Are you a one-time reader or a re-reader?
This is a question I ask people a lot, because I’m fascinated by the answers. Some people never re-read a book. They just keep moving from book to book, always picking up something new. While I understand this then I wonder, if you’re not re-reading them do your books just sit on your shelves never to be read again?
Then there’s the constant re-reader. These folks have a re-reading schedule, repeatedly re-reading the same books over and over every year. I do this with one series, LORD OF THE RINGS, and do a single re-read of it every year. It’s become a tradition. But if you’re always re-reading books how do you get through a TBR pile?
I live somewhere in the middle. I re-read a couple of books a year, but rarely do the same ones in a row. I like to mix familiar favorites with new TBR books to keep my reading energy up. If I have a new book in a series I don’t remember well I’ll re-read those before reading the new one. Sometimes after re-reading a later book in a long series, I’ll go back and re-read earlier ones to make sense of new information.
I’ve recently come to do re-reads via audiobook, listening to my old favorite stories with new perspectives now that I’m much older. Recently I’ve done this with Artemis Fowl, and now Percy Jackson so I can continue on with later series in that world. Riordan has so much to keep track of.
Rarely, if ever, will I re-read a book I didn’t like. It probably won’t even be on my shelves if I disliked it and I definitely won’t waste my time going through it again if I have a solid handle on how I felt about it.
I like re-reading books. I love to re-immerse myself in a favorite world, appreciate it again wit experienced eyes and pick up new things each time I do it. It’s always a thrill to realize I missed something in a past read and then find it, putting those pieces together and creating a more detailed picture. Or maybe I’m just a dork that way.
How do you handle re-reads? Do you do them? How do you decide when and what to re-read? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
From my shelf to yours,
Erin
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