We talk about "comfort" reads a lot but I sometimes wonder if we really think about what that actually says about our reading habits. Reading is such an individual activity that it’s truly hard to explain to a "non-reader" just how much enjoyment we do get out of it at times and not just the first time we visit a story, either.
Well, for that matter, it’s sometimes even difficult to communicate this to other readers. I mean, just recently, someone commented on my blog about being surprised when I mentioned I had a basket just for collecting the books I’d recently reread for posting about them. This individual apparently doesn’t reread much or any at all. I probably reread a lot more than I read new so I suspect we were both gaping at each other.
This was something my ex-husband could never understand. The concept of almost constantly wanting to be reading was difficult enough for him to grasp as he’s basically a non-reader but rereading so many of my keepers over and over again was absolutely inexplicable to him. I’ve never quite figured out how to explain it, either. It’s just part of who I am. I do know I inherited (was taught?) the habit from my father, who loved nothing better than to reread old favorites over and over again. I’ve, also, much to the ex’s consternation, passed the trait on to both our children. 
To me, enjoying a good story once is simply impossible. Even not-as-good ones that touch the right notes or manage to create vivid images in my head can evoke the sudden urge to revisit them again and again at unexpected times. The thing is that I couldn’t for my life say why or how I end up picking a particular book for rereading at those times because there’s really not pattern to it. I just browse until I find the right story to match the mood I’m in at that moment. And sometimes what I think I’m looking for isn’t even what I end up with. There’s no way a brand new book could make me feel comforted that way.
Oh, okay, maybe if it was a new one by an author I absolutely trust and adore but, otherwise, it’s just not going to happen.
So, what about the rest of you, can you find “comfort” from a new read or will only the tried and true work for you?
Bev (BB)
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I re-read all the time.
Once, like favourite foods, sex, whatever, is not enough.
Sure, a new book can be comforting, especially if it snaps you out of a reading slump. It’s a bit of a risk because you don’t know what you’re getting, but it can happen.
But the best bet is still one I know I love and still has the power to affect me and give me that tingle that all good romances do. There’s only a few books that can do that, and they are treasures. I’m finding less and less of them these days.
I find comfort in new reads but I will put down a new book if the first chapter doesn’t draw me in. There are some authors that I know without a doubt I can read and enjoy. If they have a new book out I’ll pick it up.
I very, very rarely reread! No particular reason except for the fact that there are so many other books out there that I want to read.
I’ve only re-read a handful of times because, like commenter Marg, I have soooooo many books on my ‘to read list’. I also find that if I re-read something I absolutely loved from a long time ago, it doesn’t always speak to me in the same way, or have the same relevance in my life, and then I’m disappointed.
I re-read all the time, and have a whole shelf of the tried-and-true. But new books by favorite authors can also be comfort reads, as can books in “comfort genres” like romance. Especially if you’re reading category romances where you know you’re getting a short story with a guaranteed happy ending, and depending on the line, you know what kind of tone you’re going to be getting, etc.
I’ve found it harder to do the “comfort read” thing since I’ve been writing, however, since it’s tough for me to turn off my brain and stop trying to analyze the book.
I never used to reread because I read for the adventure, and there are so many books in the world I might miss. But my kids have made me reread books [Five times and counting on Harry Potter and the Sourcer's Stone] a few *cough* times. I was surprised by how much I could enjoy the books when I knew what was coming.
Alice
For me Rereading a book is in some instances like coming home. It’s comfy PJ on’s a rainy day and hot chocolate on a cold day after sledding.
There are book that you read and you connect with, characters that for that moment in time are real to you and some times you just want to revisit them.
At any given time I have 20 or 30 new TBR’s to poured through, but every once in awhile I feel the need to relive my favorites. Yeah I may know how the story ends, but reading them again and living it again is just as good if not better than the first time. To this day on a rainy day I think of the first time I read Jewels of the Sun. As a Nora fan I have to say I love her triliogies. There like family coming over for an unexpected visit. Every time I reread Jewels I still feel like I’m in the car with Jude as she searches for the house on Fairy Hill.
Rereads can sometimes be more enjoyable than new, when you curl up with a book you’ve read before you know you’ll love it. No disappointments and no struggling to get through a story that doesn’t grab you. It is what it is, a comfort and a joy.
Does your husband have favorite films he’ll watch over and over? Bet he does . . .
There’s a reason I have a bookshelf – to fill it with my re-reads!
Books that don’t grab me as re-reads, I donate to the women’s shelter and hopefully there they will first be someone’s “I can’t put this down” read and then their comforting re-read.
For some reason, I’ve been feeling very stressed the past couple of weeks and have had a difficult time getting into the books in my TBR stack. I’ve picked up some old favorites instead and have found great comfort in rereading them.
Often I don’t even reread the entire book, sometimes just a chapter or couple of paragraphs are enough to put me at ease. And no, I’m not talking about sex scenes. (Ok, I lied – occasionally I do just reread the sex scenes.) I’m talking about dialogue, or a look or maybe even beautifully described feelings, that give you that little catch in your chest – you know what I’m talking about? The twinge that happens every single time you read that particular part, regardless of how many times you’ve read it before?
I think it takes incredible talent to put together the words to repeatedly give someone those warm, fuzzy feelings.
Great topic!
I’ve been a chronic re-reader since I first learned to read as a child. (Hence, why I’ve read Gone With the Wind between 40 and 50 times.) Sometimes, a line of dialogue or description or a scene will pop into my head and I have to dig out a book to reread. Sometimes, it’s an emotional response to a situation going on in my life and I turn to the familiar because I know the story will deliver respite. For example, when I’m under a lot of stress in life, I reread Jenny Crusie and Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Other times, I pick up a book to reread simply because I love a great story and know the book delivers what I love.
That said, I derive comfort from a really good new book, too. A great story transports, as well as entertains. Those hours are a great break. Like Emily Dickinson said, “There is no frigate like a book to take us lands away.”
I reread a lot. I probably shouldn’t given how insane my tbr pile is lol! There is something very comforting about picking up an old favorite on a bad day. Sometimes I just want a familiar story and familiar characters. It’s like hanging out with old friends on a rough day.
I love, love, LOVE to re-read. (In fact, I’m re-reading all of Jennifer Crusie’s books right now because she makes me glow with happiness.)
Jenn: Yay for “Jewels!” I’ve re-read that series so many times (it makes me think of rainy days too, isn’t that odd?) that “Jewels” itself is mangled. I dropped it in the bathtub three times but refuse to replace the copy even though is is now crinkled, brown and barely readable on pages.
I think about half of the books I read through-out the year are re-reads. I’ll go through phases (I just finished one, in fact) when I burn through my TBR pile, finishing the entire stack and then I think to myself, “Okay, let’s take a bit of a break.” Which to me means re-reading because I couldn’t actually take a break from reading.
It’s like re-charging my reading batteries. When I’m sitting down to read a book for the first time, I want to be able to focus and immerse myself in it. That takes time and energy. If I’m burnt out on focusing, I tend to reach for a comfort book because I already know that I enjoy it, and reading it won’t take very long at all because I’ve been down this road before.
Although when I’m anticipating a new book in a series, I’ll usually re-read the entire series (unless it’s the Anita Blake series, which is now huge, then I’ll just re-read the last five books). Even right now, I’m fighting with myself because I want to re-read the Harry Potter books (it’s a little holiday treat for me) but I know I’ll be reading them again before the last book comes out (and again before the Phoenix movie… yeah, I read Harry Potter way too much).
For myself, the re-reading is something I’ve been doing since I was a kid and diagnosed with a severe chronic illness when I was eight. I spent most of my childhood and puberty in and out of hospitals and comfort books played a huge part in keeping me optimistic during it all. It was such a comfort to know that while my physical body was trapped in a hospital bed (or at home in a sick bed), my mind could take off on trips around the world through my favorite books. Especially when the doctors thought I wouldn’t make it to eighteen, I was convinced that books were going to be the only way that I would ever see the world, grow up, get married and have a life. And I loved living those lives over, and over.
Katie.
[...] And I was almost late getting it there. I have one idea for what I was going to post, but then felt really uncertain about it, so I dithered and finally new inspiration hit. So, go check out The comfort of rereading. [...]
I love to re-read my old favorites, but I do spend more time reading new works. I try to pace myself, like not reading Jane Austen, Barbara Pym or JRR Tolkien more than once every five years, to keep them relatively fresh. Some are such comfort reads that I pull them out when I’m sick or blue, like Angela Thirkell or Georgette Heyer, who always make me laugh.
I’m with Diana P — I re-read constantly. For some reason, though, I can turn off the inner analyst and just enjoy. Good writers can make me go away to the place they’re describing. I become the people they construct. If a writer is great, I’ll want to revisit, like a beloved vacation place, again and again.
I have 3 keeper bookshelves for the different kinds of books I read. Sometimes when I have read a really great book, none of my TBR books measure up and I have to go back to a familiar book that I know is great.
I know I spend quite a bit of time reading and it makes me feel guilty that I really haven’t accomplished anything that day or evening. But I am addicted to books and at least no one is suffering from my addiction. Ok my house could have some of the piles sorted and thrown out but the Health Dept wson’t be visiting any time soon.:lol:
I am a chronic re-reader! Sometimes, you really just want to read a GOOD book and the only way to guaruntee that is to reread. Also, especially with romances, you get to know characters in a way (or maybe that’s just the writer in me!) so rereading is like visiting with a friend. Also, there are things you miss the first time around then you can pick up on later rereads. When I first read a really good romance novel, I race through to find out what happens. So, the second time around I can be more leisurly and pick up on things I missed. Then there’s always reading for pleasure the first time, and reading as a writer the second time around–what did they do right, what did they do wrong? For me, rereading has endless possibilities
I must like re-reading. I just read Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell for a second time last week. I know some people who would rather die than read it even once. And as with Deborah above, I try not to reread some like JRR Tolkein’s works too often to keep them fresh, though I’ve devoured the Harry Potter novels over and over again. It’s not just fantasy novels I enjoy rereading. There are self-help books I enjoy rereading as well.
I’ve just discovered Jane Austin. I believe that Pride & Prejudice is going to be one I will enjoy re-reading in the future.
Great post, Bev.
~Douglas
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The Splintered Mind – Overcoming Neurological Disabilities With Lots Of Humor And Attitude
…that give you that little catch in your chest – you know what I’m talking about? The twinge that happens every single time you read that particular part, regardless of how many times you’ve read it before?
Exactly.
The thing is that I couldn’t for my life say why or how I end up picking a particular book for rereading at those times because there’s really not pattern to it. I just browse until I find the right story to match the mood I’m in at that moment.
Me too!
I rarely re-read, too, just because I’m so behind in my TBR pile. Rarely–but sometimes–I’m comforted by a new read (Jill Shalvis’s Her Sexiest Mistake, lately, because I needed to smile badly).
But there are days, when I get sad or stressed or unmotivated, and I need the cheering up of old friends … then I re-read.
Aha! Perhaps this is why I don’t get stressed about authors writing new or different stuff. If I want comfort and well-known, I go for a book I already know. (If I am deeply stressed, you can always tell, because my complete works of Jane Austen will be on my bedside table with the bookmark halfway through.)
I go and buy books when I want to read something new. The act of buying is an act of saying – ‘go on, surprise me’. Of course, if I’m buying one of a series, I expect more of whatever the series is like, but apart from that, I’m open to whatever the pages bring.
Maybe I now ‘get’ (at least a bit) how readers could get confused or upset when authors branch out into new territory. I never did before. If you want the comfort of the familiar from them, I can understand the disappointment.
Interesting post!
Cheers, Imelda
My husband and I both share a massive loyalty to books. Neither one of us can throw a book, no matter how horrible or trashed, away. He leans heavily toward nonfiction (and sometimes he ends up doing my research for me, even if he don’t realize it) and I lean heavily toward speculative fiction. Even when he pokes holes in some of my comfort reads I still find myself picking them back up. My true comfort reads are the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop, and an old, old book, The Family Nobody Wanted by Helen Doss (a memoir of a family who adopted 12 interracial children in the 40s-50s). I can pick those books up and open to a random page and just start reading and instantly get sucked into the writing and the world. It’s perfect for when I want to be taken someplace else, but someplace where I don’t have to learn about new people and new worlds.
My husband doesn’t reread often. Usually he’ll rescan sections for certain things, but not do a full reread. the only fiction books I’ve known of him to reread have been Mort by Terry Pratchett, I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and *insert a beaming grin here* my books.
Funny thing, I have very few on my Keeper shelves, but yesterday, I purchased 2 books I’ve read multiple times: to re-read them. I needed the comfort of a well turned out book, that had all the elements of something I enjoy, no risks. There’s a lot of upheaval in my life right now, between a death in the family, that dynamic with relatives, etc, and wild days at the job. Your post got me to nail down that the stress is what drove me to the book equivalent of my favorite flannel jammies.
I started re-reading The Givenchy Code today. Great book.
Wow. I was out running errands most of the afternoon and come back to a bunch of wonderful responses. Thanks and glad you enjoyed my ramblings. It’s also sort of reassuring to see that so many enjoy rereading almost as much as I do.
Oh, and as for the ex, he does rewatch a lot of favorite movies but, get this, I love action/adventures with hefty doses of romance a la THE MUMMY trilogy and he’s a huge sucker for those sappy love stories like SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE.
Another re-reader checking in here. I can’t quite describe how I select books that become keepers and rereaders. The rereads aren’t just fiction either. Peter Mayle’s Year in Provence and Beverley Nichols’ Merry Hall books are comfy rereads. I tend not to purchase books that don’t enage me enough to want to reread. My newest keeper-rereader is Stephanie Rowe’s Must Love Dragons.
Rereading can also be like catching up with old friend as I sometime forget details of books I haven’t read in awhile or interpet content in different ways. The books remain fresh in that sense, and I think that’s one of the hardest concepts for others to grasp about rereading
I’m glad to hear that. I’m a compulsive re-reader myself, which is why I never lend good books. I can have a sudden impluse to re-read a book i read years before, just to enjoy the perfect feeling I had when I first read it.
My comfort reads are the books of my youth — and modern books which capture the same feel. Juveniles or young adult novels. Not all of them end with HAE, but they’re linear in that the protagonist actively deals with a problem or a situation and at the end of the trial has some vision of where they are going from here.
These are my guilty pleasure, afternoon vacation books. Hatchet; Run Away to Freedom; The Skin I’m In; The Bronze Bow; Maniac McGee; Holding Wonder; Bridge to Terabithia; Have Space Suit, Will Travel …
That last is significant in that it is not only the first science fiction novel I ever read but also the book that inspired me to become a writer. At age ten.
I read — if not one of these titles — one of this type of book every month at least. North of fifty, they still keep my heart young with hope.
now that i’m stuck at school with limited time/access to a library, if i want romance i’m basically stuck reading the ones i brought with me, which are my faves…a few nora roberts, a few elizabeth lowells, Outlander (which i’m rereading right now)…i like it cuz i know what parts i didnt like and i can skip them, but at the same time i notice something new each time without fail. rereading is the way to go.