I’ve realized reading is sort of lonely activity, because there’s very limited time frame in which one can discuss a book – just shortly after they read it.
While you’re reading it (and when discussing would make most sense), you kind of can’t do it because of spoilers.
After you finish it, and some time passes, discussing becomes difficult as you forget more and more of the book.
So, there’s just a short time period after reading the book that you can most meaningfully discuss it with other people. This kind of sucks.
But does it really have to be like that?
I think forgetting is what sucks the most.
Perhaps you can brush up your memory of the book, by reading Wikipedia article about it, which often contains the plot summary… also YouTube videos about the book etc. Once you’ve read it, there’s no more fear of the spoilers, you can read all the materials ABOUT the book, as much as you want.
I think certain books deserve to become a permanent part of our memory and mental landscape. Perhaps that would somewhat diminish our enjoyment of the second reading should we decide to read it again, but I guess that’s a fair price to pay for keeping the book alive in your mind, and being able to discuss it for years after you’ve read it.
To be completely honest, I am not reading so much because I enjoy it. Rather, I like having read something and becoming enriched for that knowledge and experience. Reading is like some sort of investing. And the return of investment would be being able to talk with interesting people in-depth about the books and and how they relate to our lives.
by zjovicic
3 Comments
I agree the best time is when it’s fresh – I think this is why people have book clubs and all read the same book at the same time.
I also think there’s a lot of value in rereading books. I reread some of my favorites every 1-2 years. And if you reread them a lot, they stay fresher.
But there’s also something cool about seeing what you remember or misremember about certain books. The entire plot of a book will be fuzzy in my memory but one or two scenes will really stick out. Some books I really liked in the moment turn out to be totally forgettable; some books I didn’t think I enjoyed so much will end up staying with me to the point that I reread them and they become favorites.
That’s not my experience at all. Once I read a book, the story is pretty much committed to memory, and I can often quote entire paragraphs from memory. That’s just how it works for me if I liked the book and/or the story.
In 20 yrs if it’s a good book you’ll remember it , the overall msg , not the whole plot. I read Hiroshima like 20 yrs ago and saw Oppenheimer recently. All those visuals I remember in my mind came flashing back and the sorrow I felt back then.