Re-reading books....How do you tackle the task?

[Bigtones he/him]

I have never been one to re-read books as I have often found myself knowing enough to continue on in a series without having to do so, but I have myself really wanting to re-read The Way of Kings and other books by B.S so I can get a full grasp of the entire Cosmere.

 

So this thread is mainly about suggestions and tactics you people generally take when re-reading books and to add a bit of spice to it, what are your most re-read books and why?

[Aethling he/him]

For me, it really depends on the series.  I have yet to find one that something didn't come up that I didn't place the first time through.  For longer series, I always try to get some fluff books to fill in after so often.  It can be a grind to read a 14 book series straight through without something else intervening.

 

I think I have reread most of my fantasy books at least once each.  There were a few I didn't really care about the first time around that I haven't bothered with, but most make it to a reread or two

 

 

Probably most read for me would be the Garion books.  The entire series can be reread in less than two weeks.  I was trying to reread The Black Prism, but I keep putting it down for others.  I have had the second book sitting on a shelf since its release, just haven't gotten around to it with other new releases and such.

[+eojsmada he/him]

I have re-read The Way of Kings once, already, and I just made sure that I had read a few other books in between readings, so that I have a little more depth of knowledge of having read other authors/books so that when I go back to read it, it doesn't feel like I just read it.  As well, when I go back to re-read it, I keep in mind certain things so that I know to look for certain connections that I may have missed or I may have learned about on these forums.

 

My favorite re-reads, thus far, are TWOK, the Thomas Covenant series by Stephen R. Donaldson.  I have been slowly making my way through them as I haven't read them for quite a few years.  I love his vision and simplicity.  I don't think I have ever read a book more than twice that wasn't for an academic reason.  TWOK will be the first time I have read a book a third time.

[Gamma Fiend he/him]

I'm actually currently on my reread of the Wheel of Time series. And I've reread many books and series in the past as well, especially the ones I read when I was younger in 8th and 9th grade (Stephen King books and the Dark Tower series)

I enjoy rereads. I always catch stuff I missed the first time through, or just realizing the foreshadowing as it's happening. It's just great to be able to catch up with old friends after a couple years.

That being said, I need to start my Sanderson reread started eventually. Now that I understand all this Cosmere-background story going on, I think I'll appreciate all that subtle, cool stuff in all the books a bit more.

[Shardlet he/him]

I am so fickle about authors, that I reread constantly.  For example, I have read Elantris ~3 times, Mistborn TFE at least 4, WoA 3, HoA 2, Dune 1-3 at least 4, probably 5.  LoTR ~3, TWoK 3, Emperor's Soul twice...you get the idea.  By the time Stormlight is done, I will have read TWoK probably 12 times (at least).  I have done probably 7 or 8 Dune books one after another and don't get me started on Potter.  I don't have a challenge with getting weary of the world.  Some books however, have less bang for the buck on rereads though.  I recently reread MIstborn and TFE was no problem.  However, I actually had to push myself through WoA and the first third to half of HoA before things got important.

 

I suppose how you reread depends on what your goal in rereading is.  If you are rereading purely for enjoyment, when you start getting weary of a book but don't want to just give up on it, put it down and pick up something quick and light like a Discworld book and then come back to the reread.  If you are rereading to tease out details, it is tougher.  I like to do a series all in one go to maintain the continuity and timeline in my head.  It makes it easier for me to make connections between details in seperate volumes. 

 

But, what about when you get to a point where you are reading the words on the page but not actually comprehending what you are reading anymore?  Take a break?  IDK.  What may be right for some may not be right for all.  For me, I'm alright with washing over a page or two until I am at a place where there is more likely to be some meat for me.  Otherwise, I'd rather put it down and come back to it after watching a show, playing with the kids or playing a video game, or something like that rather than pick up something else to read in the interim.

[ProfessorMLyon he/him]

Probably most read for me would be the Garion books.  The entire series can be reread in less than two weeks. 

 

Same here!

 

I used to be an avid re-reader, but I have discovered that the older I've gotten the less patience I have for it. When I am in a reading slump, I usually go through my books and pick out my favorite parts or try to find a passage that has been referenced somewhere else.

[Aethling he/him]

Sometimes it is as fun to reread as it is on the initial read.  You get the added knowledge of how things are going to turn out.

 

The Garion/CeNedra and Sparhawk/Flute/Ehlana relationships are probably funnier the second/third/fourth times around because you can see where everything is heading.

[variety.of.passions she/her]

I'm like you--I rarely re-read books. But in the instances that I do, I usually try to hone in on the terminology that I don't remember from the first read-through. With the epic fantasy stories, there are always soooooo many names and I can never keep track of them all. But in re-reads, I don't have to spend as much time worrying about keeping track of the plots since I already know what's going to happen. 

 

I also enjoy discovering all the foreshadowing throughout the story that I didn't think was anything special during the first read.

[Morsk he/him]

Something I didn't hear anyone say yet is you don't have to reread from cover to cover. I start by rereading a favorite part, and if it keeps my interest I'll skip around and read other parts until I've read most of the book. If I stop enjoying it, I read something else. I think I heard Maria the Wheel of Time continuity expert does the same thing, never doing a full reread.

I never reread Kaladin's childhood flashbacks. They're depressing, and

it all seems pointless once you know the jerk Lighteyes wins and gets Tien killed.

Or maybe it's because I don't like Kaladin without Syl. Anyway a reread can be a very different experience.

My most reread book is the Chronicles of Amber. (It's 10 books in an omnibus, but they're not long books.) I mostly just like the author's writing style, and the focus on character. Also it's sufficiently varied over the 10 books that I can open anywhere at random, and it feels new and different compared to other parts.

edit: Oh here's an idea, especially as more and more Stormlight books come out. I might try rereading just the Interludes sometime.

Edited September 8, 2013 by Morsk

[Joe ST he/him]

Yeah I've got to the point, reading for references, that I don't know if I'll need to reread the cosmere for a while...

[KChan she/her]

I rarely reread anymore, but in the cases of authors like Robert Jordan or Brandon Sanderson, when I do reread, I try to look for details and foreshadowing I may have missed the first time around. Oftentimes, I find myself understanding the plot a lot better when I can read about a certain plot event and know what it's building up to.

[Vortaan he/him]

I usually reread for quirks in character, honestly. Discworld is a great example for me, I can read those books many many times because I pick up on minor quirks in characters that I didn't notice before that are just extremely well done. Brandon's books have a lot of that too, in particular I enjoy every scene with Spook since I know where he goes and the kind of foreshadowing that he's going to get there.

[Ete'ni]

I usually start re-reading soon after I finished the book. I go through picking favourite scenes and skipping everything else. Then I go in circles for a couple of days. Then I start reading from the page I opened the book randomly. Then I read the beginning. At some point the book is re-read completely.

 

Though, it's really a pain to read a book on a small-sized smartphone display.

[FeatherWriter she/her]

(I am somewhat distraught that I have to type this twice because my browser ate it and the autosave recovery is not working. >:C)

 

I think I might be the odd one out in this group, in that I think I maybe enjoy rereading books more than I like reading them the first time. So as someone who considers herself a veteran rereader, allow me to give a few tips?

 

I wasn't always a rereader, but I started reading books aloud to my sister as a way of sharing them with her. (Which is an awesome experience. Best way to share a book, hands down.) Since then, I've started reading Mistborn to both my mom and college roommate. It's an amazing experience to be right there with someone as they experience a book for the first time, and to be a part of that experience is even cooler. The closest you can get to reading something for the first time more than once: getting to do it by proxy through someone you know.

 

Anyway, while I was doing this, I realized that there were two amazing aspects of rereading that I hadn't ever realized before, and for that reason, I was hooked:

 

Rereading allowed me to 'pick apart' the book, so to speak.

I'm a writer and going back and looking at works that I really love and trying to figure out what it is exactly about them that I love is one of my favorite things to do. When I understand why the author wrote something the way they did, I can use that knowledge myself.  (I do this with movies too now...)

 

I can see intentional development of characters and how each scene contributes to the end goal. I can watch foreshadowing as all the hints move forward to the big reveal. Seeing how all of the parts of a story come together to make the whole is incredibly fascinating to me, and when it's done well, I want to study it over and over again to figure it out.

 

I like books better when I reread them.

I appreciate them more. Honestly, I'm almost ashamed of the way that my first readthrough of The Way of Kings went. I'll admit it: I liked Kaladin's storyline much better than the others - and it definitely clouded my judgment. Not that he's not awesome, but it's just Shallan and Dalinar and the interludes and EVERYTHING ELSE is so awesome too, and I feel awful for having not appreciating them! I just wanted to see what happened with Kaladin and Bridge 4, so I felt bored in the other parts and definitely didn't give them even the love they deserve! 

 

Now? After... I don't know, probably close to five or six readthroughs (with smatterings of reread scenes here and there) ... I have a much more thorough appreciation of the book. You want me to pick a favorite story arc now? Uh, I don't think I can! They're all so amazing! How could I ever read and not appreciate the growing relationship and mentoring in Shallan's arc? How could I not love Dalinar for his struggle to do the right thing, despite the hatred of his peers and even doubts to his sanity by his own family? And dear, sweet Renarin - who may now be one of my favorite characters of all time - how could I ever not notice his heartbreaking adorableness in the background? My lack of correct appreciation my first time through is pretty much appaling to me, and when Words of Radiance comes out, it will not be repeated, this I swear!

 

Nowadays, I feel like my reading of a book is sort of naked until I've at least been through it twice. I don't really understand it or appreciate it until then. I want to be able to quote words at the drop of a hat, remember the exact progression of scenes, know every detail I can! I feel this way about The Emperor's Soul at the moment, which I only read once so far. Honestly, it doesn't even feel like I read it at all, sometimes!

 

So, for those who haven't tried rereading books that they love, I cannot recommend it highly enough. I actually tend to get more emotional about great scenes when I reread them than when I go through it the first time. 

 

(And wow this got really long. I'm so sorry for this wall of text...)