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Do you ever reread your books?

I used to re-read books so much that I could memorise whole chapters (did this for Ballet Shoes when I was about 7 or so) and Harry Potter (about 3 years ago). I mean, I didn't reread Harry Potter as much as some people, but I did re-read it a few times, which was enough to win any kind of Harry Potter trivia quiz (my friend resorted to memorising the names of the Bulgarian Quidditch players to beat me). I can still remember a lot of stuff, but not as well.

Nowadays, I don't bother. There's so many new good books out there, why just re-read what you have? I do re-read parts of books, or particular moments I enjoyed reading but I hardly ever re-read books beginning-to-end. I've got too many new books to read for that.
 
When I was in high school, we were assigned a different book each month, and were tested on it at the end of the month. I would read each book twice during the month, and then barely had to study for the multiple choice test. I do remember one month we were given the abridged version of A Tale of Two Cities to read, and then the standardized test was over the unabridged version. We had quite a few discussions with the teacher over which questions were fair for her to mark wrong.
I've read Call of the Wild at least three times. And just today, I finished rereading the first Xanth novel, A Spell for Chameleon.
 
I do, but usually after it's been awhile for that title. Lately I'm finding myself wanting to reread some books I read 20 years ago. I want to refresh my memory of them, and for some, it's a 2nd chance for books I didn't get when I was younger.

Now, when I was a kid, I reread certain books a lot. I lost count of the times I read the Little House books-specially The Long Winter, Indian Captive by Lois Lenski, The Book of Indians by Holling C. Holling, and Treasury of American Indian Tales by Theodore Ressler..
 
I've reread pretty much all of my books a few times.
I've probably read all of the Discworld books at least 3 times now.
I especially like to reread if the books are a series and I've just bought the next book i.e. Harry Potter, but i do have to leave a few months between reading them though.
I think I abdorb more the second time through and gain a better understanding of the plot etc.
I hate to be without a book to read, so rereading was the best thing to do when I've had no money in the past.

It's strange really, I'd always assumed everybody reread books and rewatched films, otherwise how can you really have a favourite? Unless you have a photographic memory theres no way you can memorise the whole detail of the plot -as proved by how little people remember when they're searching for books!
 
Spiceymunkey said:
It's strange really, I'd always assumed everybody reread books and rewatched films, otherwise how can you really have a favourite? Unless you have a photographic memory theres no way you can memorise the whole detail of the plot -as proved by how little people remember when they're searching for books!
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It's not really that I remember every detail, it's more like, as I reread I remember what's going to happen. Like I said in my post above, it's like having deja-vu tha whole time, and there's so much else out there that I haven't read.
 
abecedarian said:
I do, but usually after it's been awhile for that title. Lately I'm finding myself wanting to reread some books I read 20 years ago.
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I think rereading books after 20+ years often gives you a whole new perspective on old favourites. You have the benefit of more experience (in both reading and life) and sometimes things you never noticed on the first read jump out at you and, certainly in my case, understanding of character motivation is much better.
 
I don't usually reread anything but after a long period of time and hopefully growth I may reread something. After a length of time where the book is pretty much new anyway. They have you read some great books in high school which few that age are capable of appreciating properly and worth a more intelligent run through.
 
ions, I've often thought the same thing.

While the required reading lists in highschools are full of worthwhile and commendable books, the average teenager doesn't appreciate or understand them. More often than not, unless they were already avid readers, highschool English courses turn young people off reading altogether.
 
I reread my books all the time. Sometimes I just want to relive part of the story or I'm just bored and don't have anything else to do. But, alas, they're never quite as good the second time around.
 
abecedarian said:
I do, but usually after it's been awhile for that title. Lately I'm finding myself wanting to reread some books I read 20 years ago. I want to refresh my memory of them, and for some, it's a 2nd chance for books I didn't get when I was younger.

Now, when I was a kid, I reread certain books a lot. I lost count of the times I read the Little House books-specially The Long Winter, Indian Captive by Lois Lenski, The Book of Indians by Holling C. Holling, and Treasury of American Indian Tales by Theodore Ressler..
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i do that all the time. i still read little house. i find that if i am a little blue or having a hard time focusing then rereading favourite childhood books is the way to go. and as someone else mentioned sometimes i like to read certain chapters again, or passages.
i've read pillars of the earth 3 times and cold mountain 2 times. harry potter countless and little house i couldn't make a guess. it might be nostalgia that takes me to the kids books again and again. the way you would watch old family movies or look at photographs.
 
I think that's the sign of a really good book - that as soon as you get to the end you instantly want to re-read it - it's a very good sign that the desire to is there -only you don't because you know that would probably ruin it.

I think re-reading books is fine as long as you've left it for long enough that you can't remember every single thing that happens. I've personally re-read the Harry Potter series 3 times (and enjoyed it just as much every time), and will probably re-read the 5th one again soon in preparation.
I also re-read To Kill A Mockingbird recently and was really surprised at how much of that I'd forgotten (it has been about 7 years), so now I'm re-reading all the other books I read about then like The Woman In White, and I have to say I'm just as in the dark as when I first read it:). What's really annoying is when a major plot twist comes back to you just a few pages before you get there!!! Thats happened to me a few times :mad:
 
if their good, then hell yeah! i have read sisterhood of the travelling pants at LEAST 5-6 times. haha.

I'm trying to get a record on my crime novels at the moment, so im not re-reading right now, but i will soon, probably on the holidays. (school holidays)

lani
 
i do reread books because, like movies, i sometimes find i get more out of them the second time. unfortunately, until i buy a house, i have to keep packing my books away as i read them so i haven't re-read many of them in a long time. i keep a few out specifically for rereading and those are:

Weaveworld - Clive Barker
Day of the Triffids - John Wyndham
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
Blindess - Jose Saramago (haven't reread this one yet but i will some day)
 
A truly astonishing story is one you can pick up and re-read over and over again. It is also one you can pick up whenever, to any random page, and smile as you take in the words. Poe and King come to mind.
 
I Used to tons...I have read one book six times, and the sequal three times...But now I'm more interested in building my list of books that re-reading. I got them on my shelf and I always will...plenty of time to go back to them

lani
 
I re-read books for various reasons, some because I love them and there is something very comforting about going back and revisiting them, some because I've felt that I didn't quite 'get' something the first time round and need to re-read to get a deeper understanding. I've had that experience with nearly every Henry James book that I've read, I've loved them but felt as I turned the last page, that I just somehow missed....something. Also I like to go back and read books that I read when I was very young that made an impression on me, its good to revisit them from a different (more mature ) perspective. I also have a large collection of videos/dvd's and watch favourites over and over, for much the same reasons.
 
I usually re-read when I'm looking for tidbits of information that I may have forgotten. Usually I remember a book was really good and I just dive on in again for a chapter or two. I only do this with non-fiction material, never fiction.
 
I used to re-read books all the time, like The Hobbit which I have read about 6 times, but since I joined on to here I don't have any time to re-read as my TBR list is a mile long!
 
I reread my books a lot. I am constantly refering to passages or quotes I've marked. I agree that the mark of a really great book is one that you can read over and over again.
 
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