You Get To Remember Why You Love The Book In The First Place
We all have those favorites that we can call on when people ask for book recommendations. But how often do we actually go back and reread those novels? What if they were great for that time in your life but now you’re a different person and the prose doesn’t feel the same? Well, the opposite is also possible. Before you recommend a novel, you reread it and it impacts you more than it ever has before. You fall in love with the characters all over again and by the time you close the book you feel more “you” and you smile and wish you could read it again for the first time.
When I reread a certain book, I recall just why I enjoyed it the first time, the way the setting and story made me feel. It’s like seeing an old friend for the first time in ages.
To See How Much I Have Grown Since Reading The Book For The First Time
This is especially true in cases of books I read when I was in middle school or high school. The world has changed so much since then and so have I. Reading books that I used to enjoy over again not only helps me to understand them and relate in a new way but they act as sort of a time capsule. I don’t just remember the book but I remember how I felt about the characters and why I felt that way. Sometimes, my love for a character turns into hate or vice versa. Rereading a book is a way to see how you’ve changed since you first read it, your worldview, your imagination, everything about you has shifted in some way and yet when you go back to that old favorite, you are reminded of the past you.
Inspiration For My Own Writing
Every writer has a book that truly inspired them. Whether they actually published a work directly correlated to that inspiration doesn’t matter, just that after reading something they were able to put it down and say, “I can do this too.” When I read a novel for the second or third or fourth time, I pick up on different things now that I have grown as a writer and editor. I may see how the prose flows beautifully in this section or how this author uses alliteration to make the villain seem more sinister. Those little tidbits, the way the characters interact with each other or how a scene can be described with barely any adjectives helps me to improve the flow of my own work. That is why most authors, if not all, will tell you that you can’t be a writer if you aren’t a reader.
Because I Love Books!
There are so many books out there, most of which I’ll never read (which is totally unfair) but that all have impact. Books are fun and sometimes you don’t have the access to new books or are going through old boxes and find that one book you used to read that changed your whole life. I never just put it back down, I take a read. And I enjoy it every time.
And there you have it, those are some of the reasons I love to reread books. Do you reread some of your favorites? If so, what is one book that you can always come back to? I would love to read about them in the comments.
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Happy rereading everyone!
Chyina