Ha? And I’m the one who is obsessed? Glad you all owned up to it.
Yesterday I asked the oh-so-not-innocent question to see if you guys were serial re-readers like me. I assumed a lot of you would answer yes, but I never thought the results would throw such numbers…
I think that like only 3 people answered that they didn’t re-read books… I’m so glad I’m surrounded by like-minded freaks. LOL!
I understand you. I do. There are some books I’ve re-read so many times, I know them by heart. And the poor books are so worn out, I feel for them every take I take them our of the shelves. But re-reading a book is a magical experience. I’ve already shared with you my . About how it’s amazing the first time you read these books, but that you also get a kick out of re-reading them again. Wanna know an interesting fact? Most people who answered YES in this Poll are Outlander fans. Now that I’m thinking about it, the actual question should have been: “Other than Outlander, do you re-read books?”
The thing about re-reading books is that it is always a new experience. Books aren’t just a fixed thing set in stone. I know, I know. They are words printed on paper. They don’t really change. But, if you think about it, they do. They change with every different reader. They change for each reader, every time they re-read it. Take for example “The Catcher in the Rye”. I read it the first time when I was 16, around the same age as the main character, Holden Caufield. And then, I read it again when I was almost 30. It’s 2 completely different books. Because I was 2 completely different people.
Even if it is just not wanting to let go of a world you loved, and wanting to revisit it constantly, the meaning changes. You might end the book and start it again as soon as you finish reading it. Not 5 minutes go between the 1st time you read it and the 2nd. Still… you’ve changed. Because of the book. You already know what’s going to happen to those characters. So the feelings you have for those characters that 2nd time you read the book, are not the same you had the 1st time around.
Serial re-readers, keep being awesome. Nay-sayers, just try it sometime. You won’t regret it.
I so agree with you! My girls and my husband are all serial re-readers too, and I am now so happy to be among them, as my Dear old Dad is a HUGE re-read naysayer. He never got it. Just always let out a huge, put-upon sounding sigh when he saw me rereading ANYTHING, even if it was also a favorite of his. My book reading experience always changes, and you are correct, your own frame of reference changes the experience each and every time. The books essentially live in my head, and the story changes when I re-read. I pick up on things I never noticed before, or other actions take on a new meaning.
Exactly! That’s why re-reading a book is an organic thing. It’s always changing and evolving. I sometimes like a book better, the second time around. Same goes for movies.