Questions for those that don't re-read

[shalym]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I just can't imagine never re-reading a favourite book. It would be denying myself the company of an old friend. Sure, there's a lot to be said for making new friends, but not at the price of cutting yourself off from your old ones.

"Make new friends, but keep the old
One is silver and the other, gold."

I also can't imagine never re-reading. About half of my e-book budget goes to buying digital copies of books I have and love in paper.

Shari

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by Billi

(I'm sorry, avantman)

I've got used to threads going off-topic here. Admittedly, I didn't expect it to go quite so far off topic so quickly, but them's the breaks.

[DiapDealer]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm curious. A question for those who never re-read: do you also never listen to a piece of music more than once? If you do, what's the difference with a book?

It's quite simple really: effort/commitment vs. reward.

Revisiting, and enjoying, a three-minute favorite song requires almost no tangible effort on the part of the listener. It's (nearly) all reward and zero commitment. The music just happens to me. Conversely, I can't really kick back, close my eyes, blank my mind and simply allow the contents of a narrative to wash over my senses. I must hold it, I must move my eyes across it's pages for hours/days—concentrate intensely to comprehend—all to experience a reward I've previously claimed. I'm not saying both experiences can't be worthwhile, only that there's no real comparison between them for me. They use (and tickle) vastly different areas of my brain.

I tend not to re-read because the effort required in the attempt to re-capture the "magic," degrades that magic (for me). I feel my time is much better spent seeking out brand-new literary experiences. Mileage will vary here.

I'm not saying I've never re-read in the past, or that I never will re-read again, but it's going to have to be something pretty special—damn near epiphanic, more likely—to get me to take that long of a break from my usual "Never straight, but ever forward" reading philosophy.

And to answer the OP: yes. Even though I rarely re-read, it's still important to me to religiously strip the drm from, catalog, "shelve," and preserve each and every ebook I purchase. Why, one might ask? Because I'm still evolving. I used to enjoy re-reading when I was young and who knows?... maybe I'll re-acquire a taste for it in my dotage. I'd hate to be caught flat-footed, if so.

[haydnfan]

If I want to reread a novel, I buy it on hardcover. Ebooks are essentially disposable to me. Ditto video: I rent movies to stream, but if I want to rewatch it I buy the blu-ray or the dvd.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by haydnfan

If I want to reread a novel, I buy it on hardcover. Ebooks are essentially disposable to me. Ditto video: I rent movies to stream, but if I want to rewatch it I buy the blu-ray or the dvd.

You mean you buy the eBook, read it, and then if you want to reread it you buy the hardback? That seems like a very expensive way of doing things; you've already bought the eBook; what's the point of then buying the hardback?

[NickyWithNook]

I have a chronic health issue that reduces my reading time and I have so many new books I want to read and not as much time as I'd like for that, so I only very rarely re-read a book. Occasionally I've re-read one I read in high school or something to see if I like it as much now that I'm an adult, or because I don't remember it as well as I'd like to.

I do like the idea of my kids being able to read the books I've read, but honestly I never kept very many books around the house anyway because they take up a lot of space and are clutter. I would have to purchase them again if I didn't have an e-reader, and only have a very slight possibility of having to re-purchase them with an e-reader. I guess I'm willing to take that chance.

[Corkobo]

The reason I re-read some books (paper or e-book) is that I really like their stories (usually it's series).

However, most of the time, when I re-read, I also discover things that I missed on the first or second reading, subtleties about characters, descriptions or language/style, especially on books that have a fast paced and engrossing plot.

[Catlady]

For those of you who don't reread--do you buy books or get them from the public library? If you buy them, do you keep them? If you keep them, why?

[theducks]

Originally Posted by Corkobo

The reason I re-read some books (paper or e-book) is that I really like their stories (usually it's series).

However, most of the time, when I re-read, I also discover things that I missed on the first or second reading, subtleties about characters, descriptions or language/style, especially on books that have a fast paced and engrossing plot.

It is amazing the number of things I miss the first time , be it books or Movies
Movies: I wait and buy it on (current format) Disc (LD->DVD->Bluray ) (It is cheaper for two and we get to make and eat our own popcorn )

[Apache]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I just can't imagine never re-reading a favourite book. It would be denying myself the company of an old friend. Sure, there's a lot to be said for making new friends, but not at the price of cutting yourself off from your old ones.

Excellent post and I could not agree more.
Apache

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by HarryT

I'm curious. A question for those who never re-read: do you also never listen to a piece of music more than once? If you do, what's the difference with a book?

Books are harder to dance to.

For me, music is a very different thing than a book. It's experienced differently, in a way that (for me) lends itself to repetition. It's a momentary emotional engagement, rather than the long-haul engagement of books.

I've said this in other re-reading threads, but I'll say it again - I do occasionally re-read, but it's almost always longer tomes with complicated or interweaving storylines (The Stand Uncut, for example) and there has to be a long time in between readings. Otherwise, I will have an uncomfortable deja vu-like feeling while reading. It's not pleasant when that happens. But since there are so many books I've yet to read, I simply find something new instead.

One thing that always baffles me about these threads is that some of those who re-read seem to think there's something odd about those who don't, and vice versa. Life is too short to constantly look for "why what I do is better", folks. I'm not "missing out" by rarely re-reading, and I'm not killing old friends, etc. Those who do re-read aren't "missing out" by revisiting the works they love instead of reading new things. What works for one does not work for all. We each do what we enjoy.

On topic - DRM is a concern because I horde books, and I get them from lots of places. I accumulate them way faster than I can read them, and I want to ensure that I actually CAN read them when I get to them, and read them in the manner I choose.

[avantman42]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

One thing that always baffles me about these threads is that some of those who re-read seem to think there's something odd about those who don't, and vice versa. Life is too short to constantly look for "why what I do is better", folks.

I did try to avoid that. I think I may have been a bit naive to think I could

[CWatkinsNash]

Originally Posted by avantman42

I did try to avoid that. I think I may have been a bit naive to think I could

It's certainly not your fault. After all, your original question was:

So, for those of you that don't care about DRM because you don't re-read books, do the above not matter to you? I'm not saying they should, I'm just curious.

Emphasis mine, because most of us that responded weren't even in the group you were addressing. Just another day on the interwebz.

[odiakkoh]

Originally Posted by CWatkinsNash

One thing that always baffles me about these threads is that some of those who re-read seem to think there's something odd about those who don't, and vice versa. Life is too short to constantly look for "why what I do is better", folks. I'm not "missing out" by rarely re-reading, and I'm not killing old friends, etc. Those who do re-read aren't "missing out" by revisiting the works they love instead of reading new things. What works for one does not work for all. We each do what we enjoy.

I don't necessarily think my way is better and I don't think life is so short that we're not allowed to question things to try to understand other points of view.

[speakingtohe]

Originally Posted by Catlady

For those of you who don't reread--do you buy books or get them from the public library? If you buy them, do you keep them? If you keep them, why?

I keep them because I am an accumulator by nature. I have slimmed down my physical belongings and manage to buy less stuff than I would like to but ebooks, computer software etc. I accumulate and keep. Damn those packrat genes.

Helen