Aging and re-reading

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Spideyman

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Here's something to think about when you consider aging and re-reading:

Re-reading something after a number of years can be just as fresh as reading something new, as memory is a notorious trickster and it's entirely possible that you -- yourself -- may not be the same person you were (or thought you were) back when you first read it.

I should think that too many books and not enough time might be a pleasant "problem," but it's a funny thing, this business of time.

Our time is limited from the day we are born. Intellectually, we know this, but most of us don't really grasp it until we've already spent far too much of our time. I told a story in here a couple weeks ago about finding a library in a strange town where I was trapped for my summer vacation and how funny my family thought that was. Twelve years old, "wasting" his summer in the library.

Of course, what they didn't know was that I wasn't in the library at all.

I was in Middle Earth . . . or maybe I was on the HMS Bounty, or Pitcairn Island . . . who remembers?


The point is to go wherever you can as often as you can for as long as you can, and if the places you like to go are places you've been before . . . places you trust . . .

Well, what's wrong with that?

Your post was a pleasure to read and your thoughts spot on.
 

Aericanwizard

Well-Known Member
Jun 15, 2011
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Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Here's something to think about when you consider aging and re-reading:

Of course, what they didn't know was that I wasn't in the library at all.

I was in Middle Earth . . . or maybe I was on the HMS Bounty, or Pitcairn Island . . . who remembers?

The point is to go wherever you can as often as you can for as long as you can, and if the places you like to go are places you've been before . . . places you trust . . .

Well, what's wrong with that?

I have to agree about not being "trapped in the library"; I recently spent time jumping between the USS Enterprise to WWII era Spain.

Re-reading something after a number of years can be just as fresh as reading something new, as memory is a notorious trickster and it's entirely possible that you -- yourself -- may not be the same person you were (or thought you were) back when you first read it.

I have theories about the roles that novelty and nostalgia conflict when appraising the quality of any artistic work. On the one hand, when we experience something new, the "Oooh! Shiny!" effect can often confuse our sense of quality: this is why sometimes, works don't hold up on re-reading. On the other hand. many novels work on a deeper level, triggering an appreciation that goes beyond mere novelty, creating lasting feelings in the reader. These are the novels that need to be re-read; they only get better with age. People who argue "What's the point? You already know the ending!" miss the point of a good re-read: for me, at least, it isn't about discovery, but the joy of re-experiencing a favourite sequence of events and cast of characters (not to mention, if the author is worth his salt, there is a good bit of foreshadowing and dramatic irony that make re-reads a new journey of discovery...)

The third category of novels is a bit trickier, and encompasses those novels that we do not immediately appreciate, but which we grow to like on re-reading. I have a difficult relationship with these novels. I feel that they must have hit some chord. Why else would they be up for a re-read, if you truly disliked them? At the same time, I think these novels are the most sensitive to circumstance: the state of the life of the reader, the mood while reading, etc. There are a number of novels that I've struggled through the first time, only to pick up again and thoroughly love, all the while thinking "How dense was I last time? This is fantastic!". God, I love reading!
 

Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
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The third category of novels is a bit trickier, and encompasses those novels that we do not immediately appreciate, but which we grow to like on re-reading. I have a difficult relationship with these novels. I feel that they must have hit some chord. Why else would they be up for a re-read, if you truly disliked them? At the same time, I think these novels are the most sensitive to circumstance: the state of the life of the reader, the mood while reading, etc. There are a number of novels that I've struggled through the first time, only to pick up again and thoroughly love, all the while thinking "How dense was I last time? This is fantastic!". God, I love reading!

The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon is such a novel for me.

It was not a story I felt much about one way or the other when I first read it. It was enjoyable but it did not really speak to me in any specific way, and it went where things I don't think about much go until I decide to start thinking about them again.

Or somebody else decides.

Without going into much detail, a few years back I lost a very dear friend of mine -- dearer than a friend, really -- to one of those problems where the person who has the problem keeps insisting (and believing) that there is no problem.

Understand?

Now, everybody reacts differently when they get a big whole in their life. Me? I have a tendency to isolate and dwell. It's counterproductive, I know, but go tell a giraffe not to eat the high leaves. In any case, in my solitude I turned to my library and The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon virtually jumped into my hand and I read it in one sitting and it spoke to me in so many ways that it hadn't the first time.

I wouldn't say that it was a pleasant experience, but it was instructive and this may not be true, but at the time I believed that it helped me to grasp some things about "alone" (and about girls) that I hadn't had any real grasp of before (although I thought I had).

When I read it the first time, it was just the latest Stephen King. It could have been his laundry list for all I knew.

When I read it again I was engaged. I went into it. I wanted something.

And I got it.

Stories are alive, I guess. The best ones, anyway.
 

chief4db

When it doubt, run!
Feb 11, 2015
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I here ya. I didn't start reading king till I was 40 .I have already read 28 books of his and just started IT. Re reads r awesome especially when it comes to his longer books and the novels with a lot of characters. The 2nd time thru u pick up on a lot of things u missed first time around. I have read the 1st 2 books in the dark tower series. I have heard that re reading these is awesome. He leaves so many crumbs that u wouldn't have even noticed it first time around. Just brilliant. Don't know how he does it. As time goes by and long after we're all gone I believe he is going to be recognized as one of the best writers of our time. Busting thru as much more than a horror genre writer. That too ofcourse.
 

chief4db

When it doubt, run!
Feb 11, 2015
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I have to admit I don't like The Shining. It didn't grab me and I had to force myself to finish the book. I will never re-read it.
I kind of agree. I can't say I disliked it but I was disappointed with it. Now doctor sleep I absolutely loved. People think there is something wrong with me. How can I love the sequel and not that into the 1st one. Answer is I don't know. But to me that book was incredible. I can't say enough about it. In the 28 books of his I have read I have it ranked 3rd and it's making a case for number 2 as time goes on. Maybe when I re read it it will. Number 1 is the stand and that isn't going anywhere. It's like Muhammad Ali is the greatest and then you can start the discussion of whose 2 thru 10.
 

muskrat

Dis-Member
Nov 8, 2010
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So this thread is basically about death, eh? How the 'grim librarian' awaits, ready to confiscate ALL our books, the re-reads and UN-reads alike. I'm starting to understand.

Yet, certain books I'm simply compelled to re-read, and will do so until my mortal 'library card' expires. With King it's usually those big old bricks. You never catch it all that first time. Books like that you can read over and over and still find little nuggets of cool you didn't catch before.

And some books are like my favorite songs. I know them in and out, but I still like the music.

Ah, but Father Time and his old drinking buddy Death are lurking around the corner, over by that stack of unread books.
 

Maskins

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Jun 16, 2015
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I find that when I was younger I could remember plot details more but as I've got older and read more, I forget more which makes rereading great books a delight. It's like I remember all the plot beats but the character details and embellishment give me a 'oh yeah' moment.

I tend to reread books that I love and that will include most of Mr. King's novels. I am currently rereading the Harry Potter books because it must be at least five years since I last did and has nothing to do with me wanting to be a wizard.
 

Sliced Bread

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Jan 6, 2011
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I've still got a lot of blanks to fill in with unread works but there are a few I'm itching to re-read. When I first discovered SK I read Christine, Misery and Pet Semetary over and over again. I haven't read any of them in at least 15 years and would love to revisit them. Ditto Needful Things which I loved dearly and read many times but also haven't read in about 15 years. I've only read The Stand once and that must have been 20 years ago and Desperation is another that I've only gone through once and can't really remember. Those are definitely due a revisit. So many books to read, so little time, stupid job making me turn up to the office for 40 precious hours every week. Do you know how much more reading I could do in that forty hours??!!
 

rudiroo

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May 20, 2008
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My excuse for re-reading (or re-re-reading) is that each time you read a book, you're reading it for the first time.

Stick with me on this one - you may not be in the same place, or the same age, or the same state of health, or different life events might have changed you.

I'm not going all Stephen Hawking on you (promise), but in all kinds of subtle,quantum ways, none of us are the same people we were yesterday.

And we'll be a little bit different tomorrow.

The only thing that remains the same are the words. Yay!:okay:
 

Kurben

The Fool on the Hill
Apr 12, 2014
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My excuse for re-reading (or re-re-reading) is that each time you read a book, you're reading it for the first time.

Stick with me on this one - you may not be in the same place, or the same age, or the same state of health, or different life events might have changed you.

I'm not going all Stephen Hawking on you (promise), but in all kinds of subtle,quantum ways, none of us are the same people we were yesterday.

And we'll be a little bit different tomorrow.

The only thing that remains the same are the words. Yay!:okay:
I understand perfectly, and agree, with what you say. It is a variation of what the ancient greek philosopher Heraclitus said about 400 bc. "you cant bath in the same river twice". His meaning was that it would be a different meeting since the water would be different the next time. The original water would have flowed down to the ocean then. It is the same with a book. The book, its words, may be the same but you, the reader, have changed. Every person changes with experiences that he or she gains through the years. In that way it is a new meeting between the book and the reader each time he reread it.
 

doowopgirl

very avid fan
Aug 7, 2009
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I understand perfectly, and agree, with what you say. It is a variation of what the ancient greek philosopher Heraclitus said about 400 bc. "you cant bath in the same river twice". His meaning was that it would be a different meeting since the water would be different the next time. The original water would have flowed down to the ocean then. It is the same with a book. The book, its words, may be the same but you, the reader, have changed. Every person changes with experiences that he or she gains through the years. In that way it is a new meeting between the book and the reader each time he reread it.
That is SO true. Many times I've re read a book only to get a different feel or pick up on something I didn't notice before. Or sometimes I just get it.
 

Doc Creed

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Nov 18, 2015
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....not to sound like a curmudgeon, but King never re-wrote The Stand...he simply cleaned up and re-inserted material he'd already written and was edited out of the original edition, nor did HE do the change of the ending in The Mist-he just approved of it...
You read my mind, GNTLGNT.
 
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Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
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I like re-reading books. Especially ones from when I was younger. I like to see how I have evolved.

This is it, in a nutshell. It's true enough that we might miss some of what is presented -- what muskrat called "nuggets of cool" -- no matter how diligent we believe we may been on your first go-round. But for me it's almost always instructive to see if I can decipher who I am now that I wasn't before . . . and perhaps why.
 

Takoren

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Nov 25, 2015
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I haven't read this entire thread but I relate to it. I used to love re-reading but it's true, as I've gotten older and my reading list has grown huge, the idea of re-reading holds less appeal. I'm not even all that old, but with a wife and kids, reading time at home happens fairly infrequently so I have a hard time convincing myself it's worth it re-reading something I've already read. This can sometimes be true even if I don't remember much of the book in question.

But, lately I've begun a read-all-King-in-order project, and that means reading everything, even if I've already read it. So far I've re-read Carrie, 'Salem's Lot, The Shining and a few short stories from Night Shift, which I had started reading once, long time back. Right now I'm in the middle of The Stand. This will be my third time with this one, and my second reading the unabridged version.

Before this is over, I'll have re-read The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger, Christine, Pet Sematary, Cycle of the Werewolf, The Talisman, It, The Eyes of the Dragon, The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three, The Tommyknockers (which I only got about a third of the way through the first time), The Dark Half, The Dark Tower III: The Waste Lands, Needful Things (which I only got about halfway through the first time), Insomnia, The Green Mile, Desperation, The Regulators, The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass, Bag of Bones, Hearts in Atlantis, Dreamcatcher, Black House, The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla, The Dark Tower VI: Song of Susannah and The Dark Tower VII: The Dark Tower.

I just realized that I just listed every Stephen King book I've read except for Rage, which I just read for the first time recently. Personally, I can't wait to get to the stuff I haven't read yet.
 
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Pucker

We all have it coming, kid
May 9, 2010
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Here's a funny thing that happened:

I'm not sure how to define "old" anymore. When I was younger, I thought the age I am now was "old." Now that I'm the age I am now, I hope to get much, much older. This is the benefit of aging slowly. We get to "move the goalposts" as we go.

Anyway ... I'm not sure this counts as a "senior moment," but it was a scary thing that turned out to be funny.

I was reading a John Connolly recently and I came upon a scene I recognized. It was a very striking scene about a guy who gets caught staring at a teenage girl's rear end in church (by her father). It's the kind of scene you don't forget, and it struck me oddly, because I thought I was certain I had not read this particular title before. This was very near the beginning of the book and I was ready to assume that I had read it before and merely forgotten the title in my encroaching senility (or do we not say that anymore?).

Long story short(er): I kept reading and didn't recognize anything else that was happening, so I concluded that the scene had been juxtaposed almost verbatim from another title (this was part of a detective series), which, indeed, turned out to be the case. So it all turned out all right for me, but I was concerned for a minute there. I don't remember now where I first heard the expression "It's way too early to be this late," but that's how I felt when I got confused about that little interlude in the church.

Funny old world.
 

Takoren

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Nov 25, 2015
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Here's a funny thing that happened:

I'm not sure how to define "old" anymore. When I was younger, I thought the age I am now was "old." Now that I'm the age I am now, I hope to get much, much older. This is the benefit of aging slowly. We get to "move the goalposts" as we go.
Almost the opposite is true of me. When I was a teenager I couldn't wait to be in the age range I'm in now, because then I would be a "real" adult, yet still young. When I realize how long ago that was, that in fact, almost 20 years have passed since I graduated high school, I feel so damn old. It's probably because I thought I would have accomplished more by now.

I want to be a novelist. Saying that at age 19 sounded good. Now it sounds pathetic to my ears. I think to myself "You're closing in on 40 and you're not a novelist YET??"
 
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Holly1234

Member
Jan 16, 2016
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I am 45. I started reading SK books as a pre teen. I continued to read his books all through a 30 year addiction to drugs and numerous trips to jail. His books saved my sanity during the boredom of incarnation. I am forever grateful... But I find now that even though I have read most of them I can't recall a lot about them. So I have decided to start over. I'm pretty excited about it. It will be like visiting old friends who helped to save my life.
 

staropeace

Richard Bachman's love child
Nov 28, 2006
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Reading Salem's Lot when younger, I thought Susan's mother was a big bi*ch. Re-reading it now, I think she was a caring parent....sighs*
 

Checkman

Getting older and balder
May 9, 2007
902
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I'm forty-seven. I began reading King approximately thirty-three years ago. I have found it interesting to see how my reactions to his stories have changed over the decades. For example I no longer find the idea of being one of the survivors in "The Stand" to be attractive. I was seventeen when I first read it. Single and very self-centered. My wife and I have been married for twenty-five years and we have two grown kids. I wouldn't like seeing them die while I stayed healthy. Not at all.
 
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