Yes

I do reread books. Rebecca, Lady Oracle, and Fair and Tender Ladies are the tree I have reread the most. Lee Smith is the author I reread the most. I love charaters more than plot. I read two Jennifer Egan books this summer and I'm know I'm going to be rereading Goon Squad again.

kathy

Euclid Ohio

Yes

My favorite to reread is Margaret Atwood's Lady Oracle I love the way Joan reinvents herself over and over. I identify with her stuggles to find her way in the world

Kathy

euclid ohio

No

To be more specific: rarely. I revisit very good books that meant something special to me, intellectually or otherwise, at a certain time in my life, to figure out what I saw in it and whether it's still there. Sometimes re-reading makes me think 'thank God I grew out of that' (Ayn Rand), and sometimes it makes me think 'wow, and I didn't even understand half of it!' (Kurt Vonnegut). But most books, especially if I read them just for entertainment, I find very tedious to re-read (Harry Potter).

Tristan

Boston

Yes

I've read The Catcher in the Rye 32 times. I read it several times in the tenth grade while writing a term paper on it and other Salinger works. I recently reread it after reading biographies of the author to find out if revelations of the author's shortcomings affected the power of, the magical spell cast by the narrator's voice. The answer is no. The voice draws me in to this day.

I've read Hamlet a dozen times and seen several stage and screen adaptations.

Anne

MA

Yes

You find thing about life and you self that you didn't know before.

My fave book to reread is The Color Purple and all the book by Bebe Moore Campbell, Sara Paretsky and J.K.Rowling.

debra

washington,d.c,

No

Most books I don't re-read because I feel as if their are so many great books out there that I need to read. Yet, there is one book I have read several times through the years and that is 'Brothers Karamazov' by Doskevsky.

Kari

Omaha, Nebraska

Yes

In part, to relive the joy of the art; and in part to experience it differently because I am at a different point in my life. Some books or movies are like relationships - they grow with you and they provide new visions as you grow older.

Mr. Sammler's Planet by Saul Bellow

Sirens
Lars and the Real Girl
Baghdad Cafe

Nora

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Yes

Paulo Cuello, The Alchemist . Every time I re-vist this fable, I am at a different point in my life, and I always glean new insight and wisdom, def. a book worth many readings!

Deborah

Downingtown, PA

Yes

When I first read a book, I tend to devour it, anxious to find out what the author is trying to say, where the story line is going. Once I know that, I want to go back and reread and savor the story, the words used and the pictures painted. Then, once a book becomes a favorite, rereading is comforting, like putting on soft pajamas in the warm house while a storm rages outside.
I read Pride and Prejudice at least once a year. When I was younger, I read The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley so many times that now I just remember the chapter I want to 'read', I no longer have to pick it up and see it. And I read the bible every day because I always find something new to think about no matter how many times I've read it before.

Kimberly

Albuquerque, NM

Yes

Oh...!...also I re-read "I'm Perfect, You're Doomed" by Kyria Lydia Abrahams twice...and will re-read it a 3rd at least!!! I highly recommend;)

Mara

Clintonville, OH

No

Okay, I do...but I can't say "often." I have re-read Anna Karenina when I felt the language so ancient and distracting that I felt I may have clopped thru it and missed something. I may have re-read something by Dickens. I re-read "Price and Prejudice" for the sheer enjoyment...maybe twice. I re-read "The Shining" by Stephen King for the same reason. I re-read both "Bridget Jones' Diary" I and II for the enjoyment, as well as "The Diaries of Adrian Mole" by Sue Townsend (enjoyment); finally "Frankenstein" (still intrigued by it...read it 2x and will re-read it a 3rd...I crave the beautiful language and the setting of that novel;) Read on and enjoy!~Mara Greenwood

Mara

Clintonville, OH

Yes

Hi Kurt,

Like you I am an avid, but slow reader. Other people would read 3 novels in the time it takes me to read one. But I love reading. And I love rereading. Also, like you, there are so many books on my wish list, that I know I will never read all the books I want to read. I know I will die one day with some great book unread.

So it seems antithetical to my deisre to read as much as I can, to reread. I already know the story, right? So why reread?

I think the reason I do is because the story, or plot is only one aspect of the book. Probably the most important aspect on the first reading. For some books, that really is the only reason to read it. Some authors can have great stories, but nothing else to bring you back. For instance, I would never reread The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo, or any other Steig Larsson books. I'm kind of sorry I read them in the first place to tell you the truth. The only thing those books had going for them was plot. Certainly not the writing. Maybe it lost something in translation, or maybe it was just a bad book. But I digress.

On the other end of the scale is a book I've reread four times, and will probably read again; Moby-Dick. Even the first time I read this book I knew the story before I read it. Crazy ship captain chases a giant whale around the globe. Practically everyone dies at the end. Big deal, right? But reading this book, like listening to a favorite song, is so pleasing. I don't get something new out of every reading, neccesarily. I don't get something new out of anything else I enjoy and repeat (playing with my kids, riding a bike, etc.) While I could be reading something else and enjoying the newness of the story, I could also reread Moby-Dick and have all the enjoyment of the great language, allusions, and humor in that book. The act of reading it is a joy. As enjoyable as reading a new book. More so even. The last time I read it, I simply read a chapter a day while I read whatever else I happened to be reading. I thought this was a great way to reread a book.

And even though the example I used is a "classic", I also have reread The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy many times for the same reasons.

Art

Minneapolis, MN

Yes

Sometimes I reread books for comfort. A good story can be a nice place to spend some time. Sometimes I reread to increase my understanding of the author's message. At this time in my life, the works of Jane Austen are my favorite to pick up and reread.

Linda

Enumclaw, WA

No

There is so much to read! If I spend my time rereading a book I've already read, I feel guilty for ignoring all the other books out there whom I've never even given the time of day. Movies are another story. There are a handful of movies that, like spicy food, are go-to home-sick-with-the-flu remedies.

Rachel

Bloomington, IN

No

I read very slowly so I tend to not reread things because every minute of reading is precious. I tend to not rewatch movies often because there are so many out there and I want to see more of them.

on the other hand, there are a few books I reread often such as Brave New World.. And audiobooks have made it easier to re"read" some books that I want to remember better,

Stephanie

marlborough ma

Yes

I reread War and Peace. I cried the last time I finished it, because it was over. I haven't read a book in about a year, and I think it's because I'm giving myself a respectable respit from W&P. I love being in that world with those people. I used to reread Brothers Karamozov, but fear the eventual all-nighters, until my kids move out. Maybe when my youngest leaves home, I will pick up Brothers again, and risk trying again, late into the night and all the next day, to influence the lives of the characters by my sheer will and intense well-wishing. The respective authors, both male, make me wonder, "how does he know that about women?" They are brilliant that way, but mostly, I love the characters, most recently, Pierre and Mitya, especially.

catherine

Riverside, ct

No

The 'no' means not often, not never, but the books I reread practically yearly are all well-loved books from my youth: Edward Eager's wonderful books, which led me to E. Nesbit, the Narnia chronicles, T.H. White's 'Once & Future King' & 'Mistress Masham's Repose' & Joan Aiken's series about Dido Twite & short stories about the Armitage Family. They all take me back to a very happy time & place in my life (tho I didn't quite realise it @ the time) & never fail to refresh my spirit.

carol

st. petersburg, fl

No

I'm a slow reader also, because I like to hang on to every word. And once I start rereading, it does take the surprise out of the story like a commenter had said below. The only exception is The Hobbit. It's so beautifully written, I can't help but reread it. Only with years in between readings, though.

Mandy

Lafayette, Louisiana

Yes

Depends: Certain books I reread to evoke the emotional reaction I know I get from them. I reread books or rewatch movies when I feel like I need a good cry, for example. Catharsis. I also reread for a good story -- for example, I can reread the Harry Potter books, all seven of them, annually if I want. I just enjoy them. There's also the anticipation I have of rereading a good book (or books) thinking of sharing them with my children.

I am much more a rereader than rewatcher, though. My husband has a number of movies he can watch over and over (and over) again, but I'd rather reread a good book.

Dawn

Moon Twp. Pennsylvania

Yes

The book I've reread most -- one I basically perpetually reread is Ulysses. I perpetually skip between a new book I'm reading and my bookmarked (reread) place in Ulysses... I have not counted but I would guess that I've read it 15 times over the years. I've reread other books (Nabokov, Dickens, William Gibson) but Ulysses is, to me, the ultimate work of literature, revealing more upon each reading. Musical, malleable, something new always is ready to be revealed.
Oh, and rewatched movies? Any of the Marx Brothers' first 5 films - I'd clock those viewings in at well over 100. They are old friends, and the writing continues to make me laugh to tears.

Joan

Philadelphia, PA