And, truly, the only time I reread books is when I like them. I am most certainly not a person that rereads books to see if they get better the second time around. If I didn't like the book the first time, you can bet I won't be rereading it.
I've been noticing though that rereads fall into one of three categories for me.
#1: The 'Exactly What I Remember' Reread
In a way, this is my favorite of the three. My opinion doesn't change on anything - at least nothing major - and I still like it just as much as I did the first time around. These, for me, are the ultimate comfort rereads.
#2: The 'Tell Me Again Why I Liked This So Much' Reread
Without a doubt, this is my least favorite type of reread. This can vary on the spectrum anywhere from 'why did I like this because now I hate it' to 'it's good, but I don't love it like I thought I did'. These are usually the books that I went a long time between reading the first time and my reread. Tastes change over time and I'm not the same person I was when I first read the book so my feelings for it change too. (Let's just ignore the horror of 'how could I like this garbage?' shall we.) I also think that there's a healthy dose of 'distracted by the shiny' too, because I am one of those people that, as long as I don't hate something, I tend to think more favorably towards it at first.
#3: The 'Now I Shall Squeal Like An Unrepentant Fangirl' Reread
These are the books that I'm never quite sure what to do with. The books that I loved the first time and, now, the second time around, I love even more. It's like, sometimes there's so much going on in a book, so much interconnected plot and such character nuances that just reading the book once does it no justice. These books are the reason I want to reread books, because sometimes it takes a second look before you discover how awesome the book really is. These also happen to be the rereads that leave me smiling for days and, quite possibly, reading way too fast. And definitely squealing.
Do you reread books? Do you reread books you know (think) you'll like, or do you give books that were less than stellar the first time another go?
