Why we re-read...

[BeccaPrice]

I don't re-read for the plot. I re-read for the characters, for the words. Re-reading some authors is like silk across my mind.

[speakingtohe]

For me, reading a book I haven't read before is more pleasurable than reading one I have. Since reading takes a large investment of time, I'd rather explore new territory

That is me I am afraid. More endorphins are released for me by a new book I am enjoying than by a previously read one. Music is often the opposite and Movies and Tv shows tend to put me to sleep so it can take me days to actually see one. I like video but unfortunately have been known to drift off even in a theatre.

I have zero pbooks due in part to getting an ereader and in part to space and the fact that I rarely reread them.

I have reread parts of some books accidentally and parts of some on purpose when a series was sold as one book at a reasonable price.

Still as I will not likely throw away ebooks, I may at some time reread a few others.

I envy those who get such pleasure from rereading.

Helen

[speakingtohe]

For me, reading a book I haven't read before is more pleasurable than reading one I have. Since reading takes a large investment of time, I'd rather explore new territory

That is me I am afraid. More endorphins are released for me by a new book I am enjoying than by a previously read one. Music is often the opposite and Movies and Tv shows tend to put me to sleep so it can take me days to actually see one. I like video but unfortunately have been known to drift off even in a theatre.

I have zero pbooks due in part to getting an ereader and in part to space and the fact that I rarely reread them.

I have reread parts of some books accidentally and parts of some on purpose when a series was sold as one book at a reasonable price.

Still as I will not likely throw away ebooks, I may at some time reread a few others.

I envy those who get such pleasure from rereading.

Helen

[crossi]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

It's different because books take a long time to read. Songs, albums, and movies are much shorter.

I can easily read a book in 4 hours. They are not THAT much longer than a movie. I go through a book a day even on workdays. Who could afford or have room to store that many new books even if you can find enough new authors you like. Re-reading is a neccesity.

90% of the books I buy I read once and donate away. They aren't good enough to keep. Wasted money as far as I'm concerned. The 10% that turn out to be keepers I treasure and read again and again. If they are really good as soon as I finish I'll turn around and start back at the beginning.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by HarryT

Strangely perhaps, fantasy is not my main reading genre - I spend most of my time reading British detective stories - but they have distinctly limited re-reading potential (or, at least, need a gap of a few years to aid forgetting who did it).

But then it is not a good enough detective story. I re-read some crime/spy books and it does not matter that I remember the whole plot. They are as good as when I read them before. For example I regularly re-read all Anthony Price's books and I know the plots now but that does not take anything away from my enjoyment of the books.

[tompe]

There is another way to read books that does not seems to be common among genre readers. In that way the argument is that having just read the book once you have not read it at all. You have to re-read it to really get the intended experience of the book or get the book. I would call that serious reading. Myself I primarily read for enjoyment.

[xg4bx]

Originally Posted by Catlady

If you don't ever intend to revisit the book, why buy it?

that is a great question.

for me, i take pride in ownership. i like having things. books look nice on the shelf and they tell people what i'm about. i like being able to get to them on my timetable, not on the library's.

i'm perfectly ok with getting movies through netflix. i'm perfectly ok with renting games or borrowing cds. theres just something about books that demand that i own them, whether i reread them or not.

[caleb72]

It's actually quite rare that I will re-read a book, mainly because of time constraints. I'm reading more now than I have in years and I still couldn't whip through most books in one sitting.

I don't re-watch movies too much these days either. I might watch again if I'm watching together with someone who hasn't seen the movie before, but gone are the days when I would watch the same movie every day for a month because I loved it so much.

However, I allow for the fact that I might want to re-read and I have done so on occasion (The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper a notable example).

I do love that people treat books like old friends that they rivisit. If my life/lifestyle were different, I would definitely enjoy re-reading with greater frequency than I currently do.

[RDaneel54]

Books I re-read: The Lord of the Rings, the Sherlock Holmes original canon and the Bible. The first for the journey, the second for the comfort of old friends and the third for instruction.

There are other stories I've re-read and will probably visit again someday: Asimov's Foundation series, Asimov's Robot stories and novels, all of Heinlein.

But the first three are special.

It's said you can never go home again, but if books are your home, you can visit again and again.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

that is a great question.

for me, i take pride in ownership. i like having things. books look nice on the shelf and they tell people what i'm about. i like being able to get to them on my timetable, not on the library's.

i'm perfectly ok with getting movies through netflix. i'm perfectly ok with renting games or borrowing cds. theres just something about books that demand that i own them, whether i reread them or not.

And there was a time not so long ago when books were a symbol of wealth. One of the kings of France had a large library. It contained 24 books. This was before the advent of the printing press of course, but still there is something about owning a book that you can't replicate with other media. Ebooks allow the ownership of many more books than would be practical otherwise and reduce back strain. Ever try carrying a copy of the Oxford Shakespeare around? It's a thick and heavy book (I own a copy). Not so the ebook version of Shakespeare's plays.

[spindlegirl]

Originally Posted by speakingtohe

That is me I am afraid. More endorphins are released for me by a new book I am enjoying than by a previously read one.

Even though I am a voracious re-reader, reading something new gives me that kind of feeling, too. It's exciting and thrilling.

For me I tend to have a happy medium between the both. They are two different kinds of pleasure and fun, while still having the same root causes I have a bunch of things on my reading list that I have not yet read, and am looking forward to them.

Much like I have favorite foods, I still enjoy a variety of things I haven't tried before.

[sabredog]

Originally Posted by xg4bx

i only read books once. its simply too much of a time investment to reread a book, a movie is done in 90 minutes.

I have a much longer attention span than that.

Re-reading a book is like going back to a familiar environment. This is especially true if you like the setting and main characters. There are PLENTY of books I will never re-read...ever...

Mind you, I enjoy re-watching favourite movies as well

LOTR platinum edition needs nearly 14 hours to watch!

[AgentOrange]

Haha, I have a terrible memory. Give me a year or two and re-reading a book is almost like reading it the first time, except I'm vaguely familiar with the plot. I also don't have an income that allows me to buy or rent a lot, so I re-read my books and re-watch my movies often. Besides, sometimes a book is so good, I have to read it again!

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Catlady

If you don't ever intend to revisit the book, why buy it?

That's why I rarely buy them. Every now and then, I'll buy a $1 Kindle offer for a book I can't get in the library.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by crossi

I can easily read a book in 4 hours.

I can't. I read silently at the same speed I read aloud.