Re-reading old books vs. reading a new book

[Gusington]

Movies I go back to a lot more often.

[TacticalWargames]

I can re read a book but very rarely watch a film a second time.

[BanzaiCat]

I've been re-reading Red Storm Rising for the umpteenth time. Going to re-read Generation Kill after picking it up this week at Half-Price Books. Would go back and read the entire "Lost Regiment" series in a heartbeat. Anything I've loved to read I will gladly go back and read again. Sort of like movies I love.

New books take me a while to get started and they absolutely have to grab me within the first few pages or I give up on them. I've read some real crapola in the last 10 years, so much so that I started writing my own novels. I figure if there's trash out there THAT bad, surely I could write something better.

Admittedly that kind of logic hits mostly when I'm in the better part of three pitchers of beer on Karaoke night and I think I can sing...

[Mr. Bigglesworth]

I replay warhammer DoW missions, used to replay Starcraft missions.

[Toonces]

Heh.  Last night Scarface was on AMC and I ended up watching it, even though I've seen it probably 100 times and I have it on DVD.  My wife started watching it with me for some strange reason.  At the end she goes, "That was so stupid- that was a really dumb movie."  I was dumbfounded- I've always thought it was a great movie.  But anyway, it's one of those movies that I can watch once or twice a year and not even think twice about.  I just enjoy the story even knowing how it ends.

Books are the same way.  I've re-read Marshall and Tully's Shattered Sword at least 4 times now.  There aren't any surprises, but the way the story is told is always so compelling that I enjoy the book anew each time.

[MikeGER]

I never reread a finished novel.  Only when i stopped in the beginning, got distracted by RL,  and later took a second turn on that book weeks/month later then i do a fresh restart when its only a chapter or two.
generally, when i re-read a passage in the moment i read the page i remember what happend next and that is so boring that i prefer to use the precious time to read a new book probably from the same author/series/universe instead

[airboy]

I read voraciously both for my work and for pleasure.  I own thousands of books - now mostly in hardback.

I reread a lot of things I like - and discard the rest.

A big problem I've had is allergies - I'm allergic to deteriorating paper.  I've bought some books 3 times in paperback.  I have books that I reread because they are absolute favorites - even though they would make me sick.

Kindle has been awesome.  When I have to replace a book due to age - the wife insists I get it on Kindle.  When I get something I am unsure I'll want to reread - I get it on kindle.  My total space allocated to books in the household has actually shrunk slightly over the last 5 years.  My new books are almost all hardback - and I'm pretty choosey about purchasing those.  Kindle books I buy with wild abandon.

I suffer from insomnia - and rereading a book gets my mind off whatever is worrying me.  A new interesting book can keep me up all night.  So I reread at least 1-2 books every week.