Musing Mondays – On Re-reading

Published on by Margaret

Musing Mondays

Today’s MUSING MONDAYS post is about re-reading€¦

Have you ever finished a book, then turned around and immediately re-read it? Why? What book(s)? (question courtesy of MizB)

I often re-read the first few pages of a book immediately after finishing it, but I don’t re-read all of it.  There are many books I’d like to re-read but only a few that I have re-read and then only some months or even years later. Recently I’ve re-read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, both of which I’d first read many years ago. A while back I re-read Susan Howatch’s Starbridge series and I’d like to read them again one day, but really there are so many books I haven’t read that my re-reading is limited.

I should keep a list of those I’d like to re-read. Ones that spring to my mind today are

  • Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen. I keep saying this and never doing it. I have read it several times but the last time was probably after the TV version with Colin Firth as Mr Darcy. I’d also like to re-read her other novels.
  • Sophie’s World – Jostein Gaarder. I was so impressed with this one when I read it – a basic guide to philosophy mixed in with the story of Sophie, a fourteen year old Norwegian girl. I must read it again sometime.
  • Melvyn Bragg’s The Soldier’s Return, A Son of War and Crossing the Lines. I’ve just this morning finished reading Remember Me and would love to re-read these earlier novels about Joe Richardson.

13 thoughts on “Musing Mondays – On Re-reading”

  1. I haven’t re-read anything immediately since I was a child. I recently reread sophies world because my son was reading it and I wanted to be able to answer his questions and it was just as good a second time round.

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  2. I used to re-read a lot as a child and teen, but not so much any more. I do plan to re-read Pride and Prejudice this summer though.

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  3. Not re-reading is very sensible, it does allow time to read so many more new books, but I am often very reluctant to let go of a world I’m enjoying.

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  4. I will re-read Rebecca this summer. I think I read in 1983! Recently I bought a copy of it because I wanted to own it.

    And now I feel so guilty. I am yet to read Sophie’s World!

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  6. Sophie’s World is another book I have always meant to read. Not re-read, just read the first time because I have given up the foolish re-reading way of my youth.

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  7. I have re-read Dorothy Dunnett’s 6-book series The Lymond Chronicles at least 3 times. I read them in a sort of painting-the-Forth-Bridge cycle – when I get to the end I just start at the beginning again. (The first book is THE GAME OF KINGS if anyone wants to make a start.)

    Two books I finished and then went back to page 1 were TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES and MANSFIELD PARK. In both cases it was because I couldn’t cope with feeling so bereft.

    Btw, Margaret – could you possibly do a post about Susan Howatch? She’s someone I’ve never read/always meant to read. The Starbridge series sounds ambitious and intriguing – but a little heavy-going?…

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  8. I am re-reading Curtis Sittenfeld’s An American Wife, I first read it last year, so it’s a pretty speedy re-read for me. As I get older I do more re-reading, not quite such a thirst to read everything fast.
    I enjoy the Starbridge novels, have read them all twice too. However I found I was unable to finish the more recent Susan Howatch books. I wonder if that was just me!

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  9. Jo, that’s encouraging.
    JoAnn, I’ve decided to read it now!
    GeraniumCat, I’m often torn between re-reading and wanting to read something new.
    Gautami, I’m the same – often I buy a book and then it’s ages before I get round to reading it!
    Nise, it’s been years since I read Penmarric – oh for more time to read and re-read.
    Caite, I think Sophie’s World is well worth reading.
    Linda, ah Tess and Mansfield Park are just wonderful books. I’ve never read Dunnett’s books – mainly because I can’t find the first one in the series. I’ll have a go at a Susan Howatch post – I don’t find her books at all heavy-going.
    Carole, I think Susan Howatch’s later books were not as good as the earlier ones, the Starbridge ones suited me much better.

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  10. I don’t re-read often either. I’ve got Sophie’s World & Pride & Prejudice here that I need to read for the first time!

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  11. It sounds like we have the same reading habits when it comes to rereading. I also quite often reread the beginning of a book, especially when it is one that I particularly enjoyed. I don’t reread very many books because there are just too many others waiting to be read for the first time.

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  12. Three very different books I’ve re-read more than once are Catch-22 by Joseph Heller, Billy Liar by Keith Waterhouse, and And then there were none by Agatha Christie.

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  13. Wow! this one too. Wuthering Heights used to be my best sleeping pill. I visited the author’s sister Anne’s grave in Scarborough. I wish I proceeded to Haworth. The only book I’m rereading nowadays is Harry Potter 6 in prep for the July movie.

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