Is anyone else like this?

[buzzard]

I'm a bargain. I re-read and re-watch everything. I've beaten to death plenty of books through re-readings, and am very fond of the digital means of video recording because they don't wear out after repeated viewings. I own very few movies which I haven't seen at least five times.

buzzard

 

[The Mirrorball Man]

I can watch my favorite movies over and over again, but I'm not really interested in re-watching anything that I didn't truly enjoy in the first place.

I don't re-read books. I simply don't have enough free time for that.

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

I'm definitely a non-rereader, though I make rare exceptions for truly deep and complex books such as Gene Wolfe's stuff. Frankly I don't understand you re-readers. Why rehash something when you can read something completely new? If you are just cheap as many have intimated, go to the library!

Movies I can rewatch, especially if years have gone by or with a new crowd to appreciate it with. But I think that's mainly because they don't take as much time as a book re-read.

 

[buzzard]

I'm definitely a non-rereader, though I make rare exceptions for truly deep and complex books such as Gene Wolfe's stuff. Frankly I don't understand you re-readers. Why rehash something when you can read something completely new? If you are just cheap as many have intimated, go to the library!

Because sometimes I like a known quantity. It's nice to be able to pick up a book and to be certain you will enjoy the time spent reading it.

buzzard

 

[Dakkareth]

I usually read very fast and thus overlook much of the details. If a book is good, I will read it again, often up to 10 times. If it isn't I return it to the library and read a different book. There's so much to discover in many books, that few can catch on the first read. With every time I find new intriguing details

 

[Kahuna Burger]

I'm definitely a non-rereader, though I make rare exceptions for truly deep and complex books such as Gene Wolfe's stuff. Frankly I don't understand you re-readers. Why rehash something when you can read something completely new? If you are just cheap as many have intimated, go to the library!

why invest time in something that may end up sucking when you can re-enjoy an old favorite? while I reread usually because I remember the gist of something that I want to remind myself of an exact phrasing of somethign stuck in my mind, then get caught up in the story again. other times its just a nice way to while an afternoon.

sadly, the last two new reading projects I embarked on (with strong recomendations for each) ended up being unpleasant expereinces by the end and very annoying to me. this isn't the reason I reread (I do it because I enjoy it at the moment, obviously) but it does decrease the value of something "completely new" as a selling point in and of itself.

Movies I can rewatch, especially if years have gone by or with a new crowd to appreciate it with. But I think that's mainly because they don't take as much time as a book re-read.

that might be part of the disconnect... I can reread a novel in an afternoon. I'm a very fast reader to begin with and on a second pass through when I fall into the rythem of it, rereading one of my fantasy books is no more of a time investment than popping in a dvd would be... and can be done from a more comfortable possition.

kahuna Burger

 

[Kahuna Burger]

My brother-in-law definitely fits into this camp, which is frustrating my sister no end as he has seen several films she wants to see, but he won't rent them because he's already seen them...

to digress slightly, your brother in law is also being a jerk in this case. do they never rent a film that she wouldn't be into for one reason or another because he wants to see it? Even if rewatching isn't his thing, that's a poor reason to deny your spouse the option to pick the movie once in a while...

Just had to get that out of my system.

kahuna burger

 

[myrdden]

Nor here. I have a room overflowing with books precisely because I do like to re-read them. With repetition comes new insight.

Well said!

Myrdden

 

[s/LaSH]

I find it hard to rewatch or reread anything, simply because my mind siezes upon every available detail like a pitbull and doesn't let go for months or years. I may watch movies on TV that I've seen theatrically, I reread The Lord Of The Rings a lot in my youth, and I'm trying to reread The Belgariad right now because I have fond memories of it (but the libraries are failing me). But right now the only things I reopen are graphic novels and rulebooks.

Makes listening to cool music hard too.

 

[barsoomcore]

I find it impossible to imagine that you can draw all the value out of any serious work of art in one pass. I read a book once just to have read it, just to see if it's worth my time, really. Then I'll read it a few more times so that the details are clear in my head -- so that I know the plot, the character arcs, the biggest style factors, the organization and can start formulating my ideas about the book. After that, if my ideas warrant, I'll re-read any number of times, often looking for specific details to support or challenge a particular theory about the book.

And rereading my favourite stories is like visiting old friends. I mean, you could travel to a new neighborhood everyday, couldn't you? But instead you come home. To the people you know and love and trust. Even if you end up having the same conversations over and over again, sometimes it's awfully nice to go home

I like visitng with Fafhrd and Mouser, or with Vlad and Kragar and Morrolan and Sethra, or with John Carter and Dejah Thoris, or with Croaker and One-Eye and Lady and Limper. Reading their stories is a way of spending time with these people who have come to mean something to me. A way of going back to a neighborhood full of happy memories.

Two reasons for re-reading: to examine a work more carefully, or to put a smile on your face.