Post: #1

I'm not big on reading books more than once, but I spent this afternoon going through Think and Grow Rich again. I didn't even doing a full reading, just focused on the stuff I underlined in my last reading and tabbed the stuff that I still find useful.

I have a lot a lot of books in my library I don't see a point in reading again. However, I think it speaks volumes about a book if you can read it more than once and still gain from it. Think and Grow Rich is an obvious one to hit twice, but other than that I have only done one repeat read.

So here is my question for you all, what books have you read more than once?

Have you read any that were better the second time?

Post: #2

The Prince. Twice. The first time I was too young to fully grasp it or apply it. The second time was the most useful, I grasped a lot of information from it about organizational politics and how the most successful leaders survive.

I think it is a book that will only speak to you if you are actively involved in a leadership position or possibly as an analyst of
leaders. I don't think it is very applicable to personal relationships.

Post: #3

Magic books. Magic books I tend to re-read about 5 times.

And philosophy.

I find with philosophy - I don't really understand a book until I read it a second time.

I think it is because the first time through - you are always worried that you will hit a roadblock which will force you to put the book down.

For anything else - I would rather read a new book. Although I have re-read some Bill Bryson since he is such a funny writer and the descriptions of his travels are such fun.

Post: #4

You hit on something there. Being actively involved with a subject is huge as far as understanding and engagement go.

That's probably why I have a hard time with anything that isn't related to something I am currently pursuing in real life.

Post: #5

(06-04-2014 05:40 PM)cardguy Wrote:  Magic books. Magic books I tend to re-read about 5 times.

And philosophy.

I find with philosophy - I don't really understand a book until I read it a second time.

I think it is because the first time through - you are always worried that you will hit a roadblock which will force you to put the book down.

For anything else - I would rather read a new book. Although I have re-read some Bill Bryson since he is such a funny writer and the descriptions of his travels are such fun.

I can't say I have ever read anything 5 times. I can see how philosophy could be tough though.

I agree that sometimes you can push through a read just to get through it. That's what I did with the last portion of think and grow rich. I just wanted to make sure I finished it.

Post: #6

Magic books are amazing.

As you become more experienced in magic - and your interests deepen and change - you can go back and reread a magic book and spot totally new possibilities that you never noticed before.

For instance - I have recently become interested in the use of strange optical principles in magic. And that has given me an excuse to reconsider everything I have ever studied from the point of view of whether or not an unusual optical principle was used.

This sort of thing happens all the time in magic. Usually when you are investigating the use and history of a particular sleight or principle. Or the work of a particular magician - and the variations he has inspired.

Post: #7

One that comes to mind immediately is, H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life by Michel Houellebecq. An amazing biography that turned me on to both Lovecraft and Houellebecq.

Heart of Darkness was also enhanced by a second read.

Post: #8

Recently, "Free" by Chris Anderson and "The crusades through arab eyes", Amin Maalouf.

Post: #9

I first read American Psycho in Grade 7. I didn't fully understand it at the time, but I would end up reading it again every few years, to the tune of about 4 times. I did see the movie first. The movie isn't perfect, but Bale's portrayal definitely is. Visualizing him makes the book a laugh riot.

Post: #10

The King James Bible.

From Genesis to Revelations. Cover to cover. At least 15 to 20 times.

Anyways, each reading of the Bible brings out different perspective. You can hardly read the same chapter in the Bible twice, and not get different meaning each time.

The Bible was the very first book i actually remember reading. I had an intensely religious and draconian upbringing: Memorizing verses, reciting sermons, regimented daily schedules, etc. You will think i went to John Wesley school for Orphans.

Oddly, when i was 8/9 years old, reading the "song of solomon" chapter in the bible, used to get me sexually aroused -- it was my first introduction to erotica.

Of course, now, i am godless infidel.
______________

On the scientific side:

Chemistry textbooks. I have a deep love for chemistry. I havent bought a chemistry textbook that i didnt read at least 3 times.

I like the way a new science textbook smells. I like to open them, breathe it in deeply, and feel the smooth touch of the book pages on my fingers, gently caress their sharp edges. The dance of equations and numbers on those pages, it is like a siren song. I say to myself: here lays the truth, undefiled. Pure and unadulterated.

Genes VII by Benjamin Lewin. It is exhaustively rich in molecular biochemistry. I read it 4 times. It fires up my creativity. set fire to my imagination of what is possible. You have to be a man of science to understand what i mean.

Tipler's Physics. There is an absolute elegance to physics that is hard to describe... knowing that you can use mathematics and equations to predict and anticipate things in the world around you... is... almost godlike. I read classical mechanics textbooks again and again and again. And yes, there is something purifying about it because there is little tolerance for bollocks. You either have the hard data/numbers, or you dont. There is hardly any philosophical equivocation of any kind. You cannot cis-gendered the equations of orbital mechanics.


______________

On the philosophical side:

I must have re-read wittgenstein's Tractatus about 3 times; WVO Quine's word and object about 4 times; richard m rorty "the linguistic turn" about 3 times; and the existential Nietzsche's zarathustra and BGE about 6 times.


anyways, that is it for me.

regards,

Nemencine

Post: #11

Nemencine, you could not possibly get a better education in English writing or develop a better taste in it than by reading the King James Bible many times. Even if you found other aspects of that upbringing unpleasant, you are at least lucky in that one respect.

Have you ever read Wittgenstein's "Philosophical Investigations"? I consider that the greatest book I've ever read, and the most important philosophical text ever written. It is also one of a very few books that I've read more than once.

Post: #12

The War of Art
The Alchemist
Siddhartha

All books I have read more than once and will probably read several more times.

I also have read American Psycho twice.

Post: #13

Tao Te Ching

Read maybe 5-6 times but it is a short book. I learn something new every time.

Post: #14

I need to up my reading game. This forum is ridiculously well-read.

I'm glad I made this thread. I'm motivated to do some re-reads now.

Post: #15

Catch-22- just a really, brilliant book about human collective behavior. The characters are all spot-on caricatures of people you will meet during your life.
Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead- The first is a great book on leadership and critical thinking. The second is more philosophical and has some profound truths on life and how humans should and do relate to each other and their environment.
The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerald's best book about an otherwise alpha guy who is felled by one-itis. Good insight into the nature of women.

Post: #16

Fihi Ma Fihi
Paradise Lost
The Picture of Dorian Grey
The Alchemist

Post: #17

A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

I always read it couple of times per year.

It is must read for people who are interested in the philosophy of living a good life.

The Ancient philsophers practised Stoicism.

Post: #18

(06-04-2014 09:04 PM)Biz Wrote:  The War of Art
The Alchemist
Siddhartha

All books I have read more than once and will probably read several more times.

I also have read American Psycho twice.

You reread the alchemist? It was a good book but to reread it? I don't know why some people like that book so much. There is a lot of symbolism in the book but I didn't think it was mindblowing.

Post: #19

The 48 Laws of Power
Knowledge and Decisions
American Psycho

Post: #20

The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler

Post: #21

I have the following books that I read religiously once per year:

Musashi's five rings
The prince
The art of war
Robert Greene's Power and war books.

Every time I read them they give me inspiration.

As you can probably tell, I am a megalomaniac haha

Post: #22

I've read 'Skintight' by Carl Hiaasen several times. I also read 'Native Tongues' also by the same author, quite a few times. I have read 'Glue' by Irvine Welsh a few times as well. For some reason I connected with the characters depicted in 'Glue.

I have read over a few of the Reacher novels a few times too.

I generally do a lot of re-reading.

Post: #23

I reread most books that strike me at some point, even novels. I started making a list and realized it would be way too large.

The longer between re-reads, the more you stand to gain, though I'm coming to the conclusion that all non-fiction books, especially how-to, should be read almost immediately if you want to really soak up the knowledge. I've been a bit slack about this and reading in general lately though.

(06-05-2014 09:38 PM)turuk Wrote:  You reread the alchemist? It was a good book but to reread it? I don't know why some people like that book so much. There is a lot of symbolism in the book but I didn't think it was mindblowing.

I think I reread it more than once and probably will again.

I've noticed a few guys don't really vibe with that book. For me, it was more about the "state" that it put me in than putting too much stock in the symbolism. The first time I read it was when I first moved to Southeast Asia and was setting out to travel the world. It's especially appealing to adventurers/travelers, but it also played a large role in my choosing to put some roots down for a while in each place I went and get my money right instead of chasing the horizon.

One of Paul Coelho's greatest strengths is the simple yet emotional tone of his writing, which leaves messages that really aren't that profound rolling around in your head long after you set the book down. Sometimes we over-complicate life and Coelho brings it back to the basics.

I think more rational men often don't "get it" because it doesn't match their thought patterns and approach to life.

Beyond All Seas

"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe.
To be your own man is a hard business. If you try it, you'll be lonely often, and sometimes
frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Kipling

Post: #24

The TISM Guide to Little Aesthetics (1990, compiled by George Minack)

Post: #25

"Life of Greece"
"Caesar and Christ"
"Lessons of history"
You want to know where our civilization came from? Start here.
All of these by Will Durant.

"Sociobiology: The New Synthesis"
The idea that animal behavior is influenced by genetics. Truly a red-pill science book. Got a lot of heat back in the day from those who were afraid it would be applied to human behavior.
by E.O. Wilson

"On Human Nature"
He brings it home here describing how human genetics influences human behavior. We are not blank slates. No surprise to us on here, but this is an older book that explains it well. Read several times...
by E.O. Wilson

"The Red Queen"
A truly red pill book from a science perspective, at least pop science perspective. About sex selection and what drives this.
by Matt Ridley

There are more these just came to mind and have been influential.