On the Joys of Rereading

One of the most common questions people ask me when they see my crammed bookshelves is: "Have you read all of these?" Well, I haven't, there are books that sit firmly on the TBR list and some that I've received as gifts that just don't interest me, but I'm too polite to regift them. The second most common question is: "What do you do after you've read a book?" I usually draw a blank for a while. I don't understand, what do they mean, what do I do? Well, I put it in my shelf, of course! I boggles my mind that some people don't realize that I might want to reread a book. These individuals tend to also gape at my DVD collection and ask why I would want to see the same film twice, let alone more times. I don't bother with explanations anymore. I just say: "The fact that you needed to ask me that question tells me that you won't understand why, so I won't waste my breath trying to explain it to you." I don't say that to be rude, I say it because it's true. You either are the type to read books and see movies more than once, or you're not. That's how I've experienced it, anyway. My friends and family are either fellow hoarders or own very few books or films. There seems to be no real middle ground.

Some films and books simply improve with several viewings or readings. Some are sort of comforting in their familiarity. I have films and series on DVD that aren't incredibly great, they didn't knock me off my seat or anything, but they were fun to watch, easy to watch and very often there was something that simply struck the right chord at the right time. Those become everyday favourites. You might put the film in the player, switch the movie on and putter around the flat while paying attention only every now and then, but you know what happens in the story at any given time, so it's okay. A book you know almost word for word can still entertain. Like an old friend who doesn't tell you new jokes, but you like the old ones anyhow.

It sometimes happens that I might suddenly feel like rereading a certain book in a series. I do so and then end up rereading the whole series. I love having that choice. I love revisiting characters and stories. I love that whenever I feel like reading, I can go from shelf to shelf and really take my pick from among so many. That is why I don't usually sell on the books I'm more or less forced to buy because of my situation as a English reader in a non-English-speaking country. If I drown in books and movies one of these days (as I have been told by numerous people I will), I say it's a fine way to go.