Why do I reread books so often? Because I love them is the short answer, but the truth is that it’s because I *know* I love them.

THREAD.

Look, it’s my job to read and I read a lot. Hundreds of queries a month, thousands of pages, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of words. Most of these manuscripts and proposals aren’t for me.

To put this another way, I don’t enjoy most of what I read.

That’s not an indictment or an attack. I read great queries all the time for projects I know I can’t offer representation on. A lot of times it’s as simple as it’s a genre I don’t work in. I’d much rather pass and let another agent step up than do a bad or mediocre job.

So I don’t get to really immerse myself in most of these words. Then how do I step back and remind myself of why I do this job? Well, there are a few options:
I can read outside my queries for potential writers, I can read books I haven’t read, or I can reread books.

I do a lot of reading to try and find new authors. This is hard work, and I’m always exploring new avenues. But it’s work, and just like queries, sometimes I don’t connect with the writing. So this isn’t a sure fire way to get me to love reading again.

The second option is to read new books. And it’s a good one, I mean I love books. But here’s a problem I’ve realized recently: if I’m coming off of a long day, I sometimes can’t give a new book the patience it might require.

Sometimes I’ve had a frustrating day and I want to unwind, not confuse myself be trying to figure out how space travel interacts with spacetime to finally have it explained fully 50 pages later. It’s hard to work in books and have fun reading also still be work reading.

Now we’re left with option three: rereading. Am I missing out on new books? Absolutely, my TBR pile is massive. But I know what I’m getting into: an enjoyable experience with great twists and characters I know I love. Plus there’s still the added experience of reimersing myself

What I’m saying is that rereading books is a great way for me to relax and rediscover why I love my job. Don’t worry, I still have queries, manuscripts, proposals, and other books to read. I’ll get to them. But tonight, let me remember and spend time with some old friends.