I have always loved rereading books. There is no other experience in the reading life quite like enjoying the same book over again in a new way. Today I will be sharing the three reasons I love rereading and why I think you should make time for it in your reading life too!
To Catch New Things
As a writer myself, I can tell you without a doubt that the good books will be full of details you aren’t supposed to catch the first time through. When you read a book for the first time your attention will be on the plot, the character revelations, and big points like that. But a good writer doesn’t just stop there. Instead, they sprinkle the story with wonderful details that can only be observed by the rereader. Maybe it’s the thought that character has that hints at their true desire, or the foreshadowing that only makes sense once you’ve read the whole story through.
Whatever it is, I guarantee that there will be something new when you reread. And it doesn’t mean you’re a bad reader if you missed those things the first time, it means the book has a good writer. I don’t know about you, but I’m sure not complaining! 😉
To be Brought Back
I don’t know about you, but when I read a book for the second or third time I am flooded with memories of the first time I read the book. For example, Anne of Green Gables brings me back to spring of 2020 when I read it for the first time out on our front lawn, and Inkheart reminds me of long hours in the car on the way home from the beach.
There is a quote in Inkheart that says, “Memories cling to the printed page better than anything else,” and I think that that’s very true. Books keep memories for you in a way nothing else can. Even a journal is hard pressed to capture how you felt in a certain moment like a book can. Somehow, stories take both your emotions caused by the words you’re reading and those caused naturally by the life you are living and bind them together always. They are inseparable after that.
To Remember Yourself
This is one reason to reread that I think is less often talked about. Not only does a book show you new things and old things each time, it also reveals things about yourself you wouldn’t have known otherwise. Let me explain.
Now, I’m not talking about how a well written character teaches you something about the way you act or are. Instead, what I’m trying to say is that rereading a book you read when you were at a different place in your life is like looking back on your past self from the outside in. It gives you a chance to remember what you thought of a certain character, situation, or setting, and how that affected your view of life. As you learn to love, relate, understand, and care for new characters with each reread you are being given a chance to realize how your maturity and experience has changed the way you read, which is absolutely beautiful.
Final Thoughts
If you learned anything from this post, I hope you have been convinced that rereading is worth your time. Yes, there are many, many other other books pegging away for your attention. And, yes, there is risk in rereading. There is always the chance that in rereading you will come across a beloved book and find it not so wonderful as you first thought. But there is also the chance that you will love it even more than you did the first time, and that makes it more than worth the risk to me.
Do you enjoy rereading your favorite books? What have you been rereading recently? Let me know your latest reads in the comments!
For the Love of Stories 