Discussion Friday

[geraineon]

Time for Discussion Friday again~

So, I've been rereading stuff lately and I'm wondering if you reread too!

Some prompts:

What kind of books do you reread? How do you reread them? From the start to the end, favourite chapters? favourite scenes, or do you skim? How often do you reread? If you've found something surprising or have a new perspective on some stuff after a reread experience, tell us!

If you haven't reread any c-novels yet, then are there any books you'd like to?

You don't have to answer every question, and if you want to talk about something else regarding your rereading habits, go ahead!

Comments

[ehyde]

These days a lot of my rereading happens while I'm working on bookbinding projects! It's a process that always requires some amount of skimming at the very minimum, and closer attention depending on how it was formatted to begin with (for instance, if there are inline footnotes that I need to move out of the main text). And generally I'm only binding things I enjoyed in the first place, so it's very easy for the text to grab my attention enough for me to give it a much more thorough reread than is strictly necessary.

One time I reread more than half of a book during the "folding the printed pages" step -- this was a fic, not a novel, though.

[geraineon]

I imagine it's easy to get distracted by reading that binding takes much longer than anticipated a lot of the times! XD

[anne]

I've always been a rereader; it goes in waves and phases. So far the cnovels I've reread are the shorter ones, Cyan Wings in particular. I think I've read They All Say I've Met A Ghost four times?

My favorite poetry professor said at least once a week "La critique ne commence qu'à la deuxième lecture." There's always something new to notice! And with c-novels I'm learning so much cultural and literary stuff, all the time, that I always catch references I didn't get before. So 谢谢老师们！

[geraineon]

That's a good one to reread. But wow, four times! Have you found new things about They All Say I've Met a Ghost each time?

[anne]

Well, the first two times were when I was down with covid brain damage, so...my memory is hazy, but like...I knew about the Republican era, but I didn't really *get* it my first time through. (Thanks, War of Faith!) I think at this point it's mainly a comfort read.

[geraineon]

TV can be so educational XD

[anne]

I'm definitely learning things that the US educational system just skipped over entirely!

[gekidasa]

I’m currently rereading fourteenth year of chenghua, slowly because I’m taking notes. I’m doing it because 1. I love this book and 2. I’ve forgotten a lot of details. I am going to make a chenghua site with chapter summaries out of my notes.

I’ve read bits of MDZS, sometimes from the start (like reading through a particular fan translation) and sometimes bits I am interested in revisiting for whatever reason. I’m waiting for the Spanish translation to do a full reread.

And I listened to the SVSS fanread by Raitala. Counts as reread! I’m also waiting for the full dismiss translation to reread that way.

I will probably reread Langya Bang at some point.

In general, I reread if I really enjoyed a story and feel that I will get something out of it: filling in details I missed, new perspectives, etc.

[anne]

OH GOSH, what a help that will be when I do my own reread! I love Meng Xi Shi.

[geraineon]

As mentioned on fedi, excited about your chenghua site!

[neigette]

Sadly, I don't reread often, although I used to as a kid (not with cnovels though). I guess there's just too much new content + access these days so my brain prefers that over rereading.
I'm "rereading" some books when they get licensed, mostly for certain scenes if it had a complete fan-tl before. But 2ha is more of a fresher experience since the latter half was MTL.

[geraineon]

I don't reread entire books a lot... usually a scene/chapter rereader XD though I have definitely reread books from cover to cover a lot more in the past. But yeah, I've been rereading books that have been licensed too (sometimes with a more critical eye because hey, I am paying for this!)

[douqi]

For c-novels — I haven't reread much other than specific scenes when writing up my reviews, but I'm looking forward to rereading Miss Forensics once I get the uncensored print edition (it's apparently being printed).

I did start rereading Return of the Condor Heroes in tandem with a friend who was reading the first volume of the English translation, but gave up quite quickly because my copy is the second edition and the English translation is based on the third edition, and Jin Yong had actually added quite a bit of stuff to Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü's relationship in that later version. He probably realised, like most of us, that he hadn't written in much actual romantic development into their Ancient Tomb days.

[geraineon]

Uncensored and printed! Nice~

... ahaha romantic development was definitely weak. Did Jin Yong add scenes? Now I wonder which edition most adaptations are based on.

[douqi]

There was one memorable moment my friend texted 'omg Yang Guo is a feet guy???' and Jin Yong had written in a new scene where he grabs Xiaolongnü's feet while dreaming.

Me: THIS IS NOT HOW I REMEMBER IT.

The Hong Kong ones adaptations are probably based on the second edition, but after that I couldn't say.

[geraineon]

omg XDD

Yang Guo foot fetish is something I never thought of.

Jin Yong, is this romantic?!

[halfcactus]

I've read I Ship My Rival X Me once and relistened to the audio drama a couple of times. :D It's one of my comfort canons. :') Typically if I want to "revisit" a cnovel I just look for the audio drama since the ones I read tend to be the ones with adaptations. (They're good for learning Chinese too haha.)

[halfcactus]

PS. I would really like to reread priest's End of the Bridge Top of the Tower if only I had the spoons and better Chinese literacy! I was fighting for my life just reading it once. XD

[geraineon]

XDD I remember all the experience reading your summaries and thoughts (still gotta put together that summary of what I think it is about)

[halfcactus]

...I myself have write my thoughts about the novel, but it's been a while so it may never happen at this point jkasd;jasfdasf

[geraineon]

where is the invention to print thoughts onto the screen?!

instead we get all these stupid "AI" slop... (actually no, I do not trust any of the techbros to come up with something that won't fry our brains)

[geraineon]

I "revisit" lots of novels through the audio dramas too XD indeed good practice for listening, plus they are all produced so well!

[duckprintspress]

I've read the manhua twice. it really is so comforting.

[halfcactus]

Ohhh yes!!!! The manga was also a really good adaptation! I've also read it a couple of times in both languages (before they pulled the plug on Bilibili International, RIP) and I'm so happy it got completed. :')

[thawrecka]

I've reread bits of various c-novels on my shelf, but I'm not a start to finish re-reader. I like to re-read the highlights package, or any scene that just happens to be on my mind at the time.

I also reread bits if I'm writing fic.

[geraineon]

Highlights package! I love that term XD

Yeah, I'm mostly a highlights package rereader too (or re-listener in terms of audio dramas).

[duckprintspress]

So far, I've been rereading everything that comes out in official English. Like, if I've read a fan translation, and then we get it official, I read it again. And I do that cover-to-cover.

The only c-novel I tried to re-read without that as the impetus was Tian Guan Ci Fu, but I kinda stalled maybe a quarter of the way in.

I haven't read any c-novels three times but that's probably when I'd start skimming/jumping to favorite chapters. Sometimes, even as I'm reading, if a chapter is really really good, I'll go back and read it again before I keep going.

[geraineon]

Mm, makes sense! Have rereading led to any new knowledge/perspective/discoveries?

[duckprintspress]

I definitely notice details I didn't previously or am reminded of things I've forgotten!

I think my most helpful re-read has been Guardian; I've read it all the way through twice and I read the first two-thirds another time (that was my first read through). Really both the first two times I was pretty lost on all the Shennong/Nuwa/Kunlun/etc. history stuff. The last time I really started to feel like I'd picked up enough of the surrounding mythology to hold onto some of the details so I'll be able to bear them in mind when I read other works that integrate those stories too.

[geraineon]

when I finally, finally finish Guardian, I'll come back to this and ask more XD

I'm curious to see if I'd be lost too or this is one of those cultural missing stairs thing.

[duckprintspress]

definitely do report back!! I definitely assumed it was a "cultural missing stair" thing so if that's not accurate and I'm wrong that'd be intriguing lmao.

[dayadhvam_triad]

I don't often reread books from start to end (ditto for watching shows), at most certain arcs and/or scenes that I particularly like. The cnovels I have reread the most are The King's Avatar and Good Morning! Workers of the Three Kingdoms; both are super-long stories with minimal romance, but wildly different genres. The former is a long-time comfort read; I usually revisit the English translation, and occasionally go back to the og cn for lines I love (枪响，雷鸣，剑起。繁花血景。just rolls off the tongue so nicely~)—lots of humor, many great in-game fights and competitive pro matches incorporating interesting and fun character interaction, simple but not simplistic prose. The latter is my recent current obsession and even though I first read it only a few months ago I can't remember how many times I've reread it since then >_>

I also really enjoyed following halfcactus's Bridge Tower updates here because it spurred me to reread the whole thing, otherwise I'd probably just reread the last few chapters (max pain, max catharsis :'D).

[geraineon]

I am a arc/scene rereader too, mostly!

Haha, reading other people read a fav do spur the desire to reread in me as well. I had fun reading halfcactus's Bridge Tower posts even though I don't read it. Sounds like such a fun time.

[halfcactus]

The cnovels I have reread the most are The King's Avatar
...ALL of The King's Avatar....??????????

I really wish I had the brain to reread all of Bridge Tower hahaha.

[dayadhvam_triad]

LOL technically I have only done a full reread of The King's Avatar once! but I'm also counting all the times I reread sections (usually what happens with TKA is I go to check a canon detail and then get sucked into rereading an arc XD).

[llonkrebboj]

Oh gosh, back then when I was mainly reading English language novels and fics, I used to read every new work at least three times! The rule was first time to enjoy the story ASAP, second time to catch whatever I might have missed or appreciate clever things the author might have done, and third to really take it all in again. Fourth onwards tended to be just revisiting favorite parts.

Ever since starting webnovels though, I've turned into a read once and then jump to favourite scenes only type of reader. That said, I randomly get cravings for A LOT of them all the time, so I'm frequently hopping between novels - especially the fragile or injured MC ones (it's a problem xP). Hmmmmm. The number of Chinese webnovels I've reread in full can be counted with one hand. Among them is, of course, Nirvana in Fire... except I've never read the same version twice, so it makes picking out the location of my favourite scenes very challenging xD

The others are the two fav Qing Dynasty imperial family transmigration novels and a xianxia no one has ever heard of (except from me).

[geraineon]

Enjoying food slowly vs. eating everything from a buffet. XD

[larryhammer]

I ... can't think of a C-novel I've reread. I do a lot of rereading in general, but not this genre. Most rereading, I go for the whole experience.

[geraineon]

Are there any you'd like to reread?