How Many Times Do You Read a Book?

I'm not much of a reader. I'm slow and easily distracted. I can barely read 3-4 pages of a book before putting it down and daydreaming. A novel takes me a good three weeks to a month to complete -- if I'm on holiday, that is. Otherwise, a half-yearly time frame is closer to the mark. I find it hard to finish anything with a word count greater than the menu at Pizza Hut at one go.

I like reading books a second time. I'll often choose to re-read a book that I've already read over a new book that I haven't read before. This is especially true for mysteries and other suspense stories. I tend to notice a lot of new things the second time round that I completely overlooked in the first attempt. When you already know how it ends, you tend to pick up little clues that have been carefully woven into the story but eluded you earlier.

So you'll suddenly go -- "Oh! So that's why she did that!" or "Hmmm... I can't believe I didn't see this before!" I'm not sure if this happens to everyone or if I'm just too stupid to be reading books. And afraid as I am to learn the answer, do tell me -- do you notice new things when (and if) you re-read a book?

I'll often read a book more than twice. This is either because it's a porno magazine and my computer is down so I can't access the Net or because I'm really, really bored. How does reading a book that I've already a zillion times help me overcome my boredom? It's simple. Actually, I'm not really interested in the contents of the book. I'll start reading and then two minutes later I'm daydreaming. That is what actually helps pass the time.


[I'm ending this post now because I'm going to have to proof read it and I'm not sure I can make it all the way through.]