I wrote a brief post about rereading back in 2017, after reading an article that was rather disparaging about people who reread books. This time the article that popped into my stream was about how rereading a book is a powerful thing (my side of the fence!).
The article talked about the psychology of why we are drawn to books we’ve read before. After all, when you know the ending, why go back? The article touched on the same thing I wrote back in 2017 as the reason I love to reread: To slip into a worn favourite is like pulling on your old slippers. Cosy, warm and comfortable.
The seven reasons given in the article are:
- Familiarity creates emotional comfort
- Your perspective changes over time
- Deeper understanding with each read
- Nostalgia and emotional memory
- Seeking clarity in different phases of life
- Reinforcing identity and beliefs
- The joy of slow reading in a fast world
(From: The psychology behind why we re-read certain books)
I am a very big rereader. I am always revisiting books I have read before, some of them more times than I could possibly count. I look at all the books I own that I pick up again and again and it is far too long to post here. They span all genres (except horror *shudder*) and include both series and single title. In fact, I have so many books I reread I’m not sure how I have time for new titles!
Do you reread books? If so, why do you love to reread?
July 21, 2026 at 9:28 am
I mean, we rewatch movies we’ve seen before. What’s the difference with books?
You get different things from books on a reread. Some books don’t age that well. Sometimes we mature and see different things that we didn’t see before. And then there’s the comfort level of knowing the story already. (This helps my neurospicy brain when I want to read something but can’t deal with something new.)
July 22, 2026 at 8:12 pm
I agree. I hadn’t thought about movies, but people regularly rewatch, yet there seems to be resistance for rereading books. And everything you say as the reason to reread is spot on. I think for me, the one that stands out is the comfort of knowing the story already. I definitely reach for a beloved book when the day-to-day is draining.
As an aside, I nailed the pink survey 20/20 and I love the way your “eyes” are coming along.