I read a thread over at mobileread.com recently--I think it was asking something like "what is your favorite classic book?" People started listing the books that they most re-read over the years. Then a few people chimed in with their favorite books, but said they never re-read books. Others were horrified at the thought of never re-reading a book.

I thought of my own reading habits. I'd say before the age of 30, I never re-read a book. I thought once was enough and I'd get bored reading something again even if I really enjoyed it. Then one day, possibly because I'd seen a film adaptation of it, I picked up Jane Eyre which I hadn't read since high school. I enjoyed reading it even more than I did the first time. I think because I did enjoy it so much more the second time around, I started my re-reading habit.

Now I re-read Jane Eyre about once a year, along with Pride and Prejudice and assorted Jane Austens. I always find something new about these books each time I re-read them. I keep a list of books I want to re-read soon like Virginia Woolf's The Voyage Out, Fanny Burney's Evelina, and the early Von Arnim books. I'm curious, especially with The Voyage out since I've seen bad reviews of it, if I'll be as entranced with this book the second time around.

Could it be a matter of age? As you get older do you want to remind yourself of a book, or see how your perspective of it has changed over time? I've heard of young people re-reading books, so maybe it's a personal thing as well.

Do you re-read? Are there certain books that you re-read on a regular basis? And what has been your experience re-reading books? Better, worse, changes with time?

I will use "The Black Moth" as an example of why I re-read books. I went along thinking that this Georgette Heyer book was an amusing but predictable romance with a swashbuckling hero. Then the ending completely reversed my attitude. It was an entertaining ending, but not at all why I expected. I went back and reread the entire book to pick up the clues that I had missed. I loved the book because it forced me to do this. Other times, I reread books just to enjoy the journey again. Daphne DuMaurier's "Rebecca" certainly deserves a reread, as does Betty Smith's "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" and Corrie Ten Boom"s "The Hiding Place."

Mysteries are a different story. I reread them sometimes if I missed clues, but once you know Who Done It, you are less motivated to reread.