Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly meme hosted by Rukky @ Eternity Books and Dani @ Literary Lion where we discuss certain topics, share our opinions, and spread the love by visiting each other’s posts. Join in on this meme by writing your own discussion on the topic, and sharing your link using the inLinkz that will be available on Dani’s blog each Friday. You can check out the current January prompts and past prompts, as well as submit your own suggestion for a discussion!

---

This week’s topic is:

RE-READING BOOKS?

(submitted by FIVES @ DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE)

Prompts: How many times is enough? Why re-read at all? Is re-reading just a comforting pastime? Or is there excitement to be relived? What kind of books do you re-read? Do you ever re-read books you don’t like in hopes that it will be better the second time? Were there any books you didn’t like as a child but liked as an adult, or vice versa?

First things first…

I am excited to finally be joining in Let’s Talk Bookish for the first time! I’ve been enjoying reading this weekly meme since I started blogging, but I’ve never taken the plunge to create my own post. This year it was one of my goals, so when I saw this week’s prompt was re-reading, I thought it would be a great first topic for me since I love to re-read books. In fact, it’s another goal I set for myself every year—to try to re-read more than the previous year. I failed last year, but I’m hoping to do better this year.

Now, on to why I re-read…

I have to admit, when I first started engaging with the blogging community, I was surprised so many readers said they didn’t enjoy re-reading. I naively thought most readers liked to re-read. But once I heard their reasoning (toppling TBRs or they don’t feel like they gain anything new) I could quickly see their point of view. I didn’t necessarily agree, BUT I understood.

But what about so many books, so little time?

I re-read my favorite books, like Pride and Prejudice, to try and capture those feelings I had the first time I read the book. It’s nostalgic, comforting, and familiar. But admittedly, I am a person who likes to revisit the past, ponder things that have gone by. I’ve tried to be someone who lives in the present, but it just isn’t what comes naturally to me. So, I finally stopped trying to fight it! If re-reading a beloved book brings more happiness than reading a brand new one, why not embrace that?!

I’ve been known to immediately re-read a book or series—typically fantasy—as soon as I end it because I’m just not ready to leave the world yet. This was true for Twilight back in the day, Beautiful Creatures, and the Fever series.

Hidden facets

One thing that does always surprise me, however, is how I can discover something new each time I re-read a book. It may be something small like a descriptive detail I hadn’t noticed or it could be something big like a not-so-obvious plot point. I’m never bored when I pick up an old book I loved.

And sometimes I even learn something new about myself.

We change as we grow up and older. Our opinions change, our feelings change. And the way a book affects us changes, too. I find myself interested to see how I’ll react to a book again, especially if it’s been years since I read it. Will I no longer identify with the young protagonist? Or will I find myself identifying with their parent now that I’m one as well?? (Who am I kidding. In my brain, I’m forever young.)

Remind me again, please

One of the most common reasons I re-read a book is simply to refresh my memory when I’ll be picking up the next book in the series. I have a lousy memory, especially when it comes to fantasy series with all those important world-building details. But for the most part, I’ve usually just enjoyed the books so much, I want to be engrossed in the experience by prolonging it. However, it can become overwhelming with lengthy series by authors such as Cassandra Clare. If I don’t have time for a full re-read, I’ll resort to using websites that recap the books instead, like Recaptains.

Always…

And to answer the question: how many times is enough? If it’s a book I love and cherish, no amount of re-reading would be enough. <3

Let’s Discuss!

Do you enjoy re-reading? Or are you totally opposed to it? Let me know in the comments!