The Pain of the Reread

I reread books. A lot. In fact, I'd estimate that I spend more time rereading books I've already read than I do reading new books. I think if I were diagnosed, this is some form of OCD or something. When I get attached to a good story, I will read it again and again until I get bored with it. It doesn't matter if it's a book, a fanfiction story, or a movie.

It doesn't seem to matter that I know the story by heart. In fact, that often makes it better. If the story really hits, and there are parts that I really like, then I reread it with giddy anticipation of getting to that favorite part.

For example, I'm rereading Ready Player One, despite having just read it a couple of months ago. I even reviewed it for this blog. I loved it then, and the more I reread it, the better it is. I love this book, and I doubt that it's the last time I reread it. Hell, I'll probably reread it again this year.

The Problem

I have a reading goal this year of 100 books. I knew going in that I was going to have to include rereads in that number. There's no way I would make it if I didn't do so. It might be cheating a bit, but reading is reading.

The problem is that I'm way behind and even with my rereads, I'm going to fall way short. Not a big deal, but my seeming obsession with books I've already read has dulled my enjoyment of new books. I've read a few new novels in the last couple of months, but nowhere near the number I had planned to do. Instead, I spent my time rereading books and fanfic that I've read many times before.

Really, the problem is time. I spend so much time rereading that there isn't enough time to read anything new.

The Solution

I'm not giving up on rereading. I like it too much. It brings me joy, and I need to that in my life. Instead, what I plan to do is start reading two things at once. One reread and something else that is new to me.

I've never been great at reading multiple things at a time. I often get sucked into one and ignore the other. This time, I'm going to try to be more disciplined about it and keep track of what I read. That way, I hope, I can hold myself accountable during next month's recap.

So, with my reread of Ready Player One already under way, I will read a book called Power and Thrones by Dan Jones. I've been neglecting my non-fiction, so my favorite Historian will get me back into it. It's also a book I've wanted to read for a long time, so it's time. With this new process, hopefully, new stuff will be worked into my reading diet, and I'll still be able to get my rereads in.

We'll see how it goes.

This is day nine of 30 in 30, my attempt to blog every day for 30 days.