7 reasons to re-read books

The other day I planned to organise my bookshelf. As I started pulling out books it was like opening a box of memories. I found some I’d bought way back in college, some had been gifted to me, I remembered reading some on the 26-hour train journey when I was working in Bombay. And I found myself flipping pages, reading paragraphs and re-living the books. Time flew and of course the cupboard never did get organised.

When we were kids it was perhaps born out of necessity when we had too few books and too much time. Or maybe children just do not get easily bored. However, the habit stuck on through adult-hood purely for the pleasure of it. It’s fun to revsit books not just for the memories they evoke but also for the books themselves, for the way we perceive them, understand them and enjoy them.

Here are my top 7 reasons for re-reading a book.

1. It’s like meeting an old friend

You’ve read the book. You know the good parts, the heartbreaks, the funny bits.I mean, you cannot be a Harry Potter fan and just read it once, can you? You want to meet him again and again. Like him, there are many more delightful characters you can meet only between the pages of your favourite books.

2. You get new insights

Some books need to be re-read to be fully appreciated. If you’ve been reading since when you were a child like me, you probably got to some before you could fully appreciate them. I enjoyed some books like Animal Farm, Fountainhead, To Kill a Mockingbird, Brave New World or even popular classics like Wuthering Heights much more when I read them the second or third time. As you grow and mature you enjoy the book in new ways.

3. You can open a random page and begin reading

Have a few moments between tasks? Want to pick up something entertaining while you have your cup of tea – something that wouldn’t demand much attention yet entertain you? Well a re-read is just perfect. Like TV addicts flip channels you can flip through a well-loved read. I can open and enjoy books like Bridget Jones Diary or a PG Wodehouse just about anywhere anytime.

4. You can skip the boring bits

Great isn’t it? Those lengthy explanations or descriptions – you can just skip them and get on with it.

5. Your brain isn’t clouded by ‘what happens next’ 

So you’re free to explore the book at leisure. You have the luxury of lingering over passages, enjoying the descriptions and appreciating the language. When I was reading My Family and Other Animals – I loved the bits about the ‘family’ and rushed through the bits about ‘Other Animals’. When I re-read it I found myself pausing at them – some of them had me in splits, some amazed and wowed me.
I have to add though, that frenzied reading to the finish has it’s own thrill.

6. Saves money

Well, obviously.

And lastly..

7. You might end up cleaning your book-shelf

With all this picking up and putting back books, you just might end up with an organised book cupboard. No guarantees there, though.

Do you like to re-read books? Which is your favourite one to pick-up?