[wolfbrother1846]

I just finished the Malazan series through the first four books and have to say that I am pretty impressed.

With that said, I sometimes go back to the first couple of books to look up information (I am a stickler for information), and find passages of foreshadowing that make the book make so much more sense.

In a few years, I know I will re-read this series once and maybe even twice so I can finish it all the way through once all of the books are released.

Any opinions on this? Does anyone else like re-reading books as much as reading the first time?

Which books?

[clockwirk]

Interesting...Garden of the Moon was the first book that sprang to mind when I saw the title of this thread. Once you get through it the first time and can stop wondering what the deuce is going on, the second time through is much more enjoyable. It's probably that way for most of Erikson's books.
There's a ton of extra stuff to pick up in George R.R. Martin's stuff the second time around as well.

[Takoren]

Lord of the Rings gets better every time I read it.

I gotta wonder if that's not why some people on this board hate LOTR. They read it once, it's not what they were looking for in a book at the time, or they missed the point or something, so they never read it again and spend the rest of their lives trashing it.

I'm not saying that's the only reason anyone dislikes LOTR or even the whole reason for those this is true for. But let's face it, there are some books that defy just one reading and must be read more than once to be fully appreciated. I don't think that's a stroke against the books, either.

One can usually tell if a book is worth a second read, even if you didn't like it on the first read. For example I challenge anyone who tried reading Gardens of the Moon once and didn't like it to read it again. It's the book I'm currently re-reading and there's so much stuff I missed or misunderstood that it's like reading it for the first time.

I also fully expect that if I re-read Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series again I will enjoy the second read more. The first time I thought it was slow-moving and laborious. However, I know it wasn't all bad and I'm sure the better parts will stick out more on the second read.

Many books, like LOTR or the Malazan series (or the Wheel of Time, or A Song of Ice & Fire, and especially the Book of the New Sun) are so layered that one reading alone simply won't show you everything the book has to offer. You'll find yourself noticing something different about them with each reading.

[cgw]

I used to re-read my favorite books all the time. The problem is after 3-4 time the law of diminishing returns kicks in. I have taken my favorite books and put them in a box in the back of my attic. Hopefully after say 10 years, I will be able to enjoy them again.

[Hobbit]

For me, a story that is multilayered and complex, with lots of characters, a widescreen worldview and lots of different ways of meaning is deserving of a reread.

Therefore (agreeing with a lot of what's been said above!) LotR, Song of Ice and Fire, Tad Williams' Dragonbone Chair and (of course!) Mary Gentle's ASH: A Secret History ;) , Gene Wolfe's Shadow of The Torturer series. Sometimes a writer's prose will just be worth a reread: Tolkien again, some of Guy Gavriel Kay's, Ray Bradbury; Fritz Leiber's is just good fun.

Hobbit

[Ash]

I’m happy to read a book again on occasion, but you can never recapture that thrill of anticipation, that you get on the first reading.

[Hobbit]

you can never recapture that thrill of anticipation, that you get on the first reading.


No, but you can notice bits that you missed first time, that have greater significance now that you know what happens later.

Hobbit

[Ash]

i can see that.

you may miss some nuances, but i doubt you would miss large themes or events. Reading a story again may add something to the overall experience, but i wouldnt count that as making it better the second time around.

[manephelien]

Yes, it's easier to appreciate the subtler plot points when you already know, more or less, what's going to happen. It's a different experience certainly. Nothing can quite beat the breathless feeling you get when reading a book where lots of things happen for the first time. However, if the author is good at hinting and foreshadowing, re-reading will bring another dimension of enjoyment.

This is certainly true for Harry Potter, which I'm currently in the process of re-reading.

[bearhat]

I've reread Memory, Sorrow & Thorn and enjoyed it as much the second time. I'd say I enjoyed it more on some levels, but there's always the thrill of new discoveries when you read something the first time that you don't get back the second or third time you read a book.