depending on the book's complexity, I definitely will find something new I didn't notice before when reading it again. This is true of movies as well, especially the ones with intricate plots that demand your attention for the entire two hours or however long they are.


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## KC Estime (Aug 25, 2013)

Yea, that's how I feel, but there are some out there that don't read or watch things multiple times if they can help it. I for one, love to re-watch and re-read things. If I enjoyed it once, I have to keep reaping the benefits, although I do give it some time in between before revisiting.


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## BTackitt (Dec 15, 2008)

I rarely re-read books, but I have read the Xanth series probably 15 times in my life, and MZB's Darkover books far far more than that.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

I generally read about 80-100 books a year, and have done so for almost sixty years. That's enough books that I have found a number of books/authors that I liked enough to re-read. It's also a high enough number that I frequently can't remember many of the details of the story, so I enjoy the re-read.

I have found that upon re-reading some of the books I read many years ago that I discover sub-texts that I missed the first time around. A lot of things like racism and sexism go right over the head of a twelve-year-old. Later in life, they sort of jump off the page at you


Mike


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## Geoffrey (Jun 20, 2009)

Like many favorite movies, I re-read many books for the pure pleasure of a book I enjoyed the first time or times around.  It's also a comfort thing.  It's like going back to a favorite place to hang out and and enjoy all over again ...


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## Ty Johnston (Jun 19, 2009)

Rarely do I re-read a book. However, there are about a dozen books I've read more than once because I love them so much. Sometimes they are just as good the fifth time around. Other times, the second read wasn't as enjoyable as the first.


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## B.A. Spangler (Jan 25, 2012)

All the time. I recently finished Misery and Mice and Men (again) and now I'm re-reading The Stand. After that I'll be re-reading The Shining as a lead in to Doctor Sleep.


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## Marta Tandori (Nov 9, 2012)

I absolutely L-O-V-E re-reading certain books.  Why?  Because certain books invoke certain emotions/memories for me.  To me, books are like comfort food for my soul and picking up a certain book and re-reading it will help me reconnect with a particular emotion, a sense of well-being or a good memory.  I have three in particular that I'll read every three or four years:  THE BONE GARDEN by Tess Gerritsen, VALLEY OF THE DOLLS by Jacqueline Susann and DOCTORS AND DOCTORS' WIVES by Francis Roe.  If you ask me what's so special about these books, I couldn't tell you.  They just do what they do.  Again, comfort food for my soul...


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## LaRita (Oct 28, 2008)

Re-reading for me is like going home after a long absence.  It's comforting to be in a familiar place again, especially when there are uncomfortable changes happening in real life. The last couple of years have been difficult (family losses, job layoff, etc.), and re-reading old friends has helped me cope.  My life may have changed, but my book friends are the same as always.  I love that.


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## Avis Black (Jun 12, 2012)

In my teens I'd often reread books, but as an adult, almost never.  In my earlier days, I'd read very quickly and miss things, so I always got a lot out of rereading.  Nowadays, I read more slowly and absorb more the first time, so I don't feel I need to reread.


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## Nancy Beck (Jul 1, 2011)

I re-read all the time and for lots of different reasons.

Sometimes it's a book I love so much, I'll re-read it every few years. Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit (which I'm currently re-reading in between other books, lol) come to mind.

Sometimes a new book in a series is coming out, and it's been a while since I've read the last 2 or so; I'll re-read those last 2. I re-read all of the books in the Retrieval Artist series because a new book (Blowback) was coming out; just wanted to familiarize myself with what happened so I was prepared for the new book.

Sometimes I'll re-read a series that I haven't bought anything in in a long time (the Stephanie Plum novels) because I enjoyed the series up to the point I stopped buying and want to re-read for the fun of it.

And what other posters said about finding new/different/weird things that I didn't notice the first or sixth time  I read through.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

There are several mystery series I reread every few years. Same with the Herriott books. I just reread my favorite romance a few nights ago. The ones that I reread are favorites that have characters and settings I enjoy revisiting every so often even though I know the story.


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## Gone 9/21/18 (Dec 11, 2008)

Oh, and Nancy Beck, I hope you've discovered the Susan Conant mystery series.


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## Casper Parks (May 1, 2011)

Dean Koontz's "Dark Rivers of the Heart", I have read a couple of times.
Ralph Cotton's "Powder River (The Life and Times of Jeston Nash)", I have read a number of times.


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## SciBug (Sep 6, 2013)

I re-read only books which can't forget.

It's like great movie. You saw it once and you watch it second, and third time.


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## RM Prioleau (Mar 18, 2011)

Rarely, if ever, do I re-read books, unless I've completely forgotten the story. That initial feeling of not knowing what will happen next keeps me wanting to turn the page. Once I've read the book, that feeling is gone and I'm ready to move on to a new book.


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## bhazelgrove (Jul 16, 2013)

All the time. I reread Fitzgerald and Russo and Ishiguro. If a novel or a short story is great the you can read it and have the same pleasure over and  over. The difference between good writing and bad I suppose.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

I've only re-read one book, and it's INSIDE OUT by Barry Eisler. I enjoyed it more the second time.


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## NogDog (May 1, 2009)

I re-read quite a bit (I'd estimate around 15% of the books I read each year), so I guess I must enjoy it. A few books are so great that I just _have_ to give them a re-read every now and then. I'll then re-read some very good though not great books every once in awhile, usually when I've had a couple not-so-pleasant experiences with first reads and decide to pick up something I remember as being quite satisfying, just to make sure I can now have a good reading experience.


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## Guest (Sep 8, 2013)

I usually only re-read books that are in a series, usually when a new one comes out.  It seems I go back most to things that I read in middle school and high school.  A lot of old TSR fantasy books and sci-fi mainly.  Every few years I'll re-read a few in the series.


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## johnlmonk (Jul 24, 2013)

Normally I can't re-read a book unless it's been like 20 years (from when I was a teen).  Sometimes I go back and reread portions of authors whose style I admire, or who really know how to turn a phrase.  Encouraging stuff.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

I re-read. Sherlock Holmes because they are such great stories and although I mostly know what's going on it's still fascinating to see the mind of Holmes working to solve the case. I re-read other things as well. Boyd Morrison, perhaps the finest new writer this century and others I enjoy.


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## KC Estime (Aug 25, 2013)

jmiked, you are so right. It's like watching a movie only to realize later how biased it was, after all the excitement wears off of course. 

tkkenyon, is Orlando good? That's funny because I just bought it at my local used bookstore. I loved the movie version of the book, so I thought why not.

RM Prioleau, I can relate to you about not wanting to re-read.  I sometimes think about how many books I could be reading if I didn't re-read books. Then I realize how much I get out of re-reading and I really can't not re-read a good read. I don't have the best short term memory, so that could be a factor as well. 

Like johnlmonk, it usually takes me a while to get to the point where I want to re-read a piece. I will usually read a book again within a year or two


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## lmroth12 (Nov 15, 2012)

Why did we watch *The Wizard of Oz * on TV annually when we were children? Or *Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory*? Because time after time they captured us in their spell. With each viewing we were enchanted all over again.

It's like that for me with a very few books, and it all depends on the writer's skill. Tolkien never fails to cast his enchantment over me and transport me to Middle Earth. The last two pages of *Return of the King * were the most beautiful I have ever read and I literally held my breath for fear that he would misplace a single word and break the spell. *The Chronicles of Narnia * with its splashes of humor delight me every time I read it. Somehow C. S. Lewis manages to convey a sense of both the magic of another world and the illogical inconsistencies (especially of grownups) of our own through the eyes of children and that makes the whole adventure feel much more real. *Gone With the Wind*, on the other hand, has a heroine who is hard of heart, self-centered, and looks out for number one so well that she shocks the reader time and again with her calculating ruthlessness. No matter how many times you read the book, Scarlett's private thoughts about others continue to stun the reader with how uncharitable and uncoventional they are. Most heroines in epic novels are not so vicious in their opinions of others. When she does actually care about someone it's a relief to see it, as she just might turn out to be human after all. But that is why the book appeals to me: this is one Southern belle who has more to her than looking pretty among the moonlight and magnolias. Once you meet her in fiction, you will never forget her.


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## DaveinJapan (Jun 20, 2013)

I'm definitely a re-reader, but it comes and goes. Often, I'll revisit one book and then end up going back to re-read much of what that author has written.

Oftentimes I also use re-reading as education, for my own writing improvement. I can look over books I'm very familiar with to study what works and why—it's easier than with a brand new story, in my view.


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## elaineorr (Mar 18, 2012)

There are several I reread. Initially I did it so that the book I read at bedtime was not one I wanted to finish immediately. Otherwise, I would be up all night. The Harry Potter books used to be my regulars (paper and audiobook) and I still do sometimes listen to them again in the car.

In the past year I have reread _Pompeii_ by Robert Harris a couple of times. As you might guess, the book is a fictional recount of the last couple of days before Vesuvius erupts. All of Harris' books weave fiction and history beautifully.

Lately I've reread a couple of the M.C. Beaton Hamish-- _Death of a Dreamer_ and _Death of a Poisoned Pen_. I've listened to other books of hers in audio format. Hamish is a Scottish policeman with a couple of odd pets and a willingness to buck the system to solve crimes. I'm rereading these to learn more about how Beaton weaves so many points of view into a book.


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## Pietro Reviglio (Jul 13, 2012)

I only re-read excerpts... the parts that gave me goosebumps.
It must be some sort of addiction


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## heidi_g (Nov 14, 2013)

I don't re-read much, but I do re-read what was extra special to me the first time I read it. The Story Sisters by Alice Hoffman. The Angelique series (This historical romance written by a French husband and wife so long ago, you can hardly find it—what I loved about it, is that it had MYSTICISM in it!) A very few others… It's the same with movies/TV shows. I don't re-watch much… but we watch Peter Jackson's LOTR every year, the last week of the year… we'll be adding The Hobbit to that annual ritual… by the time THAT's all released, I guess my butt will just be glued to the love seat for the entire 7 days, lol


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## sighdone (Feb 4, 2011)

I'm currently re-reading some Michael Crichton books. I started with Disclosure, then Airframe, and now Timeline. I don;t re-read that often, but I got the urge this past week or so.

I'm also tempted to crack open my Douglas Adams books again soon.


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## Clarketacular (Mar 3, 2013)

I do this occasionally with a book I really love. The one I have re-read the most, countless times over the 20 or so years since I first read it, is The Shadow of the Torturer by Gene Wolfe. It's my all time favorite and I have read it so many times I have long since lost track.  Re-reading a beloved book is like comfort food for the mind.


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## Ann Herrick (Sep 24, 2010)

I've re-read Gone With the Wind. Scarlett doesn't really know herself. She thinks she wants to be the typical Southern belle, but...  Rhett seems to know Scarlett's mind until he marries her. Then he fails to see that she responds to their night of passion, that she missed him terribly when he went away with Bonnie, that he's the one she really talks to. Scarlett fails to see that it's Rhett she really talks to. Still waiting for both of them to wake up and smell the coffee. Of course the book is about so much more than that, but it is their story that moves the plot along.

I like to read All Creatures Great and Small every now and then, usually in the winter. It's wonderful to escape to a different time and place, with people from a different era and enjoy the gentle humor.

Other books I might pick up and re-read certain parts, but not the whole thing.


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## SarahCarter (Nov 8, 2012)

I actually very rarely read new books. I'm constantly re-reading the books I already have on my shelves. It's terrible, I know. But once I find something I like I tend to stick with it. I'm a creature of habit and I find it comforting to revisit stories and characters that I love. And when I do try something new I often end up disappointed.


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## lee27 (Mar 3, 2011)

I re-read TURTLE DIARY about once a year. I also return to Shirley Jackson's THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE and some of her short stories. My favorite hack writer, Erle Stanly Gardner, has re-readability because by the time I get to the pages of procedural stuff about whodunit, I've lost interest in the outcome. Unusual reason to keep an author's book around, but there it is. Blogged about this once:

http://lindsayedmunds.com/2009/11/17/erle-stanley-gardners-infinite-playlist/


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## Paul Kohler (Aug 14, 2013)

I've re-read only a few books.  Enders Game three times.  Time Enough for Love twice. Atlas Shrugged and Fountain Head a few times as well.  There are more, but those stand out most.

I re-read for a few reasons.  First, if I like the theme of the book, or how it makes me feel in the end.  Sometimes I like the character development by the author. Sometimes it's just a darn good story.


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## LDB (Oct 28, 2008)

Besides Sherlock Holmes and Boyd Morrison mentioned earlier, I periodically reread "The Cuckoo's Egg", "The Bridge at Remagen", John Dunning among others.


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## D. Nathan Hilliard (Jun 5, 2010)

I sometimes like rereading books I enjoyed back in my twenties, just to see what I get out of them now that I missed then.


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## balaspa (Dec 27, 2009)

Sometimes, but not as much as I used to. I used to re-read War of the Worlds a lot when I was younger. These days, Stephen King's The Mist is a favorite re-read.


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## Harvey Click (Oct 28, 2013)

I've reread a lot of my favorites over the years, partly for pleasure of course and partly to study just how the authors did what they did. I fear that one of these days I'll decide to reread all 20 of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels, and of course that project will eat up quite a few precious hours.


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## Meka (Sep 8, 2011)

Lately I have been purchasing my favorite Kindle books in audio format from Audible, so I can enjoy them all over again while exercising or out and about doing errands. 

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk


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## Jay Walken (Feb 7, 2013)

Absolutely.

If they're good, if they're masterpieces.

More than once, more than twice. Henry Miller, for example.

The same with movies.

The scene in "The Life of Brian" when Pilate mentions his friend "Biggus D****s" cracks me up the fourth, fifth, and sixth time I see it.


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## VictoriaP (Mar 1, 2009)

I reread either for comfort, or to understand better. Generally, it's for comfort--as someone else mentioned, sometimes it's better to reread something, especially right before bed when you just know you can't stay up all night. There's no urgency to finish a book when you already know how it ends!

The other reason is to dive in a little deeper to a story or the talent/skill of the author. Reading a book the first time for me is like watching a movie; the story sweeps me in and I don't tend to pay attention to the stylistic or craft choices an author makes. I may not recognize subtle foreshadowing, for example, until the second time through. One book, for example, has a brilliant summary of the protagonist's internal conflict in one brief paragraph of the first chapter, but it's only indicated by two very different pieces of music that are somewhat casually mentioned. Not catching that reference--and most people don't, in the context of that rather sensual paragraph!--won't diminish your enjoyment of that tale. But in going back and discovering it on the next go round, I started wondering why the author had chosen those particular songs. A little research turned up that those two pieces, written two hundred years apart and in two different languages, boiled down to the same theme, and that theme summed up the protagonist's situation perfectly. With all I knew about that character having gone through the book already...it was an incredible rush to discover this hidden bit of information. These little things are like mining for gold, and I love finding them.


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

I've read Asimov's Foundation trilogy three times - otherwise, I don't re-read.


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## PremOutshine (Jul 16, 2013)

Yes, I love or would say enjoy re-reading books. It's fun sometime. I read 'The Alchemist' (Paulo Coelho) 3 times an still enjoy it. Every time I read it I feel like it's more interesting than the last time I read. You can call it madness but I love it. Also, I have read a business book "How To Start An HR Consultancy Company? (Sangita Singh)  twice. I loved it again. Also, I read Fifty Shades of Grey (E. L. James.) twice.


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## books_mb (Oct 29, 2013)

The only book I ever re-read (and this several times actually) is "Storm Of Steel" by Ernst Jünger. It's a raw and intense description of his experiences during WWI, the transformation from a naive teen to a ruthless and disillusioned soldier. Jünger's language is very unique, vivid and colorful, though I don't know if the English translation captures this appropriately. I guess you could call it the German equivalent to Remarque's "All Quiet on the Western Front".


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## TWErvin2 (Aug 7, 2010)

I re-read books because I just like reading a good story, and sometimes get more out of it a 2nd time through. I also will go back to a book after a few years, sometimes just picking up at a chapter or two I enjoyed.

I also listen to audiobooks more than once as well, if they're ones I really enjoyed.

Finally, I sometimes study what an author did right and try to learn from it, so that I can apply it to my own works and writing style as I move forward.


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## Daniel Harvell (Jun 21, 2013)

There are definitely advantages to rereading a book - not only do you get to revisit favorite characters and stories, but you also discover many hidden gems that the author may have placed for the eagle-eyed and repeat readers. That said, there are SO many great books out there that I have a hard time going back to something I've already spent time with.


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## DuaneVore (Nov 28, 2013)

There are certain ones that stood out so much that they almost demand periodic re-reading. For some reason, I want them to remain sharp in my memory, like I'm visiting the Grand Canyon all over again. As soon as the details start to fade, I'm drawn back to them.

The _Lensman_ series, E. E. "Doc" Smith
The _Riddlemaster_ trilogy, Patricia McKillip
_To Kill a Mockingbird_, Harper Lee
_To Conquer Chaos_, John Brunner
_Have Space Suit -- Will Travel_, Robert Heinlein

The last is almost certainly the one I've read the most. I have a copy of the original library binding on my physical shelf, and an e-copy that's a permanent Kindle resident.


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## Avrettos (Nov 18, 2013)

I think it depends at what else is in the queue. I find myself drawn to books that I have read before if my next planned escapade has less of a gravitational pull. There's some that I can't get rid of and if they're sitting there they might as well be put to good use once in a while and earn their keep. Strangely really as I seem to live by an unwritten rule that if I've seen the movie I don't get round to the book - missing out in many cases.

I re-read three culture novels by the master that is Iain M. Banks following his death and realised I was mourning him by the third one. It was hard to move onto something new afterwards.


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## Alessandra Kelley (Feb 22, 2011)

There are books I enjoy rereading.

Mostly they are ones with layers and resonances so that they are different every time. Some of them are just enjoyable to read.

I have read the entirety of Dante's _Divine Comedy_ I don't know how many times. Each reading is different and illuminates new aspects of the universe. I have returned to his _Vita Nuova_ as well many times, although it is slighter, because it gives a good sense of Dante and his world.

I reread Jane Austen's novels as well, about every two years (except for _Emma_. I haven't yet been able to get into that one.).

And I have reread most of Terry Pratchett's "Discworld" novels. I love his clever wordplay, his sense of the ridiculous, and his surprisingly deep compassion.

What I don't reread tend to be simple stories where I get a sense that I have already gotten everything. I don't like going through the same thing over and over again, no matter how entertaining it was the first time.


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## madhan143 (Feb 16, 2014)

Yeah...its kind of freaky... I like to re-read the book which i finished while ago


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## Guest (Feb 16, 2014)

Sometimes.

I just re-read The Gunslinger by Stephen King and really liked it again.  I've read many of the fantasy novels that I read as a kid quite a few times since then.  Some history books I'll go back to.

I think we have a lot more books we want to read again, but it's those we actually pick up and get into for a second time that tell us a lot about what we really like.


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## Andrew Michael (Feb 17, 2014)

I re-read one book, the third Harry Dresden book because I felt like I missed some major events, but then I found that what I "missed" really wasn't there anyway . But, I have been seriously considering re-reading China Mieville's Bas Lag series, which include Perdido Street Station, The Scar and The Iron Council. Those books have so much in them, I am sure that if I were to read them again, I would pull more from them. And I loved reading them. I was happy for months reading them (they are very long with all kinds of strange and arcane words.) I think what I will do is listen to them, which is kind of like re-reading.


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## Tony Richards (Jul 6, 2011)

VictoriaS said:


> I don't re-read books. I never have. My favorite part is reading to find out what happens, and I don't get that if I were re-reading.


I don't re-read either, simply because time spent re-reading is time lost to reading something new. And there is so much that is good out there, I'll never get to all of it, or even a quarter.


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## 70040 (May 17, 2013)

I am a chronic rereader. I revisit books for many of the same reasons others have mentioned. When there's a series that I'm rabid for,  I often read the book that comes before the latest installment. When I was coping with the time between Potter release dates, I would read all the preceding books while I waited. If there's a movie adaptation of a book I enjoyed I usually reread that (I don't recommend this if you're inflexible about details, I probably only do this to upset myself). I haven't for the last 3-4 years but I spent the better part of a decade reading Imajica by Clive Barker every midsummer.

I revisit books to bring back thoughts and feelings of a time in my life, I revisit books because I read a great book 20 years ago and the details of language and character are fuzzy. Rarely, I will read a book, and then immediately start reading it again because it was that good. Those books are like magic tricks because I know something happened to me from the time I started and the time it finished, but I'm not sure what, and I want to try and figure that out.


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## scribbler100 (Aug 16, 2011)

A rereader in name only so far.  So many books I need to read again but there's that old problem.  If I reread Herodotus' The History, then I'm not reading Thucydides.  If I reread Leaves of Grass, then I'm not reading Moby Dick for the first time.  So it goes.  Always there is a new book on the horizon but I know there are so many books that I need to reread and rediscover.


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## writergirl (Feb 18, 2014)

I rarely re-read a book.  The only ones I have are To Kill A Mockingbird, Jane Eyre, and Rebecca.  I had read them for pleasure and then was required to re-read them for college courses.


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## Mike D. aka jmiked (Oct 28, 2008)

TK aka BB said:


> Also, I reread for the same reasons that you don't listen to an album once and then discard it.


Wow, I read this statement and had a moment of enlightenment! That's it exactly. It never occurred to me to think of it that way. You've made my day, thanks.

Mike


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## PaulLev (Nov 2, 2012)

jmiked said:


> Quote from: TK aka BB on September 05, 2013, 03:24:10 AM
> "Also, I reread for the same reasons that you don't listen to an album once and then discard it."
> Wow, I read this statement and had a moment of enlightenment! That's it exactly. It never occurred to me to think of it that way. You've made my day, thanks.
> 
> Mike


That is an interesting analogy - though, for me, the difference between listening (acoustic) and reading (visual) make re-reading very different from listening again and again.


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## KimmyA (Dec 11, 2008)

VictoriaS said:


> I don't re-read books. I never have. My favorite part is reading to find out what happens, and I don't get that if I were re-reading.


This is me. I especially like mysteries and suspense novels. Once I figure out who did what and how, it loses the mystery and I'm just unable to read it again.


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## Alan Spade (Feb 28, 2014)

I very rarely do that. One of the only book I reread was The Lord of the Rings, because of the universe and the characters (I love fantasy and SF). When I see a film or series adaptation, I may desire to reread the book, but there are so much new books to read out there, several lifetimes wouldn't suffice, so I read almost exclusively new books.


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## joyceharmon (May 21, 2012)

I reread a lot, even mysteries. Even if you know how the story ends, there's enjoyment in getting there. I reread Georgette Heyer, Harry Potter, the Pendergast books, E.F. Benson's Lucia books, many others. I just can't imagine coming to the end of a really enjoyable book and then saying goodbye to it forever.


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## NanD (May 4, 2011)

I do. Especially if it is a series book & I just finish it off in a day or so, I'll immediately reread it.

Or if I'm just taken by story, I'll read it again after about a year.

Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk 2


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## rmbooks (Sep 19, 2011)

I'll re-read a book if it's part of a series and a new one is coming out, just as a refresher, more than anything. But otherwise, no I don't re-read a book.  I find there are so many interesting stories out there I want to squeeze them all in. I don't go to the same vacation spots either. I guess I just like new adventures!


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## SWF (Jun 14, 2011)

It very much depends on the book and the author.

Most books I read once, and never again, but others I read over and over. Those books are the ones that feel like old friends and have characters I love. 
It's comfort reading 
Someone upthread mentioned Terry Pratchett. He's my number one 'comfort read' and I've read some of his multiple times.


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## musclehead (Dec 29, 2010)

I've read _The Count of Monte Cristo_ several times. That book is such a fascinating story. Plus, the characters and plot are so well-developed and so intricate that I pick up something new every time I read.


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## Krista D. Ball (Mar 8, 2011)

Geoffrey said:


> Like many favorite movies, I re-read many books for the pure pleasure of a book I enjoyed the first time or times around. It's also a comfort thing. It's like going back to a favorite place to hang out and and enjoy all over again ...


Agreed. I have favourite audiobooks, in particular, that I listen to when I do housework or gardening. I find them comforting and a great way to unwind. Some days, you need your favourite movie. Some days, you need your favourite book


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## tknite (Feb 18, 2014)

I don't have much time to reread these days -- I have too many books I haven't read at all yet -- but if I do reread, it's usually because the next book in a series has come out and it's been a while since I've read the previous installments. I like to go back through and refresh the story so I'm not lost in the latest sequel. 

I rarely reread stand-alone works, I'm ashamed to say. Lots of great books out there I wouldn't mind rereading. I just don't know where I'll the find the time to reread them all!


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## ElaStein (Feb 8, 2014)

I've never done it. I just can't for some reason. Also almost never re-watch movies (except Scarface, when they used to have it on TV a lot... could. not. look. away.). I also always turned in the first drafts of my essays in school and never proofread. It's like when my brain knows what's coming, it shuts down and goes into boredom overdrive.


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## Daniel Dennis (Mar 3, 2014)

I don't often re-read books but when I do it's always because I enjoy them.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk


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## Dom (Mar 15, 2014)

I don't reread often but sometimes, when you like characters a lot, rereading gives me the same feeling as watching a familiar tv show. I thought it was funny that someone mentioned the Xanth books because I read those a lot, although it's been a really long time.

Sometimes, when new books come out (like A Song of Ice and Fire), I might reread the old ones to catch up again.


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## Andrzej Tucholski (Jan 4, 2014)

I love re-reading single stories (let's say At the Mountains of Madness of H.P. Lovecraft) or parts of the book I love the most. But for re-reading whole books - well, not enough time for that


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## MEPurfield (Mar 3, 2011)

KC Estime said:


> I have noticed that a lot of times instead of reading a new book I will re-read a book. This has never been a problem for me, but I am noticing that for many it is something they just don't do. My question is:
> Why do you re-read books?
> What do you get out of re-reading a book?
> Do you often find something new when you read a book again?
> ...


I love to re read books, obviously the ones I enjoyed. I try to do it often and there is so much I still want to re-read. I usually get something new from it. But mostly I enjoy re-experiencing the drama and the surprises. If it's been a while I might have forgotten some stuff.


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## Elizabeth Black (Apr 8, 2011)

I reread short ghost stories all the time. I never get tired of them. I often reread books by Hans Holzer and Elliott O'Donnell. One is O'Donnell's "The Screaming Skulls and Other Ghosts." Sadly, it's out of print. I first read it when I was a kid.

Makes me wonder - how much rereading is going back to our childhoods when we reread books we discovered as kids?


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## Anne Berkeley (Jul 12, 2013)

Absolutely. I've had quite a few books I've re-read. Karen Moning for one. I just love her characters. Outlander is another. I'll probably go back through Game of Thrones before the next book releases as well.


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## I&#039;m a Little Teapot (Apr 10, 2014)

Anne Berkeley said:


> Karen Moning for one. I just love her characters.


I'm rereading the Fever series at the moment! This is my third reread, I think.

I reread everything I love, sooner or later.


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## Otsana (Apr 12, 2014)

I have re-read some books. What usually makes me re-read them is that I forget them...haha...and I know that I really enjoyed it in the past! I have read one book called The Oath probably over 5 times. It has such an interesting plot, that I still enjoy it. What do I get out of it? I usually just get lots of enjoyment, like when you rewatch a good movie. I don't usually find something new, really, but I still like it.


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## SunshineOnMe (Jan 11, 2014)

I reread my favorites. I'm rereading Neverwhere right now.


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I rarely re-read books because I find that my taste has changed somewhat over a number of years. However, there is one book that I've read several times, in fact I have two copies, an old battered one which I use to underline particular parts that I find especially well written, and one I keep in case someone wants to borrow it. That book is _The Fancy_ by Monica Dickens. Her characterization is superb, which might be expected of the great-granddaughter of Charles Dickens.


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## Alex Kane (Apr 22, 2014)

I definitely have a handful that I reread every couple years: _Horns, Fight Club, Revenge of the Sith_. And I'll probably be adding Ernie Cline's _Ready Player One_ to that list.


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## Laurel Cremant (Dec 10, 2013)

I re-read books often. My reasons for doing so vary. Sometimes I re-read to re-visit certain characters and places that I loved in the stories. Sometimes it's to re-visit the story period and appreciate a text as a whole. When I read a really well written book, I don't see style or craft. I just enjoy the story and the feelings it invokes. But during a re-read I get to really SEE the book as a whole and I learn something new each time I pick it up again.

I'm a big fan of romance and fantasy, but I work in what I consider contemporary classics as well:
Grendel by John Gardner
The Tairen Soul Series by C.L. Wilson
All Things Jane Austen (duh)
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines
Beauty by Robin McKinely AND Rose Daughter by Robin McKinely
The Story of O by Pauline Reage


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## 67499 (Feb 4, 2013)

Wasn't it Mark Twain who said "if a book isn't worth re-reading, it wasn't worth reading"?


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## JeanetteRaleigh (Jan 1, 2013)

Absolutely. Not with every book, but some authors have the ability to really pull me into their world. When I really love the story, I will read the book every few years.  Not every book has that kind of power, but for me, the ones that do I will read over and over.

The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon (not sure on spelling of Paks...)
On the Way to Heaven by Tina Wainscott
The Mercy Thompson series (And the Alpha & Omega spin-off) by Patricia Briggs 
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings (I almost didn't add it to the list because for me it goes without saying...)
The Little Princess & Eight Cousins (I'm afraid I've almost outgrown these, but I did reread them both within the last few years).


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## Jan Hurst-Nicholson (Aug 25, 2010)

I was in need of uplifting so I re-read _The Cat Who Came in from the Cold_ by Deric Longden. Delightful story. When I first read it I was inspired to write and thank the author through his publisher, and was thrilled to receive a hand written postcard (of the book cover) from the author saying that my letter had made his day.


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

I just re-read  but mostly because I'd forgotten I'd read it before. Turns out I'd _not_ read the one before it in the series and I thought that's where I'd left off. So I read that one, then went on to Dust and realized, as I was reading, that I'd read it before. But now I can legitimately move on to the next one.


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## Russell Brooks (Dec 23, 2010)

I've re-read a few of Barry Eisler's books. The first time for enjoyment, the second for research.


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## Free Range Editor (Apr 2, 2014)

I rarely reread books.  Instead, I recommend my favorites to other people, especially my husband.  Then I can relive the enjoyment vicariously through them by having discussions as they move through the story. Movies I can watch over and over, there are some we watch at least annually, but I don't enjoy rereading.


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