Time to reread that book

Thinking of doing away with all your old favourite books? Listen to what this new research says.

Thinking of doing away with all your old favourite books? Listen to what this new research says. Rereading your favourite books or revisiting your favourite holiday spots is actually good, as these enhance a person’s experience, say researchers from University of Arizona, USA. The study has shown that many people benefit from rereading familiar stories as the encounter “reignites” the emotions and increases the knowledge. Similar advantages can be gained from revisiting old haunts, such as a favourite beach abroad or a particular church or monument, according to the study.

“Even though people are already familiar with the stories or the places, re-consuming brings new or renewed appreciation of both the object of consumption and their self. Especially prone to re-consumption are hedonic experiences, sought for their rich emotional, cognitive, and sensorial responses.

People should not hesitate to go back and reread or review what they have already done. A once in a lifetime experience can easily appeal to people again,” the researchers were quoted as saying by The Daily Telegraph. They have based their findings on an analysis of a survey of a group of people from the US and New Zealand, who were asked about the pleasure gained from the “rereading of books, rewatching of movies, and revisiting of geographical places”.

Prahlad Kakkar, Adman
The two books that I love reading over and over again are — The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand, and Silk — a novel by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco that was translated into English and, perhaps, is the greatest love story written so far. Being obsessed with a thought or an object makes me want to pick them up time and again. If you’re not mad about something in life, you have not lived it to the fullest.

Sonia Singh, TV Actor
I usually do not go back to books that I have already read, but Salman Rushdie’s Shalimar the Clown remains an exception. It’s a richly-peopled, fascinating piece that talks about doomed love and a beautiful state (Kashmir) plagued by strife, and I am back to it. I wish someone makes a film on it very soon. I also won’t mind rereading Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With The Wind or Romeo and Juliet all over again.