On second readings...

Aeryn · Jan 31, 2007

A little explanation...
Usually I try to avoid reading things twice. I'm not sure why, I think it might have to do with a generalised panic about there not being enough hours in a lifetime. When I rarely do it, its usually a book that I found annoyingly incomprehensive...and am too stubborn to admit defeat.

But lately I thought I would revisit some books - a pretty random selection, but one's that stuck in my mind at various points in my life. Especially children's books - or books that I read as a child anyway.

Two brief examples:

The Outsiders - by S.E.Hinton
This book blew my mind as a young teen. I fell desperately in love with Ponyboy, and without even being aware of it, and totally in spite of the fact that the culture and environment for the tale was completely alien to me, I'm quite sure that a certain tragic-romanticness rubbed off and influenced my early life and socialisation.

On the second read (recent) -- I still enjoyed the book, and could vaguely 'see' what I must have found so entrancing the first time around, but having grown up signficantly, at least in age, in the meantime, I seem to have lost that direct connection to the story's angst and deliciousness. Which made me a little sad.

Animal Farm - by George Orwell
I really enjoyed this book as a kid. I thought it was hilarious, with a few sad bits thrown in. And although any deeper political analogies went sailing over my head, it had a certain air of mysteriousness about it that has since sprung into my mind occasionally. In the sense that perhaps through the story, I was learning something (possibly taboo?) about adults that I shouldn't really know...and didn't quite understand.

On the second read (also recently) I found it wholly depressing through adult, more cynical eyes. A little simplistic at times, but hard to deny the genius and the simple effective storytelling. So still a thumbs up, but also sad to realise how my own change from naive to, errr...less naive, both makes the story better in this case, but also makes looking at life a little more painful.

I plan to carry on revisiting a selection of remembered books, but it just got me wondering about my motives.... To re-experience an intense historic emotional state? To explore the connection between the younger me, and the one reading now....what has changed about myself?

So...I guess the questions would be.

1. Do you like to re-read books? Why or why not?

2. Are there any particular books that you feel thoroughly influenced a period of your life, but on the second read (later) you can't quite see why, or you've changed so much that its a completely different experience?

Best

Aeryn

CheshireCat · Jan 31, 2007

I re-read books I've loved as an adult, but I would never go back and re-read something like The Outsiders (which I loved) or The Black Stallion books, or Seventeenth Summer, or any of the other books that affected me deeply as a child and young reader.

Hey, at the time, Jonathan Livingston Seagull blew me away. (No pun intended.) Do I want to read it now? Not so much. :Shrug:

jennifer75 · Feb 1, 2007

I have yet to complete a second go at a book. I started re-reading a book not too long ago but just wasn't ready for the story yet.

I would like enough time to have passed befor I read again though.

Mud Dauber · Feb 1, 2007

What a thought-provoking thread.

Personally, I find that I can't read books more than once these days--at least for sheer entertainment purposes. If it's to 'study' an author's style or something along those lines, then I have an easier time doing so, but even then, I don't really consider it rereading--it's more like I'm skimming. The few times I have tried (only to give up about ten pages in), my thought seems to be: I already know the plot and how it ends, so why bother reading it again? I lose patience rather quickly, even if it's a book I really loved. However, non-fiction is an entirely different bird. For some reason I can reread the real life stuff. Dunno why.

You bring up a good point about rereading books from childhood. *Sigh* Oh, the nostalgia of your most favoritist book as a kid. I was a huge fan of the Little House series. My favorite: On the Banks of Plum Creek. But for the very reason you explained in your post, I hesitate to reread it. I don't want that magical, warm and fuzzy feeling I had when I read it and escaped (vicariously) through Laura Ingalls Wilder to go away, if I read it again with 'different' eyes. So I haven't allowed myself to go there. But I have young kids, who I'm sure at one point I will be reading some of my other childhood favorite novels with, and maybe I'll feel okay about it if I can relive everything through their eyes.

I'll get back to ya and let you know!

Aeryn · Feb 7, 2007

Why is that CheshireCat? (The never part....)

Mud Dauber - thats an excellent point...I hadn't really thought of re-reading to children. I can imagine that the kids of today would have very different taste....and not be as satisfied with some of yesteryears tales?
I have two very young half siblings - and they...well, actually, they don't read nearly enough imho - but when they do its something somehow related to a visual medium (one of them struggled through TLOTR's after seeing the trilogy) - or cheesy TV spinoffs...with twins or cheerleaders or some such.

Worst of all - these kiddies are taught in their school to call anything that doesn't have pictures in it....a Chapter Book.
A....what....? :Shrug:

What is that?, I asked one of them.
"Doh. It's a book with chapters in it dummy!"

At least they didn't say it's a book with WORDS in it! (The horror.

)

I'm also with you on non-fiction, I love to read non-fiction again and again. I suspect its because I just don't absorb factual stuff well...the thought process goes something like this....
'That book about the cosmos....I love that book....I can't remember exactly why, but it was extremely cool...lots of cool stuff....Hey! Lets read it again!!'

Non-fiction amnesia? How strange. Hmm.

Just Me · Feb 7, 2007

1. Do you like to re-read books? Why or why not? It depends. Sometimes, I'll feel like re-reading a book because it's been sitting there a long time and I remember liking it, and I want to go back to that world, those people, and/or something in it really made me think. The books I don't re-read are generally ones that may not stand up to my memories, or where I don't see what I'd gain from it.

2. Are there any particular books that you feel thoroughly influenced a period of your life, but on the second read (later) you can't quite see why, or you've changed so much that its a completely different experience?

Yes, definitely.

I first read Songmaster by Orson Scott card when I was ten or eleven. That book is what made me fall in love with science fiction. I read it again as an adult and, for understanding it better, cried even more when I finished it. (The same thing happened with Ender's Game. *sniff*) Unfortunately, as an older and more perceptive reader, I noticed the subtle homophobia in it, which led to my looking up various things which ended up severely tarnishing my image of one of my favorite writers. Sigh.

Then, there were Joan Vinge's Cat books. (Psion, Catspaw, Dreamfall) I read the first two in my early teens, and I can say with absolute certainty that those books are the reason why I got into writing. I fell in love with Cat, and I immediately wrote a novel-length story with a green-eyed telepathic outcast for a hero. *g* That was over a decade ago. I still love Cat, but the books.... Their themes seem a bit dated to me now, or maybe it's how they're handled. I don't know. In any case, those novels seem less "shiny" than they did when I was a teenager.

(But the dirty parts in Catspaw are still kind of fun.

)

It isn't always like that, though. Some reading experiences seem to improve with age. Like 1984, which I read in high school. I love it as much now as I did then, and it has a permanent place as one of my favorite books.

And The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, which I first read when I was seven. I've read it many times since then, and even though I get the Christian allegory now *g*, I still love it -- perhaps even more than I did as a child. Every now and then, it's nice to go back to the time in my life when I looked in every closet, hoping....

~JM.

WriterInChains · Feb 7, 2007

1. Do you like to re-read books? Why or why not?

I've re-read a few books, just because I love them. I think I've read Animal Dreams a dozen times by now. Also, Fight Club & my other favorite Palahniuks, Choke & Lullaby, and a few by Stephen King (more on his in #2).
A friend gave me Kingsolver's book when I was just beginning to take my writing seriously, and her poetic style had a huge influence on me. And what can I say about Palahniuk that hasn't been said a million times before? I love the way he writes and the stories never get old. I always find something new in them, so I know I'll go back again. Eventually.

When I'm re-reading to learn, I usually don't take the whole book at once again but go to the sections I want to learn from. So I don't think that counts. But,that said, I think I'll re-read Paint It Black [Janet Fitch] again whole -- nothing there I can't learn from.

2. Are there any particular books that you feel thoroughly influenced a period of your life, but on the second read (later) you can't quite see why, or you've changed so much that its a completely different experience?

Stephen King's books that were published before 1982 had a huge influence on me -- I had to sneak to read them & that made 'em extra cool. I've always loved being creeped-out, and he's the master. I've read a few over again as an adult, and while it's a different experience I still love it. I mean, when I read The Shining in Jr. High all I cared about was who would die next and what's up with the freaking hotel anyway?

When I re-read it as an adult, the relationships between the characters grabbed my attention -- and I was creeped-out all over again.

As someone else said, I've been tempted to read Hinton again but have resisted. The dark romanticism of her books really grabbed me as a kid; not many kids I knew back then were worse off than I was, so her books made me feel more normal. I'm afraid that would go away if I re-read them. Same with Laura Ingalls Wilder. Okay, not exactly, but I don't want to re-read them for the same reason Mud Dauber said.

Oh, & Aeryn -- Every kid, when they graduate past picture books & easy readers, is taught that the next ones are Chapter Books. It's a huge rite of passage for a kid.

DragonHeart · Jul 16, 2007

I've reread most of my books at least once, normally twice or more. There are very few exceptions to this. I normally reread a book if I really love the story (I have a lot of 'comfort books') when I buy the next in the series (I just reread the other book(s) first to refresh my memory/ psych up for the new one), or when I run out of new books to read.

Luckily the latter doesn't happen as much anymore, as I now have that extra bit of money to put toward books. Usually I'll buy 4 or 5 every month or two. They don't last all month as I can read an average-length novel in a single sitting, but that's ok - it usually takes me the rest of that month to pick what I want to buy next.

~DragonHeart~

jonereb · Jul 17, 2007

I've given books that I gave up on a second chance. But I've never re-read a book once completed. That's not to say that I won't someday. I prefer to keep moving forward. Though, I must say, I'm tempted to re-read The Thirteeth Tale...or at least the last half in order to fill in a few gaps that I missed.

Inkdaub · Jul 17, 2007

I re-read sometimes. I've been reading Lord of the Rings for over twenty years. I don't even know how many times I've read the thing. There are other books I've read five or more times and many that I've read twice. I find that a book can reach a certain level where it becomes like a place you enjoy visiting and therefore never gets old.

RLB · Jul 17, 2007

I reread very few books, and a great deal of time has to have gone by for me to consider it. (mostly cause there are so many books out there I haven't read)

But I did just reread a book I remembering loving as a twelve-year-old. It was disappointing, mostly because I couldn't turn off the writer-critic in my brain that was saying it was all telling, no showing, etc.

I do look forward to one day reading my childhood favorites to my children. My parents read to me, and I read to my younger brothers growing up. To this day I read out loud to my husband when we're on road trips (and we want to continue this when we have kids instead of the DVD player in the car thing).

joetrain · Jul 18, 2007

i just started rereading some. i rediscovered "My Name is Asher Lev," by Chiam Potok. its one of my favorites now.

RLB said:
I read to my younger brothers growing up.

my sister read to me growing up. it was a great service.

RLB · Jul 18, 2007

joetrain said:
my sister read to me growing up. it was a great service.

Aw, now you're making me grin.

joetrain · Jul 18, 2007

like on the camel?

scarletpeaches · Jul 18, 2007

Aeryn said:
1. Do you like to re-read books? Why or why not?

2. Are there any particular books that you feel thoroughly influenced a period of your life, but on the second read (later) you can't quite see why, or you've changed so much that its a completely different experience?

1. Yup. There are many books I've read more than once; among others:

Forever Amber - Kathleen Winsor
Gone With the Wind - Margaret Mitchell
Interview With the Vampire - Ann Rice
A Taste of Blood Wine - Freda Warrington
The Secret History - Donna Tartt
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - CS Lewis
Tom's Midnight Garden - Philippa Pearce
The Twits - Roald Dahl...in fact just about all of his books.

I'll stop there or I'll go on forever. Some people wonder why I read books more than once; after all I already know what happens. But sometimes I like to go back and spot the clues that were planted, as in the case of Tartt's Secret History. Or I enjoy the book so much I want to see how the author wrote it; what makes it so enjoyable, so good?

And sometimes it's just for the sheer fun of it. It's comforting, like visiting an old friend you know will give you a good time.

2. I've never wondered why I liked a book so much 'back then', but I've reacted in different ways to books. For instance, I first read GWTW when I was sixteen. I split up from someone when I was seventeen, and read it again. By the time I'd finished the second reading I felt more...hopeful. Not in an "I'll find some way to get him back," way, but rather..."I hope I feel love like that some day." I knew my situation wasn't the end of the world. A friend said, "You should read GWTW every five years; you get something new out of it each time," and that's true - it also applies to many books. I think your reaction depends on where you're at in your life. I get something new out of each reading, even if I'm on my third, fourth and yes, sometimes even fifth reading.

Southern_girl29 · Jul 18, 2007

I pretty much re-read almost everything I've ever read, unless it was horribly written. I love to re-read, because although I may remember how it's going to end, I sometimes forget plot twists, etc. At different stages of your life, you'll get different things out of a book.

I loved Catcher in the Rye in high school. For many years, I considered it one of my favorite books. I just recently re-read it, and while I still love it, it no longer has the same meaning to me that it once did. Oh, and I have re-read all the Little House books. They are just as good now as they were when I read them as a child.

Claudia Gray · Jul 18, 2007

I also reread virtually everything that I enjoy -- I often start rereading as soon as I finish the first read. I tend to like stuff just as much, albeit in different ways, upon rereading. And eventually it turns into an element of study -- seeing not only what the story is but how the author crafted it. This was true for me even before I knew I would pursue my own writing; I guess that should've been my first clue.

Soccer Mom · Jul 18, 2007

I've reread quite a few things. I reread Watership Down every few years. It's just as good each time.

I read to my kids for a long time each night. I'm rereading my way through my childhood. It's loads of fun.

Except they are stuck on a Hardy Boys kick. I've read so many lately that I can spew the formula. I almost know what will happen before I turn the page (and I never read these as a child. I read Nancy Drew.).

jennifer75 · Jul 19, 2007

Aeryn said:
1. Do you like to re-read books? Why or why not?

I have yet to complete a second read, however I have a mental list of a couple that I will eventually reread, and a couple that were library reads that I'd like to purchase and reread. One that I own, Roxanna Slade by Reynolds Price is a great story. I have tried to start the second read but was too distracted and decided to wait. My first read was over or just about 8 years ago or so.

I think I'd have to have a reasonable amount of time between reads though. At least a couple of years would have to have passed. Enough time to foget some details and keep it interesting, again.

Aeryn said:
2. Are there any particular books that you feel thoroughly influenced a period of your life, but on the second read (later) you can't quite see why, or you've changed so much that its a completely different experience?

Again, haven't re-read any yet. I'm still a rookie reader so I don't have the knowledge of which books out there would impact my life enough to say they either helped me out of or into any situations - or in any other way.

I think every topic you read about effects your way of thinking, your imagination, your psyche, if even for 10 minutes, it does something to you.

PS ~ I hardly have time to read things once. Not to mention my WNIP.

althrasher · Jul 19, 2007

I read very quickly, so time isn't so much the issue for me. I reread nearly everything, whether I especially enjoyed it or not. Most of the time this is because I don't have any new books, and books are expensive! Sometimes I'll do an Ed McKay run, and that sets me for a week or so. But when I go through books in a day or two, if I never reread anything, I'd never read.

Ab_Normal · Jul 20, 2007

althrasher said:
I read very quickly, so time isn't so much the issue for me. I reread nearly everything, whether I especially enjoyed it or not. Most of the time this is because I don't have any new books, and books are expensive! Sometimes I'll do an Ed McKay run, and that sets me for a week or so. But when I go through books in a day or two, if I never reread anything, I'd never read.

Enthusiastically seconded!

2. Are there any particular books that you feel thoroughly influenced a period of your life, but on the second read (later) you can't quite see why, or you've changed so much that its a completely different experience?

True confessions time: I once read Atlas Shrugged and really enjoyed it (I wouldn't go so far as to say it changed my life, though). I must have been in a very... interesting headspace at the time, because later I tried to re-read it and couldn't even get started.

Norma

On second readings...

Aeryn

CheshireCat

Mostly purring. Mostly.

jennifer75

SupahStah!

Mud Dauber

writing on the wall

Aeryn

Just Me

Not Really Here

WriterInChains

Feed my eyes

DragonHeart

Oerba Yun Fang

jonereb

Inkdaub

wrapped in plastic

RLB

bundled

joetrain

blank

RLB

bundled

joetrain

blank

scarletpeaches

Southern_girl29

Claudia Gray

Soccer Mom

Crypto-fascist

jennifer75

SupahStah!

althrasher

Prodigal Muser

Ab_Normal