Re-Read schedule?

[bluecole]

Saw another thread on this, but thought I'd ask specificly:

 

Will you reread the whole series?

 

Or just KoD?

 

Or just follow Leigh's re-read?

 

Or, for a true fan, all three?

 

THanks,

 

B.

[Osan`gar]

i usually re-read the entire series once or twice a year and alway re read it before i read the newest book... just to refresh my memory

[Kadere]

I reread the series once every year. I'm going to wait until JordanCon to see if AMoL Part I will come out this fall. If it does (then YAY!) I will probably start rereading in August to be done when the book comes out, if it comes out next year (then boo!) I will start probably soon after JordanCon.

 

I'm also following Leigh's reread, which is enjoyable despite her flawed information and a few various points I disagree with.

 

Of course in rereading I will read KoD again for the fifth time now.

[42Bonzo88]

    Because I read slower than a squashed slug and normally am reading two or three books at the same time (different authors and genres) I am usually re-reading always. Sometimes in order for a while or will go back or forth depending on what I'm interested at that point. I'm over 10 reads of the first four books and at least 5 reads on all the others. If I had more time and wasn't schizo I would have re read all of them at least 15 times.

[benr]

I'd probably re-read them more often if my wife didn't laugh at me all the time.  Just can't get her interested in it.  Even so, I've read through probably ten times, but of course, that means only 2 for the last book.  My daughter and son-in-law, however, have read it almost as much as me.  I've started the last read through, unless it is split into two with about 6 months in between - then I'll have to do it again.  That might not be too bad, as I don't think I'll read it again after it's over.  I'm too old to wait until I've forgotten it enough to enjoy it again.  Knowing the ending spoils read throughs for me.

[42Bonzo88]

    You are nice to your wife, benr. My wife isn't interested but I have to talk to her about what I'm reading. She's pretty good at listening and when she's had enough, she just takes the sledge and... Just kidding my wife is the greatest, but she reads the endings of books first and that drives me nuts! :)

[Mercer]

I'll echo the yearly re-read bit. If AMoL part one is indeed coming out in november, I'll start a new re-read in September to be ready for it's release. I like to give my re-reads time, so I don't blow through a book every few days.

[Roxinos]

I'm also following Leigh's reread, which is enjoyable despite her flawed information and a few various points I disagree with.

 

Flawed information?

 

In the synopsis, she pretty much just says what happens. And the commentary is just that, her take on things and always asking for information. She's never suggested that everything she says is truth.

[Jethro]

Im about to start another reread but cant find book 3 and 4 so Im guna start on book 5 soon.

[Kadere]

I'm also following Leigh's reread, which is enjoyable despite her flawed information and a few various points I disagree with.

 

Flawed information?

 

In the synopsis, she pretty much just says what happens. And the commentary is just that, her take on things and always asking for information. She's never suggested that everything she says is truth.

 

I'm just saying I'd rather have the person who's doing the public reread for Tor to be someone who knows the books inside and out and doesn't get things like Aes Sedai's Ajahs, characters motivations, and events in future books wrong and can barely remember KoD at all because they haven't read it in 4 years.

 

It would also be nice if the person doing this didn't whine every time Faile, Elaida, Padan Fain, Lanfear, or the Children of the Light were on screen, but now I'm probably asking too much.

 

I'm not saying she's doing a bad job, or that I won't continue to follow along, I'm just saying some of her commentary has me rolling my eyes.

[Roxinos]

You're basically asking her not to do a commentary. I haven't seen her getting any of the stuff you've mentioned wrong. She certainly hasn't mentioned any events in future books wrong.

 

Edit: Also, she's doing other people a favor by posting her impressions and going through detailed synopses of each chapter. It's kind of insulting of you to wish for her to be doing a better job. She chose to do it of her own free will because she thought it would be fun and she was going to re-read the series anyway for aMoL. She was not commanded.

[DemandredFO]

I'm currently on Shadow Rising, I listen to the audiobooks.  I'm visually-impaired so it would a.  take me forever to read them and b.  give a headache.  The only thing I woold like in the audio is the glossary.  Can't have everything I suppose.  Is the prologue coming out early?

[bluecole]

I'll probably just follow Leigh's read trough, and re read KoD once or twice before Nov. 

 

How many of you have "reading" copies of the books?  I have all of them in hardback, signed by RJ, so i don't like to pull them out.  I have PB copies of most of them, so that's what i actually "read".

 

Thanks,

 

B.

[Kadere]

You're basically asking her not to do a commentary. I haven't seen her getting any of the stuff you've mentioned wrong. She certainly hasn't mentioned any events in future books wrong.

 

Not what I'm asking at all. I want commentary, I just want it to be constructive and to the point of the chapters theme and the behavior of the characters in the story. Not her personal biases against character X because they're "stupid" or "creepy" or "lame." I'm not interested in that.

 

And you should read closer. She gets lots of things wrong. Off the cuff I know at the end of TGH's Prologue she says we don't find out who Bors is until ACoS, then turns around and says "oops!" when we learn in TDR. She also associates Faolain as becoming a Red Sister when of course she becomes a Blue and leaves with the Salidar Aes Sedai.

 

Edit: Also, she's doing other people a favor by posting her impressions and going through detailed synopses of each chapter. It's kind of insulting of you to wish for her to be doing a better job. She chose to do it of her own free will because she thought it would be fun and she was going to re-read the series anyway for aMoL. She was not commanded.

 

I never said or hinted that she was "commanded" to do the reread. But she is doing a public reread for Tor, which gives her influence. I would want anyone in that position to be an expert and to know everything from Rand's family history, to the Ajah of each Aes Sedai and the future Ajah of each novice and Accepted. Or to at the very least fact check on something like encyclopaedia-wot.

 

I don't see how her impressions are doing future readers of the series a "favor" when it comes down to "This characters a doofus." "These characters would never be a couple in real life." and "RJ's too into clothing." What would be a real favor is allowing readers to have their own impressions, and talk more about theme and character action without showing judgment every step of the way.

 

And in no way is it "insulting" of me to want her to do a better job. This is a public, influential soap box she chose to be on. We can all have our own opinions about the job she's doing.

[Roxinos]

Not what I'm asking at all. I want commentary, I just want it to be constructive and to the point of the chapters theme and the behavior of the characters in the story. Not her personal biases against character X because they're "stupid" or "creepy" or "lame." I'm not interested in that.

 

Then that's not personal commentary. That's just mentions on links and ties and such. Her commentary are her personal impressions.

 

And you should read closer. She gets lots of things wrong. Off the cuff I know at the end of TGH's Prologue she says we don't find out who Bors is until ACoS, then turns around and says "oops!" when we learn in TDR. She also associates Faolain as becoming a Red Sister when of course she becomes a Blue and leaves with the Salidar Aes Sedai.

 

Alright, two. And she admitted that she was wrong about the former, and admitted that perhaps her knowledge about the future books are a lot worse than she thought. What's the problem? It again seems like you don't want someone who is doing a casual re-read, but rather someone who is doing a hardcore analysis as they're re-reading.

 

I never said or hinted that she was "commanded" to do the reread. But she is doing a public reread for Tor, which gives her influence. I would want anyone in that position to be an expert and to know everything from Rand's family history, to the Ajah of each Aes Sedai and the future Ajah of each novice and Accepted. Or to at the very least fact check on something like encyclopaedia-wot.

 

And that's an unrealistic expectation because she's doing it for herself. Her stance on Tor just means she is able to share her re-read with more people.

 

I don't see how her impressions are doing future readers of the series a "favor" when it comes down to "This characters a doofus."

 

You misunderstood. Posting the re-read itself is a favor. She could very easily just not. But she does out of the kindness of her heart. She's a fan like everyone else, and as a fan she just wants to share her impressions. That's part of what's so fun about these message boards here at DM. Fans get to talk to other fans. And that's all her re-read is about. Her as a fan talking to other fans. To think otherwise is just a misplaced expectation.

 

And in no way is it "insulting" of me to want her to do a better job. This is a public, influential soap box she chose to be on. We can all have our own opinions about the job she's doing.

 

Yes, and if your opinion is that she's doing a rather shoddy job of it, that's insulting. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

 

It seems like most of your opinion on the quality of what she's doing is based on your expectations for what she should be doing rather than what she is. She should be knowledgeable beyond the average reader. She's just a regular person who's having fun with her re-read.

[Kadere]

She's not a regular person or an average reader. She's the author of WoT FAQ, and she's posting on the Tor website. If she was doing this on her own personal blog, that would be different. However, she's doing this in an area which will be sited, referenced, and looked to as having some weight because it's on the Tor website. That weight comes with some responsibility. The responsibility to fact check before posting a comment, to not swear like a sailor every five words, to keep a professional attitude and steer away from personal bias.

 

Everyone who reads this series is going to see it differently, and everyone will make their own opinions about each character and action. As they should. But in the arena she's in, I believe she should go beyond the mundane rantings of how crazy Elaida is, and take a chance to explore theme and motivation.

 

She is not just "doing this for herself." If she was, she could do that on her blog. You've even said she's doing this as a "favor" to us. She could just as easily not do it, and none of us would care. We'd reread the series as we will and create our own commentary about how much we hate so and so, and how silly RJ is for character's clothing. This is not the message boards on DM, nor should it be a fan talking to fans as a fan.

 

This should be a critical analysis of WoT. And what's wrong with that? We could finally get past talking about WoT as fans, and instead discuss it as literature. What was RJ trying to say in his books? What does he say about the relationship of Good vs. Evil? How much of the books is influenced by Vietnam, or his religion? What literary references does he make, and why? What do Rand, Mat, and Perrin stand for? What is RJ saying about hierarchy? About gender relations? About communication breaking down? The themes of the story.

 

But you're right, those are crazy expectations to have for someone with so much influence. This is just her personal reread full of her own biases and unchecked facts. And on some level that's enjoyable. But I will still roll my eyes every time she says Perrin and Faile would never be together in reality, or that Lanfear is a waste of space, or Padan Fain should be taken out of the books altogether, etc; because it lessens the overall value of the commentary.

 

And if my opinion is that she's doing a shoddy job of a reread, then it is exactly that, my opinion. And since she's doing this reread on a public, influential soap box, not out of the kindness of her heart, but as a favor to us, then I have every right to have an opinion, and to voice that opinion, no matter how negative or "insulting" you perceive it to be. Just as I might voice an opinion on any fans theory, view, or comment.

 

But, as I was saying before you decided to pick an argument, I do enjoy the commentary and the reread despite all this, and will continue reading it and discussing Leigh's opinions on the books with my friends. Because that is what all of this is about, getting us to discuss the books and each other's views. Nowhere does it say we can't disagree, that's part of the fun.