Rereading books
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Rereading books
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Re: Rereading books
#2Re-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 simply for enjoyment, for example Hitch Hiker's Guide to the galaxy was a pleasure to read. Some more dense materials that I know I will gain a lot from, I find it difficult to muster the motivation to re-read.
Re: Rereading books
#3I read a lot of non-fiction, and while I'm definitely guilty (and proud of it!) of sentimentally holding onto old books, I think the value of having a personal library isn't to show off what you've read (an added bonus), but to be able to go back and reference books / passages when inspiration strikes or you realize your memory's gotten a bit fuzzy on a topic. Re-reading a book in its entirety is great. But sometimes just pulling back up a specific passage or chapter is all you need.
Re: Rereading books
#4I reread and thoroughly enjoy "main sequence" John Irving novels every few years (at least Garp, Owen Meany and the criminally underrated Son of the Circus). I cannot recommend them enough.
Re: Rereading books
#5I read a lot of non-fiction, and while I'm definitely guilty (and proud of it!) of sentimentally holding onto old books, I think the value of having a personal library isn't to show off what you've read (an added bonus), but to be able to go back and reference books / passages when inspiration strikes or you realize your memory's gotten a bit fuzzy on a topic. Re-reading a book in its entirety is great. But sometimes…
I have kids and so a good part of maintaining and curating a library of books,CDs, movies, and TV shows is also that it helps them begin to appreciate the values and lessons contained within them. What I choose to consume and/or keep on my bookshelf is a reflection of who I am and what I've absorbed to help get me there. It's nice to be talking with them about something and then just give them a book or movie they can use to gain a deeper perspective and perhaps reinforce media literacy.
Re: Rereading books
#6When reading a work of fiction for the first time, I'll usually DNF it if I get halfway through and haven't yet reached a point where I realize, while reading quickly, that I'll want to re-read it slowly. Lots of crud out there, especially in "genre" fiction, and life is too short to read crud when the world is full of more good stuff than a person can ever get to.
Re: Rereading books
#7For me, the most important statement is:
>Rereading a book can give you an insight into how you’ve changed since you last read it.
Said in a different way, I noticed I understand from a different perspective some of the books I re-read.
Re: Rereading books
#8I try to re-read The Lord of the Rings every year around Bilbo's birthday (Sept 22nd) some years I do not complete it, others I do. But it feels nice to go back to some old 'friends' and familiar places from time to time...
Re: Rereading books
#9Re-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…
Dune, like Lynch movies, are pieces of art you appreciate differently at different ages.
But you always come back to them … [at least I always come back to them ;)]
Re: Rereading books
#10 "All that can be done is for each of us to invent our own ideal library of our classics; and I would say that one half of it would consist of books we have read and that have meant something for us and the other half of books which we intend to read and which we suppose might mean something to us. We should also leave a section of empty spaces for surprises and chance discoveries."
- Italo Calvino