One reason I reread books is because I already know what's going to happen. I love reading new books and being on the edge of my seat, hardly waiting to find out what happens next. But with my favorite books, I can take my time, get lost in the story if I want - or not, I can put it down for awhile and not be confused when I come back. It's why I rarely bring new books on vacation with me. Usually when I'm on vacation, we are out exploring, visiting, etc. I know I may not have a lot of time to read, I may be interrupted or I may not be paying as close attention, so for me, it's better to reread a book than start a brand new one. Plus, I know it's going to be a good read.
I like to reread to find things I may have missed or forgotten. Sometimes when I'm reading a mystery and I get to the surprise ending, I say to myself, "How did I miss that?" I love the book The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard, which is a slow burn of a mystery to find out who killed a young mother. Now each time I read it, I try to catch the instances of foreshadowing that I may not have picked up on at other times. Even if a book is not a mystery, it's still fun to catch a little detail you might have missed or a funny line by a character you didn't remember.
I also reread books because I love the stories and I want to experience them again. Kate Morton is one of my favorite writers. The way she crafts a story is just unbelievable. Every time I read The Distant Hours, I am blown away not only by the writing itself, but the beautiful story she tells about these sisters living in an English castle. I'll never get tired of it! I'll also never get tired of reading about the Tudor dynasty; The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory is one of my go-tos on the time period. I love that the story is told from the point of view of the infamous Anne Boleyn's sister, Mary.
Sometimes I just want to be revisit beloved characters. Like fierce little Lucy Pevensie in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. Or brash Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With the Wind. Or Dumbledore (or Sirius, or Dobby, or Fred & George...) in the Harry Potter series. And who doesn't love Harry being snarky to Professor Snape?
Sometimes I reread for the feelings I get from a particular book. If I'm not afraid to ugly-cry, I read Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb. If I want to laugh, I reach for Thanks for the Memories by Cecilia Ahern. And sometimes you just don't know how you feel about a book until you read it for the second time. The first time I read A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin, I thought it was kind of boring. But after reading it once or twice more, I found that I actually really enjoy it!
So, do you reread? Which books do you go back to again and again? And if you don't reread, why not?
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