3 Reasons Why You Should Re-Read Your Favourite Books
Aun's Weekly Review Newsletter - 19th April 2021
Hello,
Welcome to this week’s edition of the ‘Weekly Review Newsletter’ by Aun. In this week’s newsletter, I will be discussing 3 reasons why you should re-read your favourite books. I will also be discussing which books I’m currently (re)reading.
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One of the most common questions I get asked is, “how can I learn more from the books that I’m reading?” Apart from recommending my video on how I take notes, I always recommend that readers re-read their favourite books.
When you re-read a book you often find yourself learning different things every time you read the book. The words on the page don’t change, but your perspective of them does. This is why I’ve re-read many of my favourite books over the years and each time I have, I’ve learnt something new.
Today, I want to share 3 reasons why you should re-read your favourite books.
1 - You can’t understand all the information the first time reading it.
It would be too much to expect from yourself to parse out all the relevant information from the books you’re reading on the first attempt. Whatever anyone says, it is near impossible to extract all the information from a book when you’re only reading it once. When you re-read a book, you’re given the chance to enhance your knowledge of the topic as you re-read it. This develops your understanding of the topic and also allows you to read to a greater depth, which will enhance your understanding of the ideas and principles inside the book.
2 - The book changes as your perspective changes.
Every time I read a book that I enjoy I learn something new. Even if I feel as if I extract all the relevant principles when I re-read it different ideas make an impact on me as I experience life. Life and your experiences play a crucial role in your ability to understand a book. In my experience, there have been some books that I didn’t understand because I hadn’t had enough life experience before reading them. (One being ‘12 Rules For Life’ by Jordan B. Peterson) As I re-read this book multiple times and my experiences in life developed, I found myself understanding more of the book through my experiences.
3 - Your favourite books act as a reset when life gets difficult.
Over the last 2.5 years, I’ve experienced my fair share of life's unfortunate events. The experiences alone have taught me a lot about myself, and my books have always been there with me in that journey. When you re-read your favourite books they act as a reset in your life. Often we can get caught up in achieving and striving for better without any perspective of what our end-point is. The more I find myself straying from the path, the more I go back to my favourite books as they act as a mental reset for me. There’ve been many moments when re-reading a favourite book of mine has helped me through a difficult period. When you treat your favourite book as a companion, they will always pick you up when you need them the most.
The number one thing I recommend you do this week is to pick up a book that you haven’t read in a while but has a big impact on you. When you re-read it I can guarantee it will have an impact on you.
What I’m Reading
The theme of this newsletter was actually inspired by re-reading books at the moment. Recently I finished ‘Beyond Order: 12 More Rules For Life’ by Jordan Peterson. I was impressed by the book, but I felt as if there was more within it that I wasn’t able to capture the first time reading it. I’m going to spend the next week or so re-reading the book to understand the concepts in more depth.
I’m also currently re-reading ‘The Obstacle Is The Way’ by Ryan Holiday. There is a lot that I’m going through at the moment, and I’m finding myself needing a good sense of perspective on how to overcome the challenges that I’m experiencing. This book has always served as a great reminder for me and I’m enjoying re-reading it again to gain some perspective on life.
As the month of Ramadan has started I will not be reading as much new material as usual, as this time will be spent reading the Quran and contemplating on life. It’s important for readers to understand that new material can be a blessing and a burden. It’s important to find a balance between the two because too much of either can stagnate your progress as a person.
Author Interview
Last week I had the opportunity to sit down with Chris Dalton. Chris is Associate Professor of Management Learning and module convener for Personal Development (PD) at Henley Business School. Chris has over 28 years of experience in management education and training, and today we will be discussing his book, 'MBA Day By Day: Turn World Class Thinking Into Everyday Business Brilliance.'
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Have a great week!
Aun.