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Reread Your Books
- Jennifer Peaslee
- Jan 27
- 2 min read
As I write this, I am reading Maeve Binchy's The Glass Lake. I first read this book as a teenager, and I've read it many times since. To me, it is perfect. Okay, it has a few flaws.
I didn't notice its flaws the first or second time I read it, but I'm on what is possibly my 10th reread. I can recite passages. I know the plot forwards and backwards. At a certain point, you aren't just familiar with a book; you're intimate with it.
Does seeing its flaws make me love it less? Not at all. If anything, it's a pleasant reminder that even famous and talented authors can always improve.
Rereading books also gives me the freedom to read books out of order. Sometimes I read a book straight through, but when I've finished, I long to read more. So I'll read it again—but only the most interesting passages.
Once, I read Maeve Binchy's Scarlet Feather backwards, chapter by chapter. It was just as good.
And, of course, rereading a book lets you pick up on clues and foreshadowing, which is both fun and instructive for writers.
Plus, books can be strongly tied to memories. Reading Annie's Baby (please don't judge me) sends me right back to the small circular kitchen table where I would sit and read 20+ years ago.
My perspective changes with rereads, too. While reading Red Rising this year, it struck me that I'm older than Uncle Narol, who's seen as well past middle age in Red society (most don't live to see old age). Really made me think.
So, if you haven't tried rereading, maybe now you'll want to give it a go!
Are there any books you love to reread? Let me know in the comments!
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