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How arrogant would you have to be to think you’ve gained everything from a book on your first reading?
A wildly intelligent friend once said this to me and it struck home. A seemingly obvious point I’d ignored for years changed my approach to reading in a way that has considerably improved my life. If you already reread books regularly, feel free to skip this. If you’re like the old me who thought “Why would I reread a book when there are so many amazing books I haven’t yet read” then read on.
I read for enjoyment and to learn things, often both at the same time. What follows assumes you do the same.
We can all agree that reading is one of the best ways to learn anything, whether it’s clearly a lesson from a textbook, or we’re learning to empathise with a character in a novel.
To learn something from a book we don’t need to realise we are learning anything. We also know that to thoroughly learn a concept we should repeatedly reinforce it so our brain strengthens those neural pathways.
The more we learn about mathematical thinking, the more our brain views the world through the lens of mathematics. Repetition shapes thinking. The books we revisit shape the lens through which we see the world. You read a book that you learned an important lesson from, why would you not return to it 6 months or a year later and repeat that lesson to strengthen its hold? Read a book, learn something important, reinforce it later and internalise the lesson more thoroughly.
Why shouldn’t I read another book on the same subject? You absolutely should, and it will broaden your knowledge of a subject, but it won’t reinforce quite the same lesson as before.
Many subjects have seminal books and the others are merely a watered down or derivative version of the main text. If you learned well from the main text then stick to the main text. If not then another book on the same subject will be worded in a way that resonates with you. Stick with that book then and reread it when you want to reinforce the lesson.
Great writers have thought long and hard about every word, phrase and sentence they include in a book. Their work is then scrutinised by an editor or team of editors so that the final manuscript is a polished gem. If you’re reading a book with the same care and attention to detail as those involved in the creation of it then hats off to you, but I bet you don’t always. How then do you expect to have learned everything there is to be learned from a book in your first reading?
One of my favourite authors is Terry Pratchett. His social commentary and humour ignite something in me. It’s a cliché amongst his fans to discover new puns and parallels with life on their 2nd or 3rd reading. By no means is this unique to his writing. There are so many incredible writers out there who have lessons to teach you.
Inevitably your first reading of a book can’t give you 100% of the benefit you could gain from that book. Some books give up all their lessons easily. Others you have to work harder for. The greatest books have so much depth below the surface that we can benefit from rereading them again and again and again. Perhaps you were distracted for a few pages when you first read your favourite book and you didn’t fully comprehend an important lesson. And you’ll have changed over the intervening timeframe enough that you could read that same book with a new lens and learn entirely different lessons (I’m looking at you history).
Rereading a book can give you an insight into how you’ve changed since you last read it. The new conclusions you draw hold up a mirror to how you’ve developed over time. You’ll empathise with different characters and learn more about yourself for doing so.
Sometimes all I want to do is curl up with a cup of coffee, a blanket, and a well thumbed comfort book. Rereading doesn’t have to be about internalising important lessons or learning new ones. It can be a pleasure simply to be transported back into a universe you know and love and exist there for a little bit away from normal life. In this case why explore new worlds when familiar ones still offer comfort? It’s ok to reread a book because it’s comfortable, life isn’t about seeking constant novelty.
There’s a pressure to keep up with what’s hot in literature and be part of the conversation. But it’s ok to revisit old favourites instead and enjoy the feelings they continue to evoke. Put the kettle on and settle in.
Pick up a favourite book today. Read it again and see what you missed the first time around. Happy rereading!