I’ve been in a mood when it comes to reading in 2015. I’ve been having 3 very distinct and reoccurring feelings about reading thus far. This post was originally kind of a mess when I started it a couple weeks ago — a bunch of random thoughts all pasted haphazardly together with cement glue like 1st grade Jamie would have done (she also really like to let it get stuck to her fingers so she could peel it off). I didn’t think it was ever going to see the light of day. Thought maybe it was just something I needed to get out for myself. However, after I was chatting with some lovely ladies on Twitter about it, I decided to take a look at it again and every thought kind of started to fall under these 3 distinct feelings. I’m going to talk about one over the course of the next 3 weeks to split it up because it would be massive (it’s already going to be too long because I’m overly verbose).
So we’ve come to the last part of my 3 part explanation of the state of my reading life this year. The other two things I shared (here and here) were definitely a reflection of habits created through blogging but this one doesn’t really seem to be related to the two. At least I don’t think it is.
This final persistent mood I’ve been feeling?
It’s the feeling of wanting to reread everything I’ve ever loved.
I’ve talked about in the past how I like re-reading in theory and how I used to re-read all the time before I started blogging. Time, my never-ending TBR list and the desire to experience new stories seem to be what has held me back from making re-reading a priority for me (plus that fear of things not holding up) but this year all I’ve DONE is crave re-reading.
Normally I crave new experiences, new characters, new words to fall in love with. I mean, there’s so much out there that could be a new favorite. I WANT TO DISCOVER IT.
But lately I just want to cozy up with old friends. I just finished a reread via audio of If I Stay by Gayle Forman (one of my favorite books) and am on the hold list for Where She Went. It’s been years since I’ve read these books in their entirety and it just felt so good to be back with Mia and Adam. You notice things that you never did before. You have a new appreciation for them when you revisit them sometimes.
All I can think about lately is how much I want to binge re-read the Throne of Glass series. I MEAN WHO AM I? I’m the girl who spends the first quarter of the next book in a series confused because I can’t remember crap and I refuse to devote time to reread. I just NEED to experience these books again. I mean, there is intense LONGING to be in them. Like physical LONGING. (The only reason I haven’t started rereading them is because I’m trying to hold off a little longer until we are closer to Queen of Shadows release).
I want to reread old childhood books I loved. I want to reread books I read as a teen. I want to read books I read at the beginning of my blogging journey. Things I read not so long ago but just love so much. I want to reread books that I think perspective and age may change my reading of it. I want to reread books that changed me. (I did make a list of books I want to re-read not too long ago if you want a glimpse).
I don’t know why I have this intense desire to reread ALL THE THINGS. I haven’t particularly been going through hard time (I always want something familiar when life is crazy and hard). I mean, things feel kind of unsettled for me in some ways. Maybe that could be part of it? Maybe I’m so burnt out on all the NEW NEW NEW and my brain/heart don’t quite have the capacity for all that new right now? Maybe I just am feeling nostalgic? Especially since I’m going to be 30 this year and I’m having a semi-crisis over it even though I know there is no reason to.
Or maybe there isn’t overarching philosophical or BIG REASON as to why. Maybe it’s just the reading experience. Maybe we are meant to experience books we love more than once.
One of my FAVORITE books from this year, Emery Lord’s The Start Of Me & You, has some great quotes and thoughts about rereading:
“The point is that we already know it doesn’t work out, but we reread them anyways, because the good stuff that comes before the ending is worth it…Also, in books sometimes the foreshadowing is so obvious that you know what’s going to happen. But knowing what happens isn’t the same as knowing HOW it happens. Getting there is the best part.”
“I used to think rewatching and rereading were embarrassingly boring pastimes. But there is something to be said for how comforting it is to already know what happens. There is no such luxury in real life.”
Do you ever get in these “OMG I JUST WANT TO REREAD” moods? Are you a re-reader in general — why or why not? What drives you to reread? What sorts of books do you reread?
PS. I also love this post that Hannah wrote about her reading year so far wherein she’s had some persistent feelings as well that seem to be driving her reading!
Regina Foo says
So far I never reread any books but I do have a list of books that I want to reread them. Most of them are books that I abandoned and might want to give it a second chance in the future, like The Lord of the Rings. And some of them are some of my favorite reads like Zodiac by Romina Russell or some fairy tales I read during childhood.
I think rereading a book at different stages of life could bring you a whole new experience which you might never experience when you read it the first time. As we age, we tend to have different perception of this world and we might think differently than we did few years ago. So I kinda agree with your point that “I think perspective and age may change my reading of it.”
Jamie says
YES I think so too re: your last paragraph! For example, I reallyyy want to read a couple books that were my FAVORITE books in high school (The Bell Jar, On the Road, Catcher in the Rye) to see if I still view them the same way 10 years later. The scary thing is…what if it doesn’t WOW me like it did then? Will it be forever tainted in my eyes or can I deal and appreciate the fact that at THAT time it was the book for me? SIGH. READER PROBLEMS.
Emmah says
Oh, definitely! I definitely get that type of mood!! I actually just finished rereading “Forever Princess” by: Meg Cabot, in anticipation of “Royal Wedding” coming out in June haha.
I am a re-reader, in general, because I just love being back in those worlds I missed ton. And if I’m in a slump, it helps me!
I’ve reread the ToG series this year too!!
Jamie says
Yes! I tend to reread bits and pieces (not the whole book) of favorite books and that seems to get me out of slumps! I can’t wait to do some more rereading. Makes me heart so happy!
Rosy @ The Review Diaries says
YES YES YES. Basically yes. I feel you! So many amazing books that it seems cruel that on the whole bloggers are so focussed on reading ALL THE NEWNESS that we don’t allow ourselves time to go back and re-read. Curse you goodreads total! I tend to be the same that when life is stressed I crave comfort, but I’m having a lot of re-read wants and I’m not particularly stressed. I want to try books I loved ten years ago, I want to go back to books I’ve read a hundred times. I want to re-visit Hogwarts because REASONS. And I hate that I feel like I can’t. So much ridiculous pressure! Definitely something I need to work on. Audiobooks are a FANTASTIC way to go back to old favourites though. I go back to Maggie Stiefvater and Kristin Cashore books so often by listening to the audio.
I have loved this series of posts, thank you so much for talking about your reading moods!
Jamie says
YES this exactly. Like I used to be a person who enjoyed rereading and the blogging my brain started being like NEW BOOK NEW BOOKS YAY. If I deem a book a favorite or it moved me or changed me…I should want to dive back in it. And yeah, SO annoying that Goodreads doesn’t count rereads. I AM READING A BOOK.
I have always tried to be a blogger who doesn’t let these pressures get in the way but what I’m learning lately is that things have creeped into my habits that I’m not happy with so time to change it! MORE REREADING. I hope you are able to do the same!
I definitely am all for the audiobooks for rereads. LOVING IT.
Grace @ Rebel Mommy Book Blog says
In general I am not a re-reader. I think I have re-read TFIOS and thats’s it. However, I just started listening to audiobooks and have thought of some of my favorites I would love to listen to and see how I feel about them in that form.
Jamie says
YES it’s so nice to do rereads for audiobooks because you know the general story so you don’t have to concentrate on them AS hard. I did find though that with If I Stay I’m glad I didn’t do it on audio as my first read (wouldn’t have felt as connected) but was so happy to do it as a reread. I mean, I DEVOURED that book in hours and audiobooking on my commute and when I’m getting ready and stuff draws it out.
Patty @ Patty's Book Corner says
I re-read a lot. I always do a re-read of books if a new one in the series come out, but I haven’t been great at re-reading completed series which I need to get back into doing. I hope you get some time to re-read!
Jamie says
I always think, “I should really reread this before the next book” but I never seem to give myself a chance to fit it in so I try to read super spoilery reviews or see if Recaptains has it recapped. I really SHOULD try to make a habit out of it because I hate feeling like I don’t know what it is going on!
Mackenzie says
I NEVER reread. But lately I’ve been wanting to reread books I wanted to love but didn’t when I was younger. The books I raced through or put down and never really appreciated. So my view on rereading has changed. I think it’s definitely a good thing. I see it as somehow cathartic. You get to experience those emotions again, but because you’ve already experienced them once and aren’t rushing through to see what happens, you can focus more on the actual story going on.
Jamie says
That’s an interesting thought I’ve had lately too. rereading books I didn’t SUPER love and see if I do now. (Namely, for me, some of the required reading I did in school). And YES I love that you pointed that out…normally a first read you rush to find out what happens but the second time around you can really savor the little details.
Leah says
Oh, I’m very familiar with that feeling! I finally gave in this year and reread two of my all-time favorites. Definitely a pat on the back for me, since I haven’t reread anything in years. What I really want to do is hide away from the world for a few weeks on binge on old childhood favorite: Harry Potter, Redwall, Little House on the Prairie, Anne of Green Gables. Those books made me who I am and it’s been too long since I’ve revisited them.
Jamie says
YES omg Little House and Anne. I want to reread those so bad! I also reaaaaallly want to reread my old Nancy Drew books for some reason…namely because I was cleaning out my old room and was packing them away. SO MUCH NOSTALGIA. I could just cry thinking about the joy that those Nancy Drew books brought me. They were my mom’s and then my grandma’s before that…well 2 or 3 of them. Then others were ones my mom bought me.
Leah says
♥ NANCY DREW YES ♥!
Lisa is Busy Nerding says
I think rereading fantasy series is ALWAYS a good idea! There are always nuggets and “OH YEAH” that come up that are just SO fun to experience all over again!
Jamie says
YES! I think that’s why I want to reread TOG so badly because they are huge books and I was just RACING through them. It would be nice to stop and savor the details.
Stephanie Scott says
As a book blogger, I can imagine you probably can’t sustain the fast pace of consuming ARCs and new books forever. It sounds like this desire might be a call to scale back and give yourself a break. I don’t reread very often, but I have several classics from childhood I’d like to revisit.
Jamie says
Yeah, I’ve always read what I want in these 5 years of blogging (older books too) but it’s definitely been way more skewed towards new releases. I think this year, with the 3 moods I’ve been feeling, is definitely a wake up call. It’s funny because I’ve never been the blogger who is super stressed about blogging. I do what I want when I can. I don’t at ALL have a reading schedule and never have (I basically just know what books release in a month and pick the ones I want to read mixed in with older title). I don’t stress on a large scale. But somewhere along the way these habits have become just embedded into my reading life without me even knowing. TIME TO RECLAIM MY READING! Because I’ve always preached that I read not because I blog but I blog because I read…so therefore I don’t want blogging to dictate what I read. And unintentionally I’ve let that happen and my brain is like NO STOP.
And yeah, childhood classics are big on my radar right now. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact I’ve been cleaning out my childhood room and putting stuff in storage because my stepdad is getting remarried so all my stuff has to go. So I’m seeing a lot of my childhood books and I’m all nostalgic!!
Stephanie Scott says
Yes! Cleaning will do that to you. I also feel pressure to read through the many books I pick up to support authors or get for promotions etc. I give away a lot of books )
Christina (A Reader of Fictions) says
Once again, I totally know these feels. This is something I’ve struggled with for most of my blogging career actually. I’ve always been a rereader and dropping that cold turkey was hard. I’ve been working hard this year at striking a balance. I’m actually managing to do a good bit of free reading, and I’ve reread six books. Now out of 80-something, that’s not a big percentage, but it’s SOMETHING. Sometimes I sneak them in before I read a sequel and sometimes I just say fuck it why not.
Alison says
I’ve been feeling the same way lately! I used to be a big re-reader, but lately I’ve been focused on just reading as much as possible, because there are SO many good books constantly coming out. But in the past few months, I’ve wanted some “comfort” reading, and have been re-reading all of Stephanie Perkins, Elizabeth Eulberg, Sarah Dessen…it’s been great.
Olivia @ Fluttering Pages says
I love rereading. I haven’t had much time for it lately, but I reread my books all the time and it’s great. I just love visiting and experiencing stories iv’e loved again. I feel like every time I reread something, I see something that I didn’t see before and get even closer to the main character. If it’s a book I really love, I won’t be content with reading it just once.
Kristilyn (A Little Time To Read) says
Yes! I think 5 of my reads this year have been rereads from childhood and whenever I finish a good book I want to read it again, kind of like when you finish a good tv show and you just want to start at the beginning! Maybe it’s a 2015 thing?
Rose says
I totally understand this. I have been slogging through my tbr bookcase and I feel like the books I really love aren’t getting any attention. So I’ve made it a priority to pick 1 or 2 favorite books a month to reread. This month I did Harry Potter but next month I have 2 stand alone books picked.
Ruth @ A Great Book Study says
How crazy! I’m going through this right now!!!!! I want to scrap all of my reading challenges for the rest of the year just to reread several books that have been on my heart, including the entire Little House series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Alexa S. says
Oh, I’ve definitely been craving more rereads this year! I’ve been particularly focused on rereading books in series, as I do like the feeling of being completely immersed in a world and story whenever I read a series, and definitely like revisiting what I’ve already read before I jump into the latest installment. I love that I don’t feel too pressured to read this year, so I’ve been stacking up more rereads than I normally have. Hope you keep on rereading!
Mel@thedailyprophecy says
I am a re-reading in general. I just love to return to stories I have loved before to experience it all over again, but in a different way. Sometimes it’s a nice feeling to know you are going to love a book and it has always helped to get back into a reading mood if I was feeling a little down 🙂 I never see rereading as a waste of time. Yes, there are new books published all the time, but what is the reason you read? For me, it’s not about which books I read or how many, it’s about how much I enjoy them. So whether that means I return to one of my favorite books or if I pick up a new one, that doesn’t matter to me 🙂
How can reading a book you love be a waste of time?
Kathy says
Been there. I can empathize with all three of your feelings, especially the need to read something different from everyone else. And guess what? I did. I partly felt as though I was missing out on something by doing so and that I wasn’t current with my followers’ choices of books, but in the end, I read some amazing books and am happy with my choice. I have a set of books I’ve re-read about 5 times now. There’s nothing wrong in that at all. Like you said, you know what works and what’s good. I have a few others I want to re-read and have put off because of so many other books I want to read, too. I wish I had re-read that book anyway, because I loved it so much. It’s rare when I find one or a few that I want to re-read. Go with the feelings and enjoy the books. I don’t think I’ll stop myself from that again. Happy reading!
Jessica Samuelsen says
This is a fun series to read! Thanks for sharing.
Laura @ Scribbles & Wanderlust says
I’m sure you already know about it, but ARE you doing the #ReRead2015 challenge? Not that you need a challenge as an excuse to reread, but it’s definitely keeping me grounded. Whenever I’ve gotten into a funk this year, I’ve pulled a book off my shelf for the challenge and fell in love all over again.
Runwright says
I know what you mean. I reread some of the novels I read as a teen because my perspective is so much different now (I think)
Libby @ Through the Wardrobe says
I know exactly what you mean! I have stacks of really awesome books on my shelves (from my childhood, teen years, new discoveries) that I keep because I know I will want to reread them but then I keep adding to my TBR pile so it makes any rereads seem more and more impossible – argh!! Also, as bloggers, I guess we feel a little bit more pressured to read new things in order to review but definitely need to make some more time for my old faves. Great post!
Puiman says
I *love* rereading. It happens a lot when I’m in a reading slump and I don’t want to read anything on my TBR. There are the books that I’ve read multiple times, but it’s nice to repeatedly go back and reread them because they’re familiar and comfortable. There are also the books that I read a long time ago, but now I want to reread to see if I’ll have the same feelings as when I read them the first time. I just love finding new things in books (making new connections, new quotes to highlight/write down, etc.) each time I reread that sometimes it feels like reading it for the first time all over again.
Beth says
I LOVE re-reading beloved books. If I loved them the first time around, I’m probably going to love them again the more I read them right? (This mentality led me to re-reading the Harry Potter series EXCLUSIVELY for a year. I’d start with the Philosopher’s Stone and end with the Half Blood Prince (it was a few years ago, now!), and then immediately start all over again.) There is something really comforting about knowing that things will turn out okay when you re-read a novel.
Beth x
Angel Haze says
I have never been much of a rereader. There are so many books and worlds to explore! I rewatch movies like crazy though! ! I only just started rereading a few fantasy books like the Warcraft series, Harry Potter and Patrick Rothfuss’ The Name of the Wind. It’s so refreshing to escape to a fantasy world and familiar faces. And you’re right. You do notice the subtle hints you missed the first time around.
There’s nothing wrong with losing yourself in a rereading binge! Or, if time constraints and an overwhelming TBR list won’t allow for a reading binge, then pick one or two a month to reread so you can still tackle your TBR list, discover new worlds and relive the ones you love without the guilt. 🙂