Hi all! As you might recall, Thursday Tea Time is when we take some time to sit down and chat with you about potentially controversial book related topics, whether that’s the latest author drama over on Twitter, a book lots of people loved that we didn’t, or really just anything related to the world of reading.
This week we are discussing rereading books. We know that lots of people love to reread novels. I just read a book called The Losers Club by Andrew Clements, and in that one the main character describes his favorite books as “comfort books” and he picks them up when he needs a boost, saying that rereading them feels “so familiar that they made reading feel like coasting downhill on a bike, or water-skiing on a smooth lake.” And I get that, I do.
But to be quite honest, we both really are not into rereading.
I’m not sure either of us can put our finger on exactly why rereading is not for us. It certainly has something to do with feeling like there are so many books in our TBR piles already that we may never finish them all.
I wonder if it also just has to do with the fact that there aren’t a lot of books I consider “comfort books” the way it’s described in The Loser’s Club. I read for new worlds and new discoveries. If I want to return to a comfortable world, I go to a series and read the series. I am sure this is part of why long-running urban fantasy or paranormal romance series are attractive to me — it’s the comfort factor, but with the benefit of new storylines and characters.
I also just feel like my brain checks out when I am rereading. If I know the book and know where everything is going, then it’s just not as captivating to me. I read for the unspooling of mysteries and the development of plot and characters. I like not knowing, at least for a little bit.
What About You?
So tell us, do you love to reread? Are you judging us right now? What books do you love to return to, time and time again? Or are you like us and feel like life is too short to reread?! We can’t wait to hear from you!
[…] He also loves to read, though he always teases me and says that he is a level 1 reader because the rate and amount of books we read varies widely. But we at Stuck in the Stacks welcome all kinds of readers and we are so happy to have Mitchell here to share his thoughts on, and love of, rereading. Especially because, as you know, Emily and I aren’t avid rereaders. […]