The Reasons why I don’t Re-Read books anymore!

Every time I see someone re-reading their favorite books, I get transported to my teens when all I did was re-read books over and over again. To the point that I knew them all by heart. The most notable re-reads back then were (1) the Harry Potter series, (2) The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown, (3) children’s detective novels and (4) some witty and funny adult crime fiction. 

I wanted to justify my re-reading phase with the fact that I didn’t have that many unread books on my shelves, but that’s not entirely true. My grandfather spent most of his life collecting books, which was very difficult to do in the URSS. Most of the available books were propaganda, and foreign authors were forbidden for many years. There even was an “underground” book trade business. 

He collected waste paper and then traded it for books (one of the only ways to obtain new books back then), and later on, after USRR years, my mom and my grandmom used to buy newer books, mostly pocket-sized ones, from these traders next to Metro stops. Great years! 😀 

The living room at my grandma’s place always had bookshelves filled with books, so I definitely had a wide range of books to choose from. They weren’t exactly the newest releases, and most of them were classics, and we all know how children feel about reading boring classics. Lol 

I stopped reading for many years after I moved to Portugal, only picking it back up in 2015, and starting my blog in 2016. The new phase in my reading life will always be associated with this blog, and since then I haven’t re-read a single book!

5 REASONS WHY I DON’T RE-READ BOOKS

1 – Time 

The first and the main reason is time or lack of it. There are so many distractions nowadays, more things are expected of us. During the workdays, I rarely find time to read books, and if I do it’s only for 30 minutes to an hour. I would love to be able to read more books in a month, but there are so many other things that need my attention. I’m sure all of you can relate to this. 

2 – Bookish social media 

The second reason is the number of videos and posts I read about books! The bookish community grew up immensely in the last 5-6 years. There are so many people out there talking about books, sharing their reading experiences, recommending their favorite books. All of this means that I have more books on my radar than I did when I was younger.

3 – Blog 

It might sound strange because this blog was created out of love for books and reading, but it’s a lot of work! You, guys, know better than anyone else how much time and effort goes into each blog post, each Instagram post. We need to be aware of things people are talking about, new book releases, new authors, just to stay relevant and produce interesting content.

4 – ARCs, NetGalley & Guilt

Another weird reason for not re-reading books is the feeling of guilt! My ARC TBR is out of control, and just the thought of re-reading books makes me feel guilty for spending time on books I already read when I could be reading those ARCs that have been on my TBR for months (sometimes years…)

5 – The feeling of completion

When I’m done reading a book I want to close it and move on. Maybe that’s the pressure I’m feeling by having so many unread books that I want to go from one to another as quickly as possible, or maybe I like finishing tasks, but once I’m done reading I don’t feel the need to revisit that world or that particular story again.

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The main reason for not re-reading books is definitely lack of time. However other factors are just as important. And honestly, I don’t feel the need to re-read books at this stage of my life. The last couple of years have been so hectic and busy that I kinda learned to love the constant “go-go-go” feel of it, but I always treasure those moments when I can take some time off my life and dive into a magical world. 

Do you re-read books? How often? Or if you don’t, tell me why!
Let’s chat in the comments below!

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