A great post about rereading books over at Book Riot. I’m a big rereading and was honestly surprised the first time I heard someone say that they never reread books. One part I especially liked:
“It’s fascinating to read authors like Lois Lowry or Ray Bradbury as a youth, and then revisit them as an adult. Literature is not like your hometown, which you revisit to find smaller and less impressive now you’re an adult. Returning to books later on has given you tools to dive deeper and stay down there longer. (Not all books, of course. Some disappoint. The ones that don’t, though, are gold.)”
I reread Tuck Everlasting over the summer and was struck by how lovely the writing was. I loved this book and read it multiple times as a kid, but rereading it as an adult was a new and wonderful experience.
I also love rereading books for the cozy factor. Why wouldn’t you want to revisit old friends and memories again? Do you really want to say goodbye to Atticus Finch or Harry Potter or Elizabeth Bennet forever?
I know there are a lot of great books out there–so many that you could start reading them all now and never finish. But sometimes it’s really worth it to return to books you loved.
Since having kids re-reading books has become the equivalent of popping to the pub with some mates. I can spend time in the company of friends, knowing enough about them to listen to their conversation with half an ear and feel connected to the world without having to invest too much of myself. Whereas reading a new book is a bit like being in a new love affair – it’s all consuming, it makes me leave my husband and kids abandoned and I surface out the otherside breathless and guilt-ridden. I’ve re-read books like Harry Potter so many times I just dip in and read a few pages (although often end up reading to the end!)