Lois’s answer to “In one of your replies to another question, you mention Clee and his brother slipping Penric a seda…” > Likes and Comments
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This is such an easy question that I could answer it from memory. However, admittedly I’ve been rereading these stories at frequent intervals, which refreshes my poor memory. Oddly enough, some people don’t reread fiction (!), which must make details hard to remember.
Yeah, those people are weird! Any good book deserves to be rearead!
If a book isn't worth reading twice (or more) than it probably isn't worth reading once. Unless for a class or required for work or some such.
Some people don't like to re-read for fear of the suck fairy. Some people just want to always read something new. And some people barely have the time to read at all. :')
Ian: I think people who barely have the time to read at all are unlikely to be hanging out on Goodreads. It’s true that some people have an overpowering urge to read something new, although I find this hard to understand. Do they also never play a record more than once, and never want to meet a person more than once?
I had never heard of the Suck Fairy before, but I’ve found a description on the Web. She has visited some of my old books, but fortunately there are quite a few that she doesn’t get into.
I find that good books often improve on rereading. I can’t fully appreciate their good qualities on a first read-through, especially as I’m a fast reader.
Some books almost require a second read to appreciate them fully. Still, there are many more good books out there than I could possibly read in my lifetime, so rereading a book means that another book will remain unread.
Ruth: Given an almost infinite number of books, your comment may be correct. The problem is in finding these good books. Most of the books out there are mediocre, and most of the books I find when I go looking are mediocre. I would rather reread a familiar book that I know to be good than read another unfamiliar mediocre book. I refer you to Sturgeon’s Law.
Speaking for myself, these days I have rather narrow tastes in fiction, and even a good book does me no good if it’s not the kind that I like to read. This makes the situation even worse than it was already.
@Jonathan: People don't always start with little time to read, but changes in life may reduce their free time so that the interest in literature remains, but the amount of things they can read per year is smaller. You also have to take into account reading speed: in a good period I can read an average novel per week, but I have a friend who can read the same book in a *day*.
Ian: That’s a fair point. When I was younger, I could and sometimes did read several novels in a day, but that was pre-Internet. These days my computer takes up more of my time, so I usually read in smaller chunks, and typically take two or three days to get through a novel. Perhaps longer if the novel doesn’t grab me or is unusually long.
Jonathan: it really does depend on the breadth of one's interests. Mine seemed to have broadened as I've grown older, but growing older also means I have fewer reading days ahead of me. Maybe someday, when I retire (still quite a few years away)...
C. S. Lewis, in his book "An Experiment in Criticism" suggests rating readers and calling a book 'good' only if it attracts and is loved by 'good readers'. One mark of a 'good reader' being that they love rereading books that they love.
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Jonathan
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Aug 28, 2023 04:22AM
This is such an easy question that I could answer it from memory. However, admittedly I’ve been rereading these stories at frequent intervals, which refreshes my poor memory. Oddly enough, some people don’t reread fiction (!), which must make details hard to remember.
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Yeah, those people are weird! Any good book deserves to be rearead!
If a book isn't worth reading twice (or more) than it probably isn't worth reading once. Unless for a class or required for work or some such.
Some people don't like to re-read for fear of the suck fairy. Some people just want to always read something new. And some people barely have the time to read at all. :')
Ian: I think people who barely have the time to read at all are unlikely to be hanging out on Goodreads. It’s true that some people have an overpowering urge to read something new, although I find this hard to understand. Do they also never play a record more than once, and never want to meet a person more than once?I had never heard of the Suck Fairy before, but I’ve found a description on the Web. She has visited some of my old books, but fortunately there are quite a few that she doesn’t get into.
I find that good books often improve on rereading. I can’t fully appreciate their good qualities on a first read-through, especially as I’m a fast reader.
Some books almost require a second read to appreciate them fully. Still, there are many more good books out there than I could possibly read in my lifetime, so rereading a book means that another book will remain unread.
Ruth: Given an almost infinite number of books, your comment may be correct. The problem is in finding these good books. Most of the books out there are mediocre, and most of the books I find when I go looking are mediocre. I would rather reread a familiar book that I know to be good than read another unfamiliar mediocre book. I refer you to Sturgeon’s Law.Speaking for myself, these days I have rather narrow tastes in fiction, and even a good book does me no good if it’s not the kind that I like to read. This makes the situation even worse than it was already.
@Jonathan: People don't always start with little time to read, but changes in life may reduce their free time so that the interest in literature remains, but the amount of things they can read per year is smaller. You also have to take into account reading speed: in a good period I can read an average novel per week, but I have a friend who can read the same book in a *day*.
Ian: That’s a fair point. When I was younger, I could and sometimes did read several novels in a day, but that was pre-Internet. These days my computer takes up more of my time, so I usually read in smaller chunks, and typically take two or three days to get through a novel. Perhaps longer if the novel doesn’t grab me or is unusually long.
Jonathan: it really does depend on the breadth of one's interests. Mine seemed to have broadened as I've grown older, but growing older also means I have fewer reading days ahead of me. Maybe someday, when I retire (still quite a few years away)...
C. S. Lewis, in his book "An Experiment in Criticism" suggests rating readers and calling a book 'good' only if it attracts and is loved by 'good readers'. One mark of a 'good reader' being that they love rereading books that they love.
