I reread books. In fact, I am as likely, possibly more likely, to reread a book than pick up a new one.
Oh, there are many advantages: nostalgia (recalling previous joy from its reading; and recalling your younger self and your circumstances then), increased likelihood the work will entertain you (it has already done so), it's cheaper (if you still possess it in your library).
Of course, I've re-read books for other reasons. For example, because the author (or someone else) has written a sequel. For inspiration.
My list of re-read works is extensive, some commonly known, others less so. A few that come to mind:
The Lord of The Rings, The Hobbit, The Silmarillion by Tolkien--I read and/or listen to the BBC dramatization or unabridged CDs every few years.
The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Dandelion Wine and an any scattering of short stories by Bradbury--the latter quite frequently, especially in autumn
The Foundation Trilogy and various by Asimov -- a few times
Childhood's End, Against/The Fall of Night The City and the Stars, 2001, The Star by Arthur C Clarke--their endings still awe me since I first read them as a boy.
Dune and its next two sequels by Herbert
The Dying Earth, its sequels, and various by Jack Vance--just a master world builder and wordsmith.
Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin--speaking of master word-smithing.
Works by Lovecraft (esp. his Dreamlands tales), Lord Dunsany (The King of Elfland's Daughter, and his Dreamlands stories), Michael Moorcock (Behold the Man and his Eternal Champion novels), Robert E Howard (particularly Solomon Kane), and Clark Ashton Smith (particularly Zothique and his prose poems), Fritz Leiber (e.g. his tales of [IFafhrd and the Gray Mouser[/I]), William Hope Hodgdon (Carnaki The Ghost Hunter, The House on the Borderland, The Night Land).
Works by Robert Silverberg (Majipoor novels), Roger Zelazny (Amber series and his award winning novels), Tanith Lee (Flat Earth novels), Ursula K LeGuin (The Left Hand of Darkness, Earthsea)
James Stoddard (The High House), Kathryn Kurtz (her first Deryni trilogy), John Varley (his Titan trilogy)
The list goes on and on, sprinkled with C.S.Lewis, Mervyn Peake, Brian Lumley, Steven King, CJ Cherryh, MZ Bradley, Harlan Ellison (A Boy and His Dog), Heinlein (Time Enough For Love), Jack Chalker (Midnight at the Well of Souls)...
Walking past the shelves in my library and seeing their names and the names of their works on the spines of my books is like seeing old friends. And the anticipatory joy of paying them another visit is often more enticing than engaging a stranger.
Respectfully, Dr. Bob
Posted by wetwilly (Member # 1818) on :
My reread list is much shorter. I'm not particularly likely to reread most books.
Crime and Punishment: I make a point of rereading it every few years.
Every book by Kazuo Ishiguro: in fact I've been thinking it's time for them again.
A couple of Philip K. Dick's best books (The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep).
I've read Ender's Game a few times, but I'm probably done with that one.
Posted by Meredith (Member # 8368) on :
In addition to occasional rereads when a sequel comes out.
LotR and The Hobbit, of course. I haven't read them in a couple of years now, so maybe it's time again.
The Curse of Challion, Palladin of Souls, and the Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold, as well as a few of the Vorkosigan saga books (Memory and A Civil Campaign, especially). I may decide to reread her The Spirit Ring, too.
Just recently, I've gone back to Anne McCaffrey's Dragon Song and Dragon Singer. I may reread some of the others. Especially the later ones in the series.
I'm sure there are more, but that's what comes to mind right now.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
There are a couple dozen books I reread frequently---or so it seems. Lord of the Rings most recently---not a year goes by that I don't reread it. Several Heinlein titles, particularly Space Cadet, my introduction into science fiction reading. Asimov's memoirs. The Guns of August by Barbara Tuchmann. Probably others that elude my memory right now...
Posted by Merlion-Emrys (Member # 7912) on :
We appear to have a good deal in common there.
I think I've only done one full beginning to end re-read of LOTR, but I re-read portions of it quite frequently, especially the Lothlorien chapters of Fellowship. I haven't really re-read much Hobbit, but I probably should.
A Wizard of Earthsea is definitely one. I re-read almost the entire original trilogy a few years ago, but I always love the first one best-there is no other book quite like it.
At least part of Bradbury's The October Country, every October for quite a while. I've also re-read Something Wicked... at least once and parts of the Martian Chronicles now and then.
Of course Lovecraft, various stories, many times. Some Stephen King words, Danse Macabre, IT...I re-read The Shining and Salem's lot a few years ago, maybe one or two others.
I've re-read the "Industrial fiction" stories of Simon Logan quite a lot.
Certain short stories, like Born of Man and Woman by Matheson and Fritz Leiber's Smoke Ghost.
I re-read the first couple Narnia books a few years ago, mostly just because it had been so long.
I read the Last Unicorn twice I believe.
Probably more but those spring to mind.
Posted by Smiley (Member # 9379) on :
I don't know if this makes me a criminal in these parts, but I detest re-reading books. Once I've read them, then, BOOM, I've read them. Even back in school when asked to read a book for class that I had already read, I refused. It seemed a waste of time to me. Even the books that were wonderful to read and left a lasting impression on me, I can't bring myself to re-read. I remember what they were about. I liked them very much. Am I wrong about this? Does that make me stupid? A moron? A pariah?
Posted by Strychnine (Member # 9207) on :
Do Audio books count as a re-read? Once I've read the print version of a book I don't tend to re-read it unless I can't find it on audio. The Deverry cycle by Katherine Kerr isn't in an audio format, so I'm forced to re-read the print version.
I do the audio version so that I can share the stories with my wife (and kids when appropriate), this allows us to discuss the books while we're in the story instead of waiting until we've both read it.
Books we've done this with include: David Eddings Begariad and Malloreon series, Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series (though I can't seem to get past Naked Empire, it's a bit too preachy for me), and George Martin's Game of thrones.
Right now we are in the process of listening to David Eddings Elenium.
Posted by Smiley (Member # 9379) on :
Hmm, audio books. I think I'll look into that. Thanks.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
Sometimes I reread something after extremely long remove---just this week, I've been rereading Robert Graves's I, Claudius, for the first time since the mid-1980s. I ran across a new copy and picked it up. (Some of you may remember the miniseries.)
In this case, it was practically my first experience in exploring Roman history (even if it is a novel). All these years later, I know and understand and can piece together a lot more than I did back then---in particular, through the Latin historians I've been reading through for the past year or so---and, as a result, I, Claudius is now a richer work than I remembered.
I hope to move on to the sequel Claudius the God, soon as I can find a new copy or find my old one...
Posted by Crystal Stevens (Member # 8006) on :
I picked up "Ariel" by Steven R. Boyett here awhile back and just started reading it maybe two weeks ago. I thought it sounded familiar when I discovered I'd read it decades ago. It's about electricity simply ceasing to function and magical animals starting to appear here and there. It takes place in the USA with a young man telling the story about his close relationship with a female unicorn.
Most stories I reread usually don't capture me like they did the first time around, but this one has. It's been long enough that I've forgotten most of it, so it's like I'm reading it for the first time all over again. I must admit it's kept me captivated and wondering what's going to happen next.
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