To Reread or Not to Reread: A Husband and Wife Debate
Written by Scott and Heidi Blanke
Oh boy do we have something fun for you today… a first on our MVWG! Grab your favorite liquid fuel and settle in for a real treat today as we gleefully present: To Reread or Not to Reread: A Husband and Wife Debate.
His side:
Do I ever reread a novel or short story. Hell Yes!
Before Covid, my wife and I would go to a restaurant once or twice a week. If we went to our favorite Indian restaurant, I would carefully peruse the entire menu and then order the exact same item, scallop saag, time after time. My rereading a novel is similar to that phenomenon. Even though there are dozens of other options to choice from, I often go back to old favorites.
I will reread a novel for several reasons. If it is a sequel and the first book was amazing, I will often reread that one before taking on the second. That way I can just jump into the next story with both feet running.
I will often reread a short story if the dialogue or character development is terrific, even years later.
Finally, I am embarrassed to say, that I will often reread a book because I plain forgot I read it the first time. Occasionally, I will be several chapters in, really enjoying the story and then realize I read the book thirty years before. Since I’m enjoying it, I keep on reading.
The next time I go to my Indian restaurant, will I get scallop saag? You bet!
Her side:
Okay, I order salmon korma every time, but that has nothing to do with books.
I know the usual arguments for rereading books: you get something new out of it with each reading, it’s enjoyable, so why not repeat the experience, there’s a sense of nostalgia. I understand all that, but I generally do not reread books.
Perhaps it stems from my college and young mom self when my reading time was limited. Or maybe it’s a reaction to all those years of reading the same picture book to a toddler dozens of times in a month. There’s a chance it’s genetic, not a good one, but you never know.
My Goodreads list of “want to read” is in the hundreds. If I reread a book, I’m taking away the opportunity to discover a new one. What if I miss out on a new favorite book because I’m rereading another?
I understand, and agree with the notion of books as friends, and of well-thumbed volumes as confidantes. But there’s something about the joy of cracking open a new text, of reading the dedication and the first sentence for the first time. It’s an excitement I look forward to and one I’m not going to pass up for the sake of repeating written words. It just ain’t gonna happen.
So where do you stand on this side of the debate?!?!? Let us know in the comments or on the Facebook post that likely lead you to this enjoyable quandry. Also, if you are looking for books to read… try checking out Pearl Street Books (Now open with limited hours!) for an old favorite, or something new from Birdy’s Bookstore, a new, locally run online book shop.
Shop Birdy’s Books with this great discount! But hurry, it ends on August 31, 2020!
No matter what you read, we hope you enjoy it! Happy reading!
Scott and Heidi Blanke are both members of the Mississippi Valley Writers Guild and love living and writing together in La Crosse, Wisconsin. This is Scott’s first blog post for the guild and the first the couple has written together. Heidi is a frequent blog contributor as well as the author of several books and the treasurer of the Mississippi Valley Writers Guild. When the couple is not writing or visiting their favorite Indian restaurant, they are reading books via Facetime to their many lovely grandchildren.