How To Reread Star Wars Books

A report from the Association of American Publishers states that as of December 2024, the total revenue from book publishing in the United States reached $14.2 billion. The publishing industry moves fast and has no signs of slowing down, especially when it comes to Star Wars. 

Since Alan Dean Foster’s Splinter of the Mind’s Eye, published in 1978, the amount of novels released with the Star Wars moniker is in the hundreds, and that doesn’t even include single-issue comics, graphic novels, picture books, audio dramas, or any of the other story-delivery-methods we’ve come to love.

American Library Association/Lucasfilm

The Anxiety

From deciding what’s next in your to-be-read pile to unlearning the act of reading compulsively, thousands of articles attempt to tackle different facets of reading and rereading. It’s a paradox, though, isn’t it? Because seeking out and reading these articles is also reading, and cuts into your reading time.

There’s a lot of anxiety surrounding the act of reading in general. That feeling is only exacerbated when it comes to rereading something you’ve already finished. It stems from multiple factors, but the few I’ll address include the rate at which new stories are published, information overload, and the gamification of reading statistics.

As stated earlier, the publishing industry moves fast. Whatever corner of the internet you exist on, if you’re a reader, you probably see all sorts of recommendations from all sorts of sources. Deciding what to jump into next when you have so many choices can be daunting. Do you want to read a story from your backlog? The next book in that series you’re trying to finish? The brand new book you know your friends (and Youtinians) will be talking about, but you’re still only halfway through the brick that is the full-bound The Star Wars Archives?

So much is published so rapidly that one’s reading speed simply doesn’t match up. All of these decisions, or the inability to make a decision, come together to create a sense of fatigue, which then becomes a cyclical pattern.

Chronicle Books/Lucasfilm

Add to that the increasing competitiveness or gamification of reading, and it’s no wonder we’re overwhelmed with the perceived need to grind out our hobby.

Social websites and apps like The StoryGraph, Goodreads, and Fable are great for tracking reading goals, writing and reading reviews, and finding a community of those with common interests — and so is Youtini! However, the deluge of information from these sources, as well as internet communities like “BookTube,” “BookTok,” and “Bookstagram,” only adds to the information overload. I can check out the latest reviews from other readers, but I’m also secretly in competition with my coworker and fellow Star Wars fan, and I just know he’s ahead of me in line, waiting for his hold on The Mask of Fear to come up.

The Grind

We live in a fast-paced, instantly accessible, information-driven society. Especially in the United States, an effective work-life balance is not often achievable. I feel it’s safe to say this mindset, unfortunately, permeates our leisure time.

Speaking from experience, I often multitask while listening to audiobooks. Admittedly, I also listen to them at speeds between 1.5x and 1.75x — but that's because narrators often read slower than their natural speaking speed for accessibility reasons, rather than to maximize my time. “How much of this can I finish while at the gym?” “I’ll listen to the last hour of this while I play a video game that doesn’t require much reading.” “I can’t be alone with my thoughts for more than five seconds, so I’ll turn it on while I’m in the shower and throughout my morning routine.”

Even when I’m reading for pleasure, I check the clock. I look at the percentage left on my e-reader. I’m trying to maximize my ability to knock out my backlog, but this comes at the risk of splitting my attention. Where’s the fun in that?

Remedies

Folks, I’m sorry to say that there’s no definitive answer to working through rereading, but I imagine we knew that. So then, why write all of this?

Recently, I couldn’t find a new-to-me Star Wars novel that I wanted to read, but I knew I still wanted to read something Star Wars-related. Yet I felt silly rereading something when there are so many things I haven’t touched, and I know many friends and colleagues suffer from this fabricated pressure.

“I can’t reread that series yet because I just reread it last year,” a friend says to me frequently. And? If you’re in the mood for something familiar or comforting, I know it’s easier said than done, but you’ve just got to do it! You’re not doing yourself any favors by pushing through something unenjoyable, and it may even lead to more detriment, like a reading slump or disliking something you may have enjoyed if it were the right time.

Random House Worlds

For example, I had never finished the Thrawn: Ascendancy Trilogy. I put it off until I couldn’t remember much about the first novel. In order to finish the second and third, I had to revisit the first one. When I finally allowed myself to reread, I promptly finished Chaos Rising and Greater Good. Now, I wait impatiently for my hold on Lesser Evil to roll up.

Youtini Can Help

Of course, if you are looking for more guidance than “just do it,” Youtini has a few useful tools. The Youtini Reading Order, Essential Six, and dedicated reading guides are great starting points and resources. The best part, though, is that each guide also boils down to reading what you want to read!

A novel, and especially a series, is a heavy time commitment. We read because we enjoy the characters, worlds, and communities behind them. Why force yourself to spend so much time on something you’re not totally into? You can always come back to a fresh read when you’re ready. And no matter what you read, you can share your thoughts and get ideas for your next book in the Younited, our community of positive Star Wars fans!