The Joy of Re-reading

As some of you may have noticed with my round-ups, I love to re-read books. I'll frequently re-read an entire series in order to prepare for a new book in that series, partially to remind myself of what happened before and partially to remember why I care about these characters and worlds. Some, I just re-read because it's comforting - sometimes, it's helpful to take a step back and go with what you know for a little bit.

A co-worker once asked why I bothered to re-read books. "It's not like you don't know what happened!" Well, yes and no. I freely admit that my memory for details isn't fantastic - I can usually remember broad strokes, but not the nuances of the book. The nuance is what makes the whole experience of reading enjoyable.

Re-reading also lets me focus on something different each time. My husband mentioned this with some of the mysteries he's currently re-reading. He remembers who did the crime, and now he's reading the book to see what clues the author leaves for the reader about the ultimate resolution. It's a fantastic exercise in seeing how a good author works (or learning how a not-great author doesn't work as well - some books simply don't hold up to a re-read).

Reading in general is such a bizarre concept if you think about it. You, the reader, are taking the words written by an author, during a specific time in their lives, and absorbing them in a specific time in your life. That time of life will color how you interpret those words. Reading a book in which a character grieves a loss when you haven't personally felt that kind of grief is a very different experience than reading it after you've encountered that grief is. As you change, so does your perception of the books you read. It doesn't always change for the better - there are certainly some books that I devoured as a child that I couldn't get through a single chapter of as an adult. Regardless, taking a look at something you read months or years ago automatically resets your expectations, even if you do remember the plot and the characters. It's always different, even though the words remain the same.

Neither a borrow nor a lender be...

Except when it comes to books. I freely admit that the majority of my reading these days happens on an ereader, but I will never get over the desire for paper books. One of the earliest memories I have of every house I ever lived in was having walls of bookshelves, and it's something I've continued in my home.

Every room in our house has books, up to and including the bathroom, and the standing rule of our home is that if you see something you want to borrow, feel free - just tell us so we know where it went. It makes it easier for friends who are also People of the Book who found something that catches their eye to get their hands on it.

As much as I enjoy my ereader (and not just because it provides me with my day job), the ability to lend books out both willy and nilly is still best suited by physical books. And frankly, nothing will ever be more soothing to my soul than seeing a wall of books, just waiting for me to start reading.

How Do You Read?

So, anyone who is friends with me on Goodreads (incidentally, feel free to friend me!) will know that my Currently Reading shelf tends to get a little crowded. I know a lot of people prefer to read one book at a time, but that's never been my preferred method of reading.

For me, I usually have at least three books going at any given time: some sort of anthology or other type of bite-sized reading (currently, A History of Civilization in 50 Disasters and The Science of Discworld fill this niche), some series that I'm re-reading (usually in anticipation of a new book coming out - right now, that's Poison Study and Libriomancer), and something new to me that was recommended (City of Stairs and Knots and Crosses fill this niche). There are also other random things that I've picked up along the way (that would be Reflections, Prudence and Night Owls), but that part varies.

I read certain kinds of books faster than others, so some books may take me significantly longer to finish than others. I also try to cull the herd on occasion, and move books that I've started but not picked up again to the On Hold shelf - if it's there, it usually means that I want to pick it up again, just not right now.

Over the years, I've become more comfortable with flat giving up on a book. For a very long time, I felt that if I had committed to spending the money on the book, then I needed to finish it (or at least keep it with the intention of finishing it someday). Now, after some truly rough books, I've finally become willing to walk away from a book without finishing it. It's still difficult, and I still tend to give a bad book more of a chance than I probably should, but life is too short for bad books.

So, what about you? What kinds of books do you find yourself reading more regularly? Is there a method to your reading madness, or do you just start on whatever happens to be nearby?