Do you read books more than once?

[sassy1]

Me and my dad tend to have many heated debates about this. He says there's no point reading books again because you already know whats going to happen. I, however, love reading books over and over again, I always seem to find something I missed, or forgot, from the last time I read the book. Maybe it's just because I'm so bad at remembering things that it's like reading a whole new book Then again, maybe it's because my dad reads horrors and thrillers, and knowing the ending could possibly ruin the story... it just seems a bit pointless that he actually buys the books he reads instead of getting them out of the library...

Do you read books more than once?

 

[Talysia]

Oh yes. I read mostly fantasy, so it seems like there's always some detail or other that I missed in getting through the story the first time. Then again there are always some books that I can read over and over, simply because I like them that much, regardless of how much I remember reading of it. It's like a good movie for me - sometimes you never get tired of it.

 

[iansales]

Soem books you have to read more than once. There's no way you can get everything out of them that's in there in just one reading. Other books... well, their familiarity is part of the appeal when rereading them.

 

[Aleksei]

All the time, I have no problems with enjoying a book more than once.

 

[The_Dragon]

I always read a book more than once. right now, i'm reading "The Weel of Time" for the second time It is really good. I also read manga more than once. mostly becous they are so funny

 

[murphy]

Rereading books is like visiting old friends.

 

[manephelien]

Oh yes. Mostly if a book is worth reading once, it's worth reading more than that. Sometimes there are subtle things you miss on a first reading that give you a thrill of discovery when you re-read the book. I usually read at least two books per week, sometimes more. I only have very limited space and even less money, and libraries here don't stock enough sci-fi and fantasy in English. I won't read translations if I know the language the book is written in originally, paradoxical given that I'm a translator by trade, to be fair I haven't branched out to fiction so far.

 

[The Ace]

Rereading books is like visiting old friends.

Thanks Murphy, couldn't have put it better myself. I often re-read books I have enjoyed simply for the pleasure of renewing the accquaintance.

 

[Nesacat]

Am going to add my meowrr to Murphy and Ace. Some books I re-read every year, others I re-read every so often Sometimes it's the whole book. Other times it's favourite chapters or pages. Always it's like visiting an old friend and a well loved one at that.

 

[Ragnar]

I'm quite happy to re-read certain books a number of times - either because I've forgotten them or to pick up on things that I missed or just for the hell of it because I enjoyed them so much first time round. Sometimes its nice to read something familiar to clear the palette after reading a particularly heavy-going or intense book.

 

[elvet]

Do you read books more than once?

More than a few times, and sometimes unintentionally . What's worse, is buying them again . (mumble..... mumble ........ gosh darn memory)

 

[Nikitta]

Sometimes, but not very often.

In my to-read pile of currently 31 books, two are books I've read before and one is a collection of short stories where I've read most of them before, but I'm going to read it all when its number comes up (in case that sounds odd, I pick books from the pile by assigning numbers to the ones I feel like reading at the moment and then I either roll a die or ask someone to say a random number between 1 and [number of books on the list] if none of my dice fits without me resorting to something like "1 d20, 1 d10 and 1 d4 minus 3" which I refuse to do).

The books I've read the most times is, without a doubt, the HHGtG "trilogy" which I've read more times than I can keep track of. My boyfriend bought me a luxury edition of it for my birthday last year because my old copy was getting too worn out.

There are simply so many new books I want to read and I'm, for various reasons, currently in a situation where I can and will buy more books than before. That's bound to not last, though.

 

[Nikitta]

More than a few times, and sometimes unintentionally . What's worse, is buying them again . (mumble..... mumble ........ gosh darn memory)

I didn't recognise The Sirens of Titan as one I've read before when I saw it in a bookshop, but it seemed very good, so I bought it . After I got home, I thumbed a bit more through it and reaslised that I had indeed read it before, but I won't mind reading it again.

 

[Joel007]

You can't read a Pratchett or Fforde book only once, you'd miss the plot while reading the jokes, or the jokes while reading the plot!

 

[chrispenycate]

More than a few times, and sometimes unintentionally . What's worse, is buying them again . (mumble..... mumble ........ gosh darn memory)

When it is the fault of your memory. Some publishers bring out multiple books (that you alredy own) under one cover, with a different name, and only on the title pagw is it marked that "this book previously appeared as..."
I will cite the second and third in the "Janissaries" series ("Clan and crown" and "Storms of victory") brought out under one titlt as "Tran", which I took to mean that Jerry Pournelle had finally been bullied into producing the long-awaited fourth and final part...

 

[j d worthington]

Most of this has been said above, but -- oh, yes, quite frequently. And that can include horror and thrillers, by the way, as a good book relies on much more than a "surprise" or "shock" ending or twists and turns, and many of those things may not be picked up on upon initial reading.

I have a TBR pile that it's going to literally take me a couple of decades to get through... yet I will continue to also reread various books. I've read most of Lovecraft so many times I've lost count; quite a lot of Robert E. Howard multiple times (I've no idea how many); LotR at least 20 times, The Silmarillion at least 12; various other books are in that range, while some I've only reread between one and three times. (Of course, if we include my early childhood, I've read Frankenstein, The War of the Worlds, and I, Robot probably upwards of 50 times each...... )

Revisiting old friends, discovering new facets in those old friends, finding new layers of meaning in them, having a new appreciation for the sheer artistry of the writing... there are lots of reasons to reread a book ... not to mention that, as you grow in experience, you bring that growth and change of perspective to anything you reread, and that plays a part in how you view the book (or watch the movie) as well... unless it's among the shallowest of books or films. (And even then this can be said to apply as, once you've read it, you can no longer go back and see it as entirely new, and so it's spoilt for you.)

Of course, this only applies to fiction. For nonfiction, there are many additional reasons as to why one might want to reread them, as learning, experience, etc., can increase one's understanding of the concepts or facts dealt with within them.....

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

A good book relies on much more than a "surprise" or "shock" ending or twists and turns, and many of those things may not be picked up on upon initial reading.

Revisiting old friends, discovering new facets in those old friends, finding new layers of meaning in them, having a new appreciation for the sheer artistry of the writing... there are lots of reasons to reread a book ... not to mention that, as you grow in experience, you bring that growth and change of perspective to anything you reread, and that plays a part in how you view the book (or watch the movie) as well... unless it's among the shallowest of books or films.

Well-said, JD, and I perfectly agree.

To my mind, so far as the best books are concerned you haven't really read them until you've reread them a few times. So when someone says, "I haven't time to reread books like [insert name of enduring classic], because there are so many other books I haven't read yet," I think, yes, but you haven't truly read that one yet, either.

I also think that in the race to read as many books as possible, some people deny themselves the pleasure of comfort reading. When you're ill, tired, depressed -- what could be better than returning to an old favorite and letting it draw you in all over again? When life is at its most overwhelming, it can be hard to shut out the distractions and enjoy something new, but a book that already has hooks on your soul can pull you in, giving you a few hours of peace and rest.

 

[murphy]

Well-said, JD, and I perfectly agree.

To my mind, so far as the best books are concerned you haven't really read them until you've reread them a few times. So when someone says, "I haven't time to reread books like [insert name of enduring classic], because there are so many other books I haven't read yet," I think, yes, but you haven't truly read that one yet, either.

I also think that in the race to read as many books as possible, some people deny themselves the pleasure of comfort reading. When you're ill, tired, depressed -- what could be better than returning to an old favorite and letting it draw you in all over again? When life is at its most overwhelming, it can be hard to shut out the distractions and enjoy something new, but a book that already has hooks on your soul can pull you in, giving you a few hours of peace and rest.

Beautifully said. I have found this to be so true.

 

[Nikitta]

I also think that in the race to read as many books as possible, some people deny themselves the pleasure of comfort reading. When you're ill, tired, depressed -- what could be better than returning to an old favorite and letting it draw you in all over again? When life is at its most overwhelming, it can be hard to shut out the distractions and enjoy something new, but a book that already has hooks on your soul can pull you in, giving you a few hours of peace and rest.

I don't try to read as many books as possible. I just have this pile of books that all appeal to me, so I want to read all of them, but I can't read them all at the same time. I didn't buy one single one of them in order to add to the number of books I have; I bought them because I really want to read them.

I'm a bit like a kid in an overwhelmingly large candy shop with so much candy I've never tasted before, but which just smells irresistably good. However, when you pick candy from one jar, you get a packet of it and finish it before you pick another one because you can't have just a bite here and there.

You can also add that a lot of the candy gets replaced fast, so it's only available briefly and it smeel soo good...

In any case: when I have a lot on my mind, I can't really focus on any books; not even the ones I've read before.

That being said, I can certainly see the value of rereading things and I do that at times; just not very often.

 

[Pyan]

When it is the fault of your memory. Some publishers bring out multiple books (that you alredy own) under one cover, with a different name, and only on the title pagw is it marked that "this book previously appeared as..."

Another one to watch out for is the re-issue of Barrayar and Shards of Honour by Lois M Bujold, combined as Cordelia's Honour.
I had that one half way to the till before reading the back cover!