Does anyone else experience this?

[FlashWrogan he/him]

So I find that I have to mentally restrain myself from reading TWoK more than once a year. I have both the hardcover and the audiobook, and I love just putting the audiobook on my ipod and listening to that instead of music when I'm walking or driving somewhere (or whatever else). For instance, I read it again in September and have found myself recently wanting to pick it up again. I have to keep telling myself "No, go read something new, you can pick it up again just before book 2 comes out, go read Les Miserables (which is what I'm doing now ," I like Brandon's other books quite a lot, but nothing draws me so much as this one.

Does anyone else experience this?

[Truthless he/him]

I actually haven't been able to read TWoK a second time. Something about Kaladin's arc puts me off now that I know how it turns out. Maybe I just don't have the stamina to wade through that mire of self-pity Kal spends most of the book in. I do go back to read the interludes, though. Those are lovely.

[Voidus]

I have trouble not re-reading them within the month, so yeah you're definitely not alone in this.

[Straff Venture he/him]

Well Brandon says it's the best writing he's ever done, so that might explain it. I feel the same way too, and in my first read I was skimming chapters of Shallan and Dalinar to get to Kaladin chapters. For me, later rereads have been about finding about the setting, which is a really good one.

[Kurkistan he/him]

I've had the experience. One time I picked it up just to fact-check something here on the forums, then I found myself reading for about two hours. Oops.

[Meg]

I've had the experience. One time I picked it up just to fact-check something here on the forums, then I found myself reading for about two hours. Oops.

That's exact what happens to me. It's not always two hours but nearly each time I find something that I've got to think about it.

I think, yes, it's kind of a obsession :-).

[king of nowhere]

I don't understand, why would you want to restrain yourself from reading it more?

What are the chances that a new book you're going to pick up will be better than twok?

I could spend the rest of my life reading nothing but the wheel of time and sanderson's books. and the occasional terry pratchett's.

[Windrunner he/him]

I have to exercise self-control or I would have this problem. TWoK is my personal favorite, but I've only actually read it cover to cover twice, and I rarely read small sections anymore. Same is true for the other cosmere books. I like them too much, I'm worried that the story will become stale if I read them too often.

[ptoss1]

I re-read a lot for the world building. The plot itself is fairly linear and predictable.

Sanderson's writing doesn't lend itself to the melody of the scene. I don't know if you can understand that, but in some stories, you just want to read over and over again because of how well the words fit together. In Sanderson's case, I want to read because the world is interesting, as is the case with most epic fantasies.

[LessThanGeorge]

I read TWoK on paperback for the first time last summer, and I felt the desire to go through it again pretty shortly afterwards. So I feel ya. TWoK is one of the only books I bought twice, because I felt the need to own the hardcover. I'm halfway through my second read and as with most high-level fantasy, the second read is a rewarding experience because I have a better understanding of the characters, setting, and plot. Plus the ability to pick out hints and important details that the author may have dropped regarding later events and/or sequels. Sanderson is particularly skilled in this regard.

[FlashWrogan he/him]

I don't understand, why would you want to restrain yourself from reading it more?

What are the chances that a new book you're going to pick up will be better than twok?

I could spend the rest of my life reading nothing but the wheel of time and sanderson's books. and the occasional terry pratchett's.

As good as something is, you can read it too often and it gets old. If I have enough time to get to that point, I might as well expand my library and find other things that I like as well. I fully intend to reread the series at least each time a new book comes out, and I want it to stay relatively fresh and fun as opposed to a chore because I know it backwards and forwards.

I re-read a lot for the world building. The plot itself is fairly linear and predictable.

Sanderson's writing doesn't lend itself to the melody of the scene. I don't know if you can understand that, but in some stories, you just want to read over and over again because of how well the words fit together. In Sanderson's case, I want to read because the world is interesting, as is the case with most epic fantasies.

Sanderson goes for more transparent pros, which is I think what you are getting at a bit here. He aims to have the words disappear and for you to be lost in the image of the scene and characters. His sentences aren't all that pretty, but what he makes out of them are. I love his writing for the worldbuilding, the characters, and some really good plots. I know what you mean about authors where the words fit together. Patrick Rothfuss and Guy Gavriel Kay are that way for me (and maybe tolkien a bit?). I haven't done any rereading on them yet as their books are newer for me, but I love the poetic nature of their writing. It makes for a completely different experience.

[Galladon he/him]

I have have no selfrestraint of any sort I just finished my 5th time through the book and it has only gotten worse after I picked up the audiobook (though don't really care that much for the female speaker).

Some scenes just get me everytime and I never stop beeing amazed how carefully planed and outlined Sandersons books are (eg. Mistborn.

So what I am saying if I am saing anything at all "thank you Sanderson I'll never have a social life again :lol:/> "

[Nihilist]

No, you are by no means alone. I have that problem with all of Brandon's books. I have all of his books, except Elantris on my nook, and it's a compulsion. I've read all of his works multiple times, TWoK four times in the past year or so.

Hopefully, now that WoT is complete, he will be able to get back to finishing book two.

[auri she/her]

I've just finished reading it (for the first time).  And I feel kind of stunned. I wish I could erase my memory of reading it so I could have this experience of not knowing back...and read it all over again. I love when books do that to you…

[Phantom Monstrosity]

I've just finished reading it (for the first time).  And I feel kind of stunned. I wish I could erase my memory of reading it so I could have this experience of not knowing back...and read it all over again. I love when books do that to you…

Don't do it, man. Do you have ANY IDEA how many keepers have been caught in that infinite loop?

[auri she/her]

Don't do it, man. Do you have ANY IDEA how many keepers have been caught in that infinite loop?

…   I DON’T CARE!!! I wouldn’t know.

[happyman he/him]

Don't do it, man. Do you have ANY IDEA how many keepers have been caught in that infinite loop?

 

...Now that would be an interesting metalmind to tap.

 

"Lessee, what do I have?  Fifteen copies of Eye of the World?  What?  Why do I have so many...oooh, I like it.  Maybe I can reread it..."

[BlairJ he/him]

I too have this same problem.  I want to go back and read it again, but my pile of books is 12 books high and collecting.  

[AdolinsGirloftheWeek she/her]

I don't reread his books compusively I guess, but I DO reread parts of them right away.

 

I agree that Sanderson doesn't really have irresistable prose in terms of poeticism, but some of scenes are very re-readable in that the fights are awesome or the characters do something you just love and you can picture everything in your mind perfectly. They have this nice sort of cinematic quality to them. Whenever I close a Sanderson book, I tend to go right back to my favorite moments - like Shan vs. Vin in Mistborn or Dalinar's epic exchange with Sadeas at the end of WoK.

 

That's usually what determines for me if a book is one of my favorite's - whether I turn back to reread the best parts as soon as I'm done.

[Observer]

I don't have to restrain myself from reading it, but if I do  pick it up you'd better believe I'll read half of it before I'm done.

 

My first read of WoK was a single day. I read the whole thing for the entire day and pretty much didn't stop until I was finished. When I re-read, I always read books the second time just as fast, so even though I'm still missing half of the smaller details, I'm missing a different half that time, and basically experiencing the book all over again. The third read I do a word-for-word, which is what I got stuck doing yesterday.

It's a hard book to put down.

[callumke he/him]

Since I listen to audiobooks, I can't eat through it as fast as Observer. But, I have listened to it 8 times, at 45 hours each time, and am planning on listening to it twice before WoR comes out. That would make 10, which is of course an important number!

 

But if I hadn't restrained myself, it might be upwards of 20. In all honesty, its slightly ruined most fantasy for me, because the readers are almost never as good as Kramer and Reading, and all other worlds feel flat and boring compared to Roshar.