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Rereading books

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Re: Rereading books

#51

Post by sunrunner »

bArray wrote: post #2

Re-reading a book is a lot like re-watching a film for me, I don't want to do it immediately, but there is value in doing it some years later where the details become less certain. I'm actively aware that even during tasks such as talking, my brain condenses and throws away most information. The import thing really is to develop and capture the right abstractions. There are a few books I have gone back and read simpl…

> but there is value in doing it some years later where the details become less certain

Completely agree, but I also think there's value in re-watching within a short period of time. I find you retain enough memory from the previous viewing to be able to see subtle details and connect things that you maybe wouldn't have been able to in a first viewing.

And also, you can just drop the analytic brain and immediately rewatch something because you find it to be a beautiful film moment-to-moment.

Re: Rereading books

#52

Post by dredmorbius »

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…

Corollary: If you're reading books that divulge all on first reading, or don't reward re-reading, try finding a better class of books (and/or authors, genres, topics, etc.).

Re: Rereading books

#53

Post by criddell »

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.

Don’t think I read the sequels. I have read other Gibson novels (Pattern Recognition, Agency, The Peripheral, and others I can’t think of right now) and liked them.

Re: Rereading books

#54

Post by bArray »

sunrunner wrote: post #51
bArray wrote: post #2

Re-reading a book is a lot like re-watching a film for me, I don't want to do it immediately, but there is value in doing it some years later where the details become less certain. I'm actively aware that even during tasks such as talking, my brain condenses and throws away most information. The import thing really is to develop and capture the right abstractions. There are a few books I have gone back and read simpl…

> but there is value in doing it some years later where the details become less certain Completely agree, but I also think there's value in re-watching within a short period of time. I find you retain enough memory from the previous viewing to be able to see subtle details and connect things that you maybe wouldn't have been able to in a first viewing. And also, you can just drop the analytic brain and immediately re…

> Completely agree, but I also think there's value in re-watching within a short period of time. I find you retain enough memory from the previous viewing to be able to see subtle details and connect things that you maybe wouldn't have been able to in a first viewing.

Maybe it is ADHD speaking, but I find it very boring if it is too predictable. If I'm bored, very little goes in anyway.

> And also, you can just drop the analytic brain and immediately rewatch something because you find it to be a beautiful film moment-to-moment.

There are some things I rewatched shortly after because it was beautiful. I like to also re-read George Orwell's 1984 annually so that I can figure out what my UK government plan for me next.

Re: Rereading books

#55

Post by bArray »

m-watson wrote: post #18
bArray wrote: post #2

Re-reading a book is a lot like re-watching a film for me, I don't want to do it immediately, but there is value in doing it some years later where the details become less certain. I'm actively aware that even during tasks such as talking, my brain condenses and throws away most information. The import thing really is to develop and capture the right abstractions. There are a few books I have gone back and read simpl…

Yea, I have re-read things for goals as well. I also re-read things for the mental approach it may instill for a period of time while and after reading it, to enjoy it (like you said), or to see how the perspective fits to my new mental models a few years later. Three fiction books I constantly go back to at different times are Brave New World, The Alchemist, and Prey. I'm curious what books others go back to over ti…

> I also re-read things for the mental approach it may instill for a period of time while and after reading it, to enjoy it (like you said), or to see how the perspective fits to my new mental models a few years later.

I feel my mental model actively changing. I read something last night (a great book on genetic programming) that I could feel actively unwinding an undeserved bias of a previous self and opening a new path for creativity.

Sadly, I suspect many actually do not make any real progress in developing their mental models. Some, after many years, I have the same conversations with about fundamentally the same subjects.

> I'm curious what books others go back to over time.

For me, George Orwell's 1984 & Animal Farm, various short classic stories, etc. If our learning processes are somewhat a support vector machine, I try to reinforce the ideas that originally drastically changed my internal model.

It's not always books and media either. I listened to Mao's Great Famine [1] over several days - and it's harrowing. I like to revisit foods that remind me of childhood (flashes of memory from being younger than 2), like orange & mango juice, and strawberry & banana smoothie.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mao%27s_Great_Famine

Re: Rereading books

#56

Post by Blackstrat »

bombcar wrote: post #30
lanfeust6 wrote: post #29

I'm open to re-reading but I always have too long of a backlog of un-read to justify it.

“Rereading” in audiobooks is great; as you don’t have to pay 100% attention and can miss stuff.

I go the other direction. I use audio books to screen books that I actually want to spend time on (nonfiction). Typically, I run the audiobook at double speed. After completing the audiobook, I decide whether it’s worth the time and if so, I buy it. Otherwise, move on. The worst examples are those I can’t finish as audiobook, rare but it happens and usually points to an error in my prescreening.
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