Accidental rereading...

Have you ever cracked open a new book, very much enjoyed the first 50 pages and then suddenly remembered how the whole thing ends? Well, it happened to me this weekend with a duology by Jacqueline Carey, the Sundering.

The merits of Carey's writing aside, I became seriously concerned that it took me all of fifty pages to realize I had already read those fifty pages, some years ago. What really set off the alarm bells is that the Sundering duology is unique in that it is told principally form the villains' point of view. How many series can you list that do that? Exactly.  

With a few very notable exceptions, I tend to avoid rereading. The Guardian goes so far as to say that rereading a book is a crime. And to a certain extent, I agree. Why walk old paths when there is a whole new world to discover? I would love to see someone pose this question to Dragonmount though... that would make for an epic thread. 

Newsweek proudly propounds that the "'joys of rereading' pieces you come across tuck in an obligatory apology for indulging in the "childish" pleasure—this is a bad thing?" Again, in moderation rereading is a reasonable expenditure of your time but when taken to extremes it borders on the close-minded and obsessive. Count your cereal much?

I digress. Let us return to the profoundly important questions of whether or not I am loosing my marbles. Deliberate rereads are one thing and involuntary partial rereads quite another. Have you also fallen victim to this most fearsome of foes? Is it normal given the mounds of bound paper your eyes scan daily that at least a book you have read will sneak its way back into your TBR pile?

Thankfully I have yet to reread an entire book by accident. Fifty pages in seems to be the point where that "this all seems very familiar" feeling becomes a sad shake of the head and a discarded book.