# Reading and rereading **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 13, 2011, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444 "2011-01-13T13:07:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Misnomer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/misnomer/32/14897_2.png) [@Misnomer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Misnomer)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/21 "2011-01-13T17:25:11Z")
I read a lot, and nearly always new stuff, but there are a few books that I revisit every so often:[ul][li]_Shroud for a Nightingale_ by P.D. James[/li][li]_Watchers_ by Dean Koontz[/li][li]_The Return_ by Joe de Mers[/li][li]_Timeline_ by Michael Crichton[/li][li]_Dibs in Search of Self_ by Virginia Axline[/li][li]_Blue Streak: Swearing, Free Speech, and Sexual Harrassment_ by Richard Dooling[/li][li]_Replay_ by Ken Grimwood[/li][li]_All Creatures Great and Small_ by James Herriot[/li][li]_Air Force One is Haunted_ by Robert Serling[/ul][/li]A mix of fiction and nonfiction, natural and supernatural. It’s been a long time since this list has changed…I wonder what the next book added to it will be. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/22 "2011-01-13T17:46:20Z")
There are some books I’ve re-read pretty often. I’ve re-read **Lord of the Rings** sp many times I’ve lost count. well over 20 times, though. I’ve re-read Frederick Forsyth’s **Day of the Jackal** many times. I love his crisp, straightforward descriptions. I’ve re-read many Robert Heinlein books. Again, he has an arresting style. I have three of his books unabridged on audio, and that drives the average up, but I’d already re-read two of those many times over. **Dune** Several plays. I’ve re-read Neil Simon’s plays many times over, and Shaw, and Robert Bolt and both Shaeffer brothers. Dave Barry’s books ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/23 "2011-01-13T17:55:43Z")
Back when I had more time and less money, I reread often. Now it is rare. But I sometimes regret that I don’t visit my old friends more. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/24 "2011-01-13T18:08:37Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve re-read **Lord of the Rings** sp many times I’ve lost count. well over 20 times, though. I re-read Tolkien (starting with The Hobbit, then The Lord of the Rings, then the Silmarillion) every five years or so; I’ve probably read the lot of them 6 or 7 times now. There are a few fantasy and sci-fi series which I’ve read two or three times. Unfortunately, I’ve found that, in many cases, I don’t enjoy them as much the second time around. It’s not that I’m not surprised by the story, it’s that I start to get hung up on the author’s crutches and plot devices – such as Stephen R. Donaldson’s use of overblown, strange adjectives, or the fact that if David Eddings puts a country on a map of a fantasy world, you _know_ that the main characters will have to visit that country at some point during the story. ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/25 "2011-01-13T18:18:56Z")
I re-re-re-reread Eddings’ _Eleneum_ and _Tamuli_ series. I finally stopped by virtue of giving the books away in a Doper book exchange. I later got my hands on two books in an earlier series of his, and had no compulsion to repeatedly reread it. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/26 "2011-01-13T18:21:28Z")
I am a very “Faddy” reader, so a lot of books aren’t written well enough for my personal taste. But without a book on the go I get withdrawal symptons, so rather then read nothing at all I’ll reread some authors, like Patrick O’Brien or Pterry. Some books I enjoy immensely when I first read them but i can’t enjoy reading them again. I haven’t analysed it but I suspect that the more complex the content (plus of course a high standard of writing) and the more varigated the plot then the easier it is to enjoy them again. I enjoy “Who dunnits”, usually historical ones but for obvious reasons only read them once. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/27 "2011-01-13T18:24:36Z")
I have some favorites that I re-read from time to time. Josephine Tey’s _The Daughter of Time_ Sherlock Holmes stories Ernest Hemingway’s _The Sun Also Rises_ Re-reading a favorite book is kind of like putting on a favorite old sweater. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/28 "2011-01-13T19:10:55Z")
I mostly re-read. It’s like having another conversation with a good friend. I want to re-read books to immerse myself in the prose, to enjoy the characters, to re-hear interesting or funny dialogue, to travel along with the author and hear their thoughts. I pick up things I hadn’t noticed the first time, I find myself connecting with different character or ideas at different times in my life. I have a reasonable collection of books I re-read most often. Anything by Robin McKinley, _Pride and Prejudice_, Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, G. K. Chesterton, Terry Pratchett, Marilynne Robinson, the _Anne_ series, Nigella Lawson, John Thorne, Tad Williams, Lynn Flewelling, _Jane Eyre_, Laurie Colwin. If I like something I’ll re-read it. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/29 "2011-01-13T19:19:53Z")
As mentioned in previous threads, I am an avid re-reader. There are many books that I have read dozens of times, and I estimate that I have re-read my favorite book at least 250 times. I am also constantly reading new books. With my Kindle, I divide new books I read into two categories: will probably never re-read (sent to the archive) or will probably want to re-read (kept in a special category, which currently contains 16 books). I have also put some of my favorite books to re-read on the Kindle, so that if I feel the urge, they’re instantly available. In fact, that was one of the primary advantages of the Kindle for me. It’s magical to me that I now carry my favorite books with me at all times. I should mention that I also own over 30 T.V. series on DVD, for the same reason – so that I can rewatch them whenever I want. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/30 "2011-01-13T19:28:02Z")
I’m not going to vote in the poll because I’m not a reader. I’ll read MAYBE one book a year. Maybe. Previously I read more but not like any “reader” would. However, when I do read, it’s probably 75% recycled. So I don’t know if I’m a “rarely…” since I rarely read, but when I do it’s half and half recycled. Heh. I’ve read Neal Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle twice, and that’s a lot of readin’. My favorite book, about the early days of baseball, I’ve read maybe four times. I’m like **SpolierVirgin** with TV, too. In fact, I don’t really have time to read because I’m watchin’ TV. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/31 "2011-01-13T19:31:05Z")
It’s funny - I reread sparingly but do visit some favorites every now and again, but right now I’m just rereading a trilogy I read in high school (Barbara Hambly’s Darwath books) that I had to hunt down because it’s now out of print, and it’s even better than I remembered it. Why on earth is it out of print? I need to hunt down a set for my nephew (I mean, they’re like a buck a book on [half.com](http://half.com), but it’s still a pain.) ---
**Author:** ![TheMerchandise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b487fb/32.png) [@TheMerchandise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TheMerchandise)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/32 "2011-01-13T21:01:13Z")
I love to reread my favorite books and I’ll give in to the impulse quite often. In the last year, I’ve tried to limit the habit, just because I have so many new books sitting on my shelves. I’m a member of [www.paperbackswap.com](http://www.paperbackswap.com), so I find I rapidly accumulate new books without spending a lot of money on them. ---
**Author:** ![Maiira](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Maiira](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maiira)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/33 "2011-01-13T22:04:58Z")
There are some books that just have to be read again. I don’t think I could ever come to a halfway decent understanding of **House of Leaves** without reading it at least twice. Some would call that a waste of time, but I call it getting my money’s worth. Are there lots of other books out there? Yes. Should you try to read a lot of new stuff? Yes. Are you going to read every single book out there? No. And sometimes there’s just something comforting about rereading a good book. It means you can enter that world again and immerse yourself once more in a good story. Sure, you already know what happens, but in a way that’s comforting, too (in that you can relive the stuff you like, and skip the stuff you don’t). And, like others have said, sometimes you miss things the first time around. ---
**Author:** ![Two\_Many\_Cats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2011, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/34 "2011-01-13T22:17:46Z")
I re-read, but not often. I have to really, _really_, like a book before I’ll re-read it. For a book, it’s the highest honor I can pay. And my honor roll of re-read books: _Down the Common_ by Ann Baer _Gone with the Wind_ by Margaret Mitchell _A Walk in the Woods_ by Bill Bryson _Dave Barry Does Japan_ by Dave Barry _Pride and Prejudice_ by Jane Austen All the _Little House_ books by Laura Ingalls Wilder _Candide_ by Voltaire _I, Claudius_ and _Claudius the God_ by Robert Graves There may be a couple of others I’ve left out. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/35 "2011-01-14T02:23:06Z")
> [@Maiira](#): > > Sure, you already know what happens, but in a way that’s comforting, too (in that you can relive the stuff you like, and skip the stuff you don’t). The nice thing about being me is I often forget whodunnit anyway. Whee! It’s like new! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![History\_Geek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b19c9b/32.png) [@History\_Geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/History_Geek)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 6:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/36 "2011-01-14T06:45:14Z")
I read Neil Stephenson’s _Cryptonomicon_ about once a year - it has geeks and WW2 in a mixture that’s just right for me. It’s certainly one of my Top 3 favorites. I’m close to destroying my trade paperback of it and will have to get it on my Kindle soon. I also read a selection of Heinlein books once a year - always including _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_ and _Starship Troopers_, then rounding out with a couple-three of his “juveniles”. I’ve re-read the Dresden Files and Song of Ice and Fire series each at least two or three times. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/37 "2011-01-14T08:12:29Z")
> [@Eleanor\_of\_Aquitaine](#): > > I picked “Sometimes”. I have a few favorites that I’ve read many times. Occasionally I’ll re-read a book if I haven’t read it in many years. Sometimes I’ll re-read an earlier book when a sequel is released, to refresh my memory. I chose “sometimes” also, even tho the last part isn’t really accurate for me. I’m kind of like **Eleanor** , in that I will re-read a good book if it’s been a while since I last read it, or if for some reason it pops into my head, or if a sequel is coming out. I rarely get rid of books I buy, tho, so that I will have them on hand to re-read, unless it’s a crappy book, in which case it gets sold to the used book store or donated to the library (hey, somebody else might think it’s the best book since _Sliced Bread_). ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/38 "2011-01-14T08:23:03Z")
I very rarely re-read, but I do have my favourites that I like to enjoy more than once, most frequently Discworld but not exclusively. Lately I’ve found it hard to find new authors I like. I don’t have a library convenient to me, and buying $30 books and being disappointed by them has become far too common, so all I’ve been doing for the past couple of years is either not reading as often, or re-reading some I haven’t read in quite a long while. I’ve just finished one I hadn’t read since I bought it about ten years ago, and now I remember why I hadn’t ever thought to re-read it - it was awful. But I do usually like the author so I consider that one an anomaly. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/39 "2011-01-14T08:57:07Z")
I get tired of risking my time on crappy novels. So I will reread the books that I know will satisfy me. ---
**Author:** ![Double\_Foolscap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/85e7bf/32.png) [@Double\_Foolscap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Double_Foolscap)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2011, 9:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444/40 "2011-01-14T09:42:19Z")
I read so quickly, I often find that when I reread books I pick up on stuff that I missed the first time around. I once read _Feet of Clay_ by Terry Pratchett five times in a row, and every time I noticed a detail that I’d missed previously. (I’d got it from the library and wanted to make the most of it.) I have a terrible habit of reading books without realising that they’re in a series, as well, so sometimes I have to go back and reread in the light of what I’ve found out through subsequent stories. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/reading-and-rereading/567444.md?page=3)