Hey all, Dani here.
There are many reasons to re-read a book. Sometimes it’s an old favorite, or perhaps it’s one that you slogged through because you weren’t in the mood and you feel like giving the book another chance now that you’re in the right mood. Maybe it was a book you *had* to read for school and you want to read it now for pleasure and see if your thoughts have changed. Whatever the reason for rereading, I think that most of us in the book community do it.
So, this month was Jazzy June, a reading challenge hosted by Kathy at Books & Munches, and it was focused on rereading books. I didn’t participate as heavily as some of the other months, but I still managed to squeeze in a few rereads, which I ended up really enjoying.
There are a few books I have read over and over several times: Old Magic by Marianne Curley, the first Harry Potter, Colorworld by Rachel E. Kelly,…I’m sure there’s a few others, but these are the ones that I can think of right now. For the record, I have not ever reread the final Harry Potter; I only read it once, literally in the few hours after its midnight release. But I want to finish a reread of the whole series, so I’ll get around to reading it again soon enough.
What I love about rereading is that I tend to pick up different details with each new reading. On my first read I get pulled into the story and I usually end up flying through it, inevitably missing out on some of those beautiful smaller details. That’s one of the reasons rereads are great.
More than that, on rereads I pick up on foreshadowing moments better, which enhances my reading experience. I also pick up on smaller details and actions from the characters.
There have been a couple of books that I read and thought were okay, but I also knew that I just didn’t pick it up at the right time. One such book was Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor. I didn’t really like it that much when I read it for a book club years ago. But I continue to see so many wonderful reviews for it, and I know that I pushed myself to finish it for that book club. So I bought a discounted copy of it. I’m waiting to he in the right mood to give it another try.
This is also sort of the case with Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge. I read it after absolutely devouring and loving Red Rising by Pierce Brown, which made the former book pale in comparison. That’s not fair to it. Now, I can’t say that I plan on picking Cruel Beauty up again, but at least I acknowledged in my review that my rating was affected by my reading experience.
Most of the time, though, I really enjoy rereading books. I learn new things, and generally like the book better with each reading, because I appreciate it more as a whole.
What are your thoughts on rereading? Let’s chat in the comments, and I’ll be back soon with more bookish content.
Free State of Geek 
I love rereading books, maybe MORE than reading them for the first time. 🙂
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I can understand not being able to reread every book we’ve ever read, but there are some people who never reread, and that just feels weird to me. But I guess not everyone enjoys revisiting stories over and over, and that’s okay.
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Yeah, those people are weirdos, but I’m not judging. 😉
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Exactly, lol.
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I have reread books like for college or as an audiobook which sometimes ended up changing the whole book for me haha that happened with The Maze Runner haha I am eager to reread some other titles like I Am Number Four and The Hunger Games, but I think I have so many books that I haven’t read yet!
I have read also The Little Prince and every time I read it, I find it amusing and extraordinary, haha but it is true, a book is alive and as we react to it one way one day, the next will be a completely different experience!
Thank you for the topic!
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That is a very good point. Books are alive and we react differently to them with each reading.
Thank you for commenting. 🙂
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I used to reread before blogging! And you are right about picking up new details. We see the story under a different light. Now with all the blog stuff I don’t have the time anymore …
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I think I’m our blogging lives it is nice and perhaps even important to make the time for the occasional reread. Or to read a genre outside our comfort zone. It’s why I like themed reading months or readathons with reading challenges. Yes, there are so many wonderful new books coming out and with us book bloggers getting access to ARCS it is easy to only focus on new and upcoming releases, but I like trying to read some backlist titles and a reread or two. Ooh, rereading is also great to get you out of a reading slump if/when that happens. But yeah, I know what you mean about not having time because of being a book blogger. It can be tough sometimes.
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I have done so much rereading this year and I have to say I agree, during many of the rereads I loved the book more the second time around.
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That’s awesome. What has been your favorite reread this year?
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It’s a tie between Tower of Dawn and Furyborn i loved them both
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I still need to read Tower of Dawn for the first time, lol. Those are both pretty lengthy books. Good for you on the reread; that’s impressive. 🙂
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i love re-reading my favourites (also a good way to get out of a reading slump and book hangovers lol) but it’s a constant struggle choosing to read a new book or to re-read haha. and sometimes i’m afraid that i might not like the book as much as i thought i did if i reread it??
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