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I will re-read a book I love, but generally, I wait around a decade for fiction or a few years for non-fiction. However, I carry a pocket version of the Tao Te Ching in my sling bag, so I return to that often. Regarding menus... I tend to have a favorite item I default to, but I think this is a bit of mental laziness, as I don't want to keep a running tally of what I don't like.

I found your comment about re-watching shows and anxiety interesting. I used to use this as my "sleep hack." I used to watch shows I had seen before, as they were the perfect balance between "interesting enough to distract me" and "not engaging enough to keep me awake." I couldn't tell you how many times I have watched Archer on Netflix. Now, I rely on a sleep mask and binaural music, which works well.

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I am constantly fiddling with a good sleep routine. Tv is often a go to in the exact way you described. Podcasts same. Sometimes reading then music. Sometimes just laying down. It keeps changing what works.

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I just replied to your email by mistake instead of commenting here. I'm pasting what I wrote, so apologies if it appears twice.

Interesting topic. I reread. It feels safe, and there's always more nourishment to be had. Not to mention the fact that I'm not the same person I was when I read something for the first time. Right now, I'm reading a lot of classic Russian literature that I read in the mid-90s as a student in my early 20s. I was so not ready for it then. I wonder if I'll feel that way about my current rereads 20 years from now. And now I'm finding myself buying a lot of books that I used to own and then donated, wishing so much that I kept them!

Another project I'm about to embark upon is reading some of those Russian classics in Russian, something I really ought to have done when my Russian language skills were at their peak. I quit translating in 2008 and haven't spoken, read or listened to any Russian since. And NOW I want to read books in Russian? Ha ha. But it's potentially very rewarding and might also make for some interesting content for my new BookTube channel.

So, yes, classic literature really ought to be reread. Once is never enough. But I'm also reading other genres again: fantasy, sci-fi, literary fiction—books I know I love and want to know better.

I do also read novels I've not read before. And lots of non-fiction too. If I could quit working and just read, that's what I would do. And if I can make BookTube earn enough to make that a possibility, well, wouldn't that be just dandy! Gaining 2000 subs in my first month makes me think it might just be possible!

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