As a child, I would always ask for the same stories to be read to me over and over again. Growing up, it helps to hear the same stories to learn more about reading, the identification of words, and pronunciation. Now, as adults, most people tend not to reread the same books, due to reasons like being busy or having read the book before so they know what’s going to happen. For me, I have always loved rereading books, especially because I mostly like reading book series, and it’s fun to go back and explore the story. Here are my five reasons why I love to reread books.
1. Books give us comfort
When we are stressed or if we move to a new place, books give us a sense of comfort and nostalgia for simpler times. Sometimes, it’s nice to have a familiar book in our hands and escape from any troubles we experience in our day-to-day lives. It allows us to calmly think of happy memories about the times and places where we read the book for the first time.
2. Getting ready for the next book in the series
I love to read series. I probably read them 80% of the time. When I know that the next book in the series is coming out, I’ll start from the beginning and reread all of the previous books to refresh my memory. I like to study the details in the other books and look for any clues for the new book. I think it’s also interesting to go back and discover where the author foreshadowed events at the beginning of the series and see the events play out in the next books.
3. I get excited about my favourite parts
The best part of rereading books is getting invested in the characters and the plot again. It can be a surprising but familiar feeling when you come across that favourite moment when characters meet each other, plot twists are revealed, or when the reader knows something ahead of the characters in the book.
4. I forget what happened in the book
Sometimes, I read really fast through a short, fun book or even one that I was looking forward to for a long time, and I completely forget what happens in the book. I’ll be looking at the books in a bookstore or the library and I’ll have only a vague recollection if I’ve read them before. Usually, I can check on my Goodreads account to see if I rated the book and it’ll make me want to read it again to see why I liked it so much before.
5. New meaning at an older age
“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.” ― Robertson DaviesBooks leave a different impression on us when we reread them as we get older. We may understand a certain concept better, laugh at a joke that we completely missed before, or develop a new appreciation for the characters in the book or the author’s writing style.
Are you someone who rereads their favourite books over and over again or do you prefer to just read it once and be done with it? What are your reasons?