I decided to start a new feature on my blog. If you are a loyal follower of my blog, you know that I put a big emphasis on interaction and discussion and my favorite posts are the ones with a lot of interaction. I also like a good healthy debate where opinions are shared and respected. You may also know that I like talking about random bookish things. Put all of that together and you get my inspiration for this new feature. Every other week I will give a topic to be discussed. You can give your vote on whether or not it is a thumbs up or a thumbs down for you and then explain why. The topics will cover anything related to reading, blogging, the book industry, etc. etc. Basically whatever is on my mind!
For the first edition, I’m starting out easy but I assure you that there will be more controversial topics in the future. Anyways, I’d like to talk about re-reading! I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately because I feel so conflicted about re-reading. I WANT to re-read all my favorite books because they are awesome (I’m looking at you Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
What about you? Do you re-read? How often do you re-read? What makes a book worthy to re-read?
Audra says
I'm so with you — I love rereading the favs but the TBR is huge! However, I sometimes reread when I find I'm off books or just can't get into anything.
Jamie says
Audra– That is exactly how I am. If I'm in a slump, I try to reread something I know that I love! Sometimes I won't even read the whole thing but just some favorite parts..enough to get me out of my slump! I also tend to re-read childhood faves if I'm going through a rough time. Nostalgia helps sometimes!
Theresa @ TheCreativeWell says
I'm totally with you. I had to vote thumbs down for the re-reading ONLY because I'm just getting back into reading after about 15 years without doing it! There are SOOOO many books that I have missed out on in the last 15 years that I honestly can't get myself to re-read anything right now. Maybe in about 20 years 🙂 As far as making a book worth re-reading, it has to be a "can't put it down, read the entire thing in one sitting, get sucked into the story" kind of book before I will hang on to it for a re-read. I think books should be shared, so even the books that I give 4 stars get passed on somehow (giveaways, trades, etc). Only the books that get that elusive 5 star rating get to take up space on my bookshelf. 🙂
Krista says
I will re-read anything I enjoyed reading in the first place. Another thing I am known for is buying the audio book if I really enjoyed reading it, then I can listen as I drive.
Red says
I re-read all of the time. I know there are a lots of good books out there and I should probably read something new but sometimes the story is good enough that I want to read it again (and I sometimes find something I didn't notice the first go around) or else I'm just cheap and I have no unread books sitting on my shelves that I'm really in the mood for.
I re-watch movies and TV shows, so why not re-read books?
Audra says
@Jamie — YES, the comfort of a reread during rough times — so necessary.
@Krista — I never thought to buy an audio to listen to — v clever idea!
hmz1505 says
There are books that I feel I HAVE to reread. It just isn't summer if I don't read at least part of Anne of Green Gables. If I've been having a bad day/week/whatever rereading a beloved book is so calming. It makes me feel better… refreshed. Still, my TBR pile is ever-growing so I sometimes feel a bit guilty rereading!
Kayla + Cyna says
God I feel the same way! I love old books but nowadays there are so many books… still, sometimes I just need a break from all the new stuff (since they frequently end up suck :/) and I'll go back to an old favorite just to clear my head and love on it. I think there's room for both 😀
Nice idea for a feature, too!
Orchid says
Personally, I'm a re-reader, especially if the book is from a series with a new release. Some of the books on my shelves have been read over ten times; even when book shopping I look for books that I have read before that I would love to re-read, so I can guess what my answer is going to be. Thumbs up to re-reading.
Interesting idea. ^_^
IngridLola says
Ooh … I like this feature! I say thumbs up. Reading a great book a second time can be a totally different experience.
Sarah says
You know, I was just thinking today that I'd like to devote one book selection a month as a re-read or a brand new (to me) classic read. So, yes… I do take the time to re-read, or at least I think I should re-read somewhat regularly. As our lives change, we may take new things out of old favorites. AND now I want to re-read The Bell Jar. Thanks. ;o)
danya says
This was a tough one… I used to love re-reading (also re-watching the same movie over and over again) and some of my favorite books have been read many, many times. I love finding those books that become comfort reads.
But recently, I haven't been re-reading nearly as much, and it's been more about the reading experience the first time around for me…so I'm kind of torn. But I did end up going with re-reading thumbs up on the poll, because it has meant so much to me over the years.
Ashley says
I go through stages. Sometimes I'm only in the mood to pick up new books, and I don't reread at all. I think, this year, I've only reread between 1-3 books. But, I wouldn't want to own books if I had no desire to reread them. There are sometimes I just want to revisit my faves, or books that gave me happy feelings.
xSyn-Fulx says
The thing I find about re-reading a book is that it generally takes so much less time than reading a completely new book that I don't really have any reason to feel guilty. Of course, if I have lots of TBR books, I will generally read them, but if for some reason I'm not meant to be doing a lot of reading for pleasure, I will turn to a book I have already read and enjoyed to get a quick reading fix.
Melanie says
I also have a hard time rereading when there are so many books in my TBR pile, but I love to reread some of my favorites periodically, and I MUST reread books in a series before reading a new one in that series.
Sarah says
I'm all about re-reading my faves. So much so that this coming year instead of doing a whole bunch of different challenges, I'm going to be re-reading as much as possible; The Outlander Series, the Harry Potter series, and a whole bunch of my other fave stand-alone books. There's so much that I forget, and it's nice to be reminded why I loved a book so much!
Erin says
I couldn't vote, because there's no in between! For the longest time, I never reread anything. Then, last week, I reread something chosen by my book group that I'd already read on my own, and I really enjoyed it. So it's possible I'm being converted to rereading! It's funny you chose this topic for today–I was thinking about talking about rereading for my Sunday Salon post this weekend!
I love the new feature. What a great idea! I'm looking forward to future topics.
Jen says
I reread favorite books. I might not reread the whole book, just certain parts. Before Mockingjay came out I reread both the Hunger Games and Catching Fire. There were so many little details that I had forgotten.
1girl2manybooks says
I'm a huge re-reader. I keep 99.99% of my books and often love pulling out old favourites and curling up with them. I have comfort reads! For me to pass on a book permanently, I have to have -really- not enjoyed it at all, or even rarer, not finished it.
I love this idea btw!
Miss Page-Turner says
If there is a book you really love, you should definitely re-read it:) Don't tell anyone but my highest re-read score must at 8 times by just one book… Unbelievably crazy:D
Lynne Perednia says
Love to reread a book once loved. The appreciation often grows deeper, especially with the Victorians as my reading experiences widen and deepen over time.
ravenousreader says
I re-read quite a bit now, a lot more than I did when I was younger. As time goes by, you often have a different perspective on books than you did the first time you read them.
What spurs me to re-read something? Most often, it seems to be when I read the latest book by a beloved author. Then I want to go back and re-read the others in my collection!
Actin' Up with Books says
Even with four bookshelves filled with books, I say yes to rereading. I have to or why else would I have bookshelves full of books. I like to reread books that were important to me, or helped me remember or feel when I originally read them. Most of time I like to read books that make me laugh and I love to remember the characters like old friends. I say all of this but I usually only reread one or two books a year. The last book I reread was Megan McCafferty's Second Helpings. It is an old favorite and makes me feel good every time.
I love this new feature on your blog and can't wait to see what is next.
bibliophiliac says
Rereading is the best! Especially classics that I read when I was much younger (sometimes too young to fully understand them). I don't know what percentage of my reading time *should* be rereading, but I keep feeling like I want to do much more of it. I do feel torn, though, because I have a huge pile of TBR books that I know are quality books, and they are haunting me too!
Danielle says
I re-read for a few reasons. One is that if the book is really great, I probably read through it too fast and like to go back and read it more slowly (had to do this with the Hunger Games series). Another reason is when I am in a reading slump (like now..ugh!) I will go back and read a favorite to get me back into loving books again. After I finish my current book club read I will be happily delving into the last Harry Potter book for the millionth time.
Natanya says
I reread very few books, but I would if I had the time. The only time I do reread books is if I'm in a reading funk (ie. I can't get through anything) and just want to read something I know I'll enjoy.
Bailey says
This is a cool new feature! I voted 'thumbs up' for re-reading although I don't do it often. There are so many great books out there to explore, but I want to re-read a few of my favorites soon because I've noticed myself forgetting things about them.
Jo says
I don't re-read as many books as I'd like to but it has to have been a very special book for me to be able to give it another go around. A couple of times I found I didn't like the book as much as the first time I read it which was disappointing! Thankfully that hasn't happened with the others.
Tara says
I voted thumbs up for re-reading, even though I don't do it as much as I would like. I can't even tell you how many times I have read the Harry Potter series, and when I am in a slump those are my go-to books to get me back into reading. But other books that I love I rarely go back to solely because my TBR pile is so massive with new books. I need to make a conscious effort to set aside books that I should re-read in the future or else I probably never will go back to them 🙁
Lacy says
I'm thinking about re-reading books that I read in high school, because I don't remember what happened or I'm wondering about how my views have changed about the book.
teaandliterature says
I am not entirely sure how I feel about rereading books, but I am going to say yes right now.
Even thought there are so many tomes out there to read. I do think that there is something can be said for it. You catch little details that you miss the first time around (sort of like when you rewatch a movie a few times, you catch the way the characters interact with each other and such).
Also I am a bit biased because I currently have plans to reread all the Harry Potter books, largely because I was never really able to enjoy them in my childhood and also because my friends and I have been having some really awesome debates about minor characters and the sorting hat system.
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Jen (Makeshift Bookmark) says
I re-read the Twilight series three times and Ink Exchange once. Other than that, I haven't re-read any books because I feel like I don't have time. It sucks because reading should be relaxing, not stressful, but I feel more pressure to read new books and review them. There are just so many new, awesome books that come out multiple times every week, I can't manage getting my TBR down to less than 100, let alone find time to re-read any old faves 🙁 however, I love to re-read a few series before the final books come out (Wicked Lovely and Vampire Academy.)
Stephany says
I had to give re-reading a thumbs down. As much as I'd love to re-read a book, I just can't bring myself to do it. I feel like I'd be wasting my time, because I already know what happens. Plus, I'm with you, there's so many other new books out there, I've got to make time to read those too! This is an awesome feature. I'm excited for you to do this!!!!
The Book Vixen says
I'm like you; I want to be able to re-read some of my favorite books but at the same time there are so many other books out there that I want to read. I have a hard time trying to convince myself to re-read a book. I did re-read Hush, Hush before reading Crescendo but I would have been lost if I hadn't done so. I'm thinking about re-reading the Night Huntress series in preparation for the release of the 5th book in the series come this February. But will I have the time? I don't know.
Great discussion topic!
Em says
I don't frequently re-read books and when I do they are generally quick reads like The Little Prince or The Graveyard Book, but there are certain books that I loved reading that I am sure that I will read again someday (Cat's Cradle, Life of Pi, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Their Eyes Were Watching God, etc). I like the idea of changing up mediums though – e.g. listening to an audiobook of a book that I have previously read or vice versa. For you Jamie, if you haven't listened to Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, I would say go for it! I thought the recording was fabulous.
Annette says
I hardly ever re-read books. As much as I'd like to, I just can't see re-reading when I have an unlimited supply of books I haven't read. I did re-read the entire Harry Potter series last summer. I wanted to read them without having to wait a year between each books. It was AWESOME!
Holli says
I used to re-read a lot when I was younger because it made me feel stable and secure in a world that was ever changing for me. After high school i sorta got away from it….
Lizzi says
There are a few books that I will either re-read entirely or will pick up to re-read my favorite parts. For the most part I have so many books that I want to read that it's hard to go back and read older ones. I do love re-reading the endings of books.
krishnakalro says
Thumbs up all the way!
In spite of all those crazily good books out there that I haven't read there's something so comforting about a favorite book. Plus each time you re-read it there is always something new to discover!
Janita (Book, Interrupted) says
I used to only buy books from the bookstore because I knew that I already liked them, and there wasn’t a risk for me hating them and wasting omney. I love rereading, I can’t imagine loving a book and never coming back to it at some point.