Why we re-read...

[tsb1]

I find certain books suit certain moods and it can be comforting. For example, when I was doing exams there were books that I would re-read at that point and would read them each time I had exams. They must be calming! Currently I'm not doing much re-reading but am borrowing a lot from the library. There are some books that I have read several times. It does help that I'm a fast reader (2-3 hours for a typical paperback) so that may have something to do with it. I don't generally re-watch films though.

[Mike Hobart]

Originally Posted by elcreative

A good book is one that can be read more than once... either comfort food or because there's more than can be got by a single reading...

I knew somebody once who said that by that sort of definition, E.E. Smith's Galactic Patrol was a classic because he'd read it three times.

[Mike Hobart]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

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

I seem to remember the old Evelyn Wood speed-reading course suggested holding a pencil in your mouth to break yourself of the habit of involuntarily moving your lips when you read. You should be able to read silently at a much greater speed than you could read aloud -- maybe that might help.

[frostschutz]

I can read with greater speed, certainly, but I don't enjoy it. It's like watching a movie on fast forward. The faster you go the more details you miss.

[DiapDealer]

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

Mostly because I want to read it right now... and I've yet to discover a way to borrow a book that the library doesn't have.

And I like owning things.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by Mike Hobart

I knew somebody once who said that by that sort of definition, E.E. Smith's Galactic Patrol was a classic because he'd read it three times.

It is also a classic by other definitions.
If nothing else, because pretty much all modern movie/tv SF is loaded with the concepts and the tropes therein, whether it be STAR WARS or GREEN LANTERN, STAR TREK or MASS EFFECT.
When it comes to adventure SF and Space Opera, most of the elements of the genre come from Smith, Williamson, and Hamilton. That alone makes them must-reads for serious students of the genre.

[morriss003]

I reread because I get pleasure from doing so. Anyone with kids and a cartoon DVD knows that humans can reread or rewatch indefinitely.

[Xanthe]

instead of feeling awkward or unusual about rereading the same books, re-watching films or revisiting the same places

Why would one even feel awkward or unusual in the first place? That labeling seems to reveal more about those doing the research than the research subjects themselves. What, I wonder, does it say about them, their lives, their degree of introspection, and their attention spans that they would even consider the behavior "awkward" or "unusual"?

Congratulations to those researchers for successfully scamming that grant money to fund their "study".

[elemenoP]

I could not count a book as one of MY VERY FAVORITE BOOKS, EVER, unless I had read it more than once.

But I only do one or two re-reads a year, since there are so many new books calling to me.

And I have had the experience of loving a book when I was younger, and finding I feel differently upon reading it again. That is a major bummer when it happens!

eP

[ebusinesstutor]

I re-read a huge amount of my books and ebooks. I am a speed reader, so I often find nuances the second time that I missed the first time.

Also, as I grow, I look at things differently.

I actually get excited when I am about to sit down to re-read a favourite series.

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by ebusinesstutor

I re-read a huge amount of my books and ebooks. I am a speed reader, so I often find nuances the second time that I missed the first time.

Also, as I grow, I look at things differently.

I actually get excited when I am about to sit down to re-read a favourite series.

To find new undiscovered ground when re-reading has nothing to do with the speed you read, I believe. I wish I myself could read faster so that I can read more. Sometimes while reading I find a paragraph or smaller that I read multiple times before going on, just because it was so good to read the first time. I do like to re-read books as well when I not only like the plot, but also the mood it creates while reading. And sometimes I am looking forward to find a certain chapter that I know brought me more joy than the rest of the book, which will make me want to re-read the whole book.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by DuckieTigger

To find new undiscovered ground when re-reading has nothing to do with the speed you read, I believe. I wish I myself could read faster so that I can read more. Sometimes while reading I find a paragraph or smaller that I read multiple times before going on, just because it was so good to read the first time. I do like to re-read books as well when I not only like the plot, but also the mood it creates while reading. And sometimes I am looking forward to find a certain chapter that I know brought me more joy than the rest of the book, which will make me want to re-read the whole book.

I have some friends that say they read fast but they seem to be skimming partly. And if you skim you of course miss things because you are skimming.

[Jovvi]

I reread books alot, mostly because I am a speed reader and I chew through books fast. And yes, sometimes I skim but not always. Also often I reread parts of books (even if I could almost quote those parts from memory).

I think everybody should just let everybody else do what they like, if you don´t like to reread books fine, if you do that is fine too...

Clara

[DuckieTigger]

Originally Posted by tompe

I have some friends that say they read fast but they seem to be skimming partly. And if you skim you of course miss things because you are skimming.

Touché. I should have rephrased it to say originally: No matter how much you slow down, you might still miss things the first time around. But then of course if you already once finished the book and know what is going to happen, then you will find hints in the beginning that could not have made sense without knowing for sure. If that is done on purpose, then that might also explain why certain books are more likely to be re-read than others. Lord of the Rings is beeing mentioned a lot in this thread as essential re-reading book - I think there is way to much information in it to be possibly remembered all at once, so that new aspects pop up each and every time you re-read it.

Originally Posted by Jovvi

I reread books alot, mostly because I am a speed reader and I chew through books fast. And yes, sometimes I skim but not always. Also often I reread parts of books (even if I could almost quote those parts from memory).

I think everybody should just let everybody else do what they like, if you don´t like to reread books fine, if you do that is fine too...

Clara

I agree, it is a matter of personal choice. Me as slow reader like to reread (some, not all) as well. It does not have to be limited to fast readers, even though it appears from this thread that it happens to fast readers more often.

And maybe I changed my mind, maybe it is not always a blessing to be able to read faster if it comes at the price of (accidentally) skimming through at times. I always wondered why so many speed-reading tutorials emphasize so much on: "not only do you read faster, but also remember it better." There has to be a correlation between reading-speed and memory-retention. Of course, I never went through with any of those tuts since they seem to have a boring and steep learning curve.

[MichelleR]

Originally Posted by DiapDealer

Mostly because I want to read it right now... and I've yet to discover a way to borrow a book that the library doesn't have.

And I like owning things.

Or, perhaps the person wants the book to be there whenever they choose to read it. I don't always read a book right after I buy it, but picked based on my mood at the moment.

Which means I have a lot of unread books, but authors also have a lot more sales from me.