I have a burning question I want to ask you today (*drumroll, please!*): Do you read books more than once?
This question came to mind because I recently read a review that a lovely reader wrote for one of my older books, Tropical Kiss and Tell. (This book happens to be my most favorite story that I’ve ever written.) When I read the review, I immediately wanted to dig up the story and read it again. I mentioned this to the reader and she said she wanted to as well (even though she’d just finished it the night before!). I was so touched and thrilled that she’d even consider using her precious time to do so.
The thing is, readers have no shortage of books to choose from. I’ve heard wild stories of people who have upwards of a thousand or more books on their Kindles! I myself have a dozen books in my TBR pile. So, what would move someone to read the same book more than once?
For me, I love revisiting old characters that I fell in love with. It’s like meeting a friend whom you haven’t seen for years, but you know it’ll be just like old times when you get together. There’s a sense of familiarity and predictability that a new story can’t provide. It’s also satisfying to relive the lines and scenes that you found funny, memorable, or touching. I also associate books with certain feelings. If I’m in the mood to laugh or cry or swoon, it’s easy to pick up a story I’ve read before that will do the job. The beauty of rereading a book is knowing exactly how a story will progress and end, so there’s no need to rush through it. You can take your time to enjoy every single page, cover to cover.
Do you read books more than once? If so, why? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below! Also, feel free to share a book or two that you enjoy rereading.
A chauffeur and referee by day (AKA a stay at home mom of two), Liwen Y. Ho writes inspirational and sweet romance infused with heart, humor, and a taste of home (her Asian roots).
I do read books more than once. No point in owning them if you don’t. Two that come immediately to mind are LONESOME DOVE by Larry McMurtry and A NIGHT TO REMEMBER by Walter Lord.
I definitely read many books more than once! Sometimes I am just in the mood for a particular kind of story, so I dig up an old favourite and enjoy it all over again. Like you said, the storyline is familiar so you can simply enjoy the journey without the angst of what happens next, and appreciate the little details you missed the first time around.
Oh, I absolutely re-read books. And I re-listen (if that’s a word) to audio books over and over and over again.
I have more than 1,400 books on my kindle, mostly Christian romance, but some devotionals and just few classics, by Jane Austin for example, as well.
It’s so relaxing to read a story again without any suspense (thank you very much)! When I re-read a book, I might just pick up in the middle and read through to the end again. Other books I read just the dialogues :-) (yep!)
Even though my books end with a happy end, I still often read the end before I go to the beginning to read the story; I often don’t want to wait “until I get there” to see the (expected happy end).
When it’s a new (to me) author, I first look if the book has words like:
Lord, Jesus, Christ, Bible, pastor, church, pray (in Jesus name! – I don’t like “prayers” that are not prayed in Jesus name. HE told us to pray TO THE FATHER in His (Jesus’s) name).
As you said, the time readers have is precious and even though in the Book of Ruth God is NOT mentioned, in my spare time, I DO want to read about books that are faith-filled and centered on a living, breathing relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.
I meant to include this CS Lewis quote I saw just a few days ago:
“I can’t imagine… really enjoying a book and reading it only once.” C.S. Lewis
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=917885168314256&set=a.404988649603913&type=3&theater –
Yes!! I have a few series’s that I’ve read at least half a dozen times. Others less and some individual books more. When our family experienced a tragedy a few years ago I did a lot of rereading. It helped me grieve. Going through a series in order really immerses you and I found details I’d missed before. Or little tie-ins that I hadn’t really noticed. My favorites are Elizabeth Johns Lorring-Abbott Series and A Series of Elements as well as Carol Moncados books; which are how I found Inspy.
Hi Liwen! As a teen in the 1960s with limited books in my possession, I reread Christy and other Christian romances I purchased at the local Christian bookstore. As a high school English teacher I reread and relistened to the classics, which I taught for 10 years. As questions arise on blogs, I find myself revisiting books I have read in the past and rereading bits and pieces. At Christmas there are a few favorites that I reread. For so long, being a daughter, wife, mother, teacher, pastor’s wife and grandmother, left little time to read for pleasure; so once I retired I explored new authors and genre. So much was available – that I did NOT have time to REREAD. Yes, I have over 1000 books in my Kindle account. But lately nothing is really grabbing my interest. So I may begin rereading some series, I enjoyed. I do enjoy watching Hallmark movies over and over again. Mainly when I am tired and my eyes won’t let me read anymore. Best wishes.
Yes, yes, YES! I love to reread favorites! They are like old friends and I want to visit with them again!
I’m a big re-reader! I love to go back and hang out with story friends again and again. And there’s always something new to find.
Good morning just came across your post from, probably yesterday. It was a question of do I read books more than once? My answer is yes, yes I do. Have a wonderful hump day 😊
I almost never reread a book. I have read Jan Karon’s Mitford series a few times ( I do enjoy revisiting those characters) and there used to be some Christmas books that I would read every year but I haven’t even done that for a few years now. I’m not really sure why I don’t love to reread but I guess maybe it’s because I know what is going to happen.
Yes. If I make a connection with the characters or the author’s voice and message I’ll read that book several times. It’s comforting.
I used to ALL the time. We didn’t have a lot of books or access to a library when I was a kid, so we all made good use of the ones we had! In recent years, my writing time has cut into my reading time, while I’ve also gained (pretty much) unlimited access to books. I rarely take the time to reread now. Sometimes I miss it…
Before ebook and low cost books I would read books over. Now that I have at least 100 books waiting on my kindle and new books grabbing my attention daily, I no longer reread books.
I hardly ever re-read anymore. On occasion, I’ll speed read something I read when I was much younger before giving it to one of my kids, but it’s been a long time since I’ve needed to do even that. There are just so many books out there I haven’t discovered yet, I’d rather keep moving forward. Sometimes I’ll pick one up and get halfway through it, thinking the whole time, “have I read this? It’s so familiar,” but if it’s good I’ll finish it and make sure it’s on my GoodReads so it doesn’t happen again. LOL!
Yes! One I re-read many times when I was in Junior high school was Elisabeth Goudge’s The Little White Horse. More recently it’s been previous books in a series when the latest one comes out and I’ve forgotten the characters. I agree with many of the reasons stated above.
Hi Mary! Good point. Most everything we own we use twice. Thanks for the book recommendations!
Hi Margaret! I do agree that rereading gives us a chance to spot little details we missed the first time. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Anke! I like your “techniques” of rereading from the middle of a book or just the dialogues. I personally love dialogues. Thanks so much for commenting and sharing your thoughts!
What a wonderful quote! Thanks for sharing it, Anke!
Hi Leighann! I’m so sorry to hear about the tragedy your family went through. I’m thankful you had books to help you during that time. It’s amazing how words on a page can heal and move us. Thanks for sharing your recommendations!
Hi Renate! Just reading your comment makes me realize how books have played such a big part in your life. :) I hope you find something new (or old) that you enjoy reading this year. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Paula! Yes, they are! I can’t imagine not revisiting those beloved characters and places. I sometimes imagine where they might be now in their “real lives”. ;) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Elizabeth! Yep, you’re among the majority here who love to revisit with old story friends. :) Thanks for reading and commenting!
Hi Eva! Nope, you’re right on time, actually! This blog post is from today. :) Thanks so much for reading and commenting! Happy Wednesday to you, too! (P.S. I like your profile pic!)
Hi Jessica! Christmas books are good ones to reread. :) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Dalyn! Yes, it is comforting—that’s a great word to use. Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Valerie! :) I totally feel the same! I wish there was more time in a day to read and write. It’s amazing how many stories are out there (and in us, too)! Thanks for commenting!
Hi Kimberly! You’re right that there are just so many options these days! Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Jaycee! Haha, that’s funny. It’s a good thing we have technology to help us keep track of all the books we read. Thanks for commenting!
Hi Margaret! Oh, that’s a good reason to reread, especially if it’s been a while since you read the previous books in a series. I’ll have to look up The Little White Horse. :) Thanks for commenting!
Yes, I love to re-read! My favorite books have characters that I know and love and never change. They will always remain my friends, and I can visit them whenever I want. Especially print books are easy to re-read. I can’t say I’ve ever reread an ebook that I can remember. I like to have one print and one ebook that I read at the same time, so prints often get reread. I also usually have a couple of rereads that fit my Goodreads challenges, plus I have a few favorites that I reread every year or two.
Hi Lila! That’s interesting that you prefer rereading print books. I’m so used to reading on my phone now because it’s easy to “carry” the book around that way. Oh, good point about finding old books to fit Goodreads challenges. Thanks so much for sharing!
I recently reread a series because I had skipped a book or two and a new book had been released. They were released a year or so apart so it was nice to reread. I also like knowing how the story ends. I used to read the end first with print books to make sure it was happy. My family laughed at that. With the kindle app I don’t do that anymore but stick with inspyromance type authors. If it s a new to me, author, I check the copyright page in the beginning for references to Bible use.
I definitely re-read! Lately has been a lot of new reads, though. If I remember the gist of the story and the characters, I’ll let it go for a while. Some of my recent re-reads are “See You” by Dawn Lee McKenna, several romantic suspense by Irene Hannon as well as her Hope Harbor.
Hi Diana! That’s so funny, I actually wrote a character who does the same thing as you, she reads the end of a book first. It was inspired by a reader I know who does that, so you’re not the only one. :) Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!
Hi Lincoln! Now that you mention it, rereading a book is like reading a new story if enough time has passed. Thanks for the book recommendations and for sharing your thoughts!
I find that I really don’t have time to re-read novels, which is unfortunate. My review schedule is just too full. BUT, I have 5 books I will re-read from time to time when I need a real escape from my life. The five books are: Bible, Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, and Love’s Awakening by Laura Frantz. These are books I depend on to give me the kind of feels I need in particular moments in my life.
Hi Nicole! I like it that you have different books you reread for different purposes. I definitely agree with your choice of the Bible; I’ve yet to read the other books you mentioned, though. Thanks for the recommendations and sharing your thoughts!
I don’t not normally read books more than once, I have some on my keeper shelf that I might want to re-read at some point, but I don’t know that I will ever find the time!
When I was younger (think teenager or college student) I did re-read some, but I guess as an adult I find found more outlets for good books (think Kindle!) for relatively cheap.
Hi Patty! I like it that you have a keeper shelf. :) Thanks so much for sharing!
I love to buy books so I can read them over and over. Usually when a new book in a series comes out I will re-read from the first book to the last. I’ve got a lot of “keeper” paper books, but usually read on my Kindle because I can adjust the size of the type.
Hi Betty! Wow, that’s wonderful. It’s fun to revisit characters who show up again in the later books in a series. Thanks for sharing!
Yes, I do re-read books!! I’ve got quite a few that I’ve read twice, and some that I’ve read more than twice! One of my favorites to re-read is This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti. Even though I’ve read it before, I always find something new that I don’t remember, and it still takes me at least 10 chapters to really get into the book!! The other one that I’ve read cover to cover since high school every year but one is my Bible. It never gets old, and I find things there that either take on new meaning or that I had forgotten. I don’t even want to know exactly how many books are on my Kindle TBR ( it’s over 2000), but I know I have 50 actual paperbacks, and a few of those have more than one story in them!!
I probably would if I had more time, but so many new ones I want to read.
Hi Trudy! Oh wow, that’s a lot of books that you own! I’m not sure if you were the person who mentioned This Present Darkness before, but I also enjoyed that book (even though I only read it once). ;) I love that you’ve read the Bible cover to cover so many times. What a wonderful way to soak in the Truth. :) Thank you for sharing!
Hi Lucy! I know how you feel. :) There’s a never-ending supply of good stories. Thanks for reading and commenting!
The interesting thing is that later in life I discovered Elisabeth Goudge’s adult books, and have re-read The Scent of Water many times, as well as others of hers! It was a long time before I realized she was also the author of The Little White Horse!
I’m an avid re-reader. I have books on my shelves that I’ve read a half dozen times or more. Currently re-reading an entire 15-book series for the third time. If I finish a book and KNOW I’ll re-read it, it stays on my shelves, or in my e-reader (for the few authors I read in ebook rather than paperback). If not, it goes into a box to be taken to the used book store or passed along to someone else if it’s a paperback, or into the digital trash bin if it’s an ebook. That’s one of the things I prefer about hard copy books, actually. If I don’t like a particular book, but I know someone who might, I can pass it along. I’ve helped other authors gain new readers that way. Can’t do that with an ebook.
I reread all the time. Tuesdays with Morrie, The Timekeeper, Learning to Breathe( Karen White ) , The Noble Masquerade, Dee Henderson’s The O’Malley Series.
Hi Dawn! Wow, that’s awesome. I’m so glad to hear you pass along books as well when you’re done reading them. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi Sonnetta! Oh, I loved The O’Malley Series, too! Thanks for reading and commenting!
I am really late. I use to as a child and a teen. I re-read some books so many times they were almost falling apart. I read the Peggy series (a series about a teen call Peggy) so many times. Also read books like Heidi, Pollyanna, Little Women etc. Now I have so many books to read I don’t have the time to re read books.
I really enjoy reading a book again to revisit old friends and good feelings in particular when I am struggling against time or have too much on my mind. I feel like I get too involved in a new book to start from scratch but need my usual dose of fiction. So I reread. I have a fee folder on my kindle to organize favorite books (great, good, okay, meh, never to be read again) and so I dig them up.
Hi Ausjenny! No worries, it’s not too late to comment! :) Wow, it sounds like those books were well-loved when you were young. They were really good classics. I’ll have to look up the Peggy series. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Priscila! Wow, you are organized. That’s a cool way to categorize your kindle books. I understand what you mean about just needing a usual dose of fiction that satisfies you just enough for the time being. Thanks for reading and commenting!
Think Dorothy Martin wrote them. I read Enid Blyton over and over too
If a book touches me in a good way I have been known tonread over again and again. Usually a year or so between times.
Absolutely! I read my favorite authors‘ books more than once (up to 4 or 5 +times). And yes my tbr pile has tons & tons of books – but most of those are “untested” books by “new to me” authors & they have not earned their place in my heart, yet., so I am perfectly content making them wait their turn. I sneak them into my reading, as able, but my fave books & authors are my “go to” firsts. And I agree, rereading fave books is like revisiting favorite friends. I know the end of the story, but the journey to get there is the pleasure. <3
Yes, my husband has a western series that he has read many times and I have read some more than once. There have been other books I have enjoyed more than once. That is what is so great about books, you can revisit as often as you want to.
I have often re-read books. Sometimes it is the story itself that draws me and sometimes it’s a character I have fallen in love with. At times I have re-read a book as one of my children was reading it to refresh it in my mind so I could discuss it with them.
Some of the books I have re-read are Nanette One’s Canadian West Series, Richard Mabre’s first medical series, LI’s K9 series, GWTW, This Present Darkness, Piercing the Darkness. To name a few.