I’m not a big re-reader. It’s not that I’ve never read books worthy of a second read, but I’m more interested in finding new books to spend my time on. And I did lots of rereading via audiobook when I was a kid so it feels like I’ve done my time in the trenches, so to speak.
I hear of people on Instagram rereading a book in preparation for the release of the next in the series or because they do it every year, and I think, “Why?” I can understand rereading a book in a series if it’s been many years between publications, but why do it after only one year? And why reread a book yearly? Unlike movies, reading a book could take days/weeks to complete and you can only get so much entertainment out of revisiting description and narration before it becomes tedious. I don’t mean to put down people who love stories, but they also complain about not having enough time to read new books.
When a new book in a series is released I either look at spoiler reviews for the previous book or read the new book regardless of how long it’s been since I read the last one. I have a decent memory and if something important happened in the last book I can generally recall what it was by what’s talked about in the new book. Or sometimes an author will give me a helping hand by recapping any relevant bits.
I know I’ve missed things because of giant gaps in my reading but I can’t quite justify spending hours going over a story I’ve already experienced. If the book wasn’t good enough to remember, does it deserve more of my time?
Anyway, another reason I don’t reread much is that I want to preserve the memory I have of the book. Now that I’m older I know books I previously enjoyed would be riddled with distracting plot-holes and other things that bother my enhanced critical side. So I leave them alone.
The reason I’m doing this post is because I’m rereading via audiobook The Lies of Locke Lamora (here's my review) and am really enjoying it.
All that being said, here are some books I think deserve a second read.
After Rome by Morgan Llywelyn
How I remember the plot: two cousins reunite in an England recently occupied by Romans and seek to build a new life.
This is one of those books that doesn’t have a strong plot because it’s more about following the brothers and seeing the landscape. It is “slow” but it worked for me and the overall feel of the book was good.
Gallagher Girls series by Ally Carter
How I remember the plot: A bunch of teenaged girls train to become spies and have ridiculously unbelievable adventures.
I flew through this series. They were cheesy, fun, funny and chick flick to the max. Sometimes I need some mindless entertainment.
Strongbow Saga by Judson Roberts
How I remember the plot: A Viking boy has to get revenge on some guy who did something and the boy goes places to achieve his goal.
I read the first three books ages ago and really liked them. I just bought the fourth book so I can finally continue the series now that I’ve forgotten everything.
The Unicorn Chronicles by Bruce Coville
How I remember the plot: A girl gets transported to another world where unicorns live and gets involved in some battle or quest thingy.
I read the first two books eleven years ago. The third book was the first book I waited to be published. Granted, it was only a few months, but I was hyped. The second book is the first book I can remember being really into and I want to check it out again.
Seventh Tower series by Garth Nix
How I remember the plot: Wait, wait, don’t tell me. Uhhhh. Sci-fi. Climbing up a tower. Magical stones. Snowy wasteland. Bad book covers. Yep, that’s all I got.
I own this series; it looks at me every day. I reckon it’s pretty good because it’s Garth Nix. I just don’t remember what I liked about it. I may never reread them, but it’s the thought that counts.
The Icarus Hunt by Timothy Zahn
How I remember the plot: An Agatha Christie-type murder mystery, in SPACE!
I read this one recently and it was so much fun. Good twists, cool characters, standalone, and a plot I’d get more out of reading again. A true hidden gem.
How do you feel about rereading? Are you always returning to favorites or do you strike out for new stories?
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