Do you need to start what you've finished reading?

[stePH]

(yep, stePH is at it again )

I often enjoy revisiting a book I've already read and loved. Some of my favorites, I've lost count of how many times I've re-read. This year the closest thing to a "resolution" I've made is to read only things I've not read before... and I think it's gonna be a tough year.

But my uncle reads something once, and he's done with it. Same goes for movies and TV shows. His reasoning is that there's so much that he hasn't yet read/seen, and he prefers to spend his ration of time on something new.

Thoughts?

[Scattercat]

I've always found that rereading is a useful and valuable activity.  It's not simply repetition; you get different things out of a text when you're able to read it with foreknowledge instead of suspense.  Additionally, the person who reads the book at 16 years old is not the same person who reads it at 22 is not the same person who reads it at 67; the text that you create in your negotiations with the work will be different based on your own differences in understanding and priorities.

I don't know that I'd dedicate myself to reading only what I've read before for a whole year, but I don't think rereading is just reading the same thing again.

[stePH]

I don't know that I'd dedicate myself to reading only what I've read before for a whole year, but I don't think rereading is just reading the same thing again.

You seem to have seen the opposite of what I've "resolved". No re-reads for 2011 is my intent. And like I said, it's gonna be tough... no Cyteen, no Watchmen, no Sandman, no Battlefield Earth... you get the idea.

[Devoted135]

I don't tend to re-read anymore, because "who has enough time to read everything once"? However, I do reread the Hobbit + LOTR and the Chronicles of Narnia (in the correct order) every few years or so.

I definitely agree that your age/stage in life/etc plays a huge role on what you take away from any given book. I absolutely hated Catcher and in the Rye (and to a lesser extent Catch 22), probably because I was too old by the time I got around to reading them.

[Bdoomed]

I've re-read Hitchhiker's Guide (ALL OF THEM, there ARE 5 [okay 6 now, 6th was actually pretty good]) about 3 times now, love them each time.  I just recently bought the collection on my Kindle, went through my hard copy for all of the spots that I had marked, and highlighted/bookmarked them on the Kindle version.  That's gonna make finding things in those books much easier for me

I've also re-read The Sirens of Titan once, and plan to do so every now and then.  I also need to re-read Breakfast of Champions, Fight Club, and Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance.  I've also re-read Richard Bach's Illusions a few times, it's a short book so that's not a big commitment.  Re-read/re-reading The Art of War every now and then.  I like re-reading books, especially ones that I can remember loving but can't remember many details from.
I have more books I need to re-read, I'm planning on LotR sometime, maybe some Palahniuk, Vonneguts, etc.  I just need time to do these things, which at the moment I don't have.

[Fenrix]

I've been alternating a new book with a re-read. The revisits are partially to justify their place on the bookshelf. If they don't deserve to remain in the collection, then I'm sending them down the road to a happier home.

[Scattercat]

I reread everything.  I don't think it's at all a waste of time.  *shrug*  In fact, I think one would lose something if one spent too long without revisiting works that were important to you.

I rewatch shows and movies, too.  One summer, my sister and I watched The Princess Bride twice daily, and I can still basically chant along with the movie.

[FireTurtle]

I both reread and don't reread. I am a bit of a speed reader as I have an obsessive need to See What Happens. If I can't remember a book well I reread but I treat it as a "new book." There are "new book" rules. 1: a new book cannot be read in bed this means staying up all night reading. I am to old and tired to do what I did every day as a teenager. 2: new books must not be opened when there is anything else to do important like eating as said book will suck up hours and no eating will occur. The worst intense of this was about 20yrs ago with a Jane Auel book that I started after breakfast and did by finish until 10p during which time I neither ate or drank anything.
So, I have an old favorites pile of books that I reread and reread and reread at night in bed. I can happily fall asleep while reading them because I know Everything Will be OK. It's weird but it totally works as a system for me.

[stePH]

I just realized that my "new books only in 2011" resolution means I can't read the Questionable Content collection I received as a Christmas gift last month, since I've already seen all its content online 

[Sandikal]

I rarely re-read.  I'm with stePH's uncle in the "His reasoning is that there's so much that he hasn't yet read/seen, and he prefers to spend his ration of time on something new." department.

[Bdoomed]

I rewatch Cowboy Bebop all the time, rewatch Fight Club, Fifth Element, Snatch, a lot of movies.

[iamafish]

I just realized that my "new books only in 2011" resolution means I can't read the Questionable Content collection I received as a Christmas gift last month, since I've already seen all its content online 

Tragedy. I go back through the QC archive about once a year.

I tend to re-read things I really like; you pick up so much stuff the second time through. I do this a lot with series because every time a new book hovers on the horizon I feel the need to revisit the book before it so that I can go straight into the new book without any confusion. I've been doing this with the WoT series so that I can read the final three books and know what the hell is going on. Unfortunately my progress has been stalled by the fact that my collection is half way round the world at the moment.

I go back and re-read LotR every few years.

I always feel a little guilty re-reading things when there's so much i haven't already read. The problem with reading new stuff is that you're taking a gamble - it might be rubbish - whereas if it's something you have already read and enjoyed, you know you're likely to enjoy it again.

[kibitzer]

Oh man, all the freakin' time.  Re-reading a favourite book -- or re-watching a favourite film -- is a wonderful experience. I think this illustrates how different people's internal lives are because when I try to explain this, most folks look at me like I'm weird. To give but two examples:

• I never get sick of watching the dojo fight in The Matrix, which contains one of my favourite quotes: "You think that's air you're breathing?" Ah! Gives me a chill of pleasure every time.
• I regularly re-read Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos. The amount and depth of ideas always leaves me with something new. The first time I read it, there were several "world-has-stopped" moments, by which I mean a new idea was introduced that literally stopped me in my tracks... had to sit down and go away from everyone to think and absorb.

I could go on, but at this point people's eyes usually glaze over.

Suffice it to say that a loved story -- on the page, on the screen or in my ears (podcast) -- is one of my truly great joys in life.

[Scattercat]

You think that's air you're breathing?

[Listener]

I love rereading. It's like revisiting old friends. And sometimes you pick up new things. Example: until Neil Gaiman said on his blog that a character in John M. Ford's "How Much For Just The Planet" was named for/based on him, I'd never made the connection despite Gaiman being named in the acknowledgments and HMFJTP being one of my favorite books for many years. When I reread it the next time, I found "Ilen the Magian" right off.

Plus, rereading certain books can get me into the right frame of mind for a story. If I'm going to write classic fantasy, I'll reread some of my fantasy novels. If I'm writing Steampunk, I'll reread "Souls in the Great Machine". And so on.

[tinygaia]

I like to reread books and rewatch movies if I truly enjoyed them the first time. For me, part of the fun of the first exposure is uncovering the mystery as I go, but on a reread or second viewing I enjoy seeing the steps the author took to reach the ending. For example, one of my favorite movies is The Prestige, which has a twist at the end, and the first time I saw it I thought I would never need to see it again - because once you know how it ends, how can it be good a second time? - but every time I rewatch it, I see something new.

I do this a lot with series because every time a new book hovers on the horizon I feel the need to revisit the book before it so that I can go straight into the new book without any confusion. I've been doing this with the WoT series so that I can read the final three books and know what the hell is going on.

Because of Robert Jordan I now have a rule against starting a new series until either the series is finished or the author is dead. (George R.R. Martin, I'm looking at you.)

[stePH]

Because of Robert Jordan I now have a rule against starting a new series until either the series is finished or the author is dead. (George R.R. Martin, I'm looking at you.)

Why would you want to read an unfinished series, even if the author *is* dead? (I wouldn't touch Jordan with a waldo.)

[matweller]

I re-read all the time, because I'm too poor to buy new books and too stupid to go to the library (and I also read too slow most times to do it under the time limit of when they need to be returned.

Most often re-read...
Stephen King's Dark Tower Series
all of Jeff Noon's books
all of Anne Rice's vampire books
all of the Ender books by Orson Scott Card

And I concur, re-reading brings more out each time both because of what you notice that you didn't before and because you are a different person than you were before. Occasionally I get tapped out on one -- I've just re-read The Shining for the last time. But the ones I mentioned above will not leave my house or my rotation with their bindings intact.

[tinygaia]

Why would you want to read an unfinished series, even if the author *is* dead?

Good point! I wouldn't! Never thought of it that way... But, other than with Jordan, it's never really come up before. No, the reason for the rule is so I don't have to reread the whole series every time a new book comes out. If the author is dead, I know there will be no waiting and I won't forget everything.

(I wouldn't touch Jordan with a waldo.)

I know that now, but I started the series early and was thoroughly hooked before it all went wahoonie-shaped.

[stePH]

Why would you want to read an unfinished series, even if the author *is* dead?

Good point! I wouldn't! Never thought of it that way... But, other than with Jordan, it's never really come up before. No, the reason for the rule is so I don't have to reread the whole series every time a new book comes out. If the author is dead, I know there will be no waiting and I won't forget everything.

While The Dark Tower series of novels was still a work-in-progress, during the long hiatus between books 4 and 5, I was vowing that if Stephen King died before completing it, I would dig him up and kill him again.

Now having read the last three, particularly the final book, I just wanna skullfuck him without lube. 

[Fenrix]

While The Dark Tower series of novels was still a work-in-progress, during the long hiatus between books 4 and 5, I was vowing that if Stephen King died before completing it, I would dig him up and kill him again.

Now having read the last three, particularly the final book, I just wanna skullfuck him without lube. 

You should always approach any Stephen King book with the knowledge that the man can't write an ending to save his life. That way if it ties up nicely you can be pleasantly surprised.

[stePH]

You should always approach any Stephen King book with the knowledge that the man can't write an ending to save his life. That way if it ties up nicely you can be pleasantly surprised.

No, The Dark Tower was the only work of his that I had a problem with. Particularly because I hate the "here we go again" device, but also because all of the exposition about the Tower as a linchpin of time, space, and scale that was brought up in the first book, was thrown right out the window. And that's only my primary problem with the last volume.

[kibitzer]

FWIW, and in no way complete or in order, here's other stuff I regularly "re-experience":

(I realised I also re-play favourite games for the "story")

* The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
* Half-Life 2 and associated sequels
* System Shock 2 -- although I've played that so many times it must be about played out.
* There Will Be Time by Poul Anderson
* Poul Anderson's Time Patrol stories
* Any other Poul Anderson books on my shelf (and I've by no means an extensive collection, plenty more to discover)
* Lord of the Rings
* Ellis Peters' Cadfael books
* The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
* The Long Habit of Living by Joe Haldeman (freakin' awesome book -- must be time to read it again)
* Tool of the Trade by Joe Haldeman

...may as well stop here before I list my entire library :-)

[tinygaia]

...may as well stop here before I list my entire library :-)

That's me, right there. As a good and true librarian, I get books from the library. It's a mark of highest esteem if I buy it.

[kibitzer]

...may as well stop here before I list my entire library :-)

That's me, right there. As a good and true librarian, I get books from the library. It's a mark of highest esteem if I buy it.

I do too. My local library system is awesome; if they don't have a book I can request it and mostly, they buy it in. Add to that their collection of graphic novels -- which are way too expensive to buy on a whim -- and it's win all round!

And yes, if I really enjoy something from the library, then I buy it. :-)