So I get asked a lot about why I like to reread books. If you’ve read them before, don’t you know the ending and what’s going to happen? What’s the point?

I can understand why a lot of people don’t like to reread books, but let me tell you why I LOVE rereading books.

…I can revisit some of my favourite characters. Some books that I’ve read have the most fascinating, interesting characters I’ve ever encountered, so real and twisted that it would be a shame to read about them only once and to never revisit them! Some examples include Adair from The Taker series, Lizzie from Pride and Prejudice, Snape from Harry Potter, and so many more. It sounds kind of cheesy, but I’ve grown up with some of these characters, and some of them, like Harry, Ron, and Hermione, seem like friends. Picking up one of my old, favourite already-read books is like sitting down for a nice chat with some old friends.

…some of my favourite memories are with these books. So I’m sure you’ve all had that feeling of listening to a song or a lyric and immediately being transported to a certain moment or place, right? That’s how some of my favourite books are too! Picking up an old favourite brings back memories and emotions of the past. I read a lot of Sarah Dessen’s books in first year university, so rereading them now reminds me of that nervous, lonely feeling. Rereading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire brings me back to my two week vacation in Pakistan during grade 6, swatting away mosquitoes and sweltering in the heat as I turned the pages. Sometimes whole books remind me of the past, other times certain scenes or lines bring me back. It’s an amazing feeling!

…rediscovering new information. Series are especially rewarding in this manner, since authors have often buried little tidbits of information in earlier books that hint at things to come in later books. So when I go back to reread a series, I’m delighted to discover some of these little nuggets of information which only appear later in the books. When reading the book for the first time, these little nuggets escaped my notice, so that they are only discovered when I go back at a later time. The best example is Harry Potter for me, since every rereading has me discovering something new.

…reliving the excitement. This is kind of obvious, but some books are just so good that they beg rereading. The excitement, the adventures, the emotions run so high throughout the book that I’m dying to get back into it to do it all over it again. It’s kind of like riding a roller coaster; you know where the dips and turns are, but riding it again doesn’t diminish the excitement you feel when you do it all over again. The Hunger Games was such an exciting read, set in such a scary, chaotic world, that I long to return to it every few months and go through the whole experience of the Games again.

…if I loved it once, I’ll love it again. I’m a very picky person, and an even picker reader. I tend to read the same types of books (like I buy the same kind of clothes, but this is a story for another day), so when I can’t find something that interests me, I return to books I’ve read and loved. I actually find a lot more books that interest me now, thanks to Goodreads, but because I choose borrowing my books more often than buying them, I return to old favourites while I wait for my holds to come in. Sarah Dessen’s and Sophie Kinsella’s books are ones that I’ll pick a lot, especially in between library lulls.

…refreshing my memory. Even though I remember the general plot of a book after finishing, I sometimes forget the finer points. So I find that rereading some books that I enjoyed, especially before a sequel or new book in the series is released, is quite helpful. Some series have long gaps in between books, and let’s face it, I’m a forgetful person anyways, so I find rereads helpful in reminding me about some scenes or characters I might have forgotten about. Books I need to reread before reading the next in the series include Shadow and Bone (sequel’s coming out soon!) and Clockwork Prince (Clockwork Princess is already out!) since I forgot what happened.

Some of you might still think I’m crazy for rereading books, but hopefully this list will help you understand why. Do you like to reread books? If yes, which ones, and if no, why?

Thanks for reading,

Ikhlas