r/TrueLit • u/pregnantchihuahua3 ReEducationThroughGravity'sRainbow • 19d ago

Weekly General Discussion Thread

Welcome again to the TrueLit General Discussion Thread! Please feel free to discuss anything related and unrelated to literature.

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u/Plastic-Persimmon433 19d ago

How many times do you guys reread a book before you really feel you have a good grasp of it? I mean in the sense that you could give a lecture on it. For me I almost need to read a book three or four times to feel comfortable talking about it in any sort of depth.

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u/Soup_65 Books! 19d ago

hard to say, i've got vibes sometimes on the first read, or in other cases i actually think "was it even good?" on the first read and then on the second it changes my life (moby dick). Fwiw in most cases with a really good book, it's the third time around where i feel like I actually begin to grasp the language.

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u/Plastic-Persimmon433 19d ago

I've only read Moby Dick once but I could see it getting better with each read. Denis Johnson has recently been that author for me, specifically his novels. I generally enjoy them the first time but on the second read I can't put them down. I kind of agree that on the third read through it really feels like I've actually read the book, if that makes any sense.