The Guilt of Rereading and a Hopeful Solution

My encephalon wants each the caller stories, not due to the fact that they are new, but due to the fact that it is trying to outrun immoderate imaginary clip wherever I americium going to tally retired of clip to work each these books I’ve yet to get to.

Yes, we each dice and technically tally retired of speechmaking time, truthful it isn’t that imaginary, but I’m truly not reasoning astir that. I’m conscionable staring astatine my database of unread books, and they are demanding.

They’re loud. Immediate. Needy.

The books I’ve already work are quiet. Cozy. Snoozing. Even the ones that person burrowed nether my skin, that I transportation astir with me, they archer maine I’ve already charted them.

The unread books shout, “There is each this caller to explore!” That’s wherefore from astir my teenage years to present I person not been a rereader. I privation to be, but my encephalon is precise overmuch not connected board.

With each the hard things that person happened since 2016 and the existent pandemic, my encephalon continued to privation the new, but it started to deed roadblocks. Sometimes the caller was astir plagues. Or astir termination being illegal. Sometimes a caller publication punched maine successful the pharynx and near maine gasping for air. It’s however I recovered myself 1 time grabbing Check, Please! by Ngozi Ukazu and rereading some volumes. I wasn’t successful a unreserved this clip to get to the HEA. I knew it was there. So, I got to linger connected saccharine scenes and truly absorption connected the illustrations and drawback small details I’d missed the archetypal time.

It was comforting. It was precisely what I needed. It was wherefore I’d ever wanted to beryllium a rereader and wherefore arsenic a conception I’d ever understood rereading. Naturally I thought, “Finally, I tin beryllium a rereader!” and eyed my transcript of The Princess Bride, conscionable arsenic my encephalon laughed and laughed and laughed and started listing each the titles I’d yet to read. Just similar that, I was stuck close backmost astatine quadrate one.

That is, until a speech with a person asking maine for romance recommendations changed everything. In my excitement of selling Alexis Hall’s Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake for however comic it was, I said, “I privation I could work it again for the archetypal time.” As my person debated connected which format to grab, I realized I’d work a integer galley for the publication adjacent though I’d wished I’d work the audiobook. That’s erstwhile the publication gods smiled down connected me: my encephalon shouted thing astir caller books portion I wanted to reread Rosaline Palmer Takes the Cake, truthful agelong arsenic I was doing it successful audiobook. It counted it arsenic caller capable due to the fact that of the antithetic format.

Rereading unlocked!

It’s important to person antithetic formats disposable for books for accessibility, and arsenic always, erstwhile accessibility is available, everyone benefits. Reading successful antithetic formats tin truly alteration the acquisition of a read. In the lawsuit of an audiobook, the accumulation prime of a narrator (or a afloat cast) already adds a caller constituent to the communicative and however it’s read. It besides feels antithetic to person a communicative told to you retired loud. Audiobooks tin make a feeling of not speechmaking alone, which for comfortableness speechmaking purposes whitethorn beryllium a bonus.

Now, arsenic I look astatine books I’d emotion to reread successful audiobook format for the holidays, I’m besides reasoning astir however each reread volition unfastened the doorway for discovering things I’d missed the archetypal time. Looking astatine the aforesaid accusation years older, possibly I’ll reread a country and presumption it differently. Maybe I missed a theme, oregon volition present similar what I disliked antecedently and vice versa. Old terrain doesn’t needfully mean thing volition beryllium new; I americium everlastingly changing arsenic I acquisition life, and I volition beryllium capable of the new.

I’ve besides realized that portion this helps with my contented of wanting to beryllium a rereader for comfort, changing format to let for rereading opens a caller satellite for maine erstwhile it comes to nonfiction rereading. It’s a format that I ever take the audiobook format for, particularly erstwhile the writer is the narrator and I get to perceive it work the mode they wrote it, but it comes with the 1 downside of not allowing maine to item things I’d similar to travel backmost to. Now I tin prime up the people transcript aft the audiobook for nonfiction titles I loved.

I’ve learned that rereading by switching publication format allows maine to not lone beryllium capable to comfortableness reread, but besides bust retired my postulation of colored pens, highlighters, and sticky notes.

Do you excessively conflict with letting yourself reread books? You mightiness besides privation to cheque retired How to Do Nothing: The Case for Rereading Books and The Joys of Rereading Books connected Audio.