The joys of re-reading books
We all know that reading is a wonderful thing and the joy when discovering a new, great book is one of the best feelings. However, what about the joys of re-reading books? Most of us have our favourites that we keep going back to, that we can happily read again and again – but why do we do this? And why should we re-read books when there are so many still out there unread that are waiting for us to discover them?
I think one of the biggest joys of re-reading old favourites is reminding ourselves of good times gone by. We often associate what we read with certain times in our lives – particularly great books that we read when we were young. They leave an impression on us, and going back to remind ourselves of why we loved them so much can be a really satisfying thing to do.
Of course, not all books stand the test of time, and they’re not always as good the second or third time round. But that doesn’t stop them meaning something to us, and seeing books in a different way when we re-read them can be a useful activity in itself. It lets us see how we have changed – and sometimes how the world has changed. Those books still have their place, even if they aren’t as relevant to us as they once were.
Yet some books are still relevant to us, no matter how many times we re-read them. They remain excellent, and each time we read them, we find new things to love as well as all those familiar factors. They remind us of good ideas, of what has inspired us in the past and can perhaps inspire us still.
Other books that we re-read might only make sense when visiting them for a second time. Most of us probably read adult books when we were younger that didn’t mean a huge amount to us then – but now that we are grown up, they do. We suddenly understand them, and see what they’re about. Maybe you read a book at school that you hated because you were forced to do it, but then came to love it when you revisited it later in life. Time and experience can change a lot.
Then there is the simple comfort of re-reading what we know. As wonderful as new, unread books are, sometimes we simply want something familiar. We don’t necessarily want a challenge. We want something that we know, where we know how it ends. There’s nothing wrong with re-reading a book because once in a while it’s easier than reading something new.
We can get a lot from re-reading books, and while what we’ve already read definitely shouldn’t take up all of our current reading time, there is a lot of value to be had in going back to books we’ve read before.
Which are your favourite books to re-read, and why?
