I Love To Re-Read! What About You?

Posted December 7, 2012 by Asheley in Uncategorized / 19 Comments

Lately, I’ve had a rather large appetite for re-reading books that I love. Basically, this means that I am currently re-reading multiple books. And by multiple, I mean quite a few. 


It shouldn’t shock any of my regular readers that I am reading several books because THIS IS WHAT I DO. I’ve almost always got 
more than two going. I don’t know why, but I cannot read just one book at a time. I find it a little bit boring for me. Just yesterday I was counting up exactly how many books I’m actively re-reading on top of my first-time reads, and I laughed at myself for a few minutes…and then I picked my book back up and just started reading again because IT’S WHAT I DO. 


Let’s visit what I’m re-reading at this moment:
(mind you, I don’t read every single one of these every single day
for the same length of time – that would be too tough)


Cinder by Marissa Meyer

I’m re-reading Cinder in print version because it’s been so long since I first read this book and the next book in the series will be out soon. I always like to try to re-read before a sequel when I can (I can’t always make that happen) because it is just fun for me. PLUS I usually find that I enjoy the book much more the second time around, which is exactly what is happening this time. I find that I’m reading Cinder super early in the morning before the rest of my house wakes up – so THIS is how I start my day, everyone! Not too shabby. I loved this book the first time I read it but I love it a ton this time around I can’t wait to dive into Scarlet.

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Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi

When I saw that EpicReads/PitchDark books was planning a week-long re-readalong of Under the Never Sky in preparation for the release of the sequel, Through the Ever Night, I was all over that! Of course, I wanted to re-read in audiobook format and follow along in print, as is my quirky custom. So I joined along with everyone else and have been listening/reading along a little every day and tweeting my progress to the good folks over at @PitchDarkBooks. This has been one of the most fun re-readalongs I’ve done in a long time. I absolutely adored, loved, devoured this book when it was first released and it has been such a long time since I read it for the first time! Hearing it read back to me in audiobook format is so awesome because I’m hearing details that I have long forgotten or perhaps missed, and I’m becoming re-acquainted with the characters that I fell so in love with the first time around. I’m about three-quarters through the book and I’m going to be ready to snatch up the second book as soon as I can get my grabby paws on it!

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The Bad Beginning by Lemony Snicket

Honestly, I just picked this Lemony Snicket audiobook and print copy up from the library to keep in my car for when I have a few minutes here and there between when I need to be at this place and that place. I find myself in this predicament quite often – daily, actually – and I was craving an excellent narrator to read a great story to me. I went directly to the Childrens Library to pick up this exact audiobook because it is read by the fabulous Tim Curry. This is really nothing but pure fun, friends. It’s like a party in my car, every day – that’s what it is.

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Graceling, Fire, Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

I’m re-reading these beauties with some blogging/reading friends and HOORAY for re-reading with friends!** Honestly, there is nothing like it. Reading is enhanced a million-fold when you can talk it up, share your thoughts, and gush over awesome illustrations and maps with friends who love books, characters, settings, swords, etc. as much as you do. Bookish friends flail together, you guys. They do. 

**I will post more information about this re-readalong in a separate blog post.
Everyone is invited to participate. We are just getting started!
In the meantime, there is a blog button with a Twitter #hashtag in my sidebar.
If you are interested in re-readalong information before my blog post goes live,
you can tweet me @BookwormAsheley!
 

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Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

I’ve been re-reading the Chaos Walking Trilogy with Lauren from Love is not a triangle – this is her first time reading the series and I’m reading it for the second time. This time I’m reading via audiobook and following along in print. This is pretty much one of my favorite series ever and Lauren and I are taking our sweet time with these books, soaking them up. I read them my first time because of a blogging friend (Lisa from Lisa is Busy Nerding) and loved them, and it is incredible and awesome and an absolute joy to read them along with a friend that is experiencing them for the first time and to be able to talk about them as we go. Plus, I’m just loving these audiobooks so much! They provide such a different interpretation of the trilogy and yet remain true to the characters and the story that Patrick Ness wants to tell. Excellent, slow re-read with amazing audiobook narration. 

I read American Gods for the first time early this year on my Kindle – I read it super slowly and loved it ridiculously. Now I’m listening to the full-cast audiobook version even more slowly (I’m listening and re-listening to parts while I follow along in the book). I love this book so much. I’ll listen/read a chunk, then re-listen, and then put it down for a while and soak it in, then think about it for awhile, then re-read it in print, and then move onto the next chunk. I will not be finished with American Gods anytime soon and I have absolutely no problem with this whatsoever. I’m in no hurry at all! The biggest advantage of re-reading this book right now is that I’m picking up on a bazillion details that I missed during the first read. So many things I missed! I love it and I know that I’ll read it again still in the future, maybe more than once. 

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I have a few other re-reads planned for my near future
and I’m pretty excited about them. Some on my own,
some via audio with follow-along in print, some with friends.
The Graceling Series Re-Readalong will be taking place over a long while.
Plus I’m still reading “regular books”
meaning books I’m experiencing for the first time.

What about you guys? What are your thoughts on re-reading?
Do you re-read often? Not often enough? Not ever?
Do you re-read in groups? 

I’d love to hear the details! 


Asheley

About Asheley

Asheley is a Southern girl. She loves Carolina blue skies, Ben & Jerry's ice cream, and NC craft beer. She loves all things history but prefers books over everything.

You can find her somewhere in North Carolina, daydreaming about the ocean.

Find Asheley on Litsy @intothehallofbooks!

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19 responses to “I Love To Re-Read! What About You?

  1. Woah, talk about a lot of re-reading going on! Go Asheley! I'm not a huge re-reader but when I do it's with books I love so I enjoy it. It's actually something I'd probably like to do more often but there's only so little time and so many books. I actually haven't read any of these books your currently re-reading but I want to get round to most of them! Ooh, I saw the Graceling button on Lisa is Busy Nerding but didn't know what it was for until now. Sounds like fun and I'd love to join in as I haven't started the books yet but at the moment, I'm a little busy with other books. Have fun rediscovering 🙂

    • Thanks Rebecca! I don't normally re-read this many at one time but right now I'm just going thru this phase where I'm inhaling all of these books that I've loved before. It's not as daunting as it looks, really, because I have the audiobook-on-CD's in the car, Cinder is by the bed, and lots of audiobooks on my phone so I listen to them whenever I'm not sitting still. 🙂

  2. Ems

    One of my goals next year is to reread some old favorites. The only ones I've managed this year were the Harry Potter books, and I did that via audio on my commute. Not quite the same, but better than nothing.

    I'm like you – I'm always reading more than one at a time! I CAN'T do just one. I've tried, and it totally doesn't work for me. Hurrah for reading multiples!

    • Oh man I love re-reading. So much. As much as I love reading books for the first time, I think. Although I have to admit that I don't have an organized system for it. I grab one when I feel like I want to start it, and before I know it I've got several going (like right now). I LOVE doing the re-reads by audio because it is an entirely new and fresh perspective on the same book – with someone else reading it to me, I hear the different pronunciations of names, the different inflections, emphasis in different parts than I would have as I read in print. Although I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS read along in print or on my Kindle, which is weird, I know (I always get people telling me that).

      I've tried only reading one book at a time before and it just feels WEIRD to me. HAHA! Yay multiples!

  3. I love these book discussion posts! I did one today as well, so we must think a like. Maybe we should start our own version of Let's Talk Fridays. Anyway, I do love to re-read but I don't make time to do it as much as I should. I especially love to re-read via audio. And doing UTNS sounds pretty fantastic. I'm sorry I've stalled out on MoM. I want to get back to it, but it's so intense, and I got immersed in another world. Also, I think you're rubbing off on me, because it's a bit sad to see these characters go. Have you read Bitterblue yet? I really want to see your thoughts on that book. I'm probably the ONLY person who feels this way – and I'm sure I'll get flayed for saying it. But KC and I don't really get along. I don't think her books are for me.

    Oh and I don't like to read more than one book at a time. I've been doing it a bit more – one slow and one quickly. But my mind works completely differently. I love that you read this way, however!

    • "I especially love to re-read via audio." – YAYY!!

      I've absolutely loved the UTNS re-read and I hope EpicReads will do more of those. I may have to beg them because I'm planning to re-read several more of their #1's before their #2's are released.

      With MoM, no worries. It's intense and I don't mind going slow. Plus I love that you stopped and read a series. That is reading for YOU which I always can get behind.

      I haven't read Bitterblue yet, but I have read Graceling and Fire. So the #cashoregoodtimes re-read is a Re-Read for the first two books and a first time read for Bitterblue. Since I'm sharing a computer with Mike for right now, as soon as I can get the chance, I plan to make a post about it. Anybody can join in. We're just reading them because they're awesome and deserve to be re-read. That's all. We're only reading five chapters a week, though, so it'll be a long time before we get to Bitterblue. Very slow re-read. (I feel the same way about Divergent. So of course I plan to re-read it, most likely by audio, so I can move on to Insurgent and the last book at some point. But probably not anytime in the very near future. Definitely before the movie.)

  4. I'm a HUGE supporter of re-reading! You know, until about a year or two ago, I had no idea there were people who cringed at the idea of reading a book more than once! I had always assumed it was something all readers did. My boyfriend, however, hates re-reading books.

    I absolutely love revisiting worlds and characters. Even when it comes to mysteries and I already know Who-Dun-It, I still enjoy the chase.

    🙂 Also, like you mentioned, a second (third, forth) re-read makes you super aware of all the little details and clues you didn't get the first time around. Take Harry Potter, for example. Anytime a new book came out, I'd go back and read the previous ones. You bet I got a LOT more out of it than I did the first time I cracked those books open. Now that the series is over, I'd really love to re-read all seven.

    As sad as it is, I have to admit I've never participated in a readalong (or re-readalong). Lol, by the time I hear about them they're already over. 😐

    Oh man, American Gods. I've read that book a ridiculous amount of times. SO. GOOD.

    • I KNOW!! I can't imagine anyone cringing at re-reading. I've re-read my entire life, but that's partly because I still read books from the Childrens Library and Middle Grade section. HA 🙂

      I think I've decided that sometimes knowing the end when I start the book the second time just ENHANCES the reading completely. Not peeking at the end before I read the book, but RE-READING. Because all of the words have different meanings to me, I think, because I know what's coming up in a few pages or chapters…I'm not sure if that makes any sense.

      I love readalongs! They're so great because I think talking about books as you read or while someone else is reading books you love is pretty much one of the best parts of loving to read. You can jump onto the Graceling readalong if you want to, we're still in the first week! I've enjoyed them for books I'm re-reading AND for books I've never read before.

      I know, American Gods. I'm thankful to the friends that encouraged that one because I'll be re-reading that one over and over. So many details and yes, so good. So very good.

  5. I love re-reading and would like to do it more but I feel so backlogged in my reading in general. I applaud you for taking the time to re-read, especially books in a series, or in your case MULTIPLE books in a series! That's time consuming and takes commitment!

    When you get to Bitterblue can I join in? I have read Graceling and Fire but have Bitterblue waiting on me:)

    Also, I think it is great that you are re-reading Cinder before Scarlet.I just finished it (Scarlet) and wish I could have re-read Cinder too. It had been so long I did forget some things. And don't forget to read The Queen's Army novella first too! VERY important!
    Scarlet ROCKS, btw!

    I still need to read Under The Never Sky!

    • 1. All of this re-reading looks really clunky and messy, but it works out really well and fits into my life and 'reading schedule' pretty ok. I don't always tackle this many at one time, but I'm going thru a phase. We all have 'em, ya know. I blame audiobooks because I love them so darn much.

      2. Yes! I haven't put up a post about this yet (it's coming soon) but we're only reading five chapters per week, so it isn't a stretch for most people to read along with us. It'll be a few months before we get to Bitterblue. 🙂

      3. I want to shout from the mountaintops about how much more I love Cinder this time. I LOVED it the first time but this second time, WOW. I wish I'd done the audiobook. And yes, I plan on checking out both of the novellas – did you know about Glitches? It's on Tor.com also and it's #0.5…

      4. YOU. WILL. LOVE. Under the Never Sky. I'm sure Lauren and I both agree on that. I'm ALMOST finished with it – I'll probably finish it today – and I just want it to go on and on. Such a good decision for me to join that re-read. I love that book so much. Oh my goodness gracious, it's so great. *swoon* Maybe whenever you read it, I'll re-read it again. 🙂

      5. Looking VERY FORWARD to re-reading Wither with you! YAYYY!!!

  6. I also love to re-read books. Funnily, many books I re-read weren't my favorite books ever. They are often lighter reads, and I just want to laugh, and have a good time.

    I also read more than one book at once. I have four going right now. 🙂

    • I approve of this!! I love light reads that are a good time and think they are GREAT for re-reads. That's part of the reason I chose the Lemony Snicket book, because GOOD GRIEF it isn't like I really honestly needed another book to read!

      Another reason I love to re-read is if I didn't connect well with a book the first time but everyone else did. Sometimes if I think there's a chance that I could, or if it is the beginning of a series, or something like that – I'll re-read.

      And YAY for reading more than one book at a time!! I love it!!

  7. I don't typically reread books. I have books that I love and will own forever, but might not ever read them again. I have reread on book via audio and ended up not liking the book at all the second time around.

    • Seriously? You won't ever read the Iron Druid books again? For shame!

      No I'm kidding. Everybody just reads differently. I can't imagine not re-reading, but I have very specific oddities about how I read and I'm totally okay with that. I have to admit, though, I don't think I've ever re-read on audio and not liked the book better – I'm pretty sure the audio has enhanced the book for me every time. BUT I'm really selective about the audiobooks I pick too. Not really liking a narrator can just ruin a book, which could in turn ruin an entire series.

  8. Wow, you didn't lie when you said you were reading many books!

    I love re-reading books and sometimes I do read multiple books at once. But since starting this blog I haven't re-read anything or read more than one book at a time. I think I've felt the pressure to be reading something new so I'd have a steady stream of reviews and content to post. But hey – it is my blog and I should limit my reading desires. There are also so many books I want to read and discover, so I think that at this moment I want to focus on that more than on older, loved stories (although there are some I'll need to go back to at certain points).

    I read and loved the Series of Unfortunate Events books – I think re-reading via audiobooks is a great idea. Especially with Tim Curry as the narrator, I can imagine!

  9. I don't think I reread often enough, and I should! I love that you read books in a series before the latest book comes out (when you can), and that's something I'd really like to do next year. A bunch of series that I love have second or third books coming out, so I really hope I get around to it!

  10. Wow!

    I adore re-reading, but I have zippo time since starting a blog. It's gotten to the point where I only allow myself a re-read if I'm 3-4 weeks ahead on reviews AND all recently read books have already had a review written and saved OR a sequel is coming out and I need to refresh myself on the prequel.

    I don't like to re-read in groups so much just because I like to read really fast. However, if someone else just so happens to be reading the same book, I love to discuss and dissect.

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