Most of us don’t read enough. And those who do, often fall into a numbers game: how many books can I finish this year?
In this mindset, re-reading an already finished book feels almost wasteful.
Two thoughts on this.
First, some stories are so elegantly simple that they invite re-reading and creative interpretation. Take Philip K. Dick’s The Adjustment Bureau or W. W. Jacobs’ The Monkey’s Paw. These aren’t complex narratives with elaborate world-building. They’re built on fundamental ideas, executed beautifully. There’s something powerful about that simplicity.
Second, is what British author Frances Osborne put so well: “A few books, well studied, and thoroughly digested, nourish the understanding more than hundreds but gargled in the mouth, as ordinary students use.”
Re-reading isn’t about lack of progress. It’s about depth over breadth. About letting ideas settle and compound rather than just passing through your mind. Sometimes, reading fewer books better serves you more than racing through many.
A year or two ago, I started maintaining a list of books I must revisit. And I try to get back to a few.
Same with movies! And I realise how much of the details I missed the previous time (s).
Do you relate to the ‘maximise the number of books I read’, or do you have the ability to regularly revisit books already read?