Questions for those that don't re-read

[DiapDealer]

Even reading non-fiction is an experience for the senses.

Senses?? Really?? Sight, sound, smell, touch, kind of senses? I wanna read some of your books.

[DarkScribe]

Originally Posted by tompe

Definitely not. Reading fiction is for me an experience and have nothing to do with reading things with the intellect like you do reading non-fiction. Even reading non-fiction is an experience for the senses.

I don't think that you grasp what is meant by stimulating the intellect.

If it makes your imagination work, it is stimulating your intellect. If it makes you think, it is stimulating your intellect. If it arouses an emotion, it is stimulating your intellect. If it makes you laugh it is stimulating your intellect.

Music on the other hand can stimulate feeling, emotion, senses without passing through the filter of your intellect - it does so directly.

[l_macd]

Apart from a very small number of my very favourite books I don't re-read. I don't like to re-watch films either, while listening to music is a different thing for me, so re-listening to a song isn't really comparable.

I've always been more of a library borrower than a book buyer anyway, though since getting a Kindle, I have bought more than I ever used to. But while I read very few library books now, I read a lot of the freebies on Amazon instead.

The reason for keeping my books is mainly so that I know I've read them and don't start to read them a second time, as my memory is terrible! Just knowing I've already read a book even if I can't remember exactly what happens is enough to put me off.

In saying that, I have enjoyed re-reading a handful of really good books and can appreciate people liking the familiarity and the idea that it's a bit like revisiting an old friend. At the same time, there's so many new and potentially great books out there it seems a shame to spend too much time on something you've read before...

As for DRM. Even before I had two e-readers I removed the DRM from my books so I'll be able to read them on whichever ereader I happen to own at the time.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by DarkScribe

I don't think that you grasp what is meant by stimulating the intellect.

If it makes your imagination work, it is stimulating your intellect. If it makes you think, it is stimulating your intellect. If it arouses an emotion, it is stimulating your intellect. If it makes you laugh it is stimulating your intellect.

Music on the other hand can stimulate feeling, emotion, senses without passing through the filter of your intellect - it does so directly.

But then there is no difference. Why should it matter if the emotion is caused directly or cause by a system that uses the intellect? So there is no difference in the possible emotions to experience in that case. So i do not get at all why there is a difference in re-readability/re-listenability.

[SeaBookGuy]

Originally Posted by HarryT

One of the great benefits of advancing age is that I can re-read detective stories, because I've forgotten the outcome!

Absolutely! I have a distinct recollection that I read Vanity Fair years ago, but I recall nothing about it at all - nada - so it'll be new all over again. There are other books like that as well.