Rereading books • Hacker News Board

Re: Rereading books

#41

Post by [deleted] » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 9:04 PM UTC

amonroe805-2 wrote: post #37

bmacho wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I think this is an act of a generosity. It shows that an artist is not only competent enough to execute something that complex, but also thinking deeply of their audience's time and money. If the artist is thinking deeply of her audience's time then she should not make the book (or art) worth rereading. Putting things at the beginning that only make sense at the second reading is rude and inconsiderate to the audie…

This is sort of a strange reply. You don’t have to spend any time on art at all really. For many people, the more they can spend time enjoying the art they like, the better. If you don’t like the art, that’s one thing, but if you do like it, why must it be shorter? The video game community is often pretty explicit about this. They want their favorite games to be longer, not shorter, because they want to spend more ti…

[deleted]

Re: Rereading books

#42

Post by adamcharnock » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 9:08 PM UTC

loughnane wrote: post #27

Most books have little to say and you can, in fact, get most of what it has to offer in one reading. It’s worth your while to find the books that reveal more to you on each reread, especially rereads at different points in your life. The books that do this for a lot of people over a few generations are, to a first approximation, what we call “classics” Of course there’s still the challenge of identifying which books…

I’ve just been reading some of Vernor Vinge’s books and they’ve certainly hit different the second time around (A Deepness in the Sky, A Fire Upon the Deep).

I think it really is mostly that I’ve changed. It’s been a slow change that has been hard to notice from the inside, but one that becomes quite stark when re-experiencing a fixed point such as a book.

Re: Rereading books

#43

Post by rickstanley » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 9:09 PM UTC

I can not recommend Xenophon's Anabasis (AKA March Of The Ten Thousand) enough.

I'm rereading it for the fourth time, in less than 2 years. There's a variety of themes:

- political intrigue; - religion; - moral, ethics; - companionship; - brotherhood;

etc. Xenophon is eloquent and straight to the point, I really like his approach in this narration.

Now, on the topic of "rereading", I've often thought that maybe I should (have) read other books; that perhaps I was "spending too much time" in one book, but I just don't care enough to ruminate on this thought, and besides, there's always something new to learn from it.

Concurrently I'm reading "Crime & Punishment", which I also recommend.

Re: Rereading books

#44

Post by gabriel666smith » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 9:17 PM UTC

bmacho wrote: post #33

gabriel666smith wrote: post #22

One of my favourite things a book (or video games, paintings - every single type of art) can do is: On first read - hint that there are stories hidden under the surface, available only to those who have already experienced the art's end point. I think this is an act of a generosity. It shows that an artist is not only competent enough to execute something that complex, but also thinking deeply of their audience's tim…

> I think this is an act of a generosity. It shows that an artist is not only competent enough to execute something that complex, but also thinking deeply of their audience's time and money. If the artist is thinking deeply of her audience's time then she should not make the book (or art) worth rereading. Putting things at the beginning that only make sense at the second reading is rude and inconsiderate to the audie…

Haha. It's lucky that art is subjective, so I'm definitely right :-)

I wasn't saying a piece shouldn't stand on its own on first viewing - that is not hospitable, IMO. I think you misinterpreted what I was trying to say: That I like art that has prismatic qualities, ie, revealing different things when looked at from a different time and place.

This isn't mutually exclusive with the first angle you come at it from being beautiful. It's just additive.

Re: Rereading books

#45

Post by gabriel666smith » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 9:24 PM UTC

bmacho wrote: post #34

gabriel666smith wrote: post #22

One of my favourite things a book (or video games, paintings - every single type of art) can do is: On first read - hint that there are stories hidden under the surface, available only to those who have already experienced the art's end point. I think this is an act of a generosity. It shows that an artist is not only competent enough to execute something that complex, but also thinking deeply of their audience's tim…

> The best art should reveal itself to you over years, as you change as a human, and your sense of yourself - and the world you live in - changes. Or: a single book that you enjoy different parts of it depending on your life situation is not better at all than if it were several different books instead, one for each life situation. A book for all ages is no better than a kid + an adult book. Maybe in a practical stan…

I don't think books are things you can benchmark & create rankings of (fun as it would be to try) which I guess my initial comment implied.

But I think I might disagree - my sister recently had a daughter, and there is so much beauty in the books I (am rarely able to) read to her. My appreciate for Mog's (to pick one example) artistic achievement has only grown by looking at it from a different time in my life.

It's not effective in the same way as it was - I don't find the narrative quite as suspenseful as I remember, for example - but this is sort of exactly what I'm talking about, condensed into a very basic analogy.

If anything, I'm enjoying reading Mog far more! And certainly more than I would enjoy a spin-off 'X-Rated Mog for Adults' series.

I'm being a little facetious, obviously. But I'm going to stick on this one.

Re: Rereading books

#46

Post by bodantogat » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 9:31 PM UTC

sidrag22 wrote: post #26

bodantogat wrote: post #19

For me, rereading just feels like missing out on the excitement of finding something new. A fresh story, a different perspective, an author I haven’t met yet. So I usually skip rereads and pick up something new instead.

do you get sad or somewhat similar feelings when you finish a book or series or whatever? i sometimes get those feelings badly, and im a big fan of rereading/rewatching or whatever. ive also found that ill sometimes sorta really neglect reading the final portions of a book or stop close to the end of a TV series, not because of disinterest, but because i do not want it to actually end. im pretty much just wondering i…

I get that! I usually don’t feel that end-of-story sadness strongly enough to make me reread. For me, jumping into a new world is just too exciting, so the “leaving one behind” feeling doesn’t stick around too long.

Re: Rereading books

#47

Post by malnourish » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 9:40 PM UTC

gabriel666smith wrote: post #22

One of my favourite things a book (or video games, paintings - every single type of art) can do is: On first read - hint that there are stories hidden under the surface, available only to those who have already experienced the art's end point. I think this is an act of a generosity. It shows that an artist is not only competent enough to execute something that complex, but also thinking deeply of their audience's tim…

I also seek this type of story out. I like Gene Wolfe; you might, too.

Re: Rereading books

#48

Post by lolive » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 10:30 PM UTC

AudiomaticApp wrote: post #39

criddell wrote: post #35

I've reread Neuromancer three or four times and each time I understand a little more of it. I always leave that book not sure if I like it or not.

What did you think of the sequels? Personally, I like Count Zero more than Neuromancer.

Wall Street convinced some to become traders. Neuromancer convinced some others to become nerds.

Re: Rereading books

#49

Post by lolive » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 10:32 PM UTC

dzonga wrote: post #25

same as great tv-shows. you notice a lot of things in "The Wire" on your second or third or 5th watch. that you wouldn't notice on the first.

Rewatching season 1 of Game of Thrones is an absolute JOY! [first because it is soooo much better than the last ones! Also, because everything is already in place at the very first episode !!!]

Re: Rereading books

#50

Post by sometimez » Thu, Sep 18, 2025, 10:43 PM UTC

I read a lot of nonfiction and there's only maybe one or two main ideas that I'll remember from a book a few months later, so I certainly agree with the premise of rereading, but there's just not enough time so I normally just reach for Littler Books or Blinkist whenever I need a refresher.