Those of us who love the English language tend to be readers—big readers.
We read magazines and newspapers and books—lots of books.
But should we read three new books?
Or one old book three times?
A while ago I came across an article on the web (now lost, I’m afraid, so I can’t credit them properly) reporting several studies that suggest great benefits in re-reading favourite books rather than always reaching for a new book.
A 2025 study published in Frontiers in Psychology found that the first reading creates a mental representation in the reader’s mind, and each subsequent reading activates that representation, allowing for deeper comprehension, faster processing, and richer connections between ideas.
You are not reading the same book again.
Your brain is building a new layer on top of the previous one.
A separate study published in the Journal of Positive Psychology found that 68 per cent of participants who re-read their favourite books reported improved emotional well-being and reduced feelings of loneliness.
The familiarity of the text reduces cognitive load, which means your brain has more capacity to notice subtlety, absorb nuance, and process emotion.
You stop reading for plot and start reading for meaning.
Is this something that you have ever tried?
I admit I have re-read old favourites—and often enjoyed them more the second or third time around.
Spiritual Depression: Its Cause and Cure by Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones is a book I can read and re-read.
But this works not only with serious books, but light reading as well.
I love the comic novels and short stories of P. G. Wodehouse—and I find I can often enjoy them even more on the second or third reading.
I recently re-read all of Wodehouse’s golf stories.
The plots were familiar this time around, but the story telling, and witty one-liners, were better than ever.
Is this something you do?
And do you find that it works for you?
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BOOKS:
* My latest book is called Pray Like This. To look at prayer I do what I do in these Ozword columns: I go through the most famous prayer in the world (The Lord’s Prayer, also known as the Our Father) and unpack it word by word—each chapter being a short word-study on a key word in that prayer. There is a total of 21 words studies in all. To find out more, here’s a link to the publisher’s website (where you can buy a copy if you wish): Pray Like This – matthiasmedia.com.au
* My book is Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries -- containing 50 new stories I have written about the great detective. You can find it on Amazon. Just go to Amazon and type in Sherlock Holmes: 5-Minute Mysteries in the search panel. Or use this link: h Amazon.com.au : Sherlock Holmes 5-Minute Mysteries Kel Richards
* My book "Defending the Gospel" is now in a second, fully revised, edition. You can find it here: Defending the Gospel – matthiasmedia.com.au
* If you're looking for my recent book "Flash Jim" you'll find it here -- Flash Jim, The astonis
hing story of the convict fraudster who wrote Australia's first dictionary by Kel Richards | 9781460759769 | Booktopia
* You can find all Kel's books currently in print here -- Booktopia Search Results for 'kel richards'. We sell books, hardback, paperback, audio, CDs.
* And also here -- Amazon.com.au : Kel Richards
* And you'll find more here -- Search: 4 results found for "Kel Richards" – matthiasmedia.com.au
* Many of Kel's out of print books can be found at ABE Books -- Kel Richards - AbeBooks explaining words explain the term
BY THE WAY...
If you'd like to see my A-Z list of Aussie slang, you'll find it here in the Australian Geographic website -- A-Z list of Aussie slang. Here’s the link: The A-Z of Aussie slang - Australian Geographic
The liveliest part of this website is usually the Q and A page -- be sure to check it out from time to time.
