Read, Read, and Read Again

After reading a post on the RiverRun Bookstore blog entitled “A Big Muggle Hug For HP7,” I was struck by something. Here is a man who has a huge list of books to read so he believes rereading can actually be a waste of time. Amazing! Yes, there are many books out there that invite reading, but is it any reason to ignore the old friends on your shelves?

I have a rather large collection of books. It’s gotten to the point where my family has told me that I should not buy books if I don’t have room for them. Well, I don’t have room, but I still buy books. However, I have curbed my book buying to only the essentials, meaning the books I know I will read more than once. So, it makes me a little disenheartend to read that rereading is a waste of time.

The author says he has forgotten how good it’s been to reread a favorite. Well, isn’t that why it’s a favorite? A book that’s seen you through hard times, good times, that is battered and dog-eared, that still surprises you at times. Truthfully, the books on my list to read have ended up disappointing me more often than not, so I have been spending my time rereading. Mainly, I have been rereading Austen. Who doesn’t like her work? I finally managed to acquire all of her finished novels, so I decided to read (and reread) the books. They only get better upon further acquaintance.

So what to do? I say don’t neglect your favorites on the shelf, floor, box (any available surface really) in favor of new books. That is not to say to ignore new books, but try to spend some quality time with the oldies as well as the newbies, otherwise, why buy the books if you have no intention of reading them again?