Do You Re-Read?

[CBRetriever]

I've reached the point now (it took a while) where I can go into a bookstore and come out with nothing (unless they have a cookbook that's really different)

[Jacqueline]

WTF Trike....

Large as in most of the books I bought were 800 pages or more from the specialist science fiction/fantasy bookshop because we can’t get them out here in the sticks. Geez.....

[Trike]

I mean dimensions. Every bookshop I visited featured paperbacks which are taller and wider than typical American books. I don’t know if that’s a metric v. English measurement thing.

[Jacqueline]

Ahhh Ok...you’re usually taking the piss so I thought you were this time. As in size metric v imperial. The English have actually come over to the dark side now. The US is the only country left using imperial except maybe some really small other country somewhere. I did read somewhere that there was one other country as well. Can’t remember. Getting old.

Yeah all of the new and good quality paperbacks are pretty big and can be the same size as the hardcover for the same book. Actually I’ve noticed that we don’t get the hardcovers for most of the book releases only paperbacks so that might account for the size. In fact I have seen 2 of the recent releases in hardback and no paperback and that’s it and they were by Australian authors. And when I see that something is getting released in paperback in the US I’ve usually already got it and have had since actual release day. Also the price of a hardback release is huge compared to the corresponding paperback. When there is a hardback in the bookshop it’s close to $50 compared to $29-40 for the new release paperback. The place I shop has new releases between $16 and $24. Half the price they are in a bookshop.

The cheaper later reprints are usually smaller and are half the size of a newer release. These are found in newsagents and in bins for $5 in the department stores. Another thing I read (I really should remember where I read things shouldn’t I lol) is that American books don’t use the same quality paper as the Australian and British publishers and that the books smell different as well. Probably why the cheap books are small and not great quality. They probably come from the pulp fiction publishers in the US.

Just as an example I saw a really nice James Patterson 16th women’s murder club book at a Bookshop. It was massive and the paper was high quality. It cost around $30. I walked over to the department store in the same shopping centre (mall) and the same book was half the size and the paper looked like it would rip if you weren’t careful. It was $5. Sometimes there’s a size in between original release and the pulp fiction version where a really popular book has been reprinted and everyone still wants it.

I’ve been noticing the size of my books lately because I have so many and they’re all really different sizes but the size really seems to match when they were printed opposed to release date and where you can find them in the shop.

So basically they probably mass produce American books and they are smaller and cheaper whereas the Australian and British ones are of a different quality and are bigger. I have heard of people ordering from Australia and England because of the quality of the books.

And yes Australian books are very expensive. Textbooks for school and college especially. In the early 80s my Chemistry lecturer wanted us to have a book that he reckoned would be a reference book forever. And it is. I still have it. Anyway it would have been around $250 (1982 remember) if we bought it from the proper bookshop here. He ordered a couple of boxes of them from the US or somewhere and they ended up being $20 each. Many Australians order their books from overseas because of the price.

So we have Americans ordering from us because the quality is better and we order off them because the price is better.

And we have an essay.....

[Trike]

Yeah, I just meant the books are a pain to transport in small bags.

[Jacqueline]

Yes books are a pain to carry in small bags especially when someone (ummm that would be me) has no self control when it comes to proper and decent bookshops. One even had its own very nice cafe. Curled up in the corner of a booth drinking tea and eating good food was rather brilliant :)

[Matt]

MadProfessah wrote: "I find if I pick a new book in Goodreads that has more than a 1000 ratings and is over 4.0 then
It is pretty good and I have not been disappointed. Sometimes it’s not my cup of tea but I’m not mad ..."

That's what I used to do MadProfessah, but after too many disappointments I lowered the bar to 500 ratings because there are some gems out there.

[Donald]

Jacqueline wrote: "The US is the only country left using imperial except maybe some really small other country somewhere. I did read somewhere that there was one other country as well. Can’t remember. Getting old. "

Liberia is one other one (founded by freed US slaves, so they seem to have stuck to the mother country), and I think Myanmar allegedly does but I'm not convinced about that practically versus officially.

[Jacqueline]

Yep you’re right Donald. I just googled it and other than the US there are 2 left. Liberia and Myanmar. I knew there were only a couple left. So that’s 3. 3 out of 195 that are clinging to it.

[Papaphilly]

Imagination_Hunter wrote: "MadProfessah wrote: "I find if I pick a new book in Goodreads that has more than a 1000 ratings and is over 4.0 then
It is pretty good and I have not been disappointed. Sometimes it’s not my cup of..."

For me it is after about 300. I figured the first 50 are friends and family and the 50 is books given away. After another 200 as a cushion, I start to pay attention.

[Papaphilly]

Jacqueline wrote: "Yes books are a pain to carry in small bags especially when someone (ummm that would be me) has no self control when it comes to proper and decent bookshops. One even had its own very nice cafe. Cu..."

Self control and bookstores! That is an oxymoron for me. I fully expect to be one of those you see on TV with my feet sticking out of the pile of books after they fall on me.

[CBRetriever]

Papaphilly wrote: "Imagination_Hunter wrote: "MadProfessah wrote: "I find if I pick a new book in Goodreads that has more than a 1000 ratings and is over 4.0 then
It is pretty good and I have not been disappointed. S..."

I would be very disappointed given the 4 star ratings on this book:

Fifty Shades Trilogy = 4.5 stars and over 100,000 ratings

[Jacqueline]

Yeah same here. I’ve been good lately though. Probably something to do with the fact that I haven’t been anywhere near a town with books for weeks. Actually I lie......I was in my favourite book town last weekend but we had Hubbies car and I hate driving it (very old Ute that’s got a hard clutch and I can’t get the seat far enough forward so I can drive it on a highway ok just not in town) and it’s impossible for me to park it (even though I can usually park anything...and have) so I didn’t get to the shops. I am going up there in a couple of weeks again in my own car so I can buy books then unimpeded by my Husband and his car.

[Peggy]

Jacqueline wrote: "Haha Trike....no it was an actual Mental health study done last year sometime. I had it on my computer but can’t find it. Can’t remember who did it. I was particularly interested in it because of t..."

I do the same thing as your daughter. The way life has been going lately, my Pixar/Marvel movies are getting a lot of rotation. And I reread books for the same reason. I have a bookshelf next to my bed that is filled with favorites; James Herriot, Bill Bryson (I maintain that A Short History of Nearly Everything is the perfect Bedtime Book), Roger Zelazny, a few others).

Another advantage of rereading is that I already know what happens, so I'm not tempted to stay up all night.

[Jacqueline]

Yeah reading at night can have the opposite effect on me too. Instead of my brain turning off it switches on and I can’t stop thinking about it. I’ve been known to take my book and hide in the bathroom until I’ve finished the book. Or until I’m caught lol 😂

[Tomas]

Jacqueline wrote: "I’ve been known to take my book and hide in the bathroom until I’ve finished the book. Or until I’m caught"
Reminds me when I was reading Harry Potter #7 some years ago. One more chapter, one more chapter, damn it's 1:30...
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One more situation where re-reading can be easily done: holiday away from civilization. Sure, I could load my kindle with new books, but if I don't want to start too many series at once (I have my reasons for it), then re-reading old favorites is decent way.

[Matt]

Papaphilly wrote: "Imagination_Hunter wrote: "MadProfessah wrote: "I find if I pick a new book in Goodreads that has more than a 1000 ratings and is over 4.0 then
It is pretty good and I have not been disappointed. S..."

The ones with below 300 ratings are usually indie, but got to be a very big family and have loads of friends to get 50 ratings lol. However I do find some good ones swimming around. I've read a few because their synopsis drew me in, regardless what their mamas and their papas thought haha

[Matt]

CBRetriever wrote: "Papaphilly wrote: "Imagination_Hunter wrote: "MadProfessah wrote: "I find if I pick a new book in Goodreads that has more than a 1000 ratings and is over 4.0 then
It is pretty good and I have not b..."

That's mainstream for ya. We follow the herd and read what everyone is beating the drum for. Funny enough, I attempted to read my girlfriend's 50 shades copy and had to put it away because the writing was just ... let's just say "not for me"

[Jacqueline]

Haha Tomas it was a Harry Potter book that I did it with last time. Can’t remember whether it was 2, 3, 4 or 5. Usually I picked them up in the morning and they were done by the afternoon on the day they were released or the next day of the kids grabbed it as soon as I bought it and it was ok (even though I still couldn’t sleep because they were still in my head) but a couple of them I started in the night before bed (once the kids were asleep so I could have it) and then I couldn’t stop reading or thinking about it when I did put it down.

I find going on a holiday with no distractions makes me want to read heaps of new and different books. I was away by myself for a month at the beginning of the year and I got heaps read. Which is just as well because I’ve slowed down heaps now since I got home and I didn’t even get one book finished this week.

[MadProfessah]

CBRETriever it’s not a scientific law, it’s just a rule of thumb.

Although I must admit it’s pretty impressive the “Shades of Grey” books have 100,000 ratings and are still on average above 4.0.

But that doesn’t mean I’ll read them :)

[CBRetriever]

I had the opposite reaction at one time: if a book's popular, and people are saying I have to read it, I wouldn't. Once, i was suckered into reading The Horse Whisperer which I did not like and that just encouraged me in that line of thinking.

[Tom]

I'll re-read the first few chapters of some favorites that have a fun and fast start. But I know a slow-down is coming, so I'll bail.

Snow Crash, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and Invisible Monsters all have fast starts, but then slow down. I'll give The Hobbit a re-start every now and then, but I've read it enough that the magic has faded.

[Papaphilly]

MadProfessah wrote: "CBRETriever it’s not a scientific law, it’s just a rule of thumb.

Although I must admit it’s pretty impressive the “Shades of Grey” books have 100,000 ratings and are still on average above 4.0. ..."

CBRetriever wrote: I would be very disappointed given the 4 star ratings on this book:

Fifty Shades Trilogy = 4.5 stars and over 100,000 ratings ..."

While I agree with both of you, The ratings are nothing more than how someone enjoyed a book. Lots of people enjoyed that particular book.

[Papaphilly]

Imagination_Hunter wrote: "The ones with below 300 ratings are usually indie, but got to be a very big family and have loads of friends to get 50 ratings lol. However I do find some good ones swimming around. I've read a few because their synopsis drew me in, regardless what their mamas and their papas thought haha ..."

I read lots of indie the last three years r so. I am either very good at avoiding bad books or extremely lucky because I have not come across a real clunker. A couple that were pedestrian, but not truly awful.

[Matt]

Papaphilly wrote: "Imagination_Hunter wrote: "The ones with below 300 ratings are usually indie, but got to be a very big family and have loads of friends to get 50 ratings lol. However I do find some good ones swimm..."

Yeah, there's a huge divide in people's perception: to indie or not to indie? I've found plenty of pedestrians, as you say, with books from publishing houses. Some, shockingly bad. Real clunkers. That's why I don't judge a book by its...ummm...publisher?

[Papaphilly]

In many ways, I think it is both easier to publish and harder to be read. There is so much out there that you can be lost in the storm instantly. I read only paper published. That may be why I avoid truly bad books because it takes a certain level of hard work to get it to paper whereas electronic can be done easily.

[Trike]

The fact that books like Fifty Shades of Gray or TNT got published kind of undercuts that hypothesis.

Fifty Shades is quite literally barely literate. It’s genuinely amazing how bad it is.

[CBRetriever]

Imagination_Hunter wrote: "The ones with below 300 ratings are usually indie, but got to be a very big family and have loads of friends to get 50 ratings lol. However I do find some good ones swimming around. I've read a few because their synopsis drew me in, regardless what their mamas and their papas thought haha "

Not Indie:

Dhalgren = 249 ratings
Empire in Black and Gold = 71 reviews and is an excellent series by the author of Children of Time (winner of the 2019 Arthur C. Clarke award)
The Thousand Names = 249 reviews and another excellent book from a good series

while that Fifty Shades book (originally an indie book) has over 100,000reviews?

I also tend to break books into three categories: Major Publishers, Independent publishers (the true Indies like specialty presses: University, Poetry, Craft,Textbooks, etc) and Self-Published (most of these prefer to be called Indie as that has some cachet in the publishing world).

And yes, it can be useful to browse paper books rather than digital books and then purchase the digital version

[Papaphilly]

Trike wrote: "The fact that books like Fifty Shades of Gray or TNT got published kind of undercuts that hypothesis.

Fifty Shades is quite literally barely literate. It’s genuinely amazing how bad..."

Except that book sold 125 million copies. No matter how bad or how well written a book, it caught the attention of lots of people. It could have just as easily vanished.

TNT was published a genre novel by Ace, a known genre publisher. This was before the days of the internet. Today it probably would be an indie.

Having read neither, I have no opinion of them.

However, for what ever reason, 50 Shades of Gray caught the attention of lots of people. It does not matter how well written it is or not. It started off as an indie and then was picked up. Someone recognized sales potential.

[CBRetriever]

as did someone with The Martian. I was given a head's up by a friend who told me to pick the book up right then before the price went up as it was being picked up by a major publisher.

[Trike]

That sounds like you’re moving the goalposts. Sales =/= quality.

Fifty Shades is porn, plain and simple. There’s nothing else to it. It’s also horrifically written. Porn has always been popular. It was instrumental in the proliferation of both VCRs and the Internet. It is also the best selling genre in ebooks. It’s not exactly rocket science to see that it would be popular if packaged in a DTB.

All I’m saying is that relying on hard-and-fast rules like “if it’s printed on paper it must have a minimum of quality over self-published ebooks” is erroneous. There’s no real correlation.

[Papaphilly]

Trike wrote: "That sounds like you’re moving the goalposts. Sales =/= quality.

Fifty Shades is porn, plain and simple. There’s nothing else to it. It’s also horrifically written. Porn has always been popular. I..."

Either I did not explain myself well or you missed my point. Regardless of how well written it is or is not, that does not matter because 125 million people thought it was important enough to buy. Regardless of how well written or the lack of writing, 125 million wanted this trilogy. There is something about this trilogy that generated all of the sales. Whether it is well written, it is culturally significant.

Since you mentioned pornography, Deep Throat is probably the biggest porno and it is also culturally significant. It is laughably bad, but it caught the American attention at the time that still resonates 40 years later.

Have you read 50 Shades?

As for moving the goal posts, If you read what I wrote, I note it is possible that was why I have avoided bad books by indie authors. There are no hard and fast rules on any of these works.

I am old enough to remember book racks in bus stops. They were a certain type of novel and they were not expected to be anything but what they were, a way to spend time traveling. Nothing Earth shattering and disposable. These books are always been around in different forms. Now you are more likely than not to find them epublished than on bus stop racks.

[Matt]

I think we should all agree that what shocks people today is what sells the most (and sometimes it doesn't have to sell, it just gets people talking). Take Trump for instance. He shocks, he scores (because he gets a reaction out of people). For 50 shades they did some really heavy advertising. Of course, it was never advertised that the writing would shock (even though it did), but the pornographic scenes. Then it's a chain reaction. You get my point.

[Matt]

CBRetriever wrote: "Imagination_Hunter wrote: "The ones with below 300 ratings are usually indie, but got to be a very big family and have loads of friends to get 50 ratings lol. However I do find some good ones swimm..."

I'll be sure to check out the books you listed. Cheers, CBRetriever

[colleen the convivial curmudgeon]

MadProfessah wrote: "I find if I pick a new book in Goodreads that has more than a 1000 ratings and is over 4.0 then
It is pretty good and I have not been disappointed. Sometimes it’s not my cup of tea but I’m not mad ..."


This comment made me realize I don't even have number of ratings as an option on my My Books page. It's just not something I pay a lot of attention to, especially since I actually had a few books from the New Releases email I get from goodreads.

If something looks interesting to me - i.e. the cover draws my eye and the blurb doesn't make me groan or roll my eyes, but actually interests me - then I'll possibly give it a shot, should I ever get to it.

I haven't had much luck with a lot of the big mainstream books that people gush about, so I just go by whatever catches my eye. Granted, I've had a fair few stinkers, but at least then I have no one else to blame but myself. ;)

(I do scan reviews for some big no-nos that I try to avoid, especially if I'm on the fence for a book... but there have been some where the cover and blurb was all I needed to add it to my TBR list.)

[[deleted user]]

certain classics like The once and future king or The Lord of The Rings or other great books deserve some rereading

[Candice]

I enjoy rereading favorites, especially following a disappointing book. On average, 90% of my yearly reading is new.

[Lori-Ann]

I reread despite having books waiting to be read lying around. But I do feel a little guilty. What's the greatest about rereading, especially if it's been a few years, is not remembering all the details so although it's not an entirely new story, it still leaves you guessing.

I've reread all the Star Wars X-wings. I will also reread a series if a book recently came out and I want to remind myself of the details. That's what I did with Katherine Kurtz when she published The King's Deryni, published years after her previous Deryni book. Was I glad when she got that book out!

[Steven]

I reread classics. I try to find them for my Kindle, and, when I do, I sometimes re-read them. Recent examples are The Winds of Time and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (the second is arguably the best sci-fi novel ever written, the first is poignant and uplifting). They're like visiting with an old friend you haven't seen in a long time (I read most of these from 12 to 17--my older brother belonged to a sci-fi book club).
I rarely re-read my own books, except for portions for promo purposes. I know those pretty well! ;-)
r/Steve

[Kateb]

Lori-Ann wrote: "I reread despite having books waiting to be read lying around. But I do feel a little guilty. What's the greatest about rereading, especially if it's been a few years, is not remembering all the de..."
fully agree. I re read a series when the new one comes out. I also have a collection of books that I have been adding to since the early 60's . SO every now and then I read ( re read) a few of them to work out whether to keep them or not.

Usually I so enjoy them that they go back on the shelf, eg Asimov, Clarke , Fiest, Scott Card, Kate Elliott, JOhn Wyndham

The years between a re read are full of new authors and I find an old book and I have forgotten the details. Most books have a general theme that one can predict, its the details that make them interesting

[Steven]

I neglected to mention those MegaPacks, mostly shorts and novellas. It's amazing how many I've read earlier and still enjoy a second time. There's a lot of good sci-fi that was written before I was born, and that's saying something! ;-)
r/Steve

[Robert]

I do not reread. I can think of dozens of books that I would LIKE to reread but don't simply because I have so much more on my TO-READ shelf. I am a slow reader and like to take my time with a book, not rush it. Consequently, I am really backed up with books to read and just don't want to spare the time to go back. Certainly, there are many I would like to, as I said, but I feel like I am swimming upstream against the current of my TO-READ list already.

[Steven]

Robert,
Reading speeds cover a large spectrum. My most useful courses in high school were typing (took it formerly) and speed reading (audited). The latter makes me very unhappy when writers put roadblocks in my way. Example: "Do you want to join my conspiracy," she asked seditiously. Both "asked" and "seditiously" (I have no idea why GR's spell checker thinks that's a misspelling) are unnecessary, and they get in my way.
I slow way down for non-fiction or even long narratives in fiction (world building in sci-fi, for example), not because I necessarily have to do so, but because, like you, I like to savor the prose.
Even with speed reading, I can't keep up with my TBRoR list ("To Be Read or Reviewed"). (Please, authors, don't query me for reviews. I do my official reviewing at Bookpleasures, which has a large staff of reviewers.)
Again, thanks for your post.
r/Steve

[[deleted user]]

I usually read once. I keep a couple of shelves of books to re-read, (ditto my Kindle) because I found them particularly moving. And though I can't keep up with my TBR list, I continue to buy new books.

[Skylar]

I'm in an intermittent book club whose charter is to re-read books from childhood. It started with Harry Potter (not a fan, so I skipped those), moved on to Golden Compass (so we could read Book of Dust), and now are reading Pern.

Generally I don't re-read books because of time (too many good books I haven't read), and I wonder if this is true re-reading since 20 years (going from kid to adult) is enough to make someone into a new person.

[Robert]

Regarding 'speed reading'... I can do it, but usually I have to be at a place in the book where things are happening in a predictive manner. Once, I had to speed read the last half of Vodka Doesn't Freeze because it was due back at the library that day. I sped through it by picking out a key word or phrase and didn't lose much of the plot at all. It was predictive, I could see what was coming and anticipate it. It was quite a unique way to read, (you might call it 'skimming') and I haven't done it since.

[Don]

noun then

[Kateb]

Speed reading really doesn’t matter, sometimes it is an advantage , sometimes not. I was tested many years ago and read at 400 words a minute with complete comprehension. But I know I have increased in speed since then.
I often find that I am going through so many books a week, now that I am retired ,that I blend the story lines. Maybe that is why I do re read.
Also re reading depends on how long ago you read the book. Is re reading under 5 years or over ? Is my re reading books that I last read 10 years ago, and I have read up to 100 books a year since really comparable to someone who is re reading within a few years?

[Thaddeus]

I re-read speculative fiction relatively rarely. History's my other main genre, and re-reading that can mean more understanding if related material has been read in the intervening period.

That said, I can see myself re-reading series like the Codex Alera or First Law Trilogy if I ever find myself at a loss of what to read.

[Steven]

Robert,
It's more like grasping phrases and sentences in a gulp. That's why long stretches of narrative are more difficult--the phrases and sentences tend to be longer.
I had to laugh about the due library book. That's where I put my speed writing to practice, gulping up multiple books during the two weeks allocated.
Public libraries might be an endangered species, but they're still great places. A lot of people just go and read there, enjoying the quiet. They're also a great place to find some of those "classics"; used bookstores are great for that too. I completed my entire Galactic Center collection (Greg Benford) in a used bookstore (maybe that should be "used books store"?).
r/Steve