It’s been a while since we did a Listopia kind of post, but I have a good one this week. I asked the readers in my Facebook group if they ever reread books, and I got some interesting answers.

How Often Do Readers Reread Books?

First, let’s share the results. I asked: “Do you ever reread books?” and here’s what my readers answered.

Often                    73%
Sometimes        17%
Rarely                   9%
Never                    1%
(The total number of answers was 481)

I reread sometimes. I’ll admit I have a few books and series that I reread when I’m feeling down, because they lift me up.

Why Readers Reread Books

I didn’t specifically ask why readers reread books, but some explained in the comments. Some of the answers that were mentioned more than once were:

• rereading a series before a new installment comes out
• rereading favorites when you’re in a book slump
• rereading favorites when you have a book hangover after a phenomenal read. “I love going back and rereading a really good book. It’s familiar and comforting in a way,” a reader explained it.
• comfort rereads when you’re feeling sad or down and need to feel better. I so recognize this one, because it’s what I do as well. “I’m a mood reader and I will go back to my favorite books or books that affect my moods in certain ways to help relieve depression or sadness, anger, etc. I reread a lot actually,” a reader admitted.

Some readers admitted to rereading often. “Books are like a friend, you love revisiting them,” one reader wrote. Another said, “Love diving back into the world’s authors create, it’s like visiting an old friend.”

It’s easy to forget sometimes how much books can mean to us as readers, but I recognize this feeling one reader expressed, “Some books are like going home after you’ve been away for a while – familiar, comfortable, and soothing to your spirit.”

I’ve said it before, but books really are portable magic…

So, do you reread books?