WorldCon: Re-reading panel followup

[kate_nepveu]

skwidly posted notes and asks whether the room being overwhelmingly female indicated a gender disparity in re-reading behaviors. I have absolutely no idea whatsoever. What do you all think?

(I'm feeling better, though still pretty wobbly, especially after my marathon day, and have given up on the idea of posting notes about my own panels. Fortunately skwidly or an audio recorder was at all the rest of them (err, well, maybe not the LibraryThing/Good Reads one; did I mention wobbly?) and I can rely on other people! I do have notes from a bunch of other panels that I will post at some point. Now I'm debating between a relaxing bath, a nap, or a trip to IGA to get more drinkable fluids. (The nap is winning.))

Comments

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

On the first one, Anecdotally, I don't re-read things much, but my mother does. I think this calls for a poll!

[kate_nepveu]

Go ahead!

[skwidly.livejournal.com]

I didn't make the LibraryThing panel, I just happened to be walking by after it.

[kate_nepveu]

Yeah, I think that one is lost to the mists of time. Oh well.

After I re-read your comment...

[bookmobiler.livejournal.com]

For what its worth I'm male and I re-read all the time.
I have four younger sisters whom all read but do not seem to re-read much.

I've had both male and female friends comment in wonder that I would want to re-read books.

As to the panel, I would think there might be to many variables. For instance what other topics were available at the same time? Who was on those panels and what time were they and your panel scheduled.

As far as my re-reading habits. I'll re-read favorite authors, either just because or because a new book is becoming available and I want to get in the mood for it.
And speaking of mood, sometimes I feel like reading a particular type of book and there is nothing of that type in the to be read pile. Here's where buying books pays off.

Re: After I re-read your comment...

[kate_nepveu]

Yeah, I'm leaning toward "too many variables" too.

Those are definitely types of re-reads I find myself doing, probably the most frequent kind.

Re: After I re-read your comment...

[keristor.livejournal.com]

I'm also male and reread a lot (see my LJ blog for my booklists, even this year I'm at over 2/3 rereads and this year I've read a lot of new-to-me books). Lots of reasons -- 'comfort' books, to refresh memory (on series when a new book comes out and on specific points of which I've been reminded or want to quote), because I miss the characters or stories, because I'm wanting to read a particular type of story, etc.

Oddly, the one book which I both enjoy and seldom reread is Lord of the Rings. That's because I know it so well (I first read it at around age 12 or so, 40 years ago) that I remember it too well and I find that my "pre-memory" of it is too distracting, I now leave it around 10 years between rereading.

(Oh, BTW, I've found your blog from someone else's link which was from someone else -- you are lost in a maze of twisty links, all looking exactly alike -- and got distracted. I finally realised that you probably don't know me and so thought I'd better say hi!)

Re: After I re-read your comment...

[kate_nepveu]

Hi! If you're not sure how you got here, I am obligated to mention the LotR re-read I'm doing over at Tor.com; save it for when you hit your next ten-year anniversary. =>

http://www.tor.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=blog&id=13692

[lbmango.livejournal.com]

On re-reading. I think that part of it for me is that I read slowly, so starting a book is a fairly serious investment in time, and there are always new books I want to read. People who read fast, can say "I feel like re-reading this today" and be done with it before they no-longer feel like re-reading it...

Also, I have a really good memory for fiction, so I always remember the end, which ruins it for me...

[kate_nepveu]

Oh, see, remembering the end is sometimes part of the fun for me, watching it all fall into place.

But yes, as my time shrinks I re-read much less.

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

I'm male and I re-read a lot. On the other hand, most of the people I can point to whose preferences in books are decent matches for mine are female, so maybe I have a female reading style, assuming there is such a thing (which is a pretty big assumption I am absolutely not endorsing). So... I dunno.

[kate_nepveu]

I'm leaning toward "noise in the data," myself.

[tool-of-satan.livejournal.com]

Very likely the case. Anyway, you can't plot a curve from one point.