Re-Reading Books

As much as I love literature – reading it, exploring it, getting lost in it, pondering it, picking it apart, writing it, writing about it, talking about it, collecting it, etc. – there’s one thing about me that might surprise you:

It’s actually pretty rare for me to re-read novels.

For sure it happens. There’s a list of books I’ve read more than once, and there’s another list of books I imagine I’ll read again at some point in the future. But I have to admit: both of those lists are much smaller than you might expect.

The novel I’ve read the most amount of times is Looking for Alaska by John Green (which I’ve read four times so far, and suspect highly that I’ll read again). There were various reasons I’ve read it each time, but it truly is a fantastic, 5-star book, without a doubt.

Then there are other books which I completely adored, about which I could rave almost endlessly, but which I’ve only read once and, frankly, will probably never read again.

Sometimes this is for practical reasons. I totally dug Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susana Clark. It was a highly enjoyable – and often very humorous – read, with incredibly intricate characters. But it’s about 1,100 pages long. I can read three new books in the time it would take to tread the same ground again. Why would I spend all that time reading something I already know?

Sometimes books put too much weight on the ending (such as I explained in my review of The Devotion of Suspect X). It’s not exactly like you can be surprised a second time, when you “find out” who the killer is (again). Once is enough.

Sometimes this is because I don’t want to ruin the impact of the book. The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy is my favorite novel so far this year (and one of only two 5-star ratings I’ve given so far this year). I worry, though, that it may not feel quite as majestic if I pick it up again. I’d rather not risk tarnishing my impression of it.

More than anything, though, I’m simply always hunting for new experiences. I don’t want to feel like I’m “going backwards.” Finishing a book tends to make me feel productive – a feeling which is highly important to me – and re-reading books just don’t leave me feeling that way, at least not as much.

I’ll tell you about a few books I’ve re-read, though. Especially considering how rare it is for me to re-read a book, I suppose that could mean that there’s something particularly special about these books. I’ll let you decide…

• Looking for Alaska by John Green – Read four times, and will probably read again.
• Dracula by Bram Stoker – Read three times, and will probably read again. (Possibly soon, in fact – it's been awhile since I last read it, and I’m starting to feel the itch…)
• Bad Monkeys by Matt Ruff – Read twice; will probably NOT read again.
• The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom – Can’t remember if I’ve read it two or three times; probably won’t read it again (but it’s more likely I’ll read this again than Bad Monkeys).
• Asylum for Nightface – Read two or three times, and will almost inevitably read again.

A few books I’ve only read once so far, but I’m looking forward to reading again:

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
• This Census Taker by China Mieville
• Genesis by Bernard Beckett
• That Hideous Strength by C.S. Lewis
• Momo by Michael Ende (which I really should read again, especially considering it's one of my very favorite books ever)

A few books I read once and especially liked (4+ rating), but will probably not read again:

• The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy (5)
• Blindness by Jose Saramago (4.5)
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susana Clark (4.5)
• The Prague Cemetery by Umberto Eco (4)
• The Last Samurai by Helen Dewitt (4) (No, this is not at all related to the Tom Cruise movie, and yes, I was fully aware of that before I read it.)

What are your thoughts on this, friends? 

Do you have any books that fit into one of these categories? 

Are there any books that you’ve read countless times? 

Let us know!