I’ve always been a big re-reader, visiting my favorite books over and over again. It started way back in the day when I didn’t know where or how to find new books so I just ended up reading Harry Potter over and over and once I discovered Twilight, that was the next series binge re-read on a constant repeat. If I love something, I tend to make sure I revisit it multiple times, from books to movies to TV shows… and hey, we’ll even throw foods and desserts in there because when the “usual” is amazing, why bother straying?
Re-reading has always been really important to me, and the more books I read, the more important it feels to keep going back to the ones that I enjoyed so much! Over the years, I’ve learned how much I take away from re-reading and how much I enjoy it in so many ways.
My recent re-reads!
RE-READING REFRESHES MY LONG-TERM MEMORY BRAIN
My brain is very much a long-term memory brain! I still remember phone numbers and addresses from my friends in elementary school. I once memorized 200 digits of pi for extra credit sophomore year of high school. If I repeat something enough, it sticks in my brain and it sticks HARD. If I read a book once, sure I’ll remember what it was about. Some excellent twists or points or characters might stick in my brain. But I know from personal experience, the more I repeat reading (and same goes for watching), the more I can stick things to my memory in clear, precise detail!
I had an old co-worker who would watch a TV show once and then relay half the episode to me the next day. I had trouble recalling what even happened on the episode until he reminded me! But I can recite my favorite movies to you all the way through, getting quotes and inflection exactly right because I’ve repeated them so many times. The same goes for reading, especially when I’m listening to audiobooks! I’ve listened to THE SCORPIO RACES six or seven times now and I can remember exact lines from the book in the narrators’ voices. Not only do I remember specific details, I actually can recite things with the audiobook too! There’s no way I could remember quotes without reading them (or listening to them) multiple times.
Re-reading is also SO helpful when I need to refresh my memory on a series! Before I started KING OF SCARS, I re-read all of The Shadow and Bone trilogy and the Six of Crows duology! I had already read through the Shadow and Bone trilogy three times and Six of Crows twice but I wanted to read them again to get a better focus for the characters in KING OF SCARS and I knew I had forgotten SO much in just a couple of years. It was so helpful to read them all over again and remember specifically what happened, committing all those details to memory again!
RE-READING GIVES ME MORE TIME WITH MY FAVORITES
Who doesn’t like to spend time with their favorite things? I can’t imagine reading a favorite book only once and never again. Sure, I’ve got a huge case of FOMO with all those books still on my TBR but if I know I loved a book so much, I simply HAVE to go back and read it again. I know there’s a reason I enjoyed it so much and I want to have that experience again, even if it’s not exactly the same as when I first read it (since sometimes nothing is ever the same as the first time)! I love the feelings that these special stories give me and I love being able to see new things about a book or character each time I read it! Sometimes I forget about something until I read it again, or I’ll realize something new about a relationship or a small Easter egg I never noticed before. There’s always something new to discover and see how much an author put into their work!
RE-READING IS A GUARANTEE TO ENJOY MY NEXT READ
Sometimes I go through a streak of books that I don’t have strong feelings for or haven’t enjoyed. Picking up an old favorite is a guarantee that I’ll enjoy what I’m reading and since it’s usually a series that I’m re-reading so I have a few amazing reads all in a row!
IT’S A GREAT BREAK FROM A FULL-FOCUS READ
Even if I’ve only read a book once before, a re-read lets me multi-task a little bit more and I don’t have to focus quite as much. Since I’m usually re-reading via audiobook, I can focus a little less on the book and a little more on work or whatever the task is at hand, still being able to read and follow the story but not having to discover a new world or meet new characters. My brain gets to relax just a little bit and I don’t have to focus on a brand-new read.
3 thoughts on “The Importance of Re-Reading”
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I’m the same way with media I love!! I watch the same movies and shows over and over and over again, and have read my favorite books multiple times. And I’m definitely the person who orders the same thing in a restaurant haha. There’s something comforting about visiting something you know you love, and I also love finding new connections the more I read/watch! There’s always a new discovery to make. But at the same time, it let’s your brain relax like you said. I need that sometimes! I’m going to try and allow myself more leeway with rereads this year as far as series go, so I can enjoy the sequels even more. I usually have a good enough memory but why not make it better 🙂
I used to reread book series before the newest book came out but then when I was in university, I just lacked the time to do that. So I started taking notes about what happened so I could just dive right in…and I still do that to this day. I think I’ve maybe reread 2 books in the last 3 years and that was because I had a craving to read that particular book. I would love to reread books–I only buy books I plan on rereading after I’ve read them from the library–but it’s just something that doesn’t fit in my schedule right now. Maybe in a couple of years!