Rereading is so therapeutic

The number of books I want to read is staggering. My physical TBR grows by the day. However, there’s something so so therapeutic about rereading a book I loved (or even just the scenes I loved).

Sometimes I read the whole thing over again, sometimes I just skip around to the scenes that are stuck in my head. There is a comfort in knowing exactly how things go, exactly how they end, and exactly where things pick up and slow down. I’ve reread a number of books this year. Not all of them were “5 star” books for me, but had scenes that were so meaningful to me that I just couldn’t help it.

So why reread them if they weren’t 5 stars in my mind? Because there is still value in them if even one scene stayed in my head long enough that I replayed it. Sometimes I don’t want to get invested in new characters and worlds. Sometimes, I just want to read exciting moments while knowing exactly how it plays out afterward. There is no accountability to keep reading that book. I can put it down any time and not feel like I was missing out because I already know how it ends. Often, that makes me more excited to read it.

I’m not a person that cares about spoilers. For me, I find that my excitement grows when I know a few snippets about what happens. Like my storytelling brain can’t wait to see the events that led to that moment. How did they figure out that they needed to do that one thing to defeat the big bad? How will they survive that one scene I keep seeing clips of online? When do those iconic lines happen and what is the context?

This may be quite obvious, but I am very influenced by social media for what I add to my TBR. But there’s a specific reason for this. Bookstagrams and booktoks are SO GOOD at giving you just enough to get you interested. I’ve started reading more books because I saw one quote on social media than I’d care to admit. A lot of them, I don’t end up finishing because I just don’t like them or their not my cup of tea, but I still picked it up. The aesthetic posts, the quotes, and the tropes are what get me.

So, I’ll keep rereading books when the scenes get stuck in my brain. Even if the writing didn’t blow me away or I didn’t like the ending. I’ll still reread it simply for that feeling I got when I read it. I’m always chasing those feelings and I think that’s what makes reading and writing so fun. I get to live all of those lives as many times as I want.

Happy Reading!

Rachel